IAS / IPS STUDIES - 9

RAPID GK SERIES

QUESTIONS

1. Who was known as Iron man of India?
2. The higher the wind speed and the longer the fetch or distance of open water across which the wind blows and waves travel, the ____ waves and the ____ enerty they processes.
3. What J. B. Dunlop invented?
4. Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2000 was awarded to the former President of South Africa along with?
5. Which of the following is NOT written by Munshi Premchand?
6. The Indian delegation to the first World Conference on Human Rights was led by
7. Under Akbar, the Mir Bakshi was required to look after
8. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by
9. In the last one decade, which one among the following sectors has attracted the highest foreign direct investment inflows into India?
10. The southernmost point of peninsular India, that is, Kanyakumari, is
11. The famous Dilwara Temples are situated in
12. 'Dandia' is a popular dance of
13. When is the World Population Day observed?
14. Chlorophyll is a naturally occurring chelate compound in which central metal is
15. It is easier to roll a stone up a sloping road than to lift it vertical upwards because
16. The number of moles of solute present in 1 kg of a solvent is called its
17. Ozone hole refers to
18. What is part of a database that holds only one type of information?
19. Which was the 1st non Test playing country to beat India in an international match?

ANSWERS

1. Sardar Vallabai Patel
2. Larger, More
3. Pneumatic Rubber Rire
4. Grameen Bank of Bangladesh
5. Guide
6. Dr. Manmohan Singh
7. Military Affairs
8. Elected Members of The Legislative Assembly
9. Telecommunication
10. North of The Equator
11 Rajasthan
12. Gujarat
13. July 11
14. Magnesium
15. Work done in rolling a stone is less than in lifting it
16. Molality
17. Decrease in thickness of ozone layer in stratosphere
18. Field
19. Sri Lanka



States ask centre to hike CST to 4% or compensate adequately

States have asked centre for adequate compensation for their revenue loss due reduction in the Central Sales Tax -CST. Otherwise, the levy should be increased to the earlier rate of 4 per cent. Empowered Committee of the State Finance Minister in New Delhi also finalised a negative list of 35 services, which will notbe taxed under proposed Goods and Services Tax - GST regime.
Bihar Deputy CM and Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters later that if the government does not release compensation then Center should revert to the CST levy of 4 per cent from the present 2 per cent level.
The Centre is trying to phase-out the CST to usher in the new GST regime with a single tax merging excise, service tax and states tax, like value-added tax, entry tax and purchase tax.

Uttarakhand became the Ninth Indian State to introduce E-stamping

Uttarakhand government on 2 March 2012 introduced e-stamping in the state, which would ensure a secure way of paying non-judicial stamp duty to the government.
Uttarakhand is the ninth state in the country to implement the e-stamping service. In the first phase, e-stamping is set to be introduced in the four districts of Dehra Dun, Haridwar, Udhamsingh Nagar and Nainital.
E-stamps would be sold through the branches of Punjab National Bank (PNB) in these districts. The state government has roped in 45 branches of PNB to carry the sale of e-stamps.
E-stamping is a part of the e-governance initiative of the state which has been introduced by the state finance department in association with the Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited.


Lt General Bikram Singh to be next Army Chief

Lt General Bikram Singh will be the next Army Chief. An official press statement says that Lt Gen Bikram Singh will succeed Gen V. K. Singh, who retires on May 31st of this year. Lt General Bikram Singh was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment on March 31st 1972.
During his long and distinguished career, spanning nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Singh had served in a variety of command and staff appointments.
He has also served as Deputy Force Commander of a multi-nation UN Peace Keeping Mission in Congo and as UN Observer in Nicaragua and El Salvador during the early 90s.


