The Competition Master

RAPID GK SERIES 2

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. The authors of the famous book ‘Is Paris Burning’ is 
2. The Indian Public Sector Bank which has more number of foreign banks is 
3. The Oldest Refinery in India is 
4. The first telegraph line in India was laid between these two places 
5. The World’s wettest place in terms of average annual rainfall is 
6. The first Governor General of India is 
7. The Capital of Bulgaria is 
8. Blue Book is the Official Report of this Government 
9. The Unit of Heat is 
10. The National Energy Conservation Day is observed on 
 
ANSWERS 
 
1. Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre 
2. State Bank of India 
3. Digboi (Assam) 
4. Kolkata to Diamond Harbor in 1838 
5. Mawsynram (Meghalaya) 
6. Warren Hastings (1773-1785) 
7. Sofia 
8. British Government 
9. Calorie 
10. December 14</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 2

1. The authors of the famous book ‘Is Paris Burning’ is 2. The Indian Public Sector Bank which has more number of foreign banks is 3. The ...

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US to freeze $700 mn aid to Pakistan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> In  the midst of a tense standoff with Islamabad, a Congressional panel has agreed to freeze $700 million in US aid to Pakistan unless it helps in the fight against homemade bombs in Afghanistan. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The freeze on US aid was agreed to by leaders of the armed services committees from both Republican and Democratic parties in the House and Senate as part of a defence bill that is expected to be passed 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The US wants “assurances that Pakistan is countering improvised explosive devices in their country that are targeting their coalition forces. 
</li>
</ul></div>

US to freeze $700 mn aid to Pakistan

In the midst of a tense standoff with Islamabad, a Congressional panel has agreed to freeze $700 million in US aid to Pakistan unless it...

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Himalayan nations plan climate adaptation

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> Following a two-day summit in Bhutan, the Himalayan nations of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan have decided to collaborate on ways to adapt to climate change. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The four Himalayan nations, that are facing the threat of weather changes, were part of the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas that was held in Bhutan’s capital Thimphu. The agreement involves issues on energy, water, food and biodiversity. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinleysaid, Bhutan’s Prime Minister . 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The absence of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan was underplayed by the summit organizers who insisted that the summit was more about securing ecosystems, endangered species, and food and water sources for the Himalayas’ eastern part than the whole geographical area. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> In the summit action was called for amid the international community’s inability to agree on limiting greenhouse gas emissions that is blamed for global climate change 
</li>
</ul></div>

Himalayan nations plan climate adaptation

Following a two-day summit in Bhutan, the Himalayan nations of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan have decided to collaborate on ways to...

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Oldest Lion Safari Renuka Ji about to close in Himachal

Oldest Lion Safari Renuka Ji about to close in Himachal

The oldest Lion Safari Shri Renuka Ji in Himachal Pradesh has taken another step for its closure as 11 years Lioness Megha has been died. ...

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Green India Mission – A Way to Enhance ECO-Systems

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Green India Mission recognizes that climate change phenomena will seriously affect and alter the distribution, type and quality of natural resources of the country and the associated livelihoods of the people. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Key Innovations are the focus on quality of forests, ecosystem services, democratic decentralization, creating a new cadre of Community Youth as Foresters, Adoption of Landscape-based Approach and Reform Agenda as conditionality. Total Mission Cost is Rs 46,000 crore for a period of 10 years covering both Centre and States. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Mission Objectives 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> It plans to Increase forest/tree cover on 5 m ha of forest/non-forest lands  and improved quality of forest cover on another  5 m ha  (a  total of 10 m ha), improve ecosystem services including biodiversity, hydrological services and carbon sequestration as a result of treatment of 10 m ha, increase forest-based livelihood income for 3 million forest dependent households and  enhance annual CO2 sequestration  of 50-60 million tonnes by the year 2020 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Mission will implement its strategy through a set of 5 Sub-Missions and cross-cutting interventions at National level, an autonomous society under MEF with  an inclusive governing council, the mission to develop systems for highest degree of accountability  will work. At State  and District Levels,  State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) and  District FDA linked to District Planning Committee will be revamped. Gram Sabha and its Committees will work at village Institutions level and in  Urban Areas, Ward level Committees /RWAs with support from Municipal organizations and the Forest Departments. Monitoring  will be done at  4 levels, namely self Monitoring by community and field staff, Remote Sensing and GIS, third party monitoring  by key indicators . 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The actual implementation period of the Mission would spread over 10 years, coinciding with the 12th and 13thfive year plan period. The Action Plan for the year 2011-12 is the  preparatory year of the Mission</li>
</ul></div>

