The Competition Master

RAPID GK SERIES 26

RAPID GK SERIES 26

1. The Consumer Protection Act (COPRA), is introduced in this year 2. This is the Second Largest Public Sector Bank in India after the Stat...

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No new wild polio case for a year, India beats down deadly virus

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcUzlAuWW1dw7d6Ju9SrgrsZPNB8zLYpvJaBvwAmNe4jl1AHYX3a2odxEHXpsxHKrhV0WJ1AHAMsRI8grEFe3aKtc_w81MonD0kR35jYjlz3RopT_e-7URkr43tE-TsWCF24xVuQ5aAM/s1600/Polio-graphic_891491e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcUzlAuWW1dw7d6Ju9SrgrsZPNB8zLYpvJaBvwAmNe4jl1AHYX3a2odxEHXpsxHKrhV0WJ1AHAMsRI8grEFe3aKtc_w81MonD0kR35jYjlz3RopT_e-7URkr43tE-TsWCF24xVuQ5aAM/s1600/Polio-graphic_891491e.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mass public campaign a success but experts warn of need for continued vigilance</div><div class="articleLead" style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="body" style="text-align: justify;"> Not even superstition can render this Friday the 13th unlucky for India. Today, the nation will reach a major milestone in the history of polio eradication – a year without any case of wild polio being recorded. For a nation that notoriously had, only two years ago, the largest number of polio cases in the world (741), this is clearly an unprecedented achievement. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="body" style="text-align: justify;"> Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted through contaminated food and water, and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system. Even those who do not show any symptoms can excrete the virus, thereby spreading the infection. Acute Flaccid Paralysis is a disabling condition where there is absence of muscle tone in one or both limbs, and tendon reflexes. While no ‘cure' exists for polio, the oral polio vaccine prevents the transmission of infection effectively. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="body" style="text-align: justify;"> As India reaches this ‘no wild case' mark, it will no longer be considered ‘endemic' to polio, a status it has harboured thus long, with three other nations — Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. If all tests for the wild polio virus in India — including laboratory analysis of acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset up to mid-January and environmental sewage sampling — return negative, India will officially be deemed to have stopped the transmission of the indigenous wild polio virus. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="body" style="text-align: justify;"> Following this, the World Health Organisation will remove India from the list of endemic nations, probably by mid-February. “India's success is arguably its greatest public health achievement and has provided a global opportunity to push for the end of polio,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="body" style="text-align: justify;"> Responding to the achievement, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: “This giant leap towards polio containment in a short span of two years is an endorsement of India's tireless and persistent efforts.” India had set an example with the highest level of political commitment to the programme — with resource allocation, continuous efforts to identify and reach out to vulnerable children with tailored strategies for maximum reach, optimum use of available vaccines under the guidance of top national and international experts, an extra-ordinary communication strategy and strong partnerships, he added. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="body" style="text-align: justify;"> According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the next step would be to look at a polio-free South East Asian Region in 2014: Over the next 24 months, the Regional Certification Commission of the WHO South East Asian Region (of which India is a part) will start examining the surveillance and programme performance for polio eradication across the region to determine whether it can be certified as having eradicated the indigenous wild poliovirus. </div></div>

No new wild polio case for a year, India beats down deadly virus

Mass public campaign a success but experts warn of need for continued vigilance Not even superstition can render this Friday the 13th unl...

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Centre seeks report on Jarawa video

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Central government has demanded a report from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration after outrage erupted over a video released by a British newspaper allegedly showing Jarawa tribal women in the islands being bribed to dance for tourists. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What is the issue?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Jarawa women were bribed to dance naked and a legal notice has been sent to two Delhi-based TV channels telecasting the video footage showing a group of tribal women being ordered to dance for tourists by a policeman.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>British newspaper, ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The Observer’, a weekly, had released video footage of police involvement in ’human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands. The videos were recently aired on the two Delhi-based channels.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What was the bribe?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The policeman had allegedly taken a bribe of £ 200 to take tourists into the protected Jarawa reserve.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>When has this happened?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Union Tribal Affairs Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo told that the government had ordered an inquiry by the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police of A&N islands. “This video-clipping, is not fresh and not of recent time. Apparently, people have seen it on the Internet for the last four or five years. So that is yet to be established. But the fact is that it is not something which has happened in the last few weeks or months,” he said.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What is the impact of such a heinous act?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>It is not only an outrageous insult to human dignity. It is also a symptom of the larger problems facing the 300-odd members of this indigenous community. </li>
</ul></div>

Centre seeks report on Jarawa video

The Central government has demanded a report from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration after outrage erupted over a video releas...

