SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV LAUNCHES ‘WETLANDS OF INDIA’ PORTAL, A SINGLE POINT ACCESS TO ALL INFORMATION RELATING TO WETLANDS

Source: PIB 

Q.1 Consider the following statements, with reference to wetlands of India’ portal:

1. The project is commissioned under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

2. The portal is single-point access to all information relating to wetlands.

Which of the above-given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: b

Explanation:

• The portal has been developed under a Technical Cooperation project “Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection” (Wetlands Project) of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
• The portal is a dynamic system for processing information and making it available to the stakeholders in an efficient and accessible manner. The portal also hosts capacity building material, data repository, videos and information for students.

GAMING DISORDER INCREASES DURING PANDEMIC

Q.2 With reference to the gaming disorder, consider the following statements:

1. SCALE Committee has been set up to look into the matter of gaming disorder.

2. Gaming disorder has been declared a mental health condition in 2018 by World Health Organisation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: b

Explanation:

Gaming addiction, a disorder is quickly growing as the pandemic spurred an increased use of Internet devices.

• According to the All India Gaming Federation, India’s online gaming industry is expected to be worth ₹15,500 crore by 2023.
• A 2019 survey by the U.S.-based Limelight Networks found that India had the second largest number of gamers after South Korea.
• The World Health Organization categorised gaming disorder as a mental health condition in 2018.
• In September 2021, China limited gamers under 18 years to just three hours of online games per week, during specified times, and made the industry responsible for enforcing the restriction.

 

IMF TERMS ADOPTION OF CRYPTOCURRENCY, A PERNICIOUS THREAT TO FINANCIAL STABILITY OF EMERGING MARKETS

Source: All India News 

Q.3 Consider the following statements:

1. Cryptocurrency creates data gaps for regulators.

2. There is no global regulatory framework for the crypto ecosystem.

Which of the above-given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: c

Explanation:

• The total market value of all the crypto assets surpassed 2 trillion dollars as of September 2021, a 10-fold increase since early 2020.
  IMF’s financial experts said, anonymity of crypto assets also creates data gaps for regulators and can open unwanted doors for money laundering, as well as terrorist financing.
• Although authorities may be able to trace illicit transactions, they may not be able to identify the parties to such transactions, they said.
• Additionally, the crypto ecosystem falls under different regulatory frameworks in different countries, making coordination more challenging, IMF said.

SEYCHELLES’ TAX INSPECTORS WITHOUT BORDERS (TIWB) PROGRAMME LAUNCHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIA

 

Q.4 With reference to Tax Inspectors without Borders (TIWB), consider the following statements:

1. It is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

2. Seychelles has chosen India as the Partner Administration in the TIWB programme.

Which of the above-given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d)  Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: c

Explanation:

• Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), launched its programme in Seychelles on 4th October, 2021.
• India was chosen as the Partner Administration and has provided Tax Expert for this programme.
• This programme is the sixth TIWB programme which India has supported by providing Tax Expert.

 

Q.5. With reference to the Indian Xports 2021 portal, consider the following statements:

1. It aims to support the growth of MSMEs exports by providing free of cost information and knowledge to MSMEs.

2. Government has a target to increase MSME exports by 200% in 2021.

Which of the above-given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: a

Explanation:

• The initiative aims to support the growth of MSMEs exports by providing free of cost information and knowledge to MSMEs on the untapped export potential in existing tariff lines.
• The initiative features an Info Portal which serves as a knowledge base for exports by Indian MSMEs.
• The portal has information related to the export potential for all the 456 tariff lines along with the potential markets as well as trends in exports, export procedures and lots more. 
• Government has a target to increase MSME exports by 50% in 2022.