Karnataka permanent demands water disputs tribunal

Amid disputes between States over water-sharing, Karnataka on Friday demanded formation of a permanent water disputes tribunal in the Supreme Court and revisiting the Inter-State Water Disputes Act to remove “loose ends” in the legislation.

“Permanent water dispute tribunal should be established in the Apex Court and its benches at all the States’ High Courts on the lines of the Green Bench,” Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said in his speech at the sixth meeting of the national water resources council in New Delhi.

He suggested that it should have a sitting Supreme Court judge as its chairperson with multi-members from technical, environmental, geological, economical and legal fields.

Noting that present laws “create more disputes because of several loose ends” in the existing Acts, Mr. Shettar said that Inter-State Water Disputes Act should be revisited.

“None of the present laws are able to establish a just water regime to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders,” he said.

Without referring to Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Mr. Shettar said in some cases the stand of the Government of India has delayed the projects which can be otherwise.

“The absence of a water regime had been forcing us to go to the Supreme Court, by which Government of India is trying to absolve its conciliatory role which is prescribed by the Indian Constitution, which is an expected role being the Head of the federal structure, which need to be strongly established,” he said.

Mr. Shettar said he made this statement because Karnataka “as a mid- and upper-riparian State suffered in both utilisation and construction of projects which resulted in depriving the people of Karnataka their due and legal right of their share of water.” 

Questions

1.    Consider the following statements regarding River System of India and choose the correct option:
    1.    Indus river originates from Tibet near Mansarovar lake and it main tributaries are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Gilgit, Satluj and Beas.
    2.    Satluj has its origin in Rakash Lake (Tibet) and it is largest tributary of Indus river.
    3.    Chenab flows between Great Himalaya and PirPanjal range.
    4.    Beas enters India through Shipki La and joins Satluj near Harike.
    Code:
    (a)    1 and 3    (b)    1, 2 and 3
    (c)    2, 3 and 4    (d)    1, 2, 3 and 4

2.    Consider the following statements and choose the correct option:
    1.    Two main Island of British Isles are Great Britain and Ireland.
    2.    Great Britain comprises England, Scotland and Wales. While Ireland is divided into Northern Ireland and Irish Republic.
    3.    Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Irish Republic together form United Kingdom (UK).
    4.    United Kingdom is separated from mainland of Europe by the English Channel
    Code:
    (a)    1, 3 and 4    (b)    1, 2 and 4
    (c)    1, 2 and 3    (d)    1, 2, 3 and 5
3.    Consider the following facts about India and Choose the correct option:
    1.    India's mainland lies entirely in the northern hemisphere but the few islands of Nicobar group of Islands lies in the southern hemisphere.
    2.    India is second most populous country, Seventh largest country and is world's fifth largest English Speaking Nation.
    3.    The mainland of India extends between latitudes 804' and 3708' north, longitudes 6807 and 97025' east.
    4.    India covers an area of 32, 87, 263 sq. km. land frontier of about 15,200 km. and total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Island is 7156.6 km.
    Code:
    (a)    1, 3 and 4
    (b)    None is correct
    (c)    Only 4
    (d)    2, 3, and 4

4.    Consider the following statements and choose the most appropriate option:
    1.    Public Accounts Committee was set up first in India in 1921 and at present it consists of 22 members.
    2.    The chairman of Public Accounts Committee is appointed by the speaker from amongst its members and as per convention chairman of the committee is selected invariably from the opposition.
    3.    Estimate Committee consists of 30 members which includes 18 members from LokSabha and 12 members from RajyaSabha.
    4.    Public Accounts Committee lacks the expert assistance of the CAG which is available to the Estimate Committee.
    Code:
    (a)    1 and 2        (b)    1, 2 and 4
    (c)    2, 3 and 4        (d)    All
5.    Consider the following statements regarding Question Hour and Choose the option which appear most appropriate.
    1.    Questions are effective tools of legislative control over administration.
    2.    A starred question requires an oral answer and hence supplementary questions cannot follow.
    3.    An unstarred question requires a written answer and hence, supplementary questions cannot follow.
    4.    In Indian Parliament, the first hour of every parliamentary sitting is slotted for question hour.
    Code:
    (a)    1, 2, and 4    (b)    1, 2, 3 and 4
    (c)    1, 3 and 4    (d)    2, 3 and 4056nswers