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Govt approves national policy on NDPS to combat drug abuse

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The government today approved the National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) to re-assert India's commitment to combat the drug menace in a holistic manner. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What is expected from the policy?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Implementation of the provisions of the policy will lead to reduction of crime, improvement in public health and uplifting of the social milieu. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What is the policy?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The NDPS Policy will serve as a guide to various Ministries and organizations. The policy recommends production of Concentrate of Poppy Straw in India by a company or body corporate. This would enable India to retain its status of a traditional supplier of Opiate Raw Material to the rest of world, while remaining competitive. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>On the illicit cultivation of poppy and cannabis, the policy emphasizes use of satellite imageries for detection of illicit crop and its subsequent eradication and development of alternate means of livelihood in respect of cultivators in pockets of traditional illicit cultivation. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Who drafted the policy?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The policy was drafted by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue in consultation with the concerned Ministries and Agencies of the Central and the State Governments.</li>
<li> 
</li>
</ul> </div>

Govt approves national policy on NDPS to combat drug abuse

The government today approved the National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) to re-assert India's commitment...

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Red Ribbon Express train to create awareness about HIV, AIDS flagged off

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9QeBK_vxVN1TTO2vylpFtU0mnD1jm7d_MXLyanJj88K0I_xAF-AjgmXUvr_4gRYxCOabV3bKx4sn4VMsxRMXBOl_B5MdNt4COnzPfJI1btb9bztD9EgR9CT-73bJnk386mYWhkXQar8/s1600/RED+RIBBON+EXP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9QeBK_vxVN1TTO2vylpFtU0mnD1jm7d_MXLyanJj88K0I_xAF-AjgmXUvr_4gRYxCOabV3bKx4sn4VMsxRMXBOl_B5MdNt4COnzPfJI1btb9bztD9EgR9CT-73bJnk386mYWhkXQar8/s200/RED+RIBBON+EXP.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li style="text-align: justify;">The government today launched the third phase of Red Ribbon Express in New Delhi to create awareness among people about HIV/AIDS.  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>By whom?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It was jointly flagged off by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li style="text-align: justify;">What is the motive behind this?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Through this train, the government will be able to communicate with people about HIV/AIDS including its causes and treatment. This time the renewed focus of the Red Ribbon express is on youth. Mrs Sheila Dikshit said that the focus of her Government is to make Delhi an Aids free city.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Red Ribbon Express phase three continues to focus on rural and difficult to reach areas with an objective of disseminating the information on primary prevention services and developing an understanding about the infection to reduce the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. </li>
</ul><div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li style="text-align: justify;">What is with the train?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The train will cover 23 States and 162 halt stations during its year-long journey. It has seven coaches including 3 coaches exhibiting informational material on HIV and AIDS and a coach for counseling the patients.</li>
</ul></div></div>

Red Ribbon Express train to create awareness about HIV, AIDS flagged off

The government today launched the third phase of Red Ribbon Express in New Delhi to create awareness among people about HIV/AIDS. By who...

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Industrial growth bounces back to 5.9% in November

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnauaTBu4HcPiS_c3MhxqW8OUy0K9Jywvi4-MMyolVGQSCCdbBl2fOUIeaVs2rHrA6WN8aUBMS6A4LNToe_0unugf1lsZ6ImGTW5JryUaiVny70ynwIpmuvJQFEwvHxQWtgPCVGBzMQ0/s1600/th13_iip_graph_col__891479f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnauaTBu4HcPiS_c3MhxqW8OUy0K9Jywvi4-MMyolVGQSCCdbBl2fOUIeaVs2rHrA6WN8aUBMS6A4LNToe_0unugf1lsZ6ImGTW5JryUaiVny70ynwIpmuvJQFEwvHxQWtgPCVGBzMQ0/s200/th13_iip_graph_col__891479f.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Index of Industrial Production bounced back to register a growth of 5.9 percent in November 2011 compared to the corresponding month in the previous year. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Who announces the IIP?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>It is announced by the Central Statistical Organisation of the ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What is IIP?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>IIP compares the growth in the general level of industrial activity in the economy with reference to a comparable base year. The base year is 1993-94.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>It covers the following sectors with weightage.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Mining - 10.47%</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Manufacturing - 79.36%</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Electricity - 10.17%</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>What do IIP numbers indicate?</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>With IIP numbers showing slowing trend, RBI will have to take corrective action to control the inflation.</li>
</ul></div>

Industrial growth bounces back to 5.9% in November

The Index of Industrial Production bounced back to register a growth of 5.9 percent in November 2011 compared to the corresponding month in...

