4th December 2024

Explanation: The Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) aims to achieve universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in various aspects, not just government buildings. It includes creating accessible physical environments, transportation systems, and information and communication ecosystems. The other options are correctly matched.

Explanation - Russia has announced that it successfully test-launched a Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at a time when Moscow-West tensions have sharply escalated over Ukraine. It was launched from Plesetsk in North West Russia with the intended target in the Kamchatka peninsula almost 6,000 km away. The RS-28 Sarmat (NATO name Satan-II) is reported to be able to carry ten or more warheads and decoys and has the capability of firing over either of the earth’s poles with a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km. The ten warheads are Multiple Independently- Targetable Re-entry Vehicles and each has a blast yield of 0.75 MT. The Sarmat will also be the first Russian missile which can carry smaller hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. These are manoeuvrable and hard to intercept. The upgraded electronic counter measures, guidance systems and alternative warhead carrying capacity makes the RS- 28 Sarmat ICBM more lethal than the R-36M Voyevoda ICBMs (NATO name Satan) currently in service in Russia.

Explanation - Recently, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs informed in Lok Sabha that the government has set up the Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF) through use of priority sector lending shortfall for creating urban infrastructure in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
The Fund was established through the use of priority sector lending shortfall. It will be used by public agencies to create urban infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. It aims to supplement the efforts of the State Governments / UTs for urban infrastructure development works implemented through Public/ State Agencies, Municipal Corporations and Urban Local Bodies, by providing a stable and predictable source of financing for providing basic services like Sewerage and Solid Waste Management, Water Supply and Sanitation, construction and improvement of drains/ storm water drains, etc. It is managed by the National Housing Bank. The initial corpus for this Fund is ₹10,000 crore. It is established on the lines of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). States will be encouraged to leverage resources from the grants of the 15th Finance Commission, as well as existing schemes, to adopt appropriate user charges while accessing the UIDF. It currently covers 459 tier-2 cities and 580 tier-3 cities.
UIDF Loans —
• The interest rate on UIDF loans has been kept at Bank Rate minus 1.5 per cent.
• The loan (Principal) will be repayable in five equal annual instalments within seven years from the date of draw, including a moratorium period of two years.

Explanation: Statement 1 is correct. NHB was originally established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of RBI in 1988, though it is now wholly owned by the Government of India. Statement 2 is incorrect. NHB RESIDEX captures movements only in residential real estate prices, not commercial. Statement 3 is incorrect. RBI regulates housing finance companies, while NHB supervises them. Statement 4 is correct. NHB provides refinance to scheduled commercial banks and other financial institutions for housing loans.

Explanation: Statement 1 is incorrect. The first AOMSUC was held in Beijing, China in 2010, not in Tokyo in 2005. Statement 2 is incorrect. It is not hosted annually by the World Meteorological Organization, but by different countries in the Asia-Oceania region. Statement 3 is correct. The conference indeed aims to promote dialogue between satellite operators and users. Statement 4 is incorrect. The 14th AOMSUC is being hosted by the India Meteorological Department, not ISRO.