Scientists decode why universe is dominated by matter

Scientists have solved the puzzle of the universe being dominated by matter rather than its close relative anti-matter.

Physicists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison made a precise measurement of elusive, nearly massless particles, and obtained a crucial hint as to why the universe is dominated by matter.

The particles, called anti-neutrinos, were detected at the underground Daya Bay experiment, located near a nuclear reactor in China.

Anti-particles are almost identical twins of sub-atomic particles (electrons, protons and neutrons) that make up our world. When an electron encounters an anti-electron, for example, both are annihilated in a burst of energy.

Failure to see these bursts in the universe tells physicists that anti-matter is vanishingly rare, and that matter rules the roost in today's universe.

"At the beginning of time, in the Big Bang, a soup of particles and anti-particles was created, but somehow an imbalance came about," says Karsten Heeger, a professor of physics at UW-Madison.

"All the studies that have been done have not found enough difference between particles and anti-particles to explain the dominance of matter over anti-matter.

"But the neutrino, an extremely abundant but almost massless particle, may have the right properties, and may even be its own anti-particle, Heeger said in a statement.

"And that's why physicists have put their last hope on the neutrino to explain the absence of anti-matter in the universe," he said.

Reactors, Heeger says, are a fertile source of anti-neutrinos, and measuring how they change during their short flights from the reactor to the detector, gives a basis for calculating a quantity called the "mixing angle", the probability of transformation from one flavour into another.

The measurement of the Daya Bay experiment even before the last set of detectors was installed, showed a surprisingly large angle, Heeger said.

"People thought the angle might be really tiny, so we built an experiment that was 10 times as sensitive as we ended up needing.

Questions to be learn

1.    Consider the following statements regarding Local winds and choose the correct option:
    1.    Sirocco winds originates from Sahara Desert moves towards Italy by crossing Mediterranean Sea.
    2.    Harmattan wind originates from Sahara desert moves towards Guinea coast and brings some respite from severe humidity.
    3.    Chinook wind develops on the Leeward side of the Rocky mountains and its origin is associated with Westerlies.
    4.    Sirocco wind is also known as Doctor wind and Harmattan wind is known as Blood rain.
    Code:
    (a)    1, 3 and 4   (b)    1, 2 and 3 
    (c)    1, 2 and 4    (d)    All

2.    A ship is moving from Athens to Mumbai via suez canal. Consider the following, that will enroute the ship sequentially:
    (a)    Mediterranean Sea, Cairo, Red Sea, gulf of Aden
    (b)    Mediterranean, Gulf of Aquaba, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden
    (c)    Red Sea, Bab al Mandab, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea
    (d)    Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab al Mandab, Arabian Sea.

3.    Consider the following statements and choose the option which appears most appropriate:
    1.    Saddle peak is the highest mountain peak in Andaman & Nicobar.
    2.    North Andaman is the biggest Island in Andaman group of Islands
    3.    Great Nicobar is the biggest Island in Nicobar group of Islands.
    4.    Ross Island is the smallest Island in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
    Code:
    (a)    1, 2 and 3    (b)    1, 3 and 4
    (c)    1, 2 and 4    (d)    All

4.    Consider the following statements and choose the correct option:
    1.    Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest point of Africa and it is located in Ethiopia.
    2.    Mt. Aconcagua is the highest point of South America and it is located in Andes Mountain.
    3.    Dead sea which is 392 m below sea level is Asia's lowest and world's second lowest point.
    4.    Mt. Mckinley located in Alaska is the highest point of North America.