Bilateral ties between India and Egypt reach new level

India and Egypt have agreed to carry forward their relations to a new level. The External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna met the top Egyptian leaders in Cairo and said India will provide all possible assistance to Egypt in its rebuilding efforts.
Information Technology has been identified as the first key sector where India will contribute with its expertise and guidance. Addressing a Joint Press Conference with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, he said focus will be on strengthening the age old trade, economic ,cultural and scientific linkages between the two countries.
Giving a push to the bilateral ties, four Memorandum of Understanding, MoUs on environment protection, agricultural co-operation, cultural exchanges and standardisation were signed at the sixth Joint Commission Meeting in Cairo. Mr. Krishna told his meetings with top leaders have been fruitful and productive.
The External Affairs Minister called on the military ruler and the Supreme Commander of armed forces in Egypt, Field Marshal Mohammad Hussein Tanatawi who underlined the need to take the relations to the original level as in the 60s and 70s and further build upon it. S M Krishna thanked him for the support in evacuating over 3000 Indians from eastern Libya through Egypt and protecting the major Indian investment projects in Egypt during the transition period in the country. Sri Krishna also called on the Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal El Ganzouri who said Egypt is keen to enhance trade co-operation with India.
The External Affairs Minister’s visit to Egypt, warmth in the ties and a forthcoming response is a reflection of the desire on the part of two major civilizations to join hands in the times to come.

India successfully launches BrahMos Missile

The Indian Army on March 4 successfully launched BrahMos missile and destroyed the preselected target in the field firing ranges in Rajasthan.
Army Spokesperson Colonel Jagdeep Dahiya said in New Delhi, the second BrahMos unit of Indian Army has been operationalised at an undisclosed location in the western sector. He said, this is in conformity and pursuit of operational and strategic surface to surface missile capability development.
BrahMos has the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 metres in altitude. It can gain a speed of Mach 2.8, and has a maximum range of 290 km.
The BrahMos has been developed as a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organization of India and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia under BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Moskva.


21 tonnes of illegal drugs discovered in Afghanistan

Afghan and the NATO-coalition forces discovered more than 21 tonnes of illegal drugs in the southern Helmand province. A press release issued by the Joint Command of NATO troops in Kabul says the haul included 2,151 kilograms of opium and approximately 24 kilograms of heroin.
It is one of the largest contraband yet discovered in what remains one of the nation's largest opium-producing regions. Security forces detained several suspects in this connection and destroyed the confiscated drugs immediately.
Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world's opium despite the efforts of the government and its international allies to curb production. The money earned from the opium is reportedly used to provide weapons for the insurgents. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently said that revenues from opium production in Afghanistan rose by 133 per cent in 2011.
Efforts are continuing in Helmand and other areas of Afghanistan to wean poor farmers away the cash crop and to encourage them to grow agricultural produce instead. There is a nexus between opium cultivators and the insurgency and until this nexus is broken, it will be difficult to maintain peace and normalcy in the country.


India wins first Women‘s World Cup Kabaddi crown

Host India lifted the first Women‘s World Cup Kabaddi crown defeating Iran. India defeated Iran 25-19 in a keenly contested final match.
The final match held at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.India and Iran entered the finals defeating Japan and Thailand respectively.
In the first semi final match Iran defeated Thailand 46-26. India thrashed Japan 59-20 in the second semi final match. 16 countries participated in this International sports meet .


Railways set to manufacture 2,500 'odourless' bio-toilets

Passengers travelling in long-distance trains will soon get respite from the stench of toilets with Railways set to replace them with "odourless" bio-toilets.
With a view to provide more hygienic conditions, Railways is firming up a green initiative to manufacture 2,500 bio-toilets in the upcoming fiscal.
Unlike traditional toilets in trains where the waste is discharged on tracks, the new system will treat the same inside a tank with the help of a bacterium, which will convert it into harmless gas and water.
Two expert panels appointed by Railways to suggest ways for upgradation of rail infrastructure and safety measures, have strongly recommended introducing "green toilets" in trains.
Manufacturing of these bio-toilets is likely to be mentioned in the Rail Budget 2012-13 as part of the green initiatives being undertaken by the nation's largest transporter to improve the cleanliness in rail premises.
This will not only improve the environment but also help in preventing corrosion of rail tracks, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
Estimated to cost about Rs one lakh per bio-toilet, these new age toilets will be manufactured at Kapurthala coach factory and fitted in long-route trains.
While about 50 bio-toilets will be fitted in LHB (Linke Holfmann Bush) coaches, the rest will be used in conventional coaches.


