1299 : GS Mains13 Probable Question 2 Naxal Movement

Address the divergence

Background
What is Integrated Action Plan (IAP)?
At the time of presentation of the budget for the year 2010-11, the Government had announced
its decision to introduce a special scheme to address the development of 33 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts. It was inter-alia, stated that the Planning Commission would prepare an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for the affected areas and that adequate funds would be made available to support the action plan. The 33 districts (later expanded to 34) referred to in the Finance Minister’s announcement were a sub-set of the 83 LWE affected districts identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs for coverage under its Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. This sub-set consisted of those districts where more than 20% of the Police Stations experienced some incidents of naxal violence. Subsequently, West Medinipur district of West Bengal was added to the list due to the situation prevailing there, taking the total to 35 districts.

Structure and Financing of IAP
The Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Selected Tribal and Backward Districts under the BRGF programme will cover 82 districts. The IAP has been implemented (2010-13) with a block grant of Rs.25 crore and Rs.30 crore per district during 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively. A Committee headed by District Collector/District Magistrate and consisting of the Superintendent of Police of the District and the District Forest Officer will be responsible for implementation of this scheme. The District-level Committee will have the flexibility to spend the amount for development schemes according to need as assessed by it. The Committee should draw up a Plan consisting of concrete proposals for public infrastructure and services
such as School Buildings, Anganwadi Centres, Primary Health Centres, Drinking Water Supply,
Village Roads,Electric Lights in public places such as PHCs and Schools etc

Nine Point Action Programme by the Government to develop Naxal Affected Areas
1. Recognition of forest rights including the community rights and community forest
resource rights under the Act.
2. Review the definition of backward districts under the Integrated Action Plan/Backward
Region Grant Fund (BRGF) as part of the action plan.
3. To advance from the ad hoc criteria of selecting districts to a more outcome oriented
criterion
4. Establishment of residential schools with a minimum of 1000-2000 students in the LWE
areas.
5. Installation of low cost mobile towers to improve the communication infrastructure
6. To expedite the laying of transmission lines under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran
Yojna (RGGVY)
7. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has given a notification to cover all the 82 IAP
districts granting general approval under the Forest Conservation Act for diversion of
forest land up to 5 acres.
8. The Ministry of Power will review pending works in 1776 villages to ascertain the ones
which can be “cleared with the issuance of the new notification.”
9. Mobile Health units to deal with health issues like Malaria



Probable Questions : GS Mains 

• Integrated Action Plan is a success in curbing the menace of Naxalism. Comment on the statement
• What are the salient features of Integrated Action Plan and how useful it has been on contracting the influence of Red Corridor?
• Left Wing Extremism has proven a mischief in the smooth governance of the country. Analyze various programs and their effects based on the implementation of IAP?
• Briefly discuss about the nine point programme adopted by the government to develop the Naxal affected areas

Reference
 http://pcserver.nic.in/iapmis/
 http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79472
 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/integrated-action-plan-for-naxalhit-districts-asuccess-
chidambaram/article3400381.ece
 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/centre-draws-up-ninepoint-actionplan-
to-develop-naxalaffected-areas/article4614800.ece

1298 : GS Mains 13 _probable questions : Bio Diversity

Jellyfish surge in Mediterranean threatens biodiversity

Back ground

Why Jellyfish proved a problem, if native to Mediterranean?
Jelly fish in the coast lines of Mediterranean is a non native species. This rise in the population of
non native species is attributed to species invasion rather than natural growth in a native
population.

What are invasive species?
Invasive species are usually non native in nature and appear to have specific traits or specific combinations of traits that allow them to out-compete native species. Fast growth, rapid reproduction, high dispersal ability, phenotypic plasticity etc are the major traits exhibited by the introduced species which may turn themselves out to be invasive with their capability to out compete the native species for resources, such as nutrients, light, physical space, water or food.

Human interference in the form of water ballasts or transmittal of species for pest control or aesthetics provide repeated chances for establishment of the introduced species with its low population in the new environment. According to IUCN, Alien invasive species" means an alien species which becomes established in natural or semi-natural ecosystems or habitat, is an agent of change, and threatens native biological diversity.

Why invasive species pose a problem to the ecosystems?
Invasive species can change the functions of ecosystems. For example, invasive plants can alter the fire regimen (cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum), nutrient cycling (smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora), and hydrology (Tamarix) in native ecosystems. Invasive species can impact outdoor recreation, such as fishing, hunting, hiking, wildlife viewing, and water-based activities. Invasive species will adversely affect agricultural productivity, health and economy as a whole apart from its deleterious effects on bio diversity. Encroachment of humans into previously remote ecosystems has exposed exotic diseases such as AIDS virus to the wider population.