Code:
    (a)    2, 3 and 4    (b)    2 and 4
    (c)    1, 2 and 4    (d)    1, 3 and 4

5.    Consider the following statements regarding Himalayan rivers and Deccan rivers and choose the option which seems most appropriate:
    1.    The Himalayan rivers are formed by melting snow and glaciers and therefore are perennial. While Deccan rivers are rainfed therefore most of them are non perennial.
    2.    Ganga, Gandak and Ramganga are examples of Himalaya river while Narmada, Tapi, Kaveri are the example of Deccan River.
    3.    Himalayan rivers are comparatively less prone to floods than Deccan rivers.
    4.    Himalayan rivers are more polluted than Deccan Rivers.
    Code:
    (a)    1, 2 and 3    (b)    1, 2 and 4
    (c)    2, 3 and 4    (d)    1, 3 and 4

India will continue to do its best to assist Nepal: Pranab

Citing India’s deep rooted ties with Nepal, President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said New Delhi will continue to do its best to assist the neighbouring nation in its socio-economic development.

It is in India’s interest that Nepal progresses as a stable, secular, democratic republic, the President said welcoming his Nepalese counterpart Ram Baran Yadav at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Mr. Mukherjee said that people of India consider him a great friend and value his long-standing support for Indo-Nepal relations.

“India attaches the highest priority to further strengthening its bilateral relations with Nepal in every sphere,” Mr. Mukherjee was quoted as saying by a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson in a press release.

The President said India’s relations with Nepal are deep rooted and unique with no parallel.

“As a close friend and neighbour, India will continue to do its best to assist Nepal in its socio-economic development,” he said.

“It has always been India’s endeavour to support peace, stability and prosperity in Nepal, in accordance with their wishes,” he said.

The Nepalese President’s visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, the spokesperson said.

The President of Nepal thanked Mr. Pranab for the welcome and hospitality extended by the Government and people of India.

He said Nepal and India are closely connected with each other. He also thanked the President for the development assistance extended by India in virtually every sector.

 

Questions

1.    Consider the following statements regarding Local winds and choose the correct option:
    1.    Sirocco winds originates from Sahara Desert moves towards Italy by crossing Mediterranean Sea.
    2.    Harmattan wind originates from Sahara desert moves towards Guinea coast and brings some respite from severe humidity.
    3.    Chinook wind develops on the Leeward side of the Rocky mountains and its origin is associated with Westerlies.
    4.    Sirocco wind is also known as Doctor wind and Harmattan wind is known as Blood rain.
    Code:
    (a)    1, 3 and 4   (b)    1, 2 and 3 
    (c)    1, 2 and 4    (d)    All

2.    A ship is moving from Athens to Mumbai via suez canal. Consider the following, that will enroute the ship sequentially:
    (a)    Mediterranean Sea, Cairo, Red Sea, gulf of Aden
    (b)    Mediterranean, Gulf of Aquaba, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden
    (c)    Red Sea, Bab al Mandab, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea
    (d)    Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab al Mandab, Arabian Sea.

3.    Consider the following statements and choose the option which appears most appropriate:
    1.    Saddle peak is the highest mountain peak in Andaman & Nicobar.
    2.    North Andaman is the biggest Island in Andaman group of Islands
    3.    Great Nicobar is the biggest Island in Nicobar group of Islands.
    4.    Ross Island is the smallest Island in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
    Code:
    (a)    1, 2 and 3    (b)    1, 3 and 4
    (c)    1, 2 and 4    (d)    All

4.    Consider the following statements and choose the correct option:
    1.    Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest point of Africa and it is located in Ethiopia.
    2.    Mt. Aconcagua is the highest point of South America and it is located in Andes Mountain.
    3.    Dead sea which is 392 m below sea level is Asia's lowest and world's second lowest point.
    4.    Mt. Mckinley located in Alaska is the highest point of North America.

