10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: September 17, 2020

Article 19(2) provides for power of state to put reasonable restrictions on ‘freedom of speech and expression’ in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

Persian Gulf is bordered on the north, northeast, and east by Iran; on the southeast and south by part of Oman and by the United Arab Emirates; on the southwest and west by Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia; and on the northwest by Kuwait and Iraq.

Gujarat was part of Bombay Presidency in British India but on 1 May 1960 Gujarat was separated and formed as an independent state.

Nagaland state was formed on 1 December 1963 when it was separated from Assam.

Punjab state was created after the merger of Patiala princely state with eight other similar states. In 1966, Haryana was separated as an independent state from this merger. Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Statement 1 is correct. The Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network is a coordination body of bilateral and multilateral donors and agencies, the private sector and foundations working to enhance the inclusion of persons with disabilities in international development and humanitarian action.

The (GLAD) Network was launched in London in December 2015, by a group of like-minded partners who recognize that to realize the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to leave no one behind, and to further the principles reflected in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Statement 2 is incorrect. No organization/Ministry from India is a member of the Network.

The permanent co-chair of the GLAD Network is the International Disability Alliance (IDA). The rotating co-chairs are the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.

Option 1 is correct. The principal aim of the Montreal Protocol is to protect the ozone layer by taking measures to control total global production and consumption of substances that deplete it, with the ultimate objective of their elimination on the basis of developments in scientific knowledge and technological information.

Option 2 is incorrect. Kyoto Protocol operationalized the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets.

Option 3 is incorrect. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants.

# The scientific confirmation of the depletion of the ozone layer led to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which was adopted and signed by 28 countries, on 22 March 1985. In September 1987, this led to the drafting of The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

# On 16th September 2009, the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol became the first treaties in the history of the United Nations to achieve universal ratification.

# The Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer reached agreement at their 28th Meeting of the Parties on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

The solar cycle is the cycle that the Sun’s magnetic field goes through approximately every 11 years. This means that the Sun’s north and south poles switch places. Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s north and south poles to flip back again.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Recently, scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA announced their predictions about the new solar cycle, called Solar Cycle 25, which they believe has begun.

The Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel, an international group of experts co-sponsored by NASA and NOAA, announced that solar minimum occurred in December 2019, marking the start of a new solar cycle. Because our Sun is so variable, it can take months after the fact to declare this event. Scientists use sunspots to track solar cycle progress.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The beginning of a solar cycle is a solar minimum, or when the Sun has the least sunspots. Over time, solar activity and the number of sunspots increase.

The middle of the solar cycle is the solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots. As the cycle ends, it fades back to the solar minimum and then a new cycle begins.

The Environment Ministerial Meeting (EMM) of the G20 countries took place recently through video conferencing under the Presidency of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Global Initiative to reduce Land Degradation and Coral Reef program under the G20 aims to strengthen the implementation of existing frameworks to prevent, halt, and reverse land degradation within G20 member states and globally, taking into account possible implications on the achievement of other SDGs and adhering to the principle of doing no harm.

The Global Coral Reef R&D Accelerator Platform is an innovative action-oriented initiative aimed at creating a global research and development (R&D) program to advance research, innovation and capacity building in all facets of coral reef conservation, restoration, and adaptation, and strengthen ongoing efforts and commitments made to enhance coral reefs conservation and their further degradation.

Statement 1 is correct. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a UN specialized agency, established by States in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).

ICAO works with the Convention’s 193 Member States and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector.

Statement 2 is incorrect. India is a member of ICAO, and currently part of Council States 2019-2022.

# The ICAO, under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme and the Universal Security Audit Programme, regularly conducts safety and security audits of all countries which are signatory to the Chicago Convention.

# The audits conducted by the ICAO in 2012 and 2015 indicated a need to amend the Aircraft Act to give proper recognition to the regulators under the Act.

# The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 seeks to provide statutory status to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Statement 1 is correct. The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill 2020 has been passed by Rajya Sabha recently. The Bill was earlier passed in Lok Sabha on 19th March, 2020.

This paves the way to establish a state-of-the-art Ayurvedic institution called the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) at Jamnagar, Gujarat, and to confer the status of Institution of National Importance (INI) to it.

ITRA will be the first institution with INI status in the AYUSH Sector, and this will enable the institution to be independent and innovative in the matter deciding course content and pedagogy.

Statement 2 is correct. The objective of the Institute will be to: (i) develop patterns of teaching in medical education in Ayurveda and pharmacy, (ii) bring together educational facilities for training of personnel in all branches of Ayurveda, (iii) attain self-sufficiency in postgraduate education to meet the need for specialists and medical teachers in Ayurveda, and (iv) make an in-depth study and research in the field of Ayurveda.

Public Debt denotes liabilities payable by the Central Government, which are contracted against the Consolidated Fund of India, as provided under Article 292 of the Constitution of India.

It excludes liabilities contracted against Public Account.

Public Debt has been further classified under two heads, i.e., Internal Debt and External Debt. Internal debt is categorized into marketable and non-marketable securities.

Marketable government securities include G-secs and T-Bills issued through auction. Non-marketable securities include intermediate treasury bills issued to state governments, special securities issued to national Small Savings Fund among others.

Most of the external debt is sourced from multilateral agencies such as International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), Asian Development Bank (ADB), etc. and official bilateral agencies.

Public Account Liabilities include liabilities on account of National Small Saving Fund (NSSF), State Provident Funds, Reserve Funds and Deposits, and Other Accounts.