Consider the following statements regarding National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025(NSFE)
- It has launched by the Reserve Bank of India
- It emphasizes a multi-stakeholder-led approach for empowering various sections of the population to develop adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:RBI releases National Strategy for Financial Education
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-25. It is a strategic plan for the coming five years.Hence statement 1 is correct
- It intends to empower various sections of the population by developing adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour which are needed to manage their money better and to plan for the future.Hence statement 2 is correct
- The strategy has been prepared by the National Centre for Financial Education(NCFE) in consultation with all the Financial Sector Regulators under the aegis of the Technical Group on Financial Inclusion and Financial Literacy.
The policy has recommended a ‘5 C’ approach for dissemination of financial education in the country:
- Content: Financial Literacy content for various sections of population.
- Capacity: Develop the capacity and ‘Code of Conduct’ for financial education providers.
- Community: Evolve community led approaches for disseminating financial literacy in a sustainable manner.
- Communication: Use technology, media and innovative ways of communication for dissemination of financial education messages.
- Collaboration: Streamline efforts of other stakeholders for financial literacy.
Consider the following statements regarding National Centre for Financial Education
- It is a Non-for-Profit Company promoted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
- It aims to promote Financial Education across India for all sections of society as per National Strategy for Financial Education of Financial Stability and Development Council
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:RBI releases National Strategy for Financial Education
- The RBI has suggested inculcating financial literacy concepts among the various sections of the population including school and college-going students, through financial education to make it an important life skill.
Key provisions:
- Integrate financial education content in the school curriculum, various professional and vocational courses.
- Adopt a robust ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Framework’ to assess progress made under the strategy.
- A specific period in the year needs to be identified to disseminate financial literacy messages on a large/ focused scale.
About National Centre for Financial Education:
- It is a Section 8 (Not for Profit) Company promoted by RBI, Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).Hence statement 1 is correct
- To undertake a massive Financial Education campaign to help people manage money more effectively to achieve financial well being by accessing appropriate financial products and services through regulated entities with fair and transparent machinery for consumer protection and grievance redressal.Hence statement 2 is correct
Consider the following statements regarding Teesta River
- It is a tributary of the brahmaputra river and flowing through India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- It originates from the Pahunri glacier
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Explanation:
In NEWS:Explained: The China twist in India-Bangladesh Teesta river challenge
- Bangladesh is discussing an almost $1 billion loan from China for a comprehensive management and restoration project on the Teesta river. The project is aimed at managing the river basin efficiently, controlling floods, and tackling the water crisis in summers.
- India and Bangladesh have been engaged in a long-standing dispute over water-sharing in the Teesta. More importantly, Bangladesh’s discussions with China come at a time when India is particularly wary about China following the standoff in Ladakh.
About Teesta River:
- Teesta River originates from the Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier above 7,068 m, and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya.Hence statement 2 is correct
- It covers nearly the entire floodplains of Sikkim while draining 2,800 sq km of Bangladesh. For West Bengal, it is the lifeline of half-a-dozen districts in North Bengal.
- The dispute over Teesta is the most contentious issue between India and Bangladesh.However, Teesta river water sharing agreement has not been signed due to opposition from West Bengal
- It is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing through India and Bangladesh.Hence statement 1 is incorrect
- The basin lies in the states of Sikkim (72.43%) and West Bengal (27.57%).
- The main tributary of river Teesta is the Rangeet River.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/china-twist-in-teesta-river-project-challenge-6563398/
Consider the following statements regarding Thumbimahotsavam 2020
- It is the first-ever State Dragonfly Festival in Kerala.
- It is a part of a national dragonfly festival being organised by the WWF India, Bombay Natural History Society & Indian Dragonfly Society.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:Kerala’s first-ever Dragonfly Festival to be held soon
- WWF-India Kerala State Office is joining hands with the Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) and Thumbipuranam for the first-ever state Dragonfly Festival in Kerala, christened ‘ThumbiMaholsavam 2020’.Hence statement 1 is correct
- This is part of the National Dragonfly Festival organised by WWF India, Bombay Natural History Society and Indian Dragonfly Society in association with National Biodiversity Board, UN Environmental Programme, UN Development Programme and IUCN-CEC.Hence statement 2 is correct
- As part of the Dragonfly Festival, a series of events will be rolled out in the coming months to reach out to various sections of the society. Initially, a training session will be organised to get more people trained on dragonflies.
