QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 18 NOVEMBER 2017

Solution: a.

In a bid to make Indian roads safer and curb fatalities, the global charity iRAP (International Road Assistance Program) recently unveiled an India Road Assessment Programme (IndiaRAP) that will rate highways’ safety levels, and seek to eliminate the most unsafe roads.

Since 2010, teams from the global organisation have already undertaken star rating assessments on more than 10,000 km of roads across several states in India.

The ratings are assigned on the basis of the level of safety which is ‘built-in’ to a road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Five-star roads are the safest while one-star roads are the least safe.

About iRAP (https://www.irap.org/about-us/): “iRAP the umbrella programme for Road Assessment Programmes (RAPs) worldwide that are working to save lives.  Like many life-saving charities working in the public health arena, we use a robust, evidence-based approach to prevent unnecessary deaths and suffering.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/highways-to-be-rated-on-safety-features/article20460978.ece;

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Solution: b.

Improvisation: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/in-yemen-saudi-blockade-ratchets-up-fears-of-famine/article20461062.ece;

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Solution: c.

“At the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, all of our efforts are aligned with India’s objectives – working closely with India’s central and state governments, we partner with community groups, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, and development organizations, to achieve our shared goals. With a particular focus on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, we develop innovative solutions to improve the quality and coverage of key services. Our core work in the country is across four sectors: Health, Sanitation, Agricultural Development, and Financial Services for the Poor.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajnath-asks-gates-to-adopt-1000-maoist-hit-villages/article20493062.ece;

For those interested: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Where-We-Work/India-Office;

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Solution: d.

In July 2017, the Law Commission of India suggested amendments in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to make registration of marriages compulsory, like births and deaths, as an effective antidote to social evils like child marriage, bigamy and gender violence.

For details regarding the Commission’s suggestions, refer: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/in-the-database/article20492680.ece;

http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in;

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Solution: b.

Can the police or any investigating agency file a first information report (FIR) against a sitting High Court or a Supreme Court judge and even the Chief Justice of India?

The answer is found in the majority judgment delivered by a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the K. Veeraswami case. The majority held that no criminal case shall be registered under Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code (an FIR) against a judge of the High Court, Chief Justice of the High Court or a judge of the Supreme Court unless the government first “consults” the Chief Justice of India. The justification given was that the CJI’s assent was imperative as he was a “participatory functionary” in the appointment of judges.

The verdict held that if the the Chief Justice of India himself is the person against whom the allegations of criminal misconduct are received, the government shall consult any other judge or judges of the Supreme Court.

If the CJI allows the FIR to be registered, the government shall, for the second time, consult him on the question of granting sanction for prosecution.

Consultation with the CJI while registering a criminal case against a judge, whether of the High Court or the Supreme Court, was made mandatory to protect the independence of judiciary.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/is-the-supreme-court-facing-an-institutional-crisis/article20493352.ece;

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/can-an-fir-be-filed-against-a-sitting-judge/article20237853.ece;

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