Daily Quiz #16 UPSC Prelims Marathon – October 21, 2019

Explanation: The government proposes to set up an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation under the Ministry of Culture, and develop five archaeological sites as “iconic sites” with onsite museums in Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Sivsagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu).
Rakhigarhi in Haryana’s Hissar district is one of the most prominent and largest sites of the Harappan civilisation. It is one among the five known townships of the Harappan civilisation in the Indian subcontinent.
Excavations at Hastinapur, in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, were led by Dr B B Lal, who was at the time Superintendent of the Excavations Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
In Sivasagar, excavations at the Karenghar (Talatalghar) complex between 2000 and 2003 led to the discovery of buried structures in the north-western and north-eastern side of the complex. Among the structural remains found at the site were ceramic assemblages including vases, vessels, dishes, and bowls, etc. Terracotta smoking pipes were also found.
Dholavira in Gujarat is located in the Khadir island of the Rann of Kutch, and like Rakhigarhi is one of the sites where the remains of the Harappan civilisation have been found.
Adichnallur lies in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. The urn-burial site was first brought to light during a “haphazard excavation” by a German archaeologist in 1876. Following this, an Englishman Alexander Rae excavated the site between 1889 and 1905.

Explanation: The Indian Navy carried out a five-day coastal security exercise, ‘Matla Abhiyaan’, with personnel of two naval boats, holding interactions with all stakeholders along the riverine border with Bangladesh. The exercise, named after Matla River, aimed to interact with coastal communities to spread awareness on coastal security and understand the navigational complexities in the Sunderban deltaic waters. The personnel of the naval boats interacted with the crew of fishing boats, tankers and launches operating in the Matla and Hooghly rivers and the narrow creeks of Sunderbans. Malta River is a tidal river in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Explanation: India and Maldives signed five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in islands of Addu atoll. Addu Atoll, also known as Seenu Atoll, is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives. It has a number of other inhabited and uninhabited islands.

Explanation: The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced the NIRVIK scheme in the Union Budget 2020-21. It will provide high insurance cover for exporters and reduce premium for small exporters. She further added that the Scheme is being prepared by the Commerce and Industry Ministry. Under the Scheme, also called the Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS), the insurance guarantee could cover up to 90% of the principal and interest. The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) cover will also provide additional comfort to banks as the credit rating of the borrower is enhanced to AA rated account. Enhanced cover will ensure that Foreign and Rupee export credit interest rates will be below 4%and 8% respectively for exporters. Under ECIS, insurance cover percentage has also been enhanced to 90% from the present average of 60% for the both principal and interest. The Export Credit Corporation currently provides credit guarantee of up to 60 percent loss. The development assumes significance as exporters have raised concerns over availability of credit.

Explanation: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to set up an investment clearance cell for entrepreneurs to provide pre-investment advisory, information related to land banks and facilitate clearances. It will be setup by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).