Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• World Water Day is an annual UN observance day -22 March.
• The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
• The theme of focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
• The World Water Day has been observed since 1993 and intends to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.

Explanation :

• The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme was introduced by amending the Citizenship Act, 1955 in August 2005.
• The Scheme was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention 2006 at Hyderabad.
• On 09 January 2015, the Government of India discontinued the PIO card and merged it with OCI card.
• The Government of India, on application, may register any person as an Overseas Citizen of India, if the person:
  • was a citizen of India on 26 January 1950 or at any time thereafter; or
  • belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15 August 1947; or
  • was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26 January 1950; or
  • is a child or a grandchild or a great-grandchild of such a citizen; or
  • is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or
  • is a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or
  • is a spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application
• No person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, is eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India.

Restrictions

• Do not have right to vote.
• Do not have right to any public service/government jobs
• Cannot hold offices of – Prime Minister, President, Vice -President, Judge of Supreme Court and High Court, member of Parliament or Member of state legislative assembly or council.
• Cannot own agricultural property.

Explanation :

• A letter of intent (LOI) is a document declaring the preliminary commitment of one party to do business with another. The letter outlines the chief terms of a prospective deal.
• A memorandum of understanding (MOU or MoU) is an agreement between two or more parties outlined in a formal document. It is not legally binding but signals the willingness of the parties to move forward with a contract. It is often used at the beginning of a business partnership.
• A Term Sheet is used to show interest in an investment opportunity. Often it is used to outline a potential agreement between an entrepreneur (or startup company) and investors. Term Sheets are used to start the process of establishing agreeable terms. Once both parties are agreed, a formal legal contract can be written.

Explanation :

• Aflatoxin-M1 is a carcinogenic chemical compound of the aflatoxin class, a group of mycotoxins produced by three species of Fungi Aspergillus - Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and the rare Aspergillus nomius.
• Aflatoxin M1 is the hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 and can be found in milk or milk products obtained from livestock that have ingested contaminated feed.
• Large doses of aflatoxins can lead to acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) and can be life threatening, usually through damage to the liver

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 :

• Coke making is effectively the carbonization of coal at high temperatures.
• Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, one of the key inputs for the production of steel.It is a solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air(reducing atmosphere) so that the volatile components are driven off.
• The property that really sets coking coals apart from other coals is its coking ability, which is the specific property required in order to make coke suitable for steel making.
• Bituminous coal - generally classified as a metallurgical grade—is harder and blacker and contains more carbon and less moisture and ash than low-rank coals.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Indian journalist Ravish Kumar on was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for the year 2019.
• He is NDTV India's senior executive editor is one of India's most influential TV journalists.
• He is among five individuals who were declared winners of the award.
• The four other winners of the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award are KoSwe Win from Myanmar, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from Philippines and Kim Jong-Ki from South Korea.

Ramon Magsaysay Award

• Established in 1957, it is Asia’s highest honour and is often regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
• It was established by the trustees of the New York City based Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Philippine government in the memory of Philippines’ third President Ramon Magsaysay.
• It is awarded annually to individuals or organizations from Asia region for their selfless and philanthropic service.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) announced that it would set up a Pashmina testing centre in Leh, in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh to check the quality of Pashmina collected.
• BIS would train the locals, with the cooperation of Leh Hill Council, in marking of the standards to save the time and money.

Pashmina Wool

• Pashmina is a fine type of Kashmiri wool which comes from 4 distinct breeds of the Cashmere goat namely:
• Changthangi (or Kashmir Pashmina goat) from the Changthang Plateau in Kashmir region
• Malra from Kargil area in Kashmir region
• Chegu from Himachal Pradesh
• Chyangara (or Nepalese Pashmina goat) from Nepal.
• In India, pashmina is obtained from Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, Lahaul and SpitiValley of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Kashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand.
• Kashmir Pashmina has been assigned Geographical Indication (GI) tag under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 29^th July, 2019, Pakistan has opened a 1,000-year-old Hindu temple in eastern city Sialkot for worship for the first time since partition.
• The ShawalaTeja Singh temple, located in city’s Dhaarowal locality, some 100-km from Lahore.
• The Evacuee Trust Property Board, which looks after the holy places of minorities in Pakistan, has opened ShawalaTeja Singh temple after the partition on the demand of the local Hindu community.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online