Explanation :

KPCS came into effect in 2003 by the United Nation General Assembly Resolution. India is its founding member and is actively involved in KP activities to ensure that almost 99 per cent of the diamond trade in the world is conflict free.

What KPCS is all about?

KPCS aims to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds/ blood diamonds, while helping to protect legitimate trade in rough diamonds. African countries are rich in diamonds and other jewel stones and the rebel groups used to topple the legitimate Government by the use of money power which they used to get by selling of diamonds. So KPCS makes it binding on the party to have legitimate trade only (i.e. Diamond shall be marked KP Certified) in order to defeat those rebels.

Purpose of the Question:

India has been selected as the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Review & Reforms to look into various issues pertaining to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme from January next 2019.

Explanation :

Measles is caused by Measles virus and has an incubation period of 10 to 14 days. Measles virus is a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped (non-segmented) RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus within the family Paramyxoviridae. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

It is a contagious disease but can be easily controlled by a vaccination. It mainly occurs in humans and is not found in animals generally.

Purpose of the question:

Recently, WHO has observed that cases of Measles has spiked up, so Measles has constantly been in news. Candidates are expected to have an idea about the disease as it’s vaccine is also being given under the Indradhanush Mission (Rubella Vaccine) in India.

Source Name : WHO website

Explanation :

The Yellow Vest movement also referred to as the Yellow Jacket movement as protestors took to wearing the high-visibility fluorescent jackets, erupted suddenly in November as a protest against Emmanuel Macron's fuel tax hikes to reduce emissions that are scheduled to start from January in France. Frustration over fuel prices sparked the protest, but it has extended to protests against inequality in French society.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between the Nippon Foundation and GEBCO and is backed by the UN to create a map of the entire ocean floor by 2030 which will be made available to all.

UN’s SDG Goal #14 is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Why Mapping Ocean Floor is Important?

The shape of the seabed is critical to understand ocean circulation patterns - affecting climate and weather patterns, tides, wave action, sediment transport, tsunami wave propagation, underwater geo-hazards and resource exploration (for instance oil, gas and minerals).

Source Name : Economic Times

Explanation :

Tsunami is caused primarily due to strong upheaval in the water body. This strong upheaval can be brought up by earthquake, volcanic eruptions or big rocks falling in the ocean body (This may include meteorite or big comets falling in the water body too). Rainfall or cyclones don’t have much impact on the Tsunami.

Purpose of the Question:

Recent volcanic eruption had led to tsunami in Indonesia. Hence, candidates should be aware about the factors that trigger tsunami.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an attached office in the Ministry of Culture. It was set up in 1861 with the primary object of surveying antiquarian remains in this country and their study.
• ASI is the successor of Asiatic Society of India and was formed in current form by Sir Alexander Cunningham with the help of the then Viceroy Canning. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• ASI regulates all the archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 and the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Purpose of the Question:

ASI has constantly been in the news recently for various reasons; most recently due to the excavations at Lalitgiri in Odisha which has yielded the remains of Buddhist Monasteries and chaityas, and has been converted into a museum. Also, ASI will soon begin the exercise of identifying unauthorised constructions around the 14th-century Tughlaqabad Fort.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

• The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean.
• It is very deep at its western end but as it narrows to the east it becomes much shallower, with a depth of only 20m in parts of the eastern end. This makes it notoriously difficult to navigate, with sandbanks, very strong tidal flows and man-made obstructions such as oil platforms off the Java coast. The heavy ships use Strait of Malacca to navigate towards North Pacific Ocean. Hence, the only correct statement is 2.

Purpose of the Question:

Due to recent eruption of Anak Krakatau Volcano located in Sunda Strait, it becomes relevant to know about the particular strait.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

• Cinereous Vulture is found in Eurasian region and has distinct feature like Pink Beak and Black Tip. In the winter season, it migrates from the Eurasian region to relatively warmer conditions like India & Pakistan. This bird is frequently seen in winter season in Rajasthan but for the first time this has been observed in the state of Jharkhand too.
• The Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) is a marmot species that inhabits alpine grasslands throughout the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau. It is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern because of its wide range and possibly large population.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

As per Article 342(1) President in consonance with the feedback of Governor/UTby public notification has listed certain tribal population as ST, but Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in the notification issued under clause 1 of Aricle 342. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

How the Inclusion or Exclusion is carried out?