- ‘Pantalu’ is the official mascot of the festival.
About Dragonfly
- It is an aerial predator insect most commonly found near freshwater habitats throughout most of the world.
- Dragonflies act as important bio-indicators of the ecological health of an area as they feed on mosquitoes and other insects that are vectors to life-threatening diseases like Malaria and Dengue.
- These are living organisms such as plants, plankton, animals and microbes which are used to assess the health of the natural ecosystem in the environment.
Consider the following statements regarding Kala Azar
- It is caused by a protozoan parasite
- It is a zoonotic infection transmitted by the sand fly
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:Oral nanomedicine may bring relief for Kala-Azar & other neglected diseases
- Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science & Technology (INST), Mohali have developed an oral nanomedicine for combating visceral leishmaniasis (Kala Azar).
- The oral therapeutics could help in the control and elimination of VL, around 95 % of which is reported from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
About kala-azar
- Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar is a slow progressing Neglected Tropical Disease caused by a protozoan parasite of genus Leishmania. Hence statement 1 is correct
- It is a zoonotic infection transmitted by the sand fly, a blood-sucking pest, found in moist (humid) mud and sand and close to livestock.Hence statement 2 is correct
- The parasite primarily infects the reticuloendothelial system and may be found in abundance in bone marrow, spleen and liver.
- It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, substantial weight loss, swelling of the spleen and liver, and anaemia.
- Elimination of Kala azar is defined as reducing annual incidence of disease to less than 1 case per 10,000 people at the sub-district level.
- It is endemic to Indian subcontinent in 119 districts in four countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal).
- It is second-largest parasitic killer in world after Malaria.
Consider the following statements regarding Labour Bureau
- It is an attached office under Ministry of Labour and Employment
- The foundations of Labour Bureau can be traced to the The Royal Commission on Labour in 1931
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:Labour ministry to give statutory powers to the labour bureau
- The labour ministry will soon give statutory powers to the labour bureau to become a one-point of information on all labour related data, more than seven decades after the body was formed. A provision to this effect will be made in the labour codes.
- Labour bureau was established as Directorate of Cost of Living at Shimla in 1941 with the objective of conducting family budget enquiries and compiling cost of living index numbers for important centres on a uniform basis.
- The logo represents three goals that the Labour Bureau aims to achieve in producing quality data – accuracy, validity and reliability.
- The choice of blue colour signifies that the organization deals with blue collar workers in rural and agriculture sectors.
About Labour Bureau
- Labour Bureau, an attached office under Ministry of Labour and Employment, was set up on 1st October 1946. Hence statement 1 is correct
- It is entrusted with the work of compilation, collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics on different aspects of labour. Labour Bureau has two main wings stationed in Shimla and Chandigarh.
- The foundations of Labour Bureau can be traced to the The Royal Commission on Labour in 1931 which emphasised the need for systematic collection of labour statistics relating to living, working and socio-economic conditions of industrial labour.Hence statement 2 is correct
Functions of Labour Bureau:
- Responsible for the collation, collection and publication: Of statistics and related information on wages, earnings, productivity, absenteeism, labour turn-over, industrial relations, working and living conditions and evaluation of working of various labour enactments etc.
- Storehouse of important economic indicators: Like Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial, Agricultural and Rural Labourers; wage rate indices and data on industrial relations, socio-economic conditions in the organized and unorganised sector of industry etc.
The functions/activities of Labour Bureau can be classified under three major heads:
- Labour Intelligence
- Labour Research
- Monitoring and evaluation studies under the Minimum Wages Act 1948.
Consider the following statements regarding Somali sengi
- It is a type of elephant shrew
- It is found only in Somalia
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:Lost species of elephant shrew rediscovered in Africa
- A little-known mammal related to an elephant but as small as a mouse has been rediscovered in Africa after 50 years of obscurity.
