Current Affairs Quiz (17th January, 2022) (Date : 17-01-2022)

Question 1:

The ‘Hyderabad Declaration’, recently seen in the news , is related to?

Civilian policing.
Disaster management
e-Governance
Agriculture

Correct Answer : C

Explanation

The 24^th conference on e-governance was held with collaboration of the union government’s Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and the Telangana state government.
- At the conference, the ‘Hyderabad Declaration’ on e-Governance was adopted. Hence, option C is correct.
- The declaration aims to bring citizens and governments closer through digital platforms and transform citizen services through the use of technology.
The Conference resolved that Government of India and State Governments shall collaborate to:
- Transform citizen services through use of technology by leveraging the artifacts of India Stack that include Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, UMANG, e Sign and consent framework.
- Fast track the implementation of the national level public digital platforms in key social sectors viz. Health, Education, Agriculture, etc by adopting open interoperable architecture for joined up connected services.
- Operationalize the data governance framework to facilitate data sharing within Government entities as also make available all data on data.gov.in except for a negative list.

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Question 2:

The ‘Prarambh Summit’ is associated with which of the following?

India-UK Free Trade Agreement
Startup ecosystem at international level
Protection of child rights
Cooperation in Quantum Technology applications

Correct Answer : B

Explanation

Prarambh Summit

Prarambh was a name given to the Startup India International Summit which aims to provide a platform to the startups and young minds from around the world to come up with new ideas, innovation and invention.
- The summit saw participation from 56 countries of the global startup ecosystem.
The Summit is organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Other Related Initiatives for Startups:
- Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems: It is an evolved evaluation tool aimed to strengthen the support of States and UTs to holistically build their startup ecosystems.
- SCO Startup Forum: The first-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Startup Forum was launched in October 2020 to develop and improve startup ecosystems collectively.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme: It aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, and commercialization.
- Startup India Initiative: It envisages building a robust Startup ecosystem in the country for nurturing innovation and providing opportunities to budding entrepreneurs. It was launched in 2016.
Hence, option B is correct.

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Question 3:

Which of the following Defence exercises does not involve India-Russia cooperation?

Exercise TSENTR 2019
Indra Exercises
ZAPAD 2021
Nomadic Elephant

Correct Answer : D

Explanation

Exercise TSENTR 2019: Exercise TSENTR 2019 is part of the annual series of large scale exercises that form part of the Russian Armed Forces' annual training cycle.
- The series rotates through the four main Russian operational strategic commands i.e Vostok (East), Zapad (West), TSENTR (Centre) and Kavkas (South).
- The 2019 exercise was conducted by the Central Military Commission of Russia.
- The exercise is planned between 9th September to 23rd September 2019 at Donguz training ranges, Orenburg, Russia.
- Apart from host Russia, military contingents from China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan will also take part in this mega event.
Indra Exercises: It is a joint, tri services exercise between India and Russia.
- The INDRA series of exercises began in 2003. It was conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries. However, the first joint Tri Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.
ZAPAD 2021: It was a multinational military exercise. It is one of the theatre level exercises of the Russian Armed Forces and will focus primarily on operations against terrorists.
- Nine are Participating countries which include Mongolia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Russia, India and Belarus.
- Eight countries are Observers which include Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.
Nomadic Elephant: It is an India-Mongolia joint military exercise. It is aimed at training troops in counter insurgency & counter terrorism operations under United Nations mandate.
Hence option D is correct.

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Question 4:

Consider the following statements:

Thiruvalluvar, also called Valluvar, was a Tamil poet-saint.
Thiruvalluvar made contributions to Sangam literature.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer : C

Explanation

Thiruvalluvar

Thiruvalluvar, also called Valluvar, was a Tamil poet-saint. Hence statement 1 is correct.
The period when he lived is debated, as is his religious identity.
- He is believed to have lived between the 3rd-4th century or 8th-9th century.
- He is thought to be linked to Jainism. However, Hindus have also claimed that Thiruvalluvar belonged to hinduism.
Dravidian groups also count him as a saint, as he dismissed the caste system.
He had contributed the Tirukkural or ‘Kural’ to the Sangam literature. Hence statement 2 is correct.
Tirukkural is comprised of 133 sections of 10 couplets each is divided into three books:
- Aram (virtue),
- Porul (government and society), and
- Kamam (love).
The Tirukkural has been compared to the great books of the world’s major religions.

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Question 5:

With reference to the Rare Earth Metals, consider the following statements:

These minerals have unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties.
They are a set of seventeen metallic elements.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer : C

Explanation

They are a set of seventeen metallic elements.
These include the fifteen lanthanides on the periodic table in addition to scandium and yttrium that show similar physical and chemical properties to the lanthanides.
These minerals have unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties and thus are used in many modern technologies, including consumer electronics, computers and networks, communications, health care, national defense, etc. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
They are a set of seventeen metallic elements.
- The 17 Rare Earths are cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y). Hence, statement 2 is correct.

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