12th June 2026

Explanation –

• The Marshall Islands is an independent country located in the central Pacific Ocean.
• The Marshall Islands was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands administered by the United States after World War II.
• The capital city of the Marshall Islands is Majuro.

Explanation – The International Labour Conference is the supreme deliberative and decision-making body of the International Labour Organisation. The Conference meets annually, bringing together tripartite delegations from the Organisation's 187 Member States and a number of observers.

Tripartite Delegation: Each national delegation has a minimal composition of two Government, one Employers', and one Worker delegates (2–1–1). The Government, Employers' and Workers' delegates participate and vote independently.

Role of the International Labour Conference:

• Crafting and adoption of international labour standards (Conventions and Recommendations)
• Supervision of the application of standards through its Committee on the Application of Standards
• Approval of the biennial programme and budget of the Organization and the allocation of expenses among Member States
• Election of the members of the Governing Body
• Admission of new Member States which are not members of the United Nations
• Discussion on the reports of the Director-General and the Chairperson of the Governing Body
• Adoption of resolutions that provide guidelines for the ILO's general policy and future activities

Explanation – Bureau of Indian Standards is the national standard body of India established under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.

• Objective: It was established for the harmonious development of the activities of standardisation, marking, and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• It is the successor of the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), which was created in 1947.
• BIS represents India in the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• Nodal Ministry: It is functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• Headquarters: It is headquartered in New Delhi and maintains regional and branch offices throughout the country.

Explanation – Epichlorohydrin is an epoxide in which one of the methyl hydrogens is substituted by chlorine.

Properties:

• It is a volatile and flammable, clear, colourless, liquid, chlorinated cyclic ether with an irritating, chloroform-like odour.
• It emits toxic fumes of hydrochloric acid and other chlorinated compounds when heated to decomposition.
• It is soluble in water.

Applications:

• It is used mainly for the manufacture of glycerol and unmodified epoxy resins.
• It is used in the manufacture of elastomers, water treatment resins, surfactants, ion exchange resins, plasticisers, dyestuffs, pharmaceutical products, oil emulsifiers, lubricants and adhesives.

Impact on Health:

• Exposure to epichlorohydrin irritates the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, and can cause chemical pneumonitis, pulmonary edema, and renal lesions.

Explanation – Remittances are money transfers made by migrant workers and overseas nationals to their families and home countries. They represent one of the largest sources of foreign exchange for developing economies and play a vital role in supporting household consumption, savings, and investment.

Categories of Inflows:

In India's Balance of Payments (BoP) accounting, the term commonly referred to as "remittances" actually includes two distinct categories:

• Workers' Remittances — Money sent home by Indians working abroad. These are part of the current account of the BoP and reflect the genuine flow of earned income from migrant workers.
• Private Transfers (Broader Category) — Includes:
  • Workers' remittances (more than two-thirds of the total)
  • Withdrawals from non-resident deposits and redemptions
  • Personal gifts and donations, including to religious and charitable institutions

Gold and silver brought through passenger baggage