Daily Current Affairs MCQ's - 6 Nov., 2019 Time limit: 0 Quiz-summary 0 of 6 questions completed Questions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ..read more

News: President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) Bill, a controversial anti-terror legislation passed by the BJP-ruled State in March 2015. Need: Concerns over Pakistan’s attempts at cross-border terrorism  Gujarat’s vulnerable coastline  The proliferation of criminal gangs, Also, the organised criminal syndicates make a common cause with terrorist gangs and foster macro terrorism which extends beyond the national boundaries.  Background:  The bill was first framed after the Akshardham attack in 2002 and was sent for approval ..read more

News: Two large brands—Apple and Disney—are entering what appears to be an already crowded market of video streaming services. About OTT video services OTT video services use the Internet to deliver content such as TV shows and films to a variety of devices. Netflix is among the most prominent players in this space, and has been joined by many others, including recent entrants Apple and Disney. There are also many India-centric services such as Hotstar, Eros Now, Sony Liv, Jio Cinema, ALTBalaji, Zee5 and MX Player.  OTT providers offer two key benefits:  access to content on demand without hav ..read more

News: President Ram Nath Kovind, based on opinion tendered by the Election Commission, has rejected a petition demanding disqualification of 11 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs in Delhi for allegedly holding office of profit as co-chairpersons of district disaster management authorities (DDMA). More about the news The President, referred to the EC’s observation that the office of DDMA co-chairperson fell under the exempted category as the Delhi Members of the Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1997.  This provision exempts the office of chairman, director or member of a statut ..read more

News: India may phase out M.Phil degrees from academic institutions and allow students to pursue a doctorate programme after a four-year graduation course, highlights the final draft of the new education policy prepared by the human resource development (HRD) ministry. More about the news: This comes with M. Phil, an advanced master’s degree, gradually losing popularity and the government seeking to introduce a research component in graduation and restructure some of the higher education courses. The Draft National Education Policy 2019 The New National Education Policy drafted by a committee ..read more

The News: Soon, the government of India will sign a free trade agreement with U.S which safeguarded its interests. The intention behind India’s move is to get preferential benefits under GSP. India and the US are seeking to cover the gap that separates the two sides on high tariffs of several products. Currently, India is exploring trade agreements with the USA and the European Union, where the Indian industry and services will be competitive and benefit from access to large developed markets. Benefit of the Move: In the past, lobby groups such as the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum have ..read more

Context Acute respiratory infection is a serious infection that prevents normal breathing function. It usually begins as a viral infection in the nose, trachea (windpipe), or lungs.  Acute respiratory infection prevents the body from getting oxygen and can result in death.  Also, acute respiratory infections are infectious, which means they can spread from one person to another. The disease is quite widespread.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), acute respiratory infections kill an estimated 2.6 million children annually every year worldwide.   Source- The Hindu Why ARI ..read more

Context Realizing the importance of availability of reliable database on the wastelands of the country, Ministry for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Panchayati Raj released the Wastelands Atlas – 2019.  The Department of Land Resources in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Department of Space has published Wastelands Atlases of India – 2000, 2005, 2010 & 2011 editions. Background India with 2.4% of total land area of the World is supporting 18% of the World’s population.  The per capita availability of agriculture land in India is 0.12 ha ..read more

Context: Proposals of several refiners to set up ethanol plants have failed to achieve financial closure due to an RBI rule. Central bank regulations mandate that banks limit their exposure to 25% of their capital for connected parties. Background Over the past few days, Delhi has witnessed a severe deterioration in its air quality, with burning of crop stubble by farmers in neighbouring states emerging as one of the key causes of air pollution.  About the project An ambitious project to convert thousands of tonnes of agricultural waste in the farmlands of northern India into biofuel and th ..read more

Geography-Land resources Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Narendra Singh Tomar releases ‘Wastelands Atlas’ – 2019 with robust geospatial information; Atlas to effectively assist in rolling back wastelands for productive use through various land development schemes & programs (PIB) https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=194257 Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara prepare for Cyclone Bulbul (DTE) https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/jagatsinghpur-kendrapara-prepare-for-cyclone-bulbul-67621 Both government officials and people in the coastal Odisha districts of Kendrapara and Jagatsi ..read more