Ans: A

Exp:

India seals pact with 4-nation Europe trade group: $100 bn & 10 lakh jobs in 15-yr deal.

Statement 1 is correct: ETFA was founded by the Stockholm Convention in 1960 as an alternative to the European Economic Community (EEC), the European Union (EU) precursor.

Statement 2 is incorrect: It has four member states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

• These countries are all open, competitive economies committed to the progressive liberalisation of trade in the multinational arena as well as in free trade agreements.
• EFTA is one important economic block out of the three (other two – EU &UK) in Europe.
• Among EFTA countries, Switzerland is the largest trading partner of India followed by Norway.

Statement 3 is incorrect: EFTA has committed to promote investments with the aim to increase the stock of foreign direct investments (FDI)  by USD 100 billion in India in the next 15 years, 

• • and to facilitate the generation of 1 million direct employment in India, through such investments. 

• The investments do not cover foreign portfolio investment (FPI).

• For the first ever time in the history of FTAs, a legal commitment is being made about promoting target-oriented investment and creation of jobs.

Ans: D

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Exercise Cutlass Express is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness and information sharing practices to increase capabilities between the United States of America (U.S),  East African and Western Indian Ocean nations to counter illicit maritime activity in the Western Indian Ocean.

• The exercise  aims to improve regional cooperation in support of the Djibouti Code of Conduct and maritime domain awareness.

• • Djibouti Code of conduct: It is also known as the Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

• It was adopted on 29th January 2009 and was established under the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

• Under the code, the signatories agreed to co-operate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships.

Statement 2 is correct: Exercise Cutlass Express – 24 (CE – 24) was held at Port Victoria, Seychelles.

• As part of Cutlass Express, the Indian Navy actively engaged with participants from 16 friendly foreign countries.

Ans: B

Exp:

Yaoundé Declaration for Malaria prevention and eradication: 

• • The Yaoundé conference, hosted by WHO and the Government of Cameroon, brought together the health Ministers from African nations with the highest malaria burdens. 

• They  committed to accelerating action to end deaths from Malaria. 

• They pledge to sustainably and equitably address the threat of malaria in the African region, which accounts for 95% of malaria deaths globally.
• The African region is home to 11 countries that carry approximately 70% of the global burden of malaria: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, NIgeria, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.

Ans: B

Exp:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the strategically significant Sela Tunnel project during his day-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Sela tunnel is built with a total cost of ₹825 crore by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

Statement 2 is correct: The tunnel is situated at an altitude of 13,700 feet in West Kameng district on the road connecting Tezpur to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

• The project provides all-weather connectivity to the Tawang region, the part contested by China which describes it as a part of the ancient territory.
• The tunnel will also reduce more than one hour of travelling time from Tezpur to Tawang. ​

Ans: C

Exp: 

• The concept of a tiger safari in the wild was first envisaged in the Guidelines for Tourism issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2012, which provided for such establishments in the buffer areas of tiger reserves “which experience immense tourist influx in the core/ critical tiger habitat for viewing tigers”.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for strengthening tiger conservation in India.
• Tiger safari is not defined under The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 which says “no construction of commercial tourist lodges, hotels, zoos and safari parks shall be undertaken inside a sanctuary except with the prior approval of the National Board” [for WildLife] constituted under the Act.