ENGLISH QUIZ 01.08.2020

1.As per the Financial Stability Report, July 2020 released the Reserve Bank of India what will be the Gross Nonperforming Assets (GNPA) ratio of all scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) by March 2021?

A. 5 percent

B. 5 percent

C. 5 percent

D. 5 percent

2.Who has been appointed as the Tata AIA Life Insurance’s MD & CEO?

A. Alok Mishra

B. Naveen Tahilyani

C. PC Kandpal

D. Partha Pratim Sengupta

3.The CRPF Raising Day is celebrated all over India on which date?

A. 25 July

B. 26 July

C. 27 July

D. 28 July

4.Who won the 2020 FWA Footballer of the Year award?

A. De Bruen

B. Henderson

C. Jordan Bruen

D. Jordan Henderson

5.How many years has the Ministry of Shipping waived the waterway usage fee?

A. 3 years

B. 4 years

C. 5 years

D. 6 years

6.As per the update report on India’s Tiger Survey from 2018, released by the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar which state has the highest number of tigers?

A. Karnataka

B. Madhya Pradesh

C. Uttarakhand

D. West Bengal

7.As per the update report on India’s Tiger Survey from 2018, released by the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar what percent of world’s tiger population India has?

A. 60 percent

B. 65 percent

C. 70 percent

D. 80 percent

8.Consider the following statements related to World Population Projection:

1.Recently a new analysis published in ‘The Lancet’ has projected that the world population will peak           much earlier than previously estimated.

2.The researchers have analyzed population trends in 197 countries.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

9.Consider the following statements related to Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020:

1.The government has notified the ‘Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020’ which will                   provide regulations for e-commerce companies under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

2.The violation of the rules will attract penal action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2017.

3.The e-commerce players will have to display the total price of goods and services offered for sale               along with the break-up of other charges.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

10.Consider the following statements:

1.Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd (SIIPL) has recently conducted a clinical trial of a recombinant                 BCG vaccine .

2.It is administered routinely to all newborn babies as a part of the National childhood                                     immunization programme to prevent tuberculosis (TB), an infection caused by bacteria that mainly          affects the lungs.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

11.Consider the following statements:

1.The Union Cabinet has recently approved the National Education Policy 2020 making way for                    large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors.

2.The new National Education Policy (NEP) will replace the existing National Policy on Education                which was first formulated in 1986 and last modified in 1992.

3.The new policy is based on a draft prepared by a committee led by former Indian Space Research               Organization (ISRO) chief Kasturirangan.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

ANSWERS:-

Answer: 1)A

Explanation

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its Financial Stability Report (FSR) for the month of July 2020.The FSR reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC – headed by the Governor of RBI) on risks to financial stability and the resilience of the financial system.The Report also discusses issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector.

Highlights of the Financial Stability Report (FSR):

• In response to COVID-19, a combination of fiscal, monetary and regulatory interventions on an unprecedented scale has ensured normal functioning of financial markets.
• The overleveraged non-financial sector, simmering global geopolitical tensions, and economic losses on account of the pandemic are major downside risks to global economic prospects.
• Actions undertaken by financial sector regulators and the Government to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 eased operational constraints and helped in maintaining market integrity and resilience in the face of severe risk aversion.
• Bank credit, which had considerably weakened during the first half of 2019-20, slid down further in the subsequent period with the moderation becoming broad-based across bank groups.
• The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) edged down to 14.8 per cent in March 2020 from 15.0 per cent in September 2019 while their gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio declined to 8.5 per cent from 9.3 per cent and the provision coverage ratio (PCR) improved to 65.4 per cent from 61.6 per cent over this period.
• Macro stress tests for credit risk indicate that the GNPA ratio of all SCBs may increase from 8.5 per cent in March 2020 to 12.5 per cent by March 2021 under the baseline scenario; the ratio may escalate to 14.7 per cent under a very severely stressed scenario.
• Network analysis reveals that total bilateral exposures among entities in the financial system declined marginally during 2019-20; with the inter-bank market continuing to shrink and with the better capitalisation of public sector banks (PSBs), there would be reduction in contagion losses to the banking system under various scenarios in relation to a year ago.
• Going forward, the major challenges include pandemic-proofing large sections of society, especially those that tend to get excluded informal financial intermediation.

Answer: 2)B

Explanation

Naveen Tahilyani has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) of Tata AIA Life Insurance. He will succeed Rishi Srivastava, who is moving to Group Agency Distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong as Chief Executive Officer. Naveen Tahilyani was the CEO, Group Partnership Distribution at AIA Hong Kong till 2019. Prior to this, he has served as CEO and Managing Director of Tata AIA from 2015 to 2018.

Tata AIA chairman: Saurabh Agrawal

Answer: 3)C

Explanation

82nd Raising Day of Central Reserve Police Force foundation day is being observed on 27 July 2020.CRPF was founded as Crown Representative’s Police on July 27, 1939 and its first batllion was raised at Neemuch town of Madhya Pradesh

It was renamed as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on CRPF Act enactment on December 28, 1949.CRPF looks after internal security scenario and is at the forefront to keep our nation safe.Director General of CRPF: AP Maheshwari.

