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Q.1- Which of the following statements are correct? 1. India’s budget deficit is 3.9 percent of the GDP 2. India’s government debt is 85 percent of GDP A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q.2- Which of the following is correct regarding new Juvenile justice amendment? 1. The Bill permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults only for heinous offences. 2. Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare Committees (CWC) will be constituted in each district. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q.3- Which of the following is correct regarding the NPAs in India? 1. Total NPAs in India stand at around 28 lakh crore 2. government amendment authorised the RBI to initiate insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings in relation to any stressed assets under Section 35 AA A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None  Answer 1-A,  2- B,  3-B

Q.1- Which of the following is correct regarding Swachh sarvekshan 2017? 1. It was conducted by ministry of drinking water and sanitation 2. Indore topped in the ranking for the year 2017 A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q.2- Electronic voting machines were first used in India in which of the following years? A. 1992 B. 1998 C. 1982 D. 2004 Q.3- Purchasing managers index is published by which of the following? A. Finance ministry B. Ministry of statistics C. RBI D. None of the above Answer  1-B,  2-C, 3- D

What is the idea behind green roofs? The concept is very simple. If there is a park, garden or vegetation on a rooftop, it is called a green roof. The aim is to keep buildings cool and curb carbon footprint. Buildings absorb a lot of heat, and growing vegetation on the roof can keep it cool. This, in turn, will reduce the use of air-conditioners. In London, the energy saved from green roofs is about 4.15 kilowatt hours per square metre, which is quite significant. This value could be much higher in a country like India, where temperatures across the year are probably more than in northern climes. Thus, there is greater cooling potential over the year. Green roofs are catching on in Indian cities like Delhi and Bengaluru. While many might adopt a green roof for beautification, it serves a larger purpose: sustainability. Another advantage of green roofs is surface water management, particularly during monsoon. How did the concept evolve? Green roofs became popular in Germany after...

Do you consider drought a direct manifestation of climate change or is it entirely man-made? The correct answer is that it’s neither this nor that. Drought is a normal phenomenon of climate. It’s a natural hazard inherent to the normal vagaries of every type of climate. However, the drought associated with different types of climate differs in terms of severity, duration, frequency of occurrence and spatial extent. Climate change is expected to make drought worse. As for human actions per se, they do not cause drought, however, they can either increase or decrease the vulnerability to drought Credit: Vikas Choudhary Climate change is expected to make drought worse. As for human actions per se, they do not cause drought, however, they can either increase or decrease the vulnerability to drought Credit: Vikas Choudhary Climate change is expected to make drought worse. As for human actions per se, they do not cause drought, however, they can either increase or decrease the vulner...

One of biggest wildlife seizures, which unfolded during raids in Delhi and Meerut in the last two days, has rekindled the often-discussed issue of wildlife trafficking. At least 117kg of nilgai (blue bull) meat and over 100 illegally imported firearms have been seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which conducted the raid in the house of a retired army colonel Devendra Kumar Bishnoi at Civil Lines in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Leopard skin, ivory, horns of swamp deer and sambar deer, antlers of antelopes and blackbucks, deer skulls and 50,000 live cartridges were also seized from the house. Police suspect Devendra's son Prashant Bishnoi, who is a national-level shooter, is involved in arms smuggling and wildlife crimes. Interestingly, Prashant was part of a team deployed by the Bihar government in 2016 to cull 500 nilgai. Uttar Pradesh was recently in news when Mirzapur forest department caught three suspected poachers transporting rare wild cats. In Assam’s ...

An analysis done by CSE on the results of the Swachh Survekshan, 2017 shows that the top 3 cities in the survey – Indore, Bhopal and Vishakhapatnam – have adopted environmentally unsustainable practices for waste management. The cities are focussing on collection of unsegregated waste and transporting it to landfills, with a very minimal quantum of waste being processed. All three cities are dumping unsegregated waste. These cities are, therefore, not meeting the statutory requirements of the Municipal Solid Waste Rules (MSW Rules), 2016. The MSW Rules, 2016 clearly state that waste needs to be segregated into three categories at the household level – wet, dry and domestic hazardous waste. Further the Rules stipulate that waste to energy plants shall not burn mixed waste. The Rules also put disposal at landfills as the least preferred option. What becomes clear is that the states that have pushed for a centralised approach towards waste management – Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and And...

Why the very idea of superannuation is not only outdated but also dangerous Have you ever seen what happens to your elbow after it has been in a plaster cast for a while? The muscle becomes so weak it atrophies after not being in use for two weeks. It’s the same with your brain. If you don’t use it, it will deteriorate quickly. Any many of those who retire at 60 or 65 are in the comfortable position that they don’t face a real challenge in life anymore like struggling how to earn a living or having to prove themselves in the workplace. But this comfort comes with a side effect, because research clearly shows that those who stop working at 65 and fully retire in the sense of not extensively engaging in alternative activities report a sharp decline in cognitive skills over the next years, whereas those in the same age group who continue to work or pursue other challenging tasks do not show these symptoms. And this affects a large part of life because nowadays we are not talking abou...

