QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 09 June 2017

Solution: c.

A mains-oriented question. While any strain in relations between India and Pakistan can cast a shadow over any meet/forum that the two countries are important participants/members of, the second statement does not exactly answer the question; the following points from today’s TH article do:

• To begin with, there is a basic contradiction between India’s stand last month on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) and the SCO’s.
• Second, the SCO commits itself to “jointly preserving regional peace, security and stability; and establishing a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order”. The ‘new order’ is a direct reference to a compact led by Russia and China, clearly aimed at the West. As a result, the SCO has been often called the “Anti-NATO”, meant to counterbalance U.S. and Europe power structures. It would seem incongruous to reconcile this with India’s close military ties with the U.S. today, or Mr. Modi’s stated objective last week of a closer strategic partnership with the EU.
• The SCO executive speaks of counter-terror cooperation as a part of its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), with joint exercises among member states, while also being guided by the “Shanghai spirit” of good-neighbourliness. Again, this would square badly with India’s objective of “exposing” Pakistan’s cross-border terror policy, and derail any progress.

Solution: d.

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan which stand for the letters ‘T’ and ‘A’ in ‘TAPI’, are not members of the SCO. Tajikistan, a member of the SCO, is not a participant in the TAPI project.

Improvisation: TH: Clouded Coherence;

Solution: a.

• The Constitution provides that the election shall be held in accordance with the System of Proportional Representation by means of single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. In this system, the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates. Preference can be marked in the international form of Indian numerals, in Roman form, or in the form in any recognised Indian languages. Preference has to be marked in figures only. The elector can mark as many preference as the number of candidates. While the marking of the first preference is compulsory for the ballot paper to be valid, other preferences are optional. Electors have to mark the ballot only with the particular pen provided by the Election Commission and not with any other pen.
• The Constitution has expressly provided that election to the office of President shall be by secret ballot. Therefore, the electors are expected to scrupulously maintain secrecy of vote. There is no concept of open voting at this election and showing the ballot to anyone under any circumstances in the case of Presidential and Vice Presidential elections is totally prohibited. In this connection, it is also clarified that political parties cannot issue any whip to their MPs and MLAs in the matter of voting in the Presidential election.

PIB;

Solution: d.

‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ are provisions made by the amended act.

• Maternity leave available to working women is to be increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children. Naturally, 26 weeks maternity leave is available to the mother for the birth of her first child.
• Maternity leave of 12 weeks is to be available to mothers adopting a child below the age of three months as well as to the “commissioning mothers”. The commissioning mother has been defined as biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo planted in any other woman.
• Every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide for crèche facilities for working mothers and such mothers will be permitted to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the child in the crèche.
• The Bill also gives provision for the employer to permit a new mother to work from home, if the nature of work assigned is of such nature. Work-from-home conditions and period would be mutually agreed upon by the employer and the mother.
• Every establishment would be required to communicate — in writing or electronically — the availability of these benefits at the time of a woman’s appointment.

TH: A level playing field;

Solution: a.

• In order to reduce transfer pricing disputes, to provide certainty to taxpayers, to align safe harbour margins with industry standards and to enlarge the scope of safe harbour transactions, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified a new safe harbour regime based on the report of the Committee set up in this regard.
• Safe harbor refers to a legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability in certain situations as long as certain conditions are met.

PIB;