INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS (28 DECEMBER 2019) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation: About the inscriptions found:

• It is in Sanskrit and in Brahmi characters.
• It was issued by Satavahana king Vijaya in 207 A.D.
• Chebrolu inscription of Satavahana king Vijaya issued in his 5th regnal year (207 A.D.) is also the earliest datable Sanskrit inscription from South India so far. Until now the Nagarjunakonda inscription of Ikshavaku king Ehavala Chantamula issued in his 11th regnal year (4th century A.D.) was considered the earliest Sanskrit inscription in South India.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/south-indias-earliest-sanskrit-inscription-found-in-ap/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: Satavahana Kingdom

• They are an ancient Indian dynasty based In the Deccan.
• They established their independent rule after the decline of the Mauryas.
• Puranas and the Nasik and Nanaghad inscriptions remain important sources for the history of Satavahanas.
• The founder of the Satavahana dynasty was Simuka.
• The greatest ruler of the Satavahana dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni.
• They patronized Buddhism and Brahmanism.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/south-indias-earliest-sanskrit-inscription-found-in-ap/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• It is a Hindu reform movement that was founded by Dayanand Saraswati in 1875 in Bombay.
• The movement believes in the infallible authority of the Vedas.
• The central objectives of Arya Samaj is to, “eradicate Ignorance (Agyan), Indigence or Poverty (Abhav) and Injustice (Anayay) from this earth.
• Members of the Arya Samaj believe in one God and reject the worship of idols

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/swami-shraddhanand/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

Bibek Debroy panel

Rakesh Mohan Committee Recommendations

The committee is headed by Rakesh Mohan who was the Chief Economic Advisor to the prime minister of India

• End of the Railway Board and its replacement by an Indian Railways Executive Board (IREB) comprising members from the government, railways, private sector and academia.
• Privatisation of all railway production units manufacturing electric and diesel locos, coaches, wheel and axle workshops.
• End of railway budget
• Privatisation of maintenance work such as station sanitation, maintenance of railway tracks and railway buildings, electrical maintenance, maintenance of wagon cleaning, water supply to passengers, bed-roll supply in the trains, etc, and several day to day activities which are being done by regular railway employees in vital and non-vital services.
• The committee has also recommended that Indian Railways should end all concessions and social services provided to the public, such as concessions given to seasonal ticket-holders, senior citizens, those physically handicapped, students, children, artists, freedom fighters, etc. It has also suggested to stop issuing passes to retired railway employees.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/indian-railway-management-service-irms/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the first, and is still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, its design applies bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty.
• The construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 46-km long metre-gauge single-track railway in Tamil Nadu State was first proposed in 1854, but due to the difficulty of the mountainous location the work only started in 1891 and was completed in 1908. This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 m to 2,203 m, represented the latest technology of the time.
• The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96-km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla is emblematic of the technical and material efforts to disenclave mountain populations through the railway.
• The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/indian-railway-management-service-irms/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• It was developed by Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company) in collaboration with the Dharward University of Agricultural sciences and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. But the initiative was blocked in 2010.
• Currently, the Genetic Engineering Approvals Committee, a body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) is responsible for approval of genetically engineered products in India.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/illegal-cultivation-of-bt-brinjal/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for subscribers of the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme for senior citizens.
• Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) is a Pension Scheme announced by the Government of India exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above
• In the Budget 2018-19, the maximum limit under PMVVY was doubled to ₹15 lakh per senior citizen
• The scheme, which envisages an assured rate of return of 8% annually, is being implemented through LIC
• The scheme is exempted from Service Tax/ GST.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/pradhan-mantri-vaya-vandan-yojana-pmvvy/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:  SnowEx

• It is a five year program initiated and funded by NASA.
• Objective: To address the most important gaps in snow remote sensing knowledge and thus lay the groundwork for a future snow satellite mission.
• It focuses on airborne campaigns and field work, and on comparing the various sensing technologies, from the mature to the more experimental, in globally-representative types of snow.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/snowex/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) is from Ludhiana to Dankuni (1318 Kms Ludhiana to Sonnagar and 538 Kms Sonnagar to Dankuni) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) is from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri (1504 Kms).
• Western DFC passes through States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra and Eastern DFC through States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/western-dedicated-freight-corridor/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• On December 27, 1911, the National Anthem was first sung at the Calcutta session of the Congress.
• ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was adopted as the country’s National Anthem by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24, 1950, the last day of its last session.
• Reverence to the National Anthem is a Fundamental duty as per Article 51A (a) of the Constitution.
• Originally written in Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a poem written and later set to notations by Rabindranath Tagore.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/28/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-28-december-2019/