10 PM Current Affairs Quiz : March 30, 2018

In order to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the South Asian region, the Governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka established the SACEP in 1982 in Sri Lanka.

The SACEP jointly with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) developed a “Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan” to facilitate international co-operation and mutual assistance in preparing and responding to a major oil pollution incident in the seas around the Maritime States of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The India-China Expert Level Mechanism or ELM was established in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers.

Under existing bilateral Memorandums of Understanding, China provides to India hydrological information of Brahmaputra River (Yarlong Zangbo) and Sutlej River (Langqen Zangbo) during the flood seasons.

Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves.

Any limestone or dolomitic region showing typical landforms produced by the action of groundwater

through the processes of solution and deposition is called Karst topography after the typical topography

developed in limestone rocks of Karst region in the Balkans adjacent to Adriatic sea.

Statement 1 is correct. A quality education is the foundation of sustainable development, and therefore of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustainable Development targets for 2030 call for ensuring the completion of primary and secondary education by all boys and girls, and guaranteeing equal access to opportunities for access to quality technical and vocational education for everyone. Policy interventions will require improving access and improving quality, as well addressing relevant obstacles which include gender inequalities, food insecurity, and armed conflict.

The new national Education Policy and Sustainable Development Goal 4 share the goals of universal quality education and lifelong learning. The flagship government scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, is aimed at achieving universal quality education for all Indians, and is complemented in this effort by targeted schemes on nutritional support, higher education, and teacher training. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The Ken-Betwa ILR project aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa basin through concrete canal to irrigate India’s worst drought-prone Bundelkhand region.

The ‘Government at a Glance report’ is issued by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Both the statements is correct.

The International Day of Forests is observed every year on March 21 to provide a platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of woodlands and trees and celebrate the ways in which they sustain and protect us. The 2018 theme “Forests and Sustainable Cities” focuses on how forests and trees in urban areas regulate temperature and water flows, provide nutritious foods and shelter, cleanse the air and foster community cohesion and individual well-being, among other benefits.