- The last scientific record of the “lost species” of elephant shrew was in the 1970s, despite local sightings.
- The creature was found alive and well in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, during a scientific expedition.
About Somali sengi
- Somali sengi (Elephantulusrevoilii), a type of elephant shrew. Hence statement 1 is correct
- The species was previously known to be found only in Somalia, hence its name.
- The team’s data shows that the Somali Sengi is an inhabitant of Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia, rather than just Somalia.Hence statement 2 is incorrect
- Its natural habitat is arid and semiarid desert with rocky substrates and sparse shrubs.
Recently, the place Chora Church is seen in news, it is located in
- Turkey
- Libyan
- Iran
- Russia
Answer: (a) Turkey
Explanation:
In NEWS:After Hagia Sophia, Turkey’s historic Chora Church also switched to mosque
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reconverted the historic Chora church, one of Istanbul’s most celebrated Byzantine buildings, into a mosque on Friday, a month after opening the famed Hagia Sophia to Muslim worship.Hence option (a) is correct
Chora Museum:
- It was built initially as a church in 534 AD, during the early Byzantine period.
- In the 11th century, its internal walls, pillars, and domes were covered with mosaics and frescoes showing scenes from biblical stories.
- After the conquest of Constantinople (the capital city of the Roman Empire) by the Ottomans (1453), the church was seized and turned into a mosque in 1511.
- In 1945, it was converted into a museum.
- Chora is also known as Kariye in Turkish and the medieval Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.
Reason:
- The reconversion can be seen as the Turkish President’s pro-Islamic policies, where he emphasizes Turkey’s Ottoman history and domestic achievements over Western ideas and influences.
- By adopting pro-Islamic policies the Turkish President aims to become the leader of the Muslim world.
- The Turkish President has also taken anti-India positions, especially on Kashmir to bolster its own position in the Muslim world.
Consider the following statements regarding Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana
- It is being implemented by Employee State Insurance Corporation.
- It aims to support the people who have lost their jobs due to changing employment pattern due to an international crisis or a domestic crisis
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS:Unemployed? ESIC to settle payment claim under Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana within 15 days
- Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar on Friday said that claims for payment of unemployment benefit under its Atal BimitVyakti Kalyan Yojana run by the ESIC will be settled within 15 days from the date of an application.
- The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) board had relaxed norms to double payment of unemployment benefit under the scheme to 50 per cent of average wages of three months to cope with job loss
- Claims under the ESI Scheme for job loss benefit will be settled in 15 days. The relaxation in the Scheme will give relief to those ESI subscribers who lost their job during Covid epidemic. The scheme now offers double the payment for three months at 50 per cent against 25 per cent earlier for the period March 24, 2020 to December 31, 2020
About Atal BimitVyakti Kalyan Yojana
- The Atal BimitVyakti Kalyan Yojana is being implemented by Employee State Insurance Corporation.Hence statement 1 is correct
- The scheme was approved under the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948.
- The scheme aims to support the people who have lost their jobs due to changing employment pattern due to an international crisis or a domestic crisis. Hence statement 2 is correct
- The scheme was introduced in 2018.
Regarding Wood’s Dispatch, which of the following statements are true?
- Grants-in-Aid system was introduced.
- Establishment of universities was recommended.
- English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Explanation:
In 1854, Charles Wood prepared a despatch on an educational system for India. Considered the “Magna Carta of English Education in. India”, this document was the first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India.
- It asked the Government of India to assume responsibility for education of the masses, thus repudiating the ‘downward filtration theory’, at least on paper.
- It systematised the hierarchy from vernacular primary schools in villages at bottom, followed by Anglo –Vernacular High Schools and an affiliated college at the district level, and affiliating universities in the presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. Statement 3 is not correct.
- It recommended English as the medium of instruction for higher studies and vernaculars at school level.
- It laid stress on female and vocational, education, and on teachers’ training.
- It laid down that the education imparted in government institutions should be secular. Statement 1 is correct.
- It recommended a system of grants – in -aid to encourage private enterprise. Statement 2 is correct
