Quantitative Aptitude: Quiz-1 (Divisibility Rules & Average)

The Border Security Force (BSF) signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
The MoU will enable NSDC to provide skill training to retired and retiring BSF personnel, as well as to the population residing in the border areas.

Key Facts

The collaboration between BSF and NSDC aims to train and provide gainful employment to retired BSF personnel and their families, school students, youth, differently abled for five years (April 2017 to April 2022). The programme will be appropriately named keeping in view the objectives and will have BSF co-branding with Skill India and NSDC.
It will contribute to Skill Development Agenda of the country by ensuring the successful roll out of NSQF (National Skill Qualification Framework) based skill training to the retiring or retired BSF personnel and local population. The skill training will be based NSQF compliant training programmes at multi-skill development centres run by BSF. This will help in meeting the aspirations of the stakeholders for training and employment.
The skill training project will be of a limited to 5 years period in mission mode. Moreover, the curriculum development and capacity building under the programme will be encouraged to enable the model to be self-sustaining over time.

About National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

The NSDC is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Its overall objective of NSDC is to create training capacity in the country; fund vocational training initiatives and create a market ecosystem for skill development. Its mandate is to train 150 million people by 2022.

Supreme Court has accepted Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) proposal to use hologram-based coloured stickers on vehicles, plying in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) to indicate the nature of the fuel used. The apex court has asked government to implement use of coloured stickers on vehicles plying in Delhi-NCR by September 30, 2018. It also clarified that this colour-coding will only be applicable in Delhi and NCR.

Key Facts

With this approval, Delhi will be first city in India to have hologram-based coloured stickers on according to fuel they run on. This move aims to counter air pollution in national capital. Under this colour scheme proposed by MoRTH, light-blue colour will be used for vehicles running petrol and CNG-run vehicles while orange colour sticker will be used for diesel-driven vehicles. These hologram-based stickers will also contain registration date of the vehicle. MoRTH is also considering to introduce green number plates for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Significance

Introduction of coloured stickers will restrict use of more polluting vehicles in congested or polluted zone temporarily or permanently depending on the pollution level. The colour coding will help authorities identify and restrict vehicles running on high-polluting fuel from congested or polluted zone temporarily or permanently depending on the pollution level

The 19th round of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) meetings and other related meetings were held in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Besides, the 19th round of TNC, parallel meetings were also held by the three main Working Groups on Trade in goods, services and investment. Working Groups in other areas like electronic commerce, Intellectual Property, Legal and Institutional Issues etc. also had held their meetings.

Key takeaways of 19th round

All RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs) agreed that RCEP agreement has immense potential to deliver on new economic opportunities including job creation that are much needed in today’s uncertain world. India held that RCEP can offer a forward looking alternative in face of growing protectionism in world.
RPCs also expressed shared commitment to work collectively and in cooperative manner to progress the negotiations in an accelerated way and achieve a comprehensive, modern, high-quality and mutually beneficial agreement that balances and addresses sensitivities and aspirations of participating countries.

About Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

RCEP is a proposed comprehensive regional economic integration agreement (mega Free Trade Agreement) amongst the 10-ASEAN countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam) and its six Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) partners, viz. Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan and Korea.
RCEP negotiations were formally launched at 2012 ASEAN Summit in Cambodia. RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed trade agreement that includes several Asian and American nations but excludes China and India.
Till 2017, RCEP member states accounted for a population of 3.4 billion people with a total GDP (in terms of PPP) of $49.5 trillion, approximately 39% of the world’s GDP (combined GDPs of China and India makes up more than half that amount).

The United Nations (UN) World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed every year on July 30 to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims, and promote and protect their rights.
Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of forced labour, commercial sexual exploitation or sexual slavery for the trafficker or others.
The 2017 theme of the day is “Act to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons”. It highlights the large mixed migration movements of refugees and migrants. It also puts the spotlight on the significant impact of conflict and natural disasters, as well as the resultant, multiple risks of human trafficking that many people face.
It also seeks to addresses the key issue concerning trafficking responses i.e. most people are never identified as trafficking victims and therefore cannot access most of the assistance or protection provided.

Background

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons by adopting resolution A/RES/68/192 in 2013,. The resolution had declared that the observance of the day is necessary to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.