SBI launches new auto loan schemes

SBI Cards and Payment Services on March 4 said its auto loan customers will not have to produce income documents at the time of applying for a new card.
"The customer has to simply sign a declaration and provide the KYC (Know Your Customer) documents for enrolment. The customer does not need to provide any kind of income document to acquire the SBI Card," the company said in a statement.
Another initiative called 'Link', a customer referral programme, aims at providing a platform for existing SBI Card customers to refer their friends thereby becoming a SBI Card Link, it said.


India to expand science, tech cooperation with Africa

Building upon growing political and economic ties, India and the 54-nation African continent are now poised to expand their cooperation in frontier areas of research, capacity building and knowledge industries.
Empowerment through knowledge and technology was the buzzword at a two-day science and technology conclave here that brought together more than 100 scientists, diplomats and 31 science and technology (S&T) ministers from African countries.
The March 1-2 conclave, at the Vigyan Bhavan convention centre, focussed on building capacities in research and development, social entrepreneurship and innovation technologies.
Among the key areas the two sides agreed to work on are all people-related sectors to provide the over two billion population living in India and Africa better living conditions, quality food and water, affordable healthcare and meeting energy needs of two fast-growing economies.

The African Union, which represents 54 nations of the African continent, expressed its keenness to have a long-term strategic partnership with India in science and technology (S&T), given India's "remarkable progress" in this area in the last decade.


India to have Emigration Authority: Vayalar Ravi

India will soon have an authority to monitor and facilitate migration of its citizens to other countries, with a comprehensive database of Indians working abroad, Minister for Oversees Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi has said.
Speaking in Qatar's capital Doha, he said the government plans to bring a legislation in this regard in the next parliamentary session.
He said the Emigration Authority would facilitate regular, and legal migration of its citizens to other countries, and once such an authority comes into force, the government will have all details of its citizens migrating to other countries for a variety of reasons including work.


World's largest Hindu temple to come up in Bihar

Bihar would soon have the world's largest Hindu temple to be built on the lines of Combodia's Angkor Wat, that currently holds the feat.
The Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust (BMMT) on March 4 said "they will build a bigger temple in Bihar's Vaishali district than the 12th century Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia."
To be built at a cost of Rs 100 crores, the five-storied and 222-feet tall temple will come up at a sprawling campus spread over 15 acres at a place near Ismailpur village on Hajipur-Bidupur road, which will be christened as Angkor Nagar, BMMT's secretary and ex-IPS officer, Acharya Kishore Kunal said.
Land worth around Rs 30 crore has already been acquired for the purpose from locals, he said.
The proposed temple will be named 'Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir' and will house the statues of Lord Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesh, Surya, Vishnu, along with the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Govt proposes Cyber eye to monitor Internet traffic

The Government is mulling setting up of a National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) for assessing cyber security threat on a real time basis and monitoring of Internet traffic.
Recently a high-level meeting was called at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) during which establishment of NCCC was deliberated upon.
The meeting, which was attended by officers from the IB, RAW, DRDO, Home Ministry and Army, was given a presentation of the proposal for NCCC and other cyber security related issues.
"Establishment of a multi-agency NCCC for real time assessment of cyber security threat in the country and generation of an actionable report or alerts for proactive actions...," was the purpose according to minutes of the meeting.
"The NCCC would scan traffic within the country, flowing at the point of entry and exit, including international gateway," the meeting was informed.
The proposed NCCC would be the first layer for threat monitoring and all communication with government and private service providers would be through this body only.
"NCCC would be in virtual contact with the Control room of Internet service providers," the meeting was told.
The manpower required for the proposed NCCC would be finalised by NSCS on a fast-track basis, it said.