10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: June 25, 2020

Statement 1 is correct. The Shimla Agreement signed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan on 2nd July 1972. It contains set of guiding principles, mutually agreed to by India and Pakistan, which both sides would adhere to while managing relations with each other.

Statement 2 is correct. Governments of India and Pakistan agreed that the two countries are resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them. Pending the final settlement of any of the problems between the two countries, neither side shall unilaterally alter the situation, and both shall prevent the organization, assistance or encouragement of any acts detrimental to the maintenance of peaceful and harmonious relations.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The last Ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan was declared on 25^th November 2003 whereby Directors-General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan agreed to observe a ceasefire along the international border, LOC and Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Jammu & Kashmir.

Statement 1 is correct. The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalayas; it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram.

Statement 2 is correct. The Nubra River is a tributary of the Shyok River and originates from the Siachen Glacier.

Statement 3 is correct. India shares a 3,323 km border with Pakistan. The border is divided into three parts:

International Border (IB): Stretches from Gujarat to the north banks of Chenab in Akhnoor in Jammu. Line of Control (LoC): Runs from parts of Jammu to parts of Leh. It is a ceasefire line which came into existence after the 1948 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan. It was delineated in the Simla Agreement (July 1972) whereby both sides agreed not to alter it unilaterally.

Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL): It divides the current position of Indian and Pakistani troops in the Siachen region. It is 110 km long and extends from NJ 9842 to Indira Col in the north.

Both statements are correct.

The act empowers the Central Government to, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a Fund to be called the National Disaster Response Fund for meeting any threatening disaster situation or disaster and National Disaster Mitigation Fund for projects exclusively for the purpose of mitigation.

The Section 70(1) of the Disaster Management Act 2005 states that the National Authority shall prepare once every year, an annual report giving a true and full account of its activities during the previous year and copies thereof shall be forwarded to the Central Government and that Government shall cause the same to be laid before both Houses of Parliament within one month of its receipt.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Economic Survey indicates that the share of agriculture and allied sectors in the total GVA of the country has declined from 2009-14 to 2014-19 mainly on account of relatively higher growth in other sectors.

Statement 2 is correct. The weightage of Manufacturing, Mining and Electricity production in overall Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is 77.63 per cent, 14.37 per cent and 7.99 per cent respectively.

Statement 1 is correct. Favipiravir is a pyrazine-carboxamide derivative with activity against RNA viruses. It selectively inhibits the influenza viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. It has been approved to treat influenza in Japan. Originally it was manufactured by Japan’s Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Ltd. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has launched the drug under the brand name FabiFlu.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The treatment options under study in Solidarity trial are: Remdesivir; Lopinavir/Ritonavir; and Lopinavir/Ritonavir with Interferon beta-1a.

On 17 June 2020, WHO announced that the hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) arm of the Solidarity Trial to find an effective COVID-19 treatment was being stopped.

Statement 1 is correct. The Union Cabinet has recently approved creation of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). It will provide a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure. It will also hand-hold, promote and guide the private industries in space activities through encouraging policies and a friendly regulatory environment.

Statement 2 is correct. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is a wholly owned Government of India company, a commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the primary responsibility of enabling Indian industries to take up high technology space related activities and is also responsible for promotion and commercial exploitation of the products and services emanating from the Indian space programme.

“Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and Education” has been published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). GEM Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO.

It mainly reports on progress on education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to the SDG 4 monitoring framework; and the implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments, as part of the overall SDG follow-up and review process.

The 2020 report analyses the impact of COVID-19 on educational activities and shows 40% of poorest countries failed to support learners at risk during COVID-19 crisis and urges inclusion in education.

Statement 1 is correct. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communications.

Statement 2 is correct. There are currently nine Observers to SAARC, namely: (i) Australia; (ii) China; (iii) the European Union; (iv) Iran; (v) Japan; (vi) the Republic of Korea; (vii) Mauritius; (viii) Myanmar; and (ix) the United States of America.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Equalisation levy was first introduced in Finance Act, 2016 in respect of specified services like online advertisements. It has been further expanded by amendment through Finance Act 2020.

Statement 2 is correct. As per the emended provisions, there shall be charged an equalisation levy at the rate of two per cent of the amount of consideration received or receivable by an e-commerce operator from e-commerce supply or services made or provided or facilitated by it.

An “e-commerce operator” for provisions of equalisation levy has been defined as a non-resident who owns, operates or manages digital or electronic facility or platform for online sale of goods or online provision of services or both.

Further, the equalisation levy shall not be charged where the e-commerce operator making or providing or facilitating e-commerce supply or services has a permanent establishment in India and such e-commerce supply or services is effectively connected with such permanent establishment.

Similar question has been asked in UPSC CSE Prelims 2018.

The Drugs Controller, India appointed by the Central Government in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the Central Licensing Authority for the purposes of Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019.

No person or institution or organisation is authorized to conduct clinical trial of a new drug or investigational new drug except in accordance with the permission granted by the Central Licensing Authority and without the protocol there of having been approved by the Ethics Committee for clinical trial registered in accordance with the provisions of rules.