Inspired by: http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=EAM-Dr-S-Jaishankar-takes-oath-as-Rajya-Sabha-member&id=368161

Answer: (b)

Article 75 {Other provisions as to Ministers}

• The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
  (1A) The total number of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed fifteen per cent. of the total number of members of the House of the People.
• Before a Minister enters upon his office, the President shall administer to him the oaths of office and of secrecy according to the forms set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.
• A Minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of either House of Parliament shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister.

Inspired by: Generic Drugs

https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/generic-drugs/

Answer: (c)

Why in news?

• The Central Government is considering amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945 to ensure that registered medical practitioners dispense only generic medicines.

Generic drugs

• A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by patents.
• Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire.
• Because the active chemical substance is the same, the medical profile of generics is believed to be equivalent in performance.
• A generic drug has the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) as the original, but it may differ in some characteristics such as the manufacturing process, formulation, excipients, color, taste, and packaging.

Orphan drugs

• The National Policy for Treatment of Rare Diseases (NPTRD), 2017 defines Orphan Drugs as the very expensive drugs used to treat rare diseases.
• As the number of persons suffering from rare diseases is very small, the pharmaceutical companies do not find it viable to develop and sell drugs for them. Therefore, these drugs are called ‘orphan drugs’.
• Pharma companies do so to recoup the cost of research and development.

https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/unbranded-generics-orphan-drugs-may-go-out-of-price-control/

Inspired by: Utkarsh 2022

https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/utkarsh-2022/

Answer: (b)

Utkarsh 2022

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board has finalised a three- year roadmap to improve regulation and supervision, among other functions of the central bank.
• This medium term strategy — named Utkarsh 2022 — is in line with the global central banks’ plan to strengthen the regulatory and supervisory mechanism.
• Worldwide, all central banks strengthen the regulatory and supervisory mechanism; everybody is formulating a long-term plan and a medium-term plan.
• So, the RBI has also decided it will formulate a programme to outline what is to be achieved in the next three years.
• While around a dozen areas were identified by the committee, some board members felt that areas could be filtered and lesser number of areas can be identified for implementation in the next three years.

Inspired by: Black Gold

https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/black-gold/

Answer: (a)

Why in news?

• Using gold nanoparticles Indian scientists have developed a new material called “black gold”, which can potentially be used for applications ranging from solar energy harvesting to desalinating seawater, according to a study.

Black Gold

• To develop the material, the team from Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) rearranged size and gaps between gold nanoparticles.
• It has unique properties such as capacity to absorb light and carbon dioxide (CO2).
• Gold does not have these properties therefore ‘black gold’ is being called a new material.
• In appearance it is black, hence the name ‘black gold’, according to the findings published in Chemical Science
• The researchers varied inter-particle distance between gold nanoparticles using a cycle-by-cycle growth approach by optimizing the nucleation-growth step.

Features of Black Gold

• One of the most fascinating properties of the new material is its ability to absorb the entire visible and near-infrared region of solar light.
• It does so because of inter-particle plasmonic coupling as well as heterogeneity in nanoparticles size.
• Black gold could also act as a catalyst and could convert CO2 into methane at atmospheric pressure and temperature using solar energy.
• If we develop an artificial tree with leaves made out of back gold, it can perform artificial photosynthesis, capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into fuel and other useful chemicals.
• The efficiency of conversion of CO2 into fuel, at present, is low but researchers believe it could be improved in future.
• The material can be used as a nano-heater to covert seawater into potable water with good efficiency, the researchers said.

Inspired by: CSP 2015

Answer: (b)

Basel Norms

Basel III is a global, voluntary regulatory framework on bank capital adequacy, stress testing, and market liquidity risk. This third installment of the Basel Accords was developed in response to the deficiencies in financial regulation revealed by the financial crisis of 2007–08. Wikipedia

Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste . Wikipedia