Current Affairs Quiz 03 August 2022

Ans;- a) 1 only
Explanation;-
IUCN has an observer status at the United Nations.
IUCN is the only international observer organization in the UN General Assembly with expertise in issues concerning the environment, specifically biodiversity, nature conservation and sustainable natural resource use.

Answer: D

Answer : c

What is Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE)?
• First launched in January 2018 jointly by the government and PSBs, Enhanced Access and Service Excellence aim at institutionalizing clean and smart banking. It was commissioned through Indian Banks’ Association and authored by the Boston Consulting Group.
• EASE is based on the recommendations made at the PSB Manthan held in November 2017.
• EASE Reforms Index: The Index measures performance of each PSB on 120+ objective metrics. The goal is to continue driving change by encouraging healthy competition among PSBs.
• PSBs have done well and come out of Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) despite service extended during the pandemic. PCA is a framework under which banks with weak financial metrics are put under watch by the RBI.
• PSBs have recorded phenomenal growth over four quarters since the launch of EASE 3.0 Reforms Agenda in February 2020.

Ans;- a) Slow down the speed of neutrons

Explanation;-

• The function of heavy water in a nuclear reactor is to slowing down the speed of neutrons.
• Heavy water is used in certain types of nuclear reactors, where it acts as a neutron moderator to slow down neutrons so that they are more likely to react with the fissile uranium-235 than with uranium-238, which captures neutrons without fissioning.
• Water cooled nuclear reactors slow neutrons down to “thermal” speed to increase the probability of their interactions with other nuclei.

About Heavy Water

• Water containing significantly more than the natural proportions (one in 6,500) of heavy hydrogen (deuterium, D) atoms to ordinary hydrogen atoms.
• Heavy water is used as a moderator in some reactors because it slows down neutrons effectively and also has a low probability of absorption of neutrons.
• Heavy water is one of the two moderators that can be used which allow a nuclear reactor to operate using natural uranium. The other moderator is graphite.
• The heavy water is kept under pressure which increases its boiling point so that it can operate at high temperatures without boiling.
• In the laboratory heavy water is employed as an isotopic tracer in studies of chemical and biochemical processes.
• The heavy water is not manufactured, but rather it is extracted from the quantity that is found naturally in lake water. The water is separated through a series of towers, using hydrogen sulphide as an agent. Owing to AECLs CANDU programme, Canada is the world’s supplier of heavy water.

Ans. A
Island Development Agency
• The Union Government constituted the Island Development Agency on 1st June, 2017 for the development of islands.
• The meetings of the Agency is chaired by the Union Home Minister.

Holistic Development of Islands Program
• For the first time in the country, under the guidance of IDA, an initiative of sustainable development in the identified Islands within scientifically-assessed carrying capacity has been taken-up.
• Development Plans with focus on creation of jobs for the islanders through tourism promotion as well as export of seafood and coconut-based products made in the Islands have been prepared and are being implemented in four islands of Andaman & Nicobar and five islands of Lakshadweep.
• In the second phase, suitable sites in 12 more islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 5 islands in Lakshadweep have been covered.