Introduced birds (e.g. pigeons), rodents and insects (e.g. mosquito, flea, louse and tsetse fly pests) can serve as vectors and reservoirs of human afflictions. Genetic pollution is another after effect as the invasive species tend to hybridize the filial generations. Once introduced, it is very difficult to control the expansion of invasion and hence prevention is the most desired step in managing the invasive species. Eradication is a tedious task involving huge cost constraints and sometimes may not be successful.

Guidelines provided by IUCN for management at international level
#  Implement the provisions of international treaties, whether global or regional, that deal with alien invasive species issues and constitute a compulsory mandate for respective Parties. Most prominent among these treaties is the Convention on Biological Diversity, and a number of regional accords.
# Implement decisions taken by Parties to specific global and regional conventions, such as resolutions, codes of conduct or guidelines related to introductions of alien species, for example the International Maritime Organisation's guidance on ballast water.
# Consider the desirability, or as the case may be, necessity, of conducting further agreements, on a bilateral or multilateral basis, or adapting existing ones, with respect to the prevention or control of introduction of alien species. This includes, in particular, consideration of international agreements related to trade, such as those under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation.
# For neighbouring countries, consider the desirability of cooperative action to prevent potential alien invasive species from migrating across borders, including agreements to share information, through, for example, information alerts, as well as to consult and develop rapid responses in the event of such border crossings.
#  Generally develop international cooperation to prevent and combat damage caused by alien invasive species, and provide assistance and technology transfer as well as capacity building related to risk assessment as well as management techniques.

Indian Scenario

India with its vast biodiversity is threatened by invasive species like Acacia farnesiana (Tropical America), Lantana camara (shrub), Mimosa pudica (herb), Cryptostegia madagascariensis (vine, climber) and Cabomba caroliniana (aquatic plant). Actions to prevent, detect and manage Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are categorized into three themes-biodiversity, human health, and economic. In line with these themes India has formulated National Biodiversity Action Plan. In order to reduce the impact of invasive species, India has enacted much legislation and has constituted many organizations and nodal ministries to deal with the issue.
Indian Legislation relating to Invasive Alien Species (IAS)

 The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Disease in Animals Act, 2009
 The Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003
 The Destructive Insects and Pests Act, 1914 and amendments
 The Plants, Fruits & Seeds(Regulation of Import into India) Order 1989 (PFS Order 1989)
 Livestock Importation Act, 1898 and the Livestock Importation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2001
 Environment Protection Act, 1986
 The Biological Diversity Act, 2002
 Indian Forest Act, 1927
 Wild life (Protection) Act, 1972
 Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

Government Agencies/Programs/Ministries dealing with IAS

 The Ministry of Agriculture
 The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC)
 Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE)
 Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
 Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Stations
 Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage
 The National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources
 The Ministry of Environment & Forests
 The National Biodiversity Authority
 Plant Quarantine Organization of India
 Wildlife Institute of India
 Agricultural Marketing Information Network (Ministry of Communications & Information Technology)

GS Mains : Probable Questions 2014 

• Which are the problems dealt with at international level due to invasion of non native species and what measures are adopted by organizations like IUCN for tackling the issue?
• What are the legislations enacted by India to mitigate the impact of invasion of species?
• Briefly describe the various agencies involved in reducing the effect of invasion of non native species?
• Why rise in jellyfish population was viewd as a caution and a threat to the Mediterranean marine biodiversity?

References
 http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/jellyfish-surge-inmediterranean-
threatens-biodiversity/article4780956.ece
 http://www.issg.org/database/species/search.asp?st=sss&sn=&rn=India&ri=19429&hci=-
1&ei=-1&lang=EN
 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_introduced_species
 http://www.cbd.int/invasive/doc/legislation/india.pdf

Acronyms _Bank PO SSC Special 2013

• AFPPD – Asian Forum of Parrliamentarians on Population and Development
• DBT – Direct Benefit Transfer
• CBS – Core Banking System
• IBIN – India Backbore Implementation Network
• SCO – Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
• WDI – World Development Indicator
• EPCG – Export Promotion Capital Goods
• RCEP – Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
• ASEAN – Association of South–East Asian Nations
• SEZ – Special Economic Zone
• CAD – Current Account Deficit
• NULM – National Urban Livelihood Mission
• ATT – Arms Trade Treaty

SBI Clerk Exam July 2013

April 2013 _ Current Affairs SSC IBPS Bank PO

                              MODEL QUESTIONS - SSC Bank PO April 2013

1. Which of the following personalities has been appointed as the new secretary to the department of
telecommunications (DOT)?
1) R. Chandrashekhar 2) M.F. Farooqui 3) Rahul Khullar 4) S. R Rao 5) None of these

