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Q.1- Which of following countries is largest Uranium producer in the world? A. Canada B. Kazakhastan C. Australia D. USA Q.2- Which of the following is correct about the proposed amendments to motor vehicles act? 1. The proposed law will also allow citizens to apply or renew a driving licence from any road transport office in the Country. 2. Driving without a licence may soon lead to a minimum fine of Rs. 5,000 3. The penalty may go up to Rs. 1,000-2,000 for over-speeding A. 1,2 only B. 1,3 only C. 2,3 only D. All Q.3- What percentage of India’s GDP is spent by state and union government on the healthcare sector? A. 0.5 percentage B. 1.3 percentage C. 2.5 percentage D. 3.5 percentage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer 1-B,2-C,3-B

Q1 - Nomadic Elephant is a joint military excercise between which of the following countries? A. Russia and Mangolia B. Russia and China C. Mangolia and China D. India and Mangolia Q2 - Which of the following is correct regarding the solar system? 1. Mercury is smallest planet in the solar system 2. Venus is hottest planet in solar system 3. Asteroid belt is between mars and Saturn A. 1,2 B. 1,3 C. 2,3 D. All Q3 - Which of the following are correct: (i) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)is the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. (ii) It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). A. Only i B. Only ii C. Both D. None. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer  1-D,2-A,3-C

Q.1- Consider the following pair: Community sometimes mentioned in the news 1. Kurd : Bangladesh 2. Madhesi : Nepal 3. Rohingya : Myanmar Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? A. 1 and 2 B. 2 only C. 2 and 3 D. 3 only Q.2- Which of the following is correct regarding Forest advisory committee? 1. It is an executive body 2. Director general of forests is the chair of committee A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q.3- Indian Veterinary Research Institute is situated at which of the following places? A. Bareilly B. Nagpur C. Pantnagar D. Kolkata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer 1-C,2-B,3-A

A satellite study of airborne ammonia gas has revealed four major hotspots over productive agricultural regions across the world. Increased atmospheric ammonia is linked to poor air and water quality. Using data from NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder satellite instrument, researchers led by the University of Maryland (UMD), discovered increased ammonia concentrations from 2002 to 2016 over agricultural centres in the US, Europe, China and India. The study was published last month in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters. Harmful effects Increased ammonia is linked to fertilizers, livestock animal wastes, changes in atmospheric chemistry and warming soils that retain less ammonia. Gaseous ammonia is a natural part of the Earth’s nitrogen cycle, but excessive ammonia is harmful to plants, the study adds. Ammonia gas can also fall back to Earth and waterbodies, where it contributes to harmful algal blooms and “dead zones” with dangerously low oxygen levels. “To control am

Mortality among children and adolescents has decreased in the past 25 years but the decrease is unevenly spread across the world, says a new study. Published in the journal of JAMA Pediatrics last week, the study is the result of work done by scientists from across the world to quantify and describe trends of mortality and health outcomes among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2005 in order to guide policy framework. They determined that the total number of deaths decreased from 14.18 million in 1990 to 7.26 million in 2005. In addition, the study highlights that countries with a low socio-demographic index (SDI) saw about 75 per cent of deaths in 2016 as compared to 61 per cent in 1990. Most deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa and in South Asia. The authors describe SDI as an indicator which takes into consideration income, education and fertility. The authors say that there is an ongoing an epidemiologic transition to disabilities and non-communicable diseases. An inter

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recently came out with a response on action plan submitted by states for Solid Waste Management (SWM). This was following a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order dated December 22, 2016 to 35 states/union territories (UTs) of India to submit their state action plans for solid waste management to the CPCB. Out of 35, only 25 states and two UTs have submitted their respective State Action Plans and eight states/UTs are yet to respond to the CPCB for action plan. It has been exactly a year since the Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM), 2016 were notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Under the section 6(b) of the MSW rules 2016, all the state governments and UTs had to prepare an action plan within six months from the date of notification of these rules. The plans were submitted long after the six-month deadline lapsed. Timeline of events NGT, in its order dated December 22, 2016, directed every sta

New guidelines cutting the number of MPhil and PhD students a professor can supervise will kill research The claim that something as innocuous as the number of MPhil students that a university teacher is allowed to supervise will determine the future of research in Indian universities must seem far fetched. However, the drastic cuts mandated by the latest (2016) University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on MPhil and PhD are indeed alarming, and it is worrisome that they have not received the attention they demand.\ A three-tier balance For those unfamiliar with it, research in Indian universities is located at the top rung of a three-tiered structure. The bottom rung is made of undergraduates who account for the vast majority of students in higher education, and are enrolled in a range of disciplines in the arts, social sciences, sciences, technology, and so on. The second rung is expectedly much smaller and consists of student enrolled for two-year post-graduate degrees. Th

Cooperation with like-minded countries gives India more space to emerge as a key regional interlocutor At a time when India finds itself consumed once again by its obsession with Pakistan in light of the death sentence pronounced on Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistani military court, two recent visits to India by foreign dignitaries underscore the gradually evolving foreign policy priorities of Indian diplomacy. The visits of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to India this week exemplify not only the country’s rising global profile but also its growing stakes in the larger Indo-Pacific. Positive trajectory There are now new demands being made on India. And New Delhi seems ready to play ball. Its role as a security provider is visible in the Delhi-Dhaka joint statement which has stressed the need for greater military-to-military training and exchanges, and complimented the armed forces for their professional conduct during joint s