UPSC QUIZ 20.03.2024

Explanation:

• The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement was recently signed by India and the European Free Trade Association.
• India had earlier refused to include a "data exclusivity" clause in the agreement, which would have restricted the production of generic drugs by Indian pharmaceutical companies.
• Currently, India and EFTA have agreed to exclude imports of the most "sensitive" agricultural products and gold from the agreement.

Key Features of TEPA

• The India-EFTA trade agreement was finalized in 2013, a decade after initial talks broke down due to disagreements.
• Recent geopolitical changes and the common goal of reducing dependence on China facilitated the agreement.
• The primary topics covered in the fourteen chapters of the TEPA are market access in goods, rules of origin, trade remedies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade facilitation, technical trade barriers, investment incentives, market access in services, Intellectual property rights, trade and sustainable development and other legal and horizontal provisions etc.

Explanation:

• Researchers at Britain's University College London (UCL) and Great Ormond Street Hospital developed small-sized lung and kidney organs in the lab.
• This research has been published in the journal 'Nature Medicine'.
• These organs have been developed by extracting cells from the fluid that sustains the fetus in the womb.
• Researchers developed these organs by collecting cells from the uterus of 12 pregnant women.
• These organs have been named “Organoids” by scientists. This is the first attempt to make organoids of children.

Explanation:

• According to the recently released 2023-24 HDR report by UNDP, India is ranked 134th in the Global Human Development Index.

Human Development Report

• Human Development Reports (HDRs) have been released since 1990 and have explored different themes through the human development approach.
• The reports are produced by the Human Development Report Office for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Human Development Index

HDI is a composite index that measures average achievement in human development taking into account four indicators

• Life expectancy at birth (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3),
• Expected years of schooling (SDG 4.3),
• Mean years of schooling (SDG 4.4),
• Gross national income (GNI) (SDG 8.5).

Explanation:

• SEBI has approved the launch of the beta version of T+0 Settlement on an Optional Basis.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the launch of the beta version of the T+0 settlement on an optional basis from March 28.
• T+0 settlement means that the transaction of funds and securities will be settled on the day of the trade.
• The beta version of the optional T+0 settlement has been approved for a limited set of 25 stocks, and with a limited set of brokers.
• SEBI will review progress at the end of three and six months before deciding on a further course of action.
• The main aim of the trial is to increase liquidity in the market.
• A T+0 settlement would help free up brokers' funds within the system, which will reduce the overall cost of doing business.
• At present, if any individual sells shares the amount is credited to the trading account instantly. On the exchange side, this fund gets credited to the broker only after settlement on T+1.
• India will be only the second country after China to operate on a short settlement cycle.

Explanation:

• The government notified the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024.
• To improve the process of certification of films for public exhibition, the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024 have been notified by the government.
• The main aim of the rule is to streamline and modernise the film certification process.
• Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has undertaken extensive consultations with filmmakers, cinema owners, disability rights organisations, non-government organisations, and film industry bodies to ensure an all-encompassing and all-inclusive approach.
• The new notified rules will ensure transparency, efficiency and ease of doing business for the film industry.
• The new rules have further subdivided age-based categories of certification into three age-based categories: seven years (UA 7+), 13 years (UA 13+), and 16 years (UA 16+), instead of 12 years.
• As per the new rules, one-third of the CBFC Board members will be women. The new rules will allow for the film to be screened expeditiously for certification.
• The government has also notified the guidelines for the accessibility of persons with hearing and visual impairment to films.