GK Quiz | 13 November 2020

Q1: Consider the following statements about the followers of the Sarna religion:

1. They pray to the trees and hills.
2. They believe in protecting the forest areas.
3. They consider themselves Hindus.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 1, 2 and 3
4. None

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: Recently, the Jharkhand government passed a resolution to send the Centre a letter to recognise Sarna religion and include it as a separate code in the Census of 2021.

About Sarna religion:

• Its followers pray to the trees and hills and believe in protecting the forest areas.
• The holy grail of the faith is “Jal, Jungle, Zameen”.
• They do not consider themselves Hindus and have been fighting for a separate religion identity for decades.

So, statements 1 and 2 are correct and statement 3 is incorrect. Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q2: Which of the following statement(s) given above is/are correct about Amur falcons?

1. They are the world’s longest travelling raptors.
2. Northeast India falls in their migration route while they migrate from Serbia and China to southern Africa.
3. They are listed as Critically Endangered under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 2 and 3
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 1 and 3 only

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: Recently, Manipur government has issued orders for the protection of visiting Amur falcons.

About Amur falcons:

• They are the world’s longest travelling raptors.
• They breed in southeastern Siberia and northern China, and migrate in millions across India and then over the Indian Ocean to southern Africa before returning to Mongolia and Siberia
• Northeast India falls in their migration route while they migrate from Serbia and China to southern Africa.
• They are Least Concern under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
• They get their name from the Amur River that forms the border between Russia and China.

So, statements 1 and 2 are correct and statement 3 is incorrect. Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q3: Agencies are working towards making this site a Ramsar site. It came into existence in 1984 after the construction of the Madhya Ganga Barrage on the river Ganga and it is an important stopover destination for winter migratory birds like the Greylag goose and the Bar-headed goose. The wetland is-

1. Nandur Madhameshwar
2. Renuka Wetland
3. Haiderpur Wetland
4. Sasthamkotta Lake

Solution: C)

Explanation:

Agencies are working towards making a Haiderpur Wetland a Ramsar site.

About Haiderpur Wetland:

• It is located in in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is fed by the Ganga and Solani rivers.
• It came into existence in 1984 after the construction of the Madhya Ganga Barrage on the former.
• It is an important stopover destination for winter migratory birds like the Greylag goose and the Bar-headed goose.

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q4: East Container Terminal, recently seen in news, is located at the port of which country?

1. Japan
2. Indonesia
3. Sri Lanka
4. India

Solution: C)

Explanation: In May 2019, Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with India and Japan to jointly upgrade the terminal. It aimed to enhance Sri Lanka’s status as a maritime hub.

As per the MoC, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was to retain 100% ownership, while a jointly-owned Terminal Operations Company, 51% stake with Sri Lanka, and 49% with India and Japan, would run the terminal. However, the project could not move forward owing to resistance against foreign involvement in national assets.

Hence, option C is correct.

 

Q5: With reference to the Rat Hole Mining, consider the following statements:

1. It involves the horizontal tunnels which are often termed rat holes as each just fits one rat.
2. It was banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014 in Meghalaya.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: B)

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2: Case has come to the forefront after a Meghalaya-based rights group accused the government for illegally pursuing rat hole mining in the state.

About Rat hole mining:

• It involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, which workers (often children) enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed “rat-holes”, as each just about fits one person.
• National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat hole mining in 2014 in Meghalaya stating it unscientific and unsafe for workers. In 2018, Supreme Court upheld the 2014 order of NGT, but allowed the transportation of coals that have already been extracted.
• Impact of Rat hole mining:

• • Such mining polluted the environment with water sources of the rivers turning acidic.
  • It has abetted child trafficking and threatened the lives of poor miners since the 1980s.

So, statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct. Hence, option B is correct.

 

Q6: Consider the following statements with reference to the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme:

1. It was introduced by the Ministry of Finance in 2006.
2. Viability Gap funding means a grant to support projects that are financially viable but not economically justified.
3. It provides financial support in the form of grants, one time or deferred.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 1, 2 and 3
4. None

Solution: A)

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2 and 3: The Scheme for Financial Support to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Infrastructure (VGF scheme) has been continued till 2024-25 with a total outlay of Rs.8,100 crore - Rs. 6,000 crore for economic-infrastructure projects and Rs. 2,100 crore for social-infrastructure projects.

Viability Gap funding (VGF) scheme:

• It was introduced by the Ministry of Finance in 2006.
• It provides financial support in the form of grants, one time or deferred, to infrastructure projects undertaken through PPPs with a view to make them commercially viable.
• VGF means a grant one-time or deferred, provided to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but fall short of financial viability.

Revamped Scheme has introduced the following two sub-schemes for social infrastructure:

• Sub scheme-1: Caters to Social Sectors such as Waste Water Treatment, Water Supply, Solid Waste Management etc. Projects under this category should have 100% Operational Cost recovery.
• Sub scheme-2: Supports demonstration/pilot social sectors projects from Health and Education sectors with atleast 50% Operational Cost recovery.

So, statements 1 and 3 are correct and statement 2 is incorrect. Hence, option A is correct.

 

Q7: Nyingchi city, recently seen in news, lies near the border with which state or Union territory of India?

1. Himachal Pradesh
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. Jammu and Kashmir
4. Mizoram

Solution: B)

Explanation: China has begun work on a strategically significant rail line, its second major rail link to Tibet. It will run from Lhasa in Tibet to Chengudu (the capital of Sichuan province), connecting both places to Nyingchi which is a city near the border of Arunachal Pradesh.

The 435­km section from Ny­ingchi­- Lhasa segment has been under construction since 2015, and will be finished by the end of 2021.

Hence, option B is correct.