2. According to a recent collaboration between Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Reliance Jio Infocomm will
be using the optical fiber network of Reliance Communications Ltd.. Which of the following
represents the worth of the deal in question?
1) 900cr 2) 1000cr 3) 1100cr 4) 1200cr 5) 1300cr

3. Which of the following industries was in the news recently as it was imposed a fine of Rs. 100cr for
causing pollution in the month of April 2013?
1) TISCO 2) Sterlite Industries 3) Coal India Ltd. 4) Reliance Industries Limited 5) None of these

4. Which of the following represents the worth of the financial support that has been issued recently by
the Asian Development Bank to India to be utilized for the development of road network in five
Indian states? 1) $ 143 millions 2) $ 194 millions 3) $ 219 millions 4) $ 236 millions 5) $ 252 millions

5. In a historic development United Nations passed a treaty to better regulate the international sale of
weapons in the month of April 2013. Which of the following represents the name of the treaty in
question?
1) Arms Deal 2) Arms Trade Treaty 3) International Arms Treaty 4) International Arms Trade Treaty
5) UN Arms Treaty

6. Which of the following places in Maharashtra was in the news recently as the collapse of a tower led
to the death of about 50 people in the month of April 2013?
1) Aurangabad 2) Thane 3) Navi Mumbai 4) Latur 5) Nasik

7. Which of the following personalities has recently been appointed as the new President of
Confederation of Indian Industries(CII) in the month of April 2013?
1) Adi Goderej 2) S. Gopalakrishnan 3) T.V. Mohandas Pai 4) Kumaramangalam Birla 5) Anil Ambani

8. Margaret Thatcher who passed away recently was a very popular Prime minister of yesteryears of
which of the following countries?
1) USA 2) U.K. 3) France 4) Germany 5) Austria

9. K. Natarajan was in the news recently as he was appointed as the new chairman of which of the
following institutions in question.
1) CII 2) FICCI 3) ASSOCHAM 4) NASSCOM 5) PHDCCI

10. According to the recently released report ‘Asian Development Outlook -2013’ ADB has pegged the
growth of Indian economy at ________ in 2013-104.
1) 5% 2) 5.5% 3) 6% 4) 6.5% 5) 7%

11. Which of the following Indian IT majors has decided to buy a French IT major Alti SA in adeal
worth 530 crore in the month of April 2013?
1) TCS 2) Wipro Technologies 3) Infosys Technologies 4) HCL Technologies 5) Patni Computers


12. Robert Edwards who passed away recently, was a pioneer from the filed of …
1) Cinema 2) Sports 3) Literature 4) Medicine 5) Politics

13. According to the recent announcement by the World Trade Organization( WTO) , which of the
following will be the projected world trade growth in the year 2013?
1) 5.2% 2) 4.7% 3) 4.5% 4) 3.9% 5) 3.3%

14. Which of the following veteran personalities of Indian cinema will be the latest recipient of
prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award this year?
1) Amitabh Bachchan 2) Pran 3) Asha Bhonsle 4) Gulzar 5) None of these

15. R.P. Goenka who passed away recently was a legendary personality from which of the following
fields?
1) Music 2) Archaeology 3) Business 4) Medicine 5) Politics

16. According to a recent verdict of the Supreme Court of India, the pride of India, the Gir Lions of
Gujarat will be shifted to which of the following states of India?
1) Rajasthan 2) Uttar Pradesh 3) Bihar 4) Madhya Pradesh 5) Haryana

17. Which of the following Indian states was in the news recently as it celebrated its 66th year of
existence in the month of April 2013?
1) Uttar Pradesh 2) Madhya Pradesh 3) Himachal Pradesh 4) Rajasthan 5) Andhra Pradesh

18. Which of the following works of fiction by Adam Johnson won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for 2013?
1) The Orphan Master’s Son 2) The Bet 3) Taking Eve 4) Damaged 5) Real

19. Ravuri Bharadwaja is the latest recipient of the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2012. He is
a known author of which of the following languages?
1) Tamil 2) Oriya 3) Telugu 4) Malayalam 5) Sanskrit

20. Name the first woman as the Chief Election Commissioner of India and former governor of
Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka who passed away in the month of April 2013.
1) Fatima Biwi 2) Leila Seth 3) V.S Ramadevi 4) Padmashree Warrior 5) None of these

21. Which of the following Indian states was in the news in the month of April 2013 as it was given a
special package of Rs. 12000cr by the center?
1) Madhya Pradesh 2) Tamil Nadu 3) Uttar Pradesh  4) Rajasthan 5) Bihar

