1. When was the 30th anniversary of Hubble’s telescope observed?
a. 22 April 2020
b. 23 April 2020
c. 24 April 2020
d. 25 April 2020
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• Hubble Space Telescope celebrates the 30th anniversary on 24 April 2020. The unique design of the telescope has allowed being repaired and upgraded with advanced technology by astronauts.
• The telescope is one of NASA's longest-living and most valuable observatories. It has beamed transformational astronomical images to Earth for decades.
• Hubble is expected to sustain through the 2020s. Also, a second-generation space telescope named "James Webb Space Telescope" has been scheduled to launch in 2021.
2. What is India’s rank in terms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) production?
a. First
b. Third
c. Second
d. Fourth
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• India has now become the world’s largest supplier of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in just 60 days.
• In two months, the industry has grown 56 times. Over 600 companies in India are certified to produce PPE and the country today manufactures 4.5 lakh pieces of PPE a day.
• India is now well-positioned to seize a share of the global market, which will be $60 billion by 2025, according to a report on ‘Personal Protective Equipment in India: A ₹7,000-crore industry in the making’, produced by Invest India, a company set up by the Indian government for investment facilitation.
• PPE includes goggles, face-shields, masks (surgical and N-95), gloves (surgical and examination), coveralls and gowns, head cover and shoe cover. There are three broad customer categories for these products—industrial (for workers), healthcare (for doctors, nurses and attendants) and general consumers.
• The authors of the report, Mishika Nayyar and Remya Lakshmanan Strategic Investment Research Unit, Invest India, say that India has an inventory of 15.96 lakh PPE kits and another 2.22 crore kits are being manufactured against firm orders by the industry.
• The report notes that Bengaluru has become a major PPE hub where half the production happens. The rest of it is spread across the country—Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Ludhiana, Bhiwandi, Kolkata, Noida and Gurugram.
• The textile biggies, such as Arvind Mills, JCT Mills and Welspun, are all into this business now. Businesses are gearing themselves up for an explosive growth in the market.
• Not only the private industries, but even the Railways, Navy and Ordnance factories are now into PPE manufacturing.
• The Navy, for instance, is making PPEs with fabric that allows air flow through it, a product tested and approved by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Services (INMAS), part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. As for railways, over 17 of its workshops are committed to producing PPEs.
• The Invest India report says that for India to milk this opportunity, the country would need to “re-evaluate” some of the current bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.
3. Which of the following got its first international waterway with River Gomti approved as Indo-Bangla protocol route?
a. Mizoram
b. Assam
c. Tripura
d. Meghalaya
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• Tripura got its first ever international waterway as five new protocol routes were announced between India and its eastern neighbour Bangladesh.
• Sonamura-Daudkandi route on Tripura’s River Gomti and Rajshahi-Dhulian-Rajshahi routes were added to the list of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes signed between the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das and Bangladesh Shipping Secretary Md. Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury in Dhaka.
• The Protocol on Transit and Trade (PTT) through inland waterways was first signed between People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of India in 1972.
• The Protocol was last renewed in 2015 for five years with a provision for automatic renewal and further five years of long term assurance to stakeholders.
• The Protocol parameters were revised in the second addendum signed on Wednesday with inclusion of new routes and declaration of a host of new Ports of Call to facilitate trade between both the countries.
• At present, there are 10 Indo-Bangla Protocol routes.
• As per the revised protocol, a 93 km stretch of River Gomti in Tripura’s Sepahijala district connecting Sonamura on the Indian side and Daudkandi in Bangladesh and Rajhahi-Dhulian route would be in effect. While the Sonamura-Daudkhandi route is expected to improve connectivity between Tripura, Bangladesh and nearby Indian states, operationalising the Rajshahi-Dhulian route is expected to augment infrastructure in Bangladesh and reduce export cost from India.
4. Where is Indian Army’s 61st Cavalry situated?
a. Lucknow
b. Jaipur
c. Noida
d. New Delhi
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• The 61st Cavalry was raised in Jaipur in October 1953 by putting together mounted elements of cavalry regiments of the erstwhile princely states of India.
• The Indian Army’s only mounted cavalry regiment is set to say goodbye to its horses, with the government approving a proposal to equip the 61st Cavalry with tanks.
• The famous 61st Cavalry is being converted into a regular armoured regiment on the basis of a recommendation made by the Lieutenant General DB Shekatkar (retd) committee in a report on sharpening the army’s combat edge and trimming its revenue expenditure
• Three independent squadrons of other regiments are being amalgamated under the headquarters of the 61st Cavalry to form the new tank unit.
5. Indian army may launch Tour of Duty allows civilians of the country to join the Indian Army for how many years?
a. Three
b. Four
c. Five
d. Six
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Tour of Duty allows civilians of the country to join the Indian Army for three years and serve the country as an army soldier.
• The proposal is yet under process but it has certainly gained a lot of popularity. This could be a great opportunity for those who would like to experience the work of a soldier without actually pursuing it as a career.
• The proposal of Tour of Duty is an effort made by the Indian Army to attract the best talent that the country has towards the Indian armed forces.
• Tour of Duty will be launched with around 100 vacancies for officers and 1000 for jawans. This ‘course’ set up by the Indian Army will help with the improvement of self-confidence, teamwork, initiative, stress management, innovation and a sense of responsibility. If it is a successful venture, the number of vacancies will be increased.
• The Tour of Duty officer level has a salary of ₹ 80000 to ₹ 90000 per month. While the youth of India will gain benefits from the scheme, even the Army will face some significant financial gain. In comparison to a soldier who serves the minimum tenure in the army, i.e. 10-14 years depending upon their role, the cost of a ToD officer for three years would be just ₹ 80 to ₹ 85 Lakhs. On the other hand, short-tenured officers’ expenses are around ₹ 5.12 crores and ₹ 6.83 crores.
