10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: September 5, 2020

Certain mobile applications have been banned recently by invoking government’s power under the Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

Section 69A of the Information Technology Act states that “where the Central Government is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient so to do, in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above, it may direct any agency of the Government or intermediary to block for access by the public or cause to be blocked for access by the public any information generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any computer resource.”

Statement 1 is correct. The Sputnik V, Russian adenovirus vector-based vaccine was registered by the Russian Ministry of Health on August 11 and became the first registered COVID-19 vaccine on the market.

It is a two-shot vaccine being developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute using adenovirus vectors (rAd26 and rAd5) for the first and second vaccination.

Statement 2 is correct. “Vectors” are vehicles, which can induce a genetic material from another virus into a cell. The gene from adenovirus, which causes the infection, is removed while a gene with the genetic code of a Spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 is inserted.

Both statements are correct.

Kaziranga National Park’s 430 square kilometer area in Assam is sprinkled with elephant-grass meadows, swampy lagoons, and dense forests are home to more than 2200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Along with the iconic Greater one-horned rhinoceros, the park is the breeding ground of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.

The park is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species. Birds like lesser white-fronted goose, ferruginous duck, Baer’s pochard duck and lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-necked stork, and Asian Openbill stork specially migrate from the Central Asia during the winter season.

Force majeure is a common clause in contracts to remove liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes. It comes into play when unforeseeable circumstances that prevent either party from fulfilling a contract.

The provisions of ‘Act of God’ also have similar effect. Generally, an “Act of God” is understood to include only natural unforeseen circumstances, whereas force majeure includes both naturally occurring events and events that occur due to human intervention. However, both concepts elicit the same consequences in law.

Both statements are correct.

Gangetic Dolphin was declared the national aquatic animal (2009).

Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. But the species is extinct from most of its early distribution ranges.

The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind.

Ganges River Dolphin is listed as Endangered in IUCN Red List.

# Recently the Prime Minister announced Project Dolphin on the lines of Project Tiger aimed at conserving the riverine and oceanic dolphins.

‘From insights to action: Gender equality in the wake of COVID-19′ has been published by the UN Women.

This publication summarizes data, research, and policy work by UN Women’s Policy and Programme Division on the pandemic’s impact on women and girls, including the impact on extreme poverty, employment, health, unpaid care, and violence against women and girls.

The poverty rate for women was earlier projected to decrease by 2.7 per cent between 2019 and 2021, but with the coming of the pandemic, it has increased to 9.1 per cent.

By 2021, for every 100 men aged 25 to 34 living in extreme poverty (living on USD 1.90 a day or less), there will be 118 women, a gap that is expected to increase to 121 women per 100 men by 2030.

The report gave suggestions to prevent women from falling behind permanently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included addressing inadequate access to affordable childcare, addressing occupational segregation and gender pay gaps.

Both statements are correct.

Repurchase (buyback) of G-Secs is a process whereby the Government of India and State Governments buy back their existing securities, by redeeming them prematurely, from the holders.

The objectives of buyback can be reduction of cost (by buying back high coupon securities), reduction in the number of outstanding securities and improving liquidity in the G-Secs market (by buying back illiquid securities) and infusion of liquidity in the system.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India that is maintained by semi-regular summits and information exchanges among the member countries.

Quad, being an informal forum, has no formal mutual-assistance treaty, secretariat, or even a website.

Statement 2 is correct. BRICS members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa; India is the only country in Quad that is a member of BRICS.

Statement 1 is correct. The small finance banks are required to extend 75 per cent of their Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) to the sectors eligible for classification as priority sector lending (PSL) by the Reserve Bank.

The target for Domestic scheduled commercial banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks and Small Finance Banks) and Foreign banks with 20 branches and above is 40 per cent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher

Statement 2 is correct. The categories under priority sector are: Agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Export Credit, Education, Housing, Social Infrastructure, Renewable Energy and Others.

A ‘two plus two dialogue’ is a term, adopted in foreign parleys, used for installation of a dialogue mechanism between two countries’ defence and external affairs ministries.

Government of India’s Ministers of Defense and External Affairs have in past held the ‘two plus two dialogue’ with Japan and United States. Secretary level 2+2 dialog have been held with Australia.