Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region in Iberian Peninsula in the north-eastern corner of
• It is bordered to the north by France and Andorra, to the west by Aragon, to the south by the province of Valencia, and to the east by the Mediterranean Sea.
• The region of Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and seven jurisdictions: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia Central, Terres de l’Ebre and l’Alt Pirineu and
• The capital of Catalonia is the city of

Iberian Peninsula

• Also known as Iberia, it is located in the southwest corner of Europe.
• The peninsula is principally divided between Portugal and Spain, comprising most of their territory, as well as Andorra, small areas of France, and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.

Explanation :

• Van Dhan Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister of India on 14^th April, 2018.
• The scheme is being implemented through Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level

Objectives

• To help increase tribal income through Value Addition. Putting stress on the important role of value addition in escalating tribal incomes.
• To promote Minor Forest Produce (MFP)-centric livelihood development of tribal gatherers and artisans.

Explanation :

• Rangdum Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery belonging to the Gelugpa sect.
• According to an inscription the monastery was built by Gelek Yashy Takpa during the reign of King Tsewang Mangyul of Ladakh in 18^th
• It is located in Suru Valley(Ladakh), which is drained by the Suru River,  a tributary of the Indus River.
• This move of ASI aims to look into the opportunities for expansion of tourism in Ladakh region, after it was made union territory.

Explanation :

• Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) is an apex advisory body for the development of the maritime sector and aims to ensure integrated development of both Major and non-Major Ports.
• It was constituted in May, 1997 to assess in consultation with State Governments, the future development of existing and new Minor Ports by the respective Maritime States either directly or through captive users and private participation.
• Further, MSDC also monitors the development of minor ports, captive ports and private ports in the Maritime States with a view to ensure their integrated development with Major Ports and to assess the requirements of other infrastructure requirements like roads/rail/IWT and make suitable recommendations to the concerned Ministers.

Explanation :

• NSG was established in 1986 by an act of Parliament- ‘National Security Guard Act, 1986’, to protect states against internal disturbances and terrorism. It is under administrative control of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• It is a Federal Contingency World Class Zero Error Force to deal with anti-terrorist activities in all its manifestation.
• The NSG was modelled on the pattern of the SAS of the UK and GSG-9 of Germany.
• It is a task-oriented Force and has two complementary elements in the form of the Special Action Group (SAG) comprising Army personnel and the Special Ranger Groups (SRG), comprising personnel drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces / State Police Forces.
• It is trained to conduct counter terrorist operations including bomb disposal, counter hijacking tasks on land/sea/air as well as Post Blast Investigation (PBI) and Hostage Rescue missions.

Major Operations till date:

• Operation Black Thunder (Golden Temple, Amritsar, 1986 & 1988)
• Operation Ashwamedh (Indian Airlines Flight-IC427 hijacking, India, 1993)
• Operation Thunderbolt or Vajra Shakti (Akshardham Temple attack, Gujarat, 2002)
• Operation Black Tornado (Mumbai Blasts, 2008)

Explanation :

• Mamallapuram, also called Mahabalipuram or Seven Pagodas, is a town that lies along the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 60 km south of Chennai, founded by the Pallava King—Narasimhavarman, also known as Mamalla—for whom the town was named.
• There are several famous temples at Mahabalipuram; Shore Temple and 'Ratha' Cave Temples are the most famous amongst them.
• The Five Rathas, or monolithic temples, are the remnants of seven temples, for which the town was known as Seven Pagodas. The entire assemblage collectively was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Explanation :

• The Gujarat government announced a new port policy that removes restrictions on 32captive jetties operating in Gujarat, and turns them into commercial ports.
• This policy allows ports of any size more than five million metric tonnes, to be set up as a commercial port.
• It allows the existing 32 captive jetties in the state to handle “third-party” cargo without any restrictions.
• The existing 32 captive jetties handle cement, ammonia, sponge iron, crude, coal, gas and over-dimensional (cargo that protrudes beyond the loading deck) cargo, and the operation of RO-RO ferries (which transport cars and other road vehicles).
• Now, the captive jetty owners can now make investments in expansion and modernisation of these jetties. The government has also allowed them to handle cargo belonging to their group companies.

Impact

• The move is expected to boost infrastructure and attract investment in the port and logistics sector.
• The policy paves the way for the state to attract Rs. 4,000 crore fresh investments in the port sector.

Explanation :

• Exercise Dharma Guardian is an annual training event which is being conducted in India since 2018.
• It will be conducted at counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte, Mizoram from 19^th October to 2^nd November, 2019.
• Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) comprising 25 soldiers each will participate in the exercise with an aim to share experience gained during various Counter Terrorism operations.
• The scope of this exercise covers platoon level joint training on counter terrorism operations in jungle and urban scenario.

Significance

• Exercise Dharma Guardian with Japan is crucial and significant in terms of security challenges faced by both the nations in the backdrop of global terrorism.
• The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) which in turn will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.

Explanation :

• The Andaman and Nicobar islands have a geological affinity with the tertiary formation of the Himalayas, and form a part of its southern loop continuing southward from the Arakan Yoma (Myanmar).
• These two island groups situated in the Bay of Bengal span 6°45′ N to 13°41′ N (740 km) and 92°12′ E to 93°57′ E (190 km).
• The Great Andaman group of islands is separated by the Ten Degree Channel from the Nicobar group.
• Saddle Peakis the highest in North Andaman Island.
• Mt Thuillier is the highest peak of Great Nicobar Island.

Explanation :

• The RTI Act was passed by Parliament on 15^th June, 2005 and came fully into force on 12^th October, 2005 replacing the erstwhile Freedom of information Act, 2002.
• It mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information by various public authorities under Central Government as well as the State Governments.
• The office of Central Information Commission (CIC) was established in 2005 by the Central Government under the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
• The basic object of the RTI Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense.