10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: September 11, 2020

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Narcotics Control Bureau was set up as apex drug law enforcement agency with view to coordinate actions of various central/state agencies in the matters related with drug law in the country. It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India.

Statement 2 is correct. There are three United Nations Conventions on drug related matters:

-Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961

-Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971

-UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988

India is a signatory to all these Conventions and enacted the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1985 which met her obligations under these Conventions.

A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. It establishes the rights and privileges of foreign personnel present in a host country in support of the larger security arrangement.

United States military has the largest foreign presence and therefore accounts for most SOFAs, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and many other nations also station military forces abroad and negotiate SOFAs with their host countries.

# The US has decided to withdraw more than a third of its troops from Iraq.

e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for use of farmers.

The e-Gopala App will provide solutions for farmers:

-Managing livestock including buying and selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos, etc.);

-Availability of quality breeding services (Artificial Insemination, veterinary first aid, vaccination, treatment etc.)

-Guiding farmers for animal nutrition, treatment of animals using appropriate ayurvedic medicine, veterinary medicine.

-Mechanism to send alerts (on due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving etc.) and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area.

Statement 1 is correct. The Department of Posts has launched a scheme called Five Star Villages, to ensure universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of the country. The scheme seeks to bridge the gaps in public awareness and reach of postal products and services, especially in interior villages.

Statement 2 is correct. The schemes covered under the Five Star scheme include: i) Savings Bank accounts, Recurrent Deposit Accounts, NSC / KVP certificates, ii) Sukanya Samridhi Accounts/ PPF Accounts, iii) Funded Post Office Savings Account linked India Post Payments Bank Accounts, iv) Postal Life Insurance Policy/Rural Postal Life Insurance Policy and v) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Account / Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.

If a village attains universal coverage for four schemes from the above list, then that village gets four-star status; if a village completes three schemes, then that village get three-star status and so on.

The scheme will be implemented by a team of five Gramin Dak Sevaks who will be assigned a village for marketing of all products, savings and insurance schemes of the Department of Posts.

Statement 1 is incorrect. SAROD-Ports (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports) is established under Societies Registration Act, 1860.

Statement 2 is correct. SAROD-Ports objectives:

-Affordable and timely resolution of disputes in fair manner

-Enrichment of Dispute Resolution Mechanism with the panel of technical experts as arbitrators.

SAROD-Ports consists members from Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Indian Private Ports and Terminals Association (IPTTA).

SAROD-Ports will advise and assist in settlement of disputes through arbitrations in the maritime sector, including ports and shipping sector in Major Port Trusts, Non-major Ports, including private ports, jetties, terminals and harbours. It will also cover disputes between granting authority and Licensee/Concessionaire /Contractor and also disputes between Licensee/Concessionaire and their contractors arising out of and during the course of execution of various contracts.

‘Delhi Declaration on Emergency Preparedness’ to strengthen and operationalise cross border capacities for disaster reduction and response was unanimously adopted at the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia in Delhi in 2019.

It builds on the disaster preparedness and response benchmarks set by South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (‎SEARHEF)‎ which was set up following the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004.

The key initiatives under Delhi Declaration are identifying risks by mapping and assessing vulnerabilities, evidence-based planning, implementing measures for disaster risk reduction; and preparing and operationalizing readiness.

# Recently at the conclusion of the 73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region (SEAR) held under the Chairmanship of Minister of Health, Thailand, the Health Ministers of the member states agreed to the SEAR Member States’ Declaration on the collective response to COVID-19 in South-East Asia Region.

Statement 1 is correct. Section 19 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 gives the power to prohibit a broadcast in the public interest if the programme is “likely to promote, on grounds of religion, race, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, linguistic or regional groups or castes or communities or which is likely to disturb the public tranquility”.

Statement 2 is correct. The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 requires and provides a mechanism for registration of all cable operators.  The Act empowers the central government to appoint a registering authority to review applications and grant registrations.

Article 3 states that no person shall operate a cable television network unless he is registered as a cable operator under this Act.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Cygnus spacecraft is an expendable American cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and now manufactured and launched by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program.

Statement 2 is correct. Each spacecraft by Northrop Grumman is named after an important figure in the aerospace industry. Northrop Grumman has named the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after the first woman of Indian descent to fly in space, Kalpana Chawla. For the NG-14 mission, the SS Kalpana Chawla spacecraft will deliver approximately 3,629 kg of cargo to the space station.

# In November 1996, K. Chawla was assigned as a mission specialist on STS-87 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the first woman of Indian descent to fly in space.

# Kalpana Chawla’s second spaceflight experience was in 2001 for the crew of STS-107. The flight was dedicated to science and research, with approximately 80 experiments completed.

# The STS-107 mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to the scheduled landing.

Mostly, logistics agreements are administrative arrangements which help to facilitate the replenishment of fuel, rations, spares (where required), and berthing and maintenance for the other nations’ warships, military aircraft and troops during routine port calls, joint exercises and training carried out in each other’s countries as well as during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

India has signed several military logistics support agreements with partner countries:

-Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the United States (US) in August 2016.

-Implementing Arrangement Concerning Mutual Coordination, Logistics and Services Support with Singapore in June 2018.

-Agreement for the Provision of Reciprocal Logistics Support between the Armed Forces with France in March 2018.

-Agreement to Extend Logistical Support to each other’s navies with the Republic of Korea (ROK) in September 2019.

-Agreement on Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services between the Indian Armed Forces and the Self-Defense Forces of Japan recently.

“Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana – A scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India”

-Scheme intends to address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernization and strengthening of value chain, traceability, establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishers’ welfare.

-It would also address issues like low productivity in inland Aquaculture, disease, sustainability of marine fisheries, sanitary and phyto-sanitary matters that impact the competitiveness of India’s exports along with global bench marking.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The PMMSY will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate Components namely Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).

The funding pattern for CSS: 60% Central share and 40% State share, 90% Central share in North Eastern & Himalayan States.

Statement 2 is correct. For optimal outcomes, ‘Cluster or area-based approach’ would be followed with requisite forward and backward linkages and end to end solutions. Suitable linkages and convergence will be fostered with other centre and state government schemes wherever feasible.