Code:
    (a)    2, 3 and 4    (b)    2 and 4
    (c)    1, 2 and 4    (d)    1, 3 and 4

5.    Consider the following statements regarding Himalayan rivers and Deccan rivers and choose the option which seems most appropriate:
    1.    The Himalayan rivers are formed by melting snow and glaciers and therefore are perennial. While Deccan rivers are rainfed therefore most of them are non perennial.
    2.    Ganga, Gandak and Ramganga are examples of Himalaya river while Narmada, Tapi, Kaveri are the example of Deccan River.
    3.    Himalayan rivers are comparatively less prone to floods than Deccan rivers.
    4.    Himalayan rivers are more polluted than Deccan Rivers.
    Code:
    (a)    1, 2 and 3    (b)    1, 2 and 4
    (c)    2, 3 and 4    (d)    1, 3 and 4

Topics to be covered from Hindu Paper dated on Monday December 24^th   

Topic	Page No.
Nanotechnology is the future: Kalam	10
The rage after the rape	12
Great hope for science	12
For Russia, deepending friendship with India is a top foreign policy priority	13
A trial for the future of Bangaldesh	13

Topics to be covered from Hindu Paper dated on Tuesday December 25^th   

Topic	Page No.
India, Russia ink military deals	1
Risky futures that banks can do without	10
A tickling time bomb	10
‘The more India engages with ASEAN the more it can reap the benefits’	11
Gandhi’s faithful dissenter	11
Russian sovereign wealth fund, SBI to form $2 b consortium	15
Investment slows down in textiles	15
Retail sector braces for new innings post FDI in multi brand segment	15

Topics to be covered from Hindu Paper dated on Wednesday December 26^th   

Topic	Page No.
Primary neglect	10
Partners in cooperation, not rivals in competition	11
Policing and legal processes are hardly unimportant in tackling rape	12
Old adversaries in new face off	12

Questions

1. In a first of its kind, doctors in Sweden have transplanted into the body of 10-year-old girl a vein grown in the laboratory from her own stem cells. The core team that performed the procedure was led by:-
(a) Dr N K Mehra
(b) Dr Suchitra Holgersson(c) Dr Martin Birchall
(d) Dr George Hamilton

2. Choose the correct sentence/sentences:-
1. Scientists have discovered a new species of freshwater fish in an unnamed stream in the Western Ghats in southern Karnataka.
2. Researchers have named the fish Dario urops after the Greek words meaning "tail" and "eye" to denote a conspicuous spot near its tail.
3. They have described their finding as "unexpected" in the latest edition of international taxonomy journal Zootaxa. 
Code:-
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3

3. Who has bagged the 2012 World Business & Development Award for its transformational rural initiatives in social and farm forestry programmes in India at the Rio+20 United Nations Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
(a) Unilever Limited
(b) ITC Limited
(c) Tata Limited
(d) Reliance Limited

4. Choose the correct sentence/sentences:-
1. Gambian lawyer Fatou Bensouda was sworn in as the International Criminal Court's new chief prosecutor.
2. Fatou Bensouda is the first woman and the first African to head the team of prosecutors at the Tribunal.
3. She is investigating 17 cases in seven countries, all of them African.
Code: 
(a) Only 1 (b) 1 and 2
(c) 2 and 3 (d) All of the above 

5. Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Su Kyi accepted her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. She originally was given the award in the year_________.
(a) 1990 (b) 1991
(c) 1992 (d) 1993

 

Current Affair

FDI in services sector up 5% in April - Oct

India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into the services sector increased by a mere 5 per cent to $3.6 billion during the April-October period of this fiscal, according to the latest data of Industry Ministry.

The financial and non-financial services sector had attracted FDI worth $3.42 billion during the same period last year.