Answer: 4)D

Explanation

Liverpool’s Premier League title winning captain Jordan Henderson was named England’s Footballer of the Year on Friday in the annual vote of the Football Writers’ Association (FWA). Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Liverpool pair Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane made up the rest of the top five. Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Liverpool pair Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane made up the rest of the top five. The 30-year-old Henderson has played in 30 of Liverpool’s league matches so far this season and scored four goals.

Answer: 5)A

Explanation

The Ministry of Shipping has decided to waive waterway usage charges with immediate effect considering the Centre’s vision to promote inland waterways as a supplementary, eco-friendly and cheaper mode of transport. The charges are waived initially for three years. Currently only two per cent of total cargo traffic moves through waterways. Decision of waiving waterway charges will attract the industries to use the national waterways for their logistical needs. The decision is estimated to increase the inland waterway traffic movement to 110 Million Metric Tonnes in 2022-23 from 72 Million Metric Tonne in 2019-20.

Answer: 6)B

Explanation

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar released an updated report on India’s Tiger Survey from 2018. India has 2,967 tigers, a third more than in 2014, according to results of a census made public on July 29 last year. The present survey is a more granular estimate of these numbers. As per the report Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442). Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase.

Answer: 7)C

Explanation

Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar on July 28, 2020 released the detailed report of Tiger Census (4th) on the eve of Global Tiger Day in New Delhi. Basic Facts

• India’s tiger population now stands at 2967 which is 70 percent of the global tiger population.
• A feather in India’s cap was added with the Guinness World Records recognizing the country’s efforts as the world largest camera trap survey of wildlife.
• Nearly 30 percent of India’s tigers live outside tiger reserves.
• CA|TS framework: India had embarked upon assessing management interventions through the globally developed Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework, which will now be extended to all fifty tiger reserves across the country.

St. Petersburg declaration and Global Tiger Day

• The Heads of the Governments of Tiger Range countries at St. Petersburg, Russia, had resolved to double tiger numbers across their global range by 2022 by signing the St. Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation.
• During the said meeting it was also decided to celebrate July 29 as Global Tiger Day across the world, which is since, being celebrated to spread and generate awareness on tiger conservation.

Answer: 8)A      

Explanation

Recently a new analysis published in ‘The Lancet’ has projected that the world population will peak much earlier than previously estimated. The researchers have analyzed population trends in 195 countries. It used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 to model future population in various scenarios as a function of fertility, migration, and mortality rates.

Highlights of the report

• The research projects the world population will peak at 9.73 billion in 2064, which is 36 years earlier than the 11 billion peaks projected for 2100 by last year’s UN report World Population Prospects.
• For 2100, the new report projects a decline to 8.79 billion from the 2064 peak.
• For India, the report projects a peak population of 1.6 billion in 2048, up from 1.38 billion in 2017.
• By 2100, the population is projected to decline by 32% to 1.09 billion.
• The global TFR is predicted to steadily decline from 2.37 in 2017 to 1.66 in 2100.
• The TFR is projected to fall below 1 in 183 countries.
• In 23 countries including Japan, Thailand, Italy and Spain, it is projected to shrink by more than 50%.

Reports and India

• India’s TFR was already below 1 in 2019.
• The TFR is projected to have a continue a steep decline until about 2040, reaching 1.29 in 2100.
• The number of working-age adults (20–64 years) in India is projected to fall from around 748 million in 2017 to around 578 million in 2100.
• However, this will be the largest working-age population in the world by 2100.
• In the mid-2020s, India is expected to surpass China’s workforce population (950 million in 2017, and 357 million in 2100).
• From 2017 to 2100, India is projected to rise up the list of countries with the largest GDP, from 7th to 3rd.
• India is projected to have the second-largest net immigration in 2100, with an estimated half a million more people immigrating to India in 2100 than emigrating out.
• Among the 10 countries with the largest populations in 2017 or 2100, India is projected to have one of the lowest life expectancies (79.3 years in 2100, up from 69.1 in 2017).

About Total fertility rate

• The total fertility rate (TFR), sometimes also called the fertility rate, absolute/potential natality, period total fertility rate (PTFR), or total period fertility rate (TPFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if:
• She was to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime, and
• She was to survive from birth to the end of her reproductive life

Answer: 9)B

Explanation

The government has notified the ‘Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020’ which will provide regulations for e-commerce companies under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

Salient features Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020

• The new rules will be applicable to all electronic retailers (e-tailers) registered in India or abroad but offering goods and services to Indian consumers.
• It aims to protect the rights of the consumer by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ disputes.
• The violation of the rules will attract penal action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• The e-commerce players will have to display the total price of goods and services offered for sale along with the break-up of other charges.
• They are also required to mention the ‘expiry date’ of goods offered for sale and the ‘country of origin’ of goods and services that are necessary for enabling the consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage.
• They require e-tailers to facilitate easy returns, address customer grievances and prevent discriminating against merchants on their platforms.
• Marketplaces, as well as sellers, would be required to have grievance officers who have to respond in a time-bound manner.
• E-commerce companies are not allowed to “manipulate the price” of the goods and services offered on their platforms to gain unreasonable profit and discriminate between consumers of the same class.