Green India Mission – A Way to Enhance ECO-Systems

The National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Green India Mis...

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Canada quits Kyoto Protocol, first nation to do so

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li> <div style="text-align: justify;">Canada, a major energy producer, has become the first country to quit the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, saying the 1997 accord was an "impediment" on cutting global carbon emissions with top emitters like the US and China not covered by it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 
</div> </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 by the previous Liberal government, which committed Canada to cutting greenhouse gas emissions 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. 
 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The announcement came after the end of the latest round of talks involving the 195 parties to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa. 
 
 
 </li>
<li> <div style="text-align: justify;">U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had just finished saying that a "significant agreement" had been reached, which has been dubbed "The Durban Platform," when Canada pulled the plug.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div> </li>
<li> <div style="text-align: justify;">The new deal, agreed Sunday, brings in major emitters of greenhouse gas emissions including the United States, China, India and Brazil.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div> </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The parties agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which was due to expire at the end of 2012, and to discuss a legally binding pact to cover all major emitters by 2015, with any agreed deal to start in 2020</li>
</ul></div>

Canada quits Kyoto Protocol, first nation to do so

Canada, a major energy producer, has become the first country to quit the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, saying the 1997 accord was an...

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India court orders shelters for homeless in winter

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> India's Supreme Court has ordered states to provide adequate night shelters for the homeless during the coming winter. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> "You should not allow even a single person to die this winter from the freezing cold," the judges said. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Indian-administered Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh states usually experience severe cold snaps. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The capital Delhi is also affected, with one 2008 estimate saying 150,000 sleep rough in the freezing cold. 
</li>
</ul></div>

India court orders shelters for homeless in winter

India's Supreme Court has ordered states to provide adequate night shelters for the homeless during the coming winter. "You s...

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Russia to launch ESA satellites

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5126" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> A Russian launcher will put several European Space Agency (ESA) satellites into orbit Dec 17 from the Kourou space port in French Guiana. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The Soyuz ST-A will orbit Pleades and SSoT satellites, as well as four Elisa microsatellites.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> The first Soyuz launcher took off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana Oct 21.  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Soyuz is a medium-class launcher 
</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> 
</div></div></div>

Russia to launch ESA satellites

A Russian launcher will put several European Space Agency (ESA) satellites into orbit Dec 17 fr...

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PM mulls Rs.1,000 crore corpus for housing poor

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The government is considering creating a corpus fund of Rs.1,000 crore in the current fiscal that would encourage banks to give housing loans in "significant volumes" to the urban poor, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> Addressing a conference on the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) here, Manmohan Singh said the corpus of Rs.1,000 would be set aside to create a credit risk guarantee fund that could be used to cover any bank losses. 
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> He mentioned the government's Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) launched this year for "creating inclusive and slum-free cities, while leveraging the value of land to generate revenues".  
 
 </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"> "The aim is to achieve slum redevelopment and create affordable housing stock by providing assistance to those states that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers. This reform will give the urban poor a formal stake in the cities' economic and social development." 
</li>
</ul></div>

PM mulls Rs.1,000 crore corpus for housing poor

The government is considering creating a corpus fund of Rs.1,000 crore in the current fiscal that would encourage banks to give housing l...

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SC green signal to unused Endosulfan export

SC green signal to unused Endosulfan export

The Supreme Court today allowed export of unused stock of Endosulfan insecticide while retaining the complete ban imposed by it in on its ...

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