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Frame guidelines to ban sale of junk food around educational area: HC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Delhi High Court has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to frame guidelines on banning the sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around educational institutions. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A division bench of acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw gave six-month time to FSSAI to consider the issue. </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The court was hearing a PIL filed by the NGO 'Uday Foundation. Seeking a compliance report from FSSAI, the Bench fixed July 25 for further hearing of the matter.</li>
</ul></div>

Frame guidelines to ban sale of junk food around educational area: HC

The Delhi High Court has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to frame guidelines on banning the sale of junk...

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EC approves finger printing, photography of voters at Goa polling booths

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li> The Election Commission of India has approved the use of innovative Poll Monitoring System (PMS) in all the 40 Assembly constituencies of Goa for the ensuing Assembly polls slated on March 3, 2012. </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Under the system, fingerprints of the voters would be recorded by finger print reading machines along with their photographs by the web cameras fitted to computers.  </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Election Commission of India has sanctioned Rs. 1.84 crores for the purchase of hardware under the PMS. </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Each polling station would be provided with a computer equipped with a web camera and a finger recording machine. The Poll monitoring system is being used for the first time in the electoral history of the country.</li>
</ul></div></div>

EC approves finger printing, photography of voters at Goa polling booths

The Election Commission of India has approved the use of innovative Poll Monitoring System (PMS) in all the 40 Assembly constituencies of...

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Honorary doctorate degree for Sheikh Hasina

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari Thursday conferred an honorary doctorate of Tripura University on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. </li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <ul><li>Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipumoni said, "By honouring the Bangladesh prime minister, the Tripura University has brought the people of the two countries closer." </li>
</ul><div><ul><li>This is the second time an Indian university has conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature on Hasina. The 64-year-old Bangladesh leader was conferred the honour by Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal Jan 28, 1999. </li>
</ul><ul><li>She was awarded UNESCO's Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize in 1998 for her contribution to bring peace by ending the 25 years of conflict in Chittagong Hill Tracts with political courage and statesmanship. </li>
</ul></div></div></div>

Honorary doctorate degree for Sheikh Hasina

Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari Thursday conferred an honorary doctorate of Tripura University on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi...

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3 smallest planets outside solar system found

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A team of astronomers has discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system.</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <ul><li>Who discovered them?</li>
</ul><ul><li>The three planets, discovered by scientists led by Philip Muirhead from the University of California, all orbit a single star, are smaller than Earth and appear to be rocky with a solid surface. </li>
</ul><ul><li>Which is this planetary system?</li>
</ul><ul><li>KOI-961 is the planetary system. KOI-961 is a red dwarf arond which the 3 planets Kepler-20e, Kepler-20f and Kepler-10b revovle.</li>
</ul><ul><li>KOI-961 has a diameter one-sixth that of the sun’s, making it just 70 percent bigger than Jupiter. </li>
</ul><div><ul><li>Each of the three planets needs less than two days to zip around their star, and all three are about one hundred times closer to that star than Earth is to the sun. </li>
</ul></div></div></div>

3 smallest planets outside solar system found

A team of astronomers has discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system. Who discovered them? Th...

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Russia says spacecraft may crash into Indian Ocean

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Russia's space agency predicts that the fragments of a failed Russian space probe's could fall into the Indian Ocean, far away from any populated areas.</li>
</ul><div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Roscosmos said that the Phobos-Ground's debris could fall between Saturday and Monday anywhere along a broad swath between 51.4 degrees north to 51.4 degrees south. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The space agency predicted it would be Sunday when fragments could come crashing down correspond to a place in the Indian Ocean, about 1,700 kilometres west of Jakarta. </li>
</ul></div></div>

Russia says spacecraft may crash into Indian Ocean

Russia's space agency predicts that the fragments of a failed Russian space probe's could fall into the Indian Ocean, far away from...

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Food inflation drops for 10th straight week at -2.90%

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Food prices fell for the second consecutive week as food inflation remained in the negative zone at (-)2.90 percent for the week ended December 31, 2011.</li>
</ul><div> <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Food inflation, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), stood at (-)3.36 percent in the first week of January. It was above 19 percent in the corresponding week of 2010. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> According to data released, onions became cheaper by 74.77 percent year-on-year during the week under review, while potato prices were down by 31.97 percent. Prices of wheat also fell by 3.35 </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>percent.Overall, vegetables became 49.03 percent cheaper during the week ended December 31.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Headline inflation, which also factors in manufactured items, has been above the 9 percent-mark since December, 2010. It stood at 9.11 percent in November, 2011.</li>
</ul></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In its second quarterly review of the monetary policy last month, the central bank had said it expects inflation to remain elevated till December on account of the demand-supply mismatch before moderating to 7 percent by March, 2012. </li>
</ul></div></div>

Food inflation drops for 10th straight week at -2.90%

Food prices fell for the second consecutive week as food inflation remained in the negative zone at (-)2.90 percent for the week ended Decem...

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