• The State Government raises the request to Registrar General of India (RGI), If RGI is satisfied he sends the demand to National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST), if everyone agrees then that is put to the cabinet and is presented in the form of Amendment bill to the Parliament.
• If RGI does not agree with the State Government then that modification request is again sent back to the State Government and Central Government may reject the demand for modification.
• But if State Government and RGI agrees to the demand but NCST is opposed to it then at the level of Ministry of Tribal Affairs it is usually rejected.

Purpose of the Question:

Recently, the Cabinet has cleared the proposal to replace ‘any Naga Tribes’ with specific names of the tribes that would qualify for recognition as ST in Arunachal Pradesh.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

• Government has launched NCAP to provide centre and state a framework to combat air pollution. The main objective of this programme is to reduce the PM10 and PM2.5 by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024 (not the GHG gases). Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• The NCAP has decided to take 2017 as base year to calculate the reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 levels.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

National Green Tribunal constituted a committee under the Former Judge of Gauhati High Court to look into the illegal mining of coal in Meghalaya. As per the recommendation of that report Rat hole mining was banned by NGT but still it was carried out in clandestine manner which led to trapping of miners in the East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

• Cyclone Pabuk originated in ‘Gulf of Thailand’ and its neighborhood area. It is stated to hit the coast of Andaman & Nicobar and vessel services has been suspended in Port Blair because of orange alert issued by IMD.
• Tropical cyclones have circular isobar while temperate cyclones have elliptical isobar. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• Speed of the wind is highest near to the eye called as ‘Eye wall’ and is not at Eye because of Angular momentum conservation principle. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

Source Name : Economic Times

Explanation :

TGO is a collaborative project between Roscosmos and European Space Agency. The key goal is to gain a better understanding of Methane (CH4) and other trace gases present in the Martian atmosphere that could be evidence for possible biological activity. Hence, statement 1 and 2 is incorrect.

Purpose of the Question:

Earlier evidences have shown the presence of gases on Mars, but in its recent finding by TGO, no traces of methane has been found in Martian Atmosphere.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

The French Government has decided to impose a tax on technological giant firms- Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon (GAFA); these companies use the consumer data to train their algorithms and do the digital advertising. Hence, the French Government has decided to tax them more.

Source Name : Business Standard

Explanation :

RBI has appointed an eight-member committee to be headed by former SEBI Chairman Shri U.K. Sinha to comprehensively review and propose long term solutions for the MSME sector. The panel will review the existing institutional framework that supports MSMEs and will propose long-term revival solutions.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

In order to skill youth in environment, forest and wildlife sectors and enable them to be gainfully employed/ self-employed, Ministry of Environment & Climate Change launched a Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP). More than 30 skilling programmes are being conducted to provide adequate skills to the candidates.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

• IUCN is a global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. It is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland. IUCN is publishing its Red Data List since 1964.
• Pink Page of the IUCN Red Data List consists of the Critically Endangered species while its Green Page consists of those species which were previously endangered but now have recovered to such a position that it is no longer threatened.
• Snow Leopard was previously endangered but due to its conservation efforts it is now listed as vulnerable.

Explanation :

• It is the ratio of Investment upon GDP, thus, it is very clear that it is that part of the GDP that is used to create the GDP itself. Hence, statement 1 is correct and 2 is incorrect.
• In 2011-12 it was 34.3%. It decreased to 30.8% in 2014-15 and has further decreased. Economists are of the view that it should be above 45%.

Note- GCF is an excellent parameter which tells about the Investment climate in a country/Economy

Purpose of the Question:

Indian Economy has registered a sharp increase in GCF for Quarter2 (2018-2019) after intermittent growth in last few years.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

• BIMS has recently been launched by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. This portal will have all the details of the bidder who is participating in the bidding of the contract; the Government will have a better idea about the past history of the bidders (e.g.- Whether he is blacklisted or not etc.).
• Bhoomi Rashi Portal too has been launched by the Ministry of Road Transport in collaboration with National Informatics Centre so that reimbursement of the claims can be easily done in the case of land acquisitions and other land related issues.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

• Teesta River originates in Eastern Himalayas (Kangse Glacier, Charamu Lake in Sikkim) and passes through the Indian state of Sikkim and West Bengal before joining River Brahmaputra which is called Jamuna in Bangladesh.
• After, Brahmaputra, Ganga and Meghna Teesta is the fourth largest river of Bangladesh.
• India and Bangladesh shares the fifth longest land border in the world and the states which share the border with Bangladesh are-West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
• Bangladesh shares its border with India and Myanmar.

Source Name : TH

Explanation :

The flow of water from ‘Lytein River’ had caused flooding in the rat holes of Meghalaya in which at least 15 people were trapped in 2018.

Source Name : TH