Answer: 10)C      

Explanation

Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd (SIIPL) has recently conducted a clinical trial of a recombinant BCG vaccine candidate, VPM1002 which has been supported under the Department of Biotechnology’s National Biopharma Mission.

Objective

• The objective of this trial is to evaluate the ability of VPM1002 in reducing infection incidence and severe disease outcomes of COVID-19 among high-risk persons of advanced age or co-morbidities and high-exposure healthcare workers (HCWs).

About the BCG vaccine

• It is administered routinely to all newborn babies as a part of the National childhood immunization programme to prevent tuberculosis (TB), an infection caused by bacteria that mainly affects the lungs.
• It has beneficial heterologous effects and proven antiviral and immune-modulatory properties that protect against infectious diseases through the induction of trained innate immunity and heterologous adaptive immunity.

About the Department of Biotechnology

• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
• Its objectives are to promote and accelerates the development of biotechnology in India, including the growth and application of biotechnology in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, environment, and industry.

About Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)

• It is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India.
• It works as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

About National Biopharma Mission

• It is an Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for accelerating discovery research to early development for Biopharmaceuticals.
• It has been approved by the Cabinet in 2017 for a total cost US$ 250 million and 50% co-funded by the World Bank is being implemented at Biotechnology Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
• The aim of the mission is to make India a hub for design and development of novel, affordable and effective biopharmaceutical products, and solutions.
• This Program would aid in enhancing India’s innovation research and product development capabilities, especially by focusing on the development of vaccines, biologics and medical devices for combating public health concerns.
• Vaccines, medical devices, and diagnostics and biotherapeutics are few of its most important domains, besides, strengthening the clinical trial capacity and building technology transfer capabilities in the country.

About Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd (SIIPL)

• Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by a number of doses produced and sold globally which includes Polio vaccine as well as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccines.
• Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization, Geneva and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs, saving millions of lives throughout the world.

Answer: 11)D

Explanation

The Union Cabinet has recently approved the National Education Policy 2020 making way for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors.

Background

• The new National Education Policy (NEP) will replace the existing National Policy on Education which was first formulated in 1986 and last modified in 1992.

New National Education Policy 2020

• This policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary.
• The new policy is based on a draft prepared by a committee led by former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief Kasturirangan.
• The New Education Policy includes an extension of the Right to Education Act 2009 to cover children of ages 3 to 18 and seeks to reduce the content load in the school education curriculum.
• It will introduce four-year undergraduate degrees with multiple entries and exit options, abolish the Phil. Degree, and establish a common higher education regulator with fee fixation for both private and public institutions.

Important Highlights

1. For School Education

• Ensuring Universal Access at all levels of school education.
• NEP 2020 emphasizes on ensuring universal access to school education at all levels- Pre School to secondary.
• About 2 crores out of school children will be brought back into the mainstream under NEP 2020.
• Early Childhood Care & Education with new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure
• With an emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education, the 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years
• This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under the school curriculum, which has been recognized globally as the crucial stage for the development of mental faculties of a child.
• The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling.
• NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8.
• Early Childhood Care (ECCE) will be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of institutions including Anganwadis and pre-schools that will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained in the ECCE pedagogy and curriculum.
• The planning and implementation of ECCE will be carried out jointly by the Ministries of HRD, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal Affairs.

Attaining Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

• The NEP recognizing the foundational Literacy and Numeracy as an urgent and prerequisite to learning.
• NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by MHRD.
• States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all learners of grade 3 by 2025.

Multilingualism and the power of language

• The policy has emphasized mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
• Sanskrit to be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option for students, including in the three-language formula.
• Other classical languages and literature of India also to be available as options.
• No language will be imposed on any student.
• Students to participate in a fun project/activity on ‘The Languages of India’, sometime in Grades 6-8, such as, under the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ initiative.
• Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country, and National and State curriculum materials developed, for use by students with hearing impairment.

Equitable and Inclusive Education

• NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses any opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background.
• Special emphasis will be given on socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) which include gender, socio-cultural, and geographical identities and disabilities.
• This includes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.

1. Higher Education

• Increase GER to 50 % by 2035
• NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035.
• Holistic Multidisciplinary Education
• The policy envisages broad-based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Undergraduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entries and exit points with appropriate certification.
• UG education can be of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit options and appropriate certification within this period.
• For example, Certificate after 1-year, Advanced Diploma after 2 years, Bachelor’s Degree after 3 years and Bachelor’s with Research after 4 years.
• Regulation
• Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education.

1. Financing Education

• The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.