As far as overall FDI inflows are concerned, they declined by about 27 per during the first seven months of the current financial year to $14.78 billion, from $20.29 billion in the year-ago period.

In 2011-12, foreign investment in the services sector, which contributes over 50 per cent in India’s GDP, rose to $5.21 billion from $3.29 billion in 2010-11.

The other sectors which have received high level of FDI during the first seven months of current fiscal include hotel and tourism ($3.11 billion), metallurgy ($1.21 billion), construction ($691 million) and automobile ($743 million).

Country wise, high levels of FDI came during the period from Mauritius ($6.75 billion), Japan ($1.52 billion), Singapore ($1.24 billion) the Netherlands ($1.05 billion) and the UK ($611 million), the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) data showed.

The government is making sustained efforts, including involving stakeholders in policy formation, to make the investment regime more attractive and investor friendly, it said.

It has already allowed FDI in multi-brand retail sector besides hiking the cap to 100 per cent in the single brand retailing.

Foreign investments are considered crucial for India, which needs around $1 trillion in the next five years to overhaul its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth.

Decline in foreign investments could affect the country’s balance of payments (BoP) situation and also impact the rupee.

NASA to turned asteroid into space station to Orbit the moon

NASA scientists are planning to capture a 5,00,000 kg asteroid, relocate it and transform it into a space station for astronauts to refuel at on their way to Mars.

It would be the first time a celestial object has ever been moved by humans, a media report said.

The White House's Office of Science and technology will consider the $2.6 billion plan in the coming weeks as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade.

A feasibility report prepared by NASA and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists outlined how they would go about capturing the asteroid.

An 'asteroid capture capsule' would be attached to an old Atlas V rocket and directed the asteroid between the Earth and the Moon.

Once close, the asteroid capsule would release a 50 ft diameter bag that wrap around the spinning rock using drawstrings, the paper said.

The craft would then turn on its thrusters, using an estimated 300 kg of propellant, to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitationally neutral spot.

From here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space.

“The idea of exploiting the natural resources of asteroids dates back over a hundred years, but only now has the technology become available to make this idea a reality,” the report said.

“The feasibility is enabled by three key developments: the ability to discover and characterise an adequate number of sufficiently small near-Earth asteroids for capture and return; the ability to implement sufficiently powerful solar electric propulsion systems to enable transportation of the captured asteroid; and the proposed human presence in cislunar space in the 2020s enabling exploration and exploitation of the returned asteroid,” it said.

NASA declined to comment on the project because it said it was in negotiations with the White House, but it is believed that technology would make it possible within 10-12 years.

The technology would also open up the possibility of mining other asteroids for their metals and minerals.

Some are full of iron which could be used for in the making of new space stations, others are made up of water which could be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to make fuel.

Questions

1. Vijendra Kumar became the first Indian boxer to win an olympic medal when he won bronze medal in the middle weight category at 2008 Olympic held in.
(a) Rome
(b) Tokyo
(c) Beijing (d) Japan

2. Match the following
WBA Weight Limit (kg)
A. Super welter weight 1. 69.9 Kg
B. Super feather weight 2. 59.0 Kg
C. Super fly weight 3. 52.2 Kg
D. Minimum weight 4. 47.6 Kg
Code:
A B C D
(a) 2 1 3 4
(b) 2 3 4 2
(c) 1 2 3 4
(d) 1 3 4 3

3. Match the following
WBO Weight Limit (lb)
A. Junior heavy weight 1. 140
B. Junior welter weight 2. 200
C. Junior feather weight 3. 122
D. Junior fly weight 4. 108
Code:
A B C D
(a) 2 1 3 4
(b) 2 3 4 2
(c) 1 2 3 4
(d) 1 3 4 3

4. Choose the incorrect pair
(a) Heavy weight - 90.72 kg
(b) Light heavyweight - 66.7 kg(c) Super middle weight - 76.2 kg
(d) Middle weight - 72.6 kg