10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: May 7, 2020

Statement 1 is correct. AePS has been developed by NPCI to further the financial inclusion in country by facilitating the transactions with help of Aadhar card numbers and microATMs.

Statement 2 is correct.The user does not need to mention the bank account number, only Aadhar authentication is required and the account should be linked to UID. The services which can be availed through AePS are: Cash Withdrawal, Cash Deposit, Balance Enquiry, Aadhaar to Aadhaar Fund Transfer, Mini Statement.

Statement 1 is correct. RBI provides loans to Center and State governments through ‘Ways and Means Advances (WMA)’, it has recently increased the limits twice for the borrowings done by state governments to provide much needed liquidity.

Statement 2 is correct. The central bank has cut the repo rate to provide cheaper money to banks who can pass the lower interest further to end borrower.

Statement 3 is correct. RBI has announced targeted long-term repo operation (TLTRO) amounting almost rupees 50,000 crore under which banks will get three-year funding from RBI to invest in investment grade papers of NBFCs and micro finance institutions.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Basic Law of Hong Kong is a national law of China that serves as the de facto constitution of the Hong Kong. Itsmain principles wereagreed underSino-British joint declaration when Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty from British colonial system. It will expire in 2047.

Statement 2 is correct. Hong Kong basic law has ensured that it functions as separate economic unit having different currency and regulations than Mainland China. As per the law, Hong Kong has separate legal, economic, political systems but is under the sovereignty of China as a special administrative region (SAR) of Chinaas per ‘one country two system’ principle.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Five permanent members of UNSC are China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States; of which only France is part of European Union after Brexit.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Schengen Areaconsists of 26 European countries, who have abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people. Of 27 EU members 22 are part of Schengenarea; Ireland has opted out, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania—are legally obliged to join the area in the future. Although not members of the EU, countries like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone.

Statement 1 is correct. The application asks for the location and Bluetooth access in the mobile device. It uses the location data to assess if the device holder has been in proximity of someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Open Source Software are those whose source code has been made public so that anyone can inspect, audit enhance the software. The source code of AarogyaSetu has not been made public ‘yet’.

The bi-annual shift of capital of Jammu & Kashmir between Srinagar and Jammu is called Darbar move. It is almost 148 year old practice since the Dogra dynasty rule in J&K.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The tenure of US president is four years while in case of Indian President, it is five years.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The majority of individual popular votes in US presidential election do not guarantee the victory. US Presidential system is based on a unique system of Electoral College. People in general election vote in the President’s& Vice President’s elections, while they actually vote for a group of people called electors. Each state gets a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress. Each elector casts one vote following the general election, and the candidate who gets more than half (270) wins.

‘Force Majeure’ is a clause in contracts that relieves the parties in contracts from obligations in case of some unforeseen circumstances.

Both statements are correct. Government of India has launched a comprehensive mission ‘Vande Bharat’ to bring back Indians stranded overseas due to current global pandemic COVID-19.

Note of caution: Do not confuse it with ‘Vande Bharat Express’ (Train 18), which is an Indian semi-high speed electric multiple unit train.

The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred in 1986, at a reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Union (today Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear accidents; the official death toll released was 31 while the estimates by various NGOs range above tens of thousands.

In 1979 at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in USA a cooling malfunction caused part of the core to melt in the reactor. Some radioactive gas was released a couple of days after the accident. There were no injuries or adverse health effects from the Three Mile Island accident.

With face masks becoming mandatory to deal with the COVID19 pandemic, an IIT-Delhi startup ‘Nanosafe Solutions’ has launched an antimicrobial and washable face mask ‘NSafe’. The said mask is reusable up to 50 launderings, thus greatly cutting down the cost of use. IIT-Delhi said that the ‘NSafe’ mask is a triple-layered product consisting of inner hydrophilic layer for comfort, middle layer having antimicrobial activity and outer most layer having water and oil repellent behavior. “NSafe mask has 99.2% bacterial filtration efficiency [at 3 microns] along with breathability and splash resistance”.

NDMA, as the apex body, is mandated to lay down the policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters. Towards this, it has the following responsibilities: –

• Lay down policies on disaster management.
• Approve the National Plan.
• Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or Departments of the Government of India in accordance with the National Plan.
• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plan.
• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the different Ministries or Departments of the Government of India for the Purpose of integrating the measures for prevention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in their development plans and projects.
• Coordinate the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plans for disaster management.
• Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation.
• Provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be determined by the Central Government.
• Take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building for dealing with threatening disaster situations or disasters as it may consider necessary.
• Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National Institute of Disaster Management.

The Article 22 of the Indian Constitution provides safeguards against the misuse of police powers to make arrests and detentions.

Trade Unions Act, 1926.

Statement 1 is incorrect: At least 50% of the office bearers of a union should be actually engaged or employed in the industry with which the trade union is concerned, and the remaining 50% or less can be outsiders such as Lawyers, politicians, social workers etc.

Statement 2 is incorrect: A registered trade union can be dissolved in accordance with the rules of the union. A notice of dissolution signed by any seven members and the secretary of the union should be sent to the registrar within 14 days of the dissolution. On being satisfied the registrar shall register the notice and the union shall stand dissolved from the date. The funds of the union shall be divided by the Registrar amongst its members in the manner prescribed under the rules of the union or as laid down by the government.

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary.

Statement 1 is correct: Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary was declared way back in 1936, which was the “first” Birds Sanctuary in India.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Vedanthangal bird sanctuary is situated in Tamil Nadu. The vedanthankal lake region attracted a variety of birds such as pintail, garganey, grey wagtail, blue-winged teal, common sandpiper.