22. According to the latest Foreign Trade Policy 2013-2014, which of the following is the curtailed land
area requirement for the multi product Special Economic Zones(SEZs)?
1) 100 hectares 2) 2100 hectares 3) 300 hectares 4) 400 hectares 5) 500 hectares

23. Which of the following countries was in the news recently for launching ‘Orbital Noah’s Ark’ to
space, a biosatellite, to study the effect of long space journeys on the animals?
1) Japan 2) France 3) China 4) Russia 5) USA

24. Which of the following Indian cricket legend’s wax statue was unveiled at Sydney Cricket Ground
in Australia in the month of April 2013?
1) Sunil Gavaskar 2) Sachin Tendulkar 3) Lala Amarnath 4) C.K. Naidu 5) Kapil Dev


25. Which of the following countries witnessed an earthquake of 7.0 intensity that led to the death of
about 157 people and injuring about 5700 in April 2013?
1) France 2) Iran 3) Iraq 4) Pakistan 5) China

26. Giorgio Napolitino was re- elected as the President of which of the following countries in the month
of April 2013?
1) Austria 2) Spain 3) Italy 4) Belgium 5) Norway

27. Nicolas Maduro was in the news recently as he has been appointed as the President of which of the
following countries?
1) Mexico 2) Brazil 3) Venezuela 4) Peru 5) Sierra Leon

28. Shakuntala Devi who passed away recently was a legend from which of the following fields?
1) Agriculture Sciences 2) Mathematical Sciences 3) Physics 4) Medicine 5) Music

29. Former Chief Justice of India who recently submitted the report on the improvement of women’s
safety died in the month of April 2013. We are talking about…
1) J.S. Verma 2) P.K. Verma 3) S.K. Verma 4) N.S. Verma 5) A.N. Verma

30. Lalgudi Jayaraman who passed away recently was a maestro of which of which of the following
musical instruments?
1) Tabla 2) Flute 3) Violine 4) Sitar 5) Veena

31. Name the Indian businessman who was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC), a prestigious business body, in the month of April 2013?
1) Sunil Bharti Mittal 2) N.R. Narayanmurthy 3) Kumaramangalam Birla 4) N. Chandrasekharana 5) Mukesh Ambani

32. Which of the following is the strain of the most lethal influenza virus as per WHO that has created
havoc in China leading to the death of about 22 people in that region in April 2013?
1) H1N5 2) H3N7 3) H7N9 4) H5N4 5) H5N1

33. Which of the following places was in the news in April 2013 as due to the collapse of a building
there about 124 people reportedly died and about 800 people were injured?
1) Karachi 2) Dhaka 3) Moscow 4) Rio De Janerio 5) Beijing

34. In a recent development India’s premier private airlines Jet airways reportedly sold some percentage
stake to Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi for about 2000cr. Which of the following represents the
percentage stake sold in that deal?
1) 19% 2) 21% 3) 23% 4) 24% 5) 27%

35. Archana Bhargava has recently been appointed as the chairman cum managing director of which of
the following banks in question?
1) Central Bank of India 2) United Bank of India 3) Bank of Baroda 4) Canara Bank 5) Bank of India

36. Anil Goswami has recently been appointed as the new_________ to the Government of India.
1) Foreign secretary 2) Home secretary 3) Defense secretary 4) Revenue secretary 5) Cabinet secretary

37. Who amongst the following has been appointed as the chairman of the inquiry commission that has
been constituted to probe into the financial irregularities in the chit fund scheme of Saradha group,
that was unearthed recently?
1) B.N. Srikrishna 2) Shyamal Sen 3) R.C. Lahoti 4) S. Rajendra Babu 5) V.N. Khare

38. India will be hosting the next IBSA summit that is scheduled to take place in the month of June
2013. This will be the ______edition of the summit.
1) First 2) Third 3) Fourth 4) Fifth 5) Sixth

39. Wael-al Halqi was escaped unhurt in an assassination attempt in the later part of April 2013. He is
the Prime minister of which of the following countries?
1) Sudan 2) Syria 3) Indonesia 4) Egypt 5) Tunisia

40. Which of the following days is celebrated as the World Heritage Day?
1) April 8 2) April 13 3) April 18 4) April 21 5) April 27

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Question 1 2 3 4   5 6 7 8 9      10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
  Answer 2 4 2 5   2 2 2 2 4       3   1    4   5   2   3   4   3   1   3  3

Question 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30           31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Answer   5    5   4   2   5   3   3   2   1   3            1    3    2   4   2   2   2   5   2   3