Why very few of the first EMS government’s initiatives have had a lasting impact The Government of Kerala has just concluded an official celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State’s Legislative Assembly. In the capital there were photo exhibitions, speeches and a closing ceremony with the Governor presiding. It could not have escaped the citizen’s attention that at least some part of the present government’s enthusiasm was fuelled by the fact that the State’s first ministry was formed by their own united Communist Party of India which was to split into pro-Soviet and pro-Mao factions only later. The focus of the celebration was on that moment in history. The EMS ministry Partisanship aside, it is difficult for the citizen to not be inspired by the early days in Kerala. Much is made of the arguable assertion that it was the first instance of a communist government being voted to power. For Indian democracy, what is of far greater significance though is the sheer capability ...

Forced to act after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad’s assault on an Air India staff member, the civil aviation ministry on Friday announced new guidelines for the unruly behaviour of passengers on flights, news agency ANI reported. Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey while addressing a press conference announced that the ministry has put instances of unruly behaviour into 3 categories and falling in these brackets can lead to flight bans for passengers. According to the news agency Reuters, the step has been taken as India is looking at creating a national no-fly list of unruly passengers. The list will be maintained by the country’s civil aviation regulator, Civil Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey said. Here is what can get you no-fly list on flights: –  Disruptive Behaviour:  Level 1 will be disruptive behaviour like physical gestures etc. The punishment in this category is a suspension for 3 months. –  Physical Abuse:  level 2 offences will include p...

Q.1- What is/are the benefits of digital based payments? 1. It help in reducing corruption 2. It helps in reducing the generation of black money 3. It will increase tax/GDP ratio A. 1,2 only B. 2,3 only C. 1,3 only D. All Q.2- Which of the following provisions are correct regarding PC-PNDT act? 1. It authorises only government approved hospitals to conduct tests for the purpose of determining the sex of the foetus. 2. It regulates the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques, like ultrasound and amniocentesis. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q.3.- Which of the following statements are correct regarding judicial appointment? 1. Present collegium system was created in Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association vs Union of India case 2. Collegium system is only for the appointment of judges in Supreme court. A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Answer 1-D, 2-B, 3-D

Q1 - The inter state river water dispute Act 1956 is an Act of the parliament of India enacted under which of the following article? a) Article 242 b) Article 251 c) Article 262 d) Article 234 Q2 - Which among the following are spywares? a) BadBIOS b) Bitter Bugs c) Heartbleed d) Bash e) ILove 1) Only a,c 2) Only b,d 3) A,b,c,e 4) a,b,c,d Q3 - Which of the following is correct regarding AIIB? a) It has 57 members till now b) It has authorised capital of $50 billion c) US and Japan are members of AIIB A. a, b B. b, c C. c, a D. All  Answer  1-C, 2-4, 3-C

Q.1- Animal dhole is also known as which of the following? A. Indian wild jack B. Indian wild ass C. Indian wild dog D. None of the above Q.2- With respect to NPA which of the following statements is correct? a) NPA in public sector banks has decreased over last year. b) Infrastructure, iron and steel, textiles, aviation and mining are five main sector that are under stress. A) a only B) b only C) Both D) None Q.3- UDAN scheme is related to which of the following? A. Girl education B. Tribal upliftment C. Aviation sector D. None . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-C,2-B,3-C

Dogs are generally considered as a friend of humans but they may not be so for other species. A new study by a team of Indian and international researchers has shown that dogs are a major threat to wild species. The study has revealed that dogs have contributed to the extinction of as many as 11 vertebrates. Dogs are a known or potential threat to at least 188 threatened species worldwide, including 96 mammals, 78 bird, 22 reptile and three amphibian species. The list includes 30 critically endangered species, two of which even classified as "possibly extinct". In a paper published in international journal Ambio, researchers noted that these numbers place dogs as the world’s third most damaging invasive mammalian predators, behind rodents and cats. “Besides predation, dogs endanger wildlife through disturbance of habitat, disease transmission, competition and hybridisation. All types of domestic dogs can interact with wildlife and have severe negative impacts on biodiv...

Energy access remains a huge problem for most people living on the African continent. More than 600 million out of a population of about 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have reliable electricity access. The Conversation Although sub-Saharan Africa has about 13% of the world’s population, about 48% are without energy access. Only seven countries in the sub-region – Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa – can boast of 50% access rates. And, with the exception of South Africa, the energy consumption rate is 150 kilowatt per capita, way below emerging market estimates. It’s been projected that sub-Saharan Africa will require approximately 1,600 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2040. This estimate is four times more than 2010 usage. It’s based on “a fivefold increase in GDP, a doubling of the population, electricity-access levels reaching more than 70% by 2040, and increased urbanisation”. At current deployment rates it will be 2080...

Swine flu or H1N1 influenza has come early this year, sweeping across peninsular India. The virus is known to spread during monsoon months, but it has already claimed some 250 lives this year, setting off alarms in Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, among other states. The reason for increase in prevalence this summer is unknown. The death toll is the highest in Maharasthra, with 165 casualties. Kerala remains the second-worst hit, with 334 confirmed cases and 23 deaths in 2017. Over 200 cases have been reported in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with 16 and 13 swine flu deaths respectively. Neighbouring Tamil Nadu has recorded over 1,000 cases but contained the deaths to 10. Some 344 cases and seven swine flu deaths have been reported in Karnataka. Other states affected include West Bengal, Gujarat and Delhi. The death toll is expected to rise as monsoon approaches. The severity of the threat from swine flu was thought to have died down in the past two years, but a sha...