INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS (10 DECEMBER 2019) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.
• Who is eligible?
  • Under the scheme, an adult woman member of a below poverty line family identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) is given a deposit-free LPG connection with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.
• Identification of households: Eligible households will be identified in consultation with state governments and Union territories. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Key objectives of the scheme are:
  • Empowering women and protecting their health.
  • Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel.
  • Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel.
  • Preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/08/28/pradhan-mantri-ujjwala-yojana-pmuy/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in Asia-Pacific region with nine operational communication satellites placed in Geo-stationary orbit.
• Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia Pacific Region. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan.
• The overall coordination and management of INSAT system rests with the Secretary-level INSAT Coordination Committee.
• The satellites are monitored and controlled by Master Control Facilities that exist in Hassan and Bhopal.
• The INSAT system serves many important sectors of the Indian economy. Foremost amongst them is Telecommunications sector wherein INSAT is providing Mobile Satellite Service besides providing VSAT services. Today, more than 25,000 Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) are in operation.
• In addition to this, social development through exclusive channels for training and developmental education has become possible through INSAT. And, a Telemedicine network to take super specially medical services to the remote and rural population has become a reality. The network now covers 152 hospitals—120 remote rural hospitals and 32 super specialty hospitals in major cities. The launch of EDUSAT, India’s first thematic satellite dedicated exclusively for educational services, has provided further fillip to the educational services offered by the INSAT system.
• INSAT system is also providing meteorological services through Very High Resolution Radiometer and CCD cameras on some of its spacecraft. This apart, cyclone monitoring through meteorological imaging and issue of warnings on impending cyclones through disaster warning receivers have been operationalised. For this, 350 receivers have been installed along the east and west coasts of India.

Refer: https://archive.india.gov.in/sectors/science/index.php?id=16

Ans: (a)

Explanation: The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), with its origins in the 13th Council of Ministers meeting, held in November 2013 in Perth, Australia.

• The first IOD was held in Kerala, India in 2014, and has been followed by two others to date: in Perth, Australia in 2015 and Padang, Indonesia in 2016, respectively. Discussions included far ranging topics such as economic cooperation, maritime safety and security, blue economy, human assistance and disaster relief, etc. and resulted in the Kochi, Perth and Padang Consensuses each.
• Today, the IOD is established in its role as a stand-alone Track 1.5 discussion, encouraging an open and free flowing dialogue by key representatives of IORA Member States such as scholars, experts, analysts, and policy makers from governments, think tanks and civil societies on a number of crucial strategic issues of the Indian Ocean Region.

Refer: http://newsonair.com/News?title=6th-Indian-Ocean-Dialogue%2c-Delhi-Dialogue-XI-to-be-held-from-Dec-13-14&id=375946

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Recently, the government clarified that it is not intended to bring ‘water’ in the Concurrent List from the State List.
  • Jal Shakti Minister was replying on the calling attention on the need for completion of National Irrigation Projects to tackle emerging water crisis and to transfer ‘water’ to Concurrent List from State List.
• The India Water Impact Summit is an annual event where stakeholders get together to discuss, debate and develop model solutions for some of the biggest water related problems in the country.
  • India Water Impact Summit jointly organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga)
• The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), operating under the Government of Kerala has launched the “Water 4 Change”. Under the project, six prominent institutions from Netherlands will perform a long-term research and field level action on urban water management systems along with Indian scientists.

Refer: http://newsonair.com/News?title=Not-intended-to-bring-%e2%80%98water%e2%80%99-in-Concurrent-List%3a-Govt&id=375915

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The various features of administration contained in the Fifth Schedule are as follows:
• Declaration of Scheduled Areas: The president is empowered to declare an area to be a scheduled area.
• Executive Power of State and Centre: The executive power of a state extends to the scheduled areas therein. But the governor has a special responsibility regarding such areas.
• Tribes Advisory Council: Each state having scheduled areas has to establish a tribe’s advisory council to advise on welfare and advancement of the scheduled tribes. It is to consist of 20 members, three-fourths of whom are to be the representatives of the scheduled tribes in the state legislative assembly.
• Law applicable to Scheduled Areas: The governor is empowered to direct that any particular act of Parliament or the state legislature does not apply to a scheduled area or apply with specified modifications and exceptions. He can also make regulations for the peace and good government of a scheduled area after consulting the tribes advisory council.
• The various features of administration contained in the Sixth Schedule are as follows:
• The tribal areas in the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram have been constituted as autonomous districts. But, they do not fall outside the executive authority of the state concerned.
• The governor is empowered to organise and re-organise the autonomous districts. Thus, he can increase or decrease their areas or change their names or define their boundaries and so on.

Refer: https://www.epw.in/journal/2019/4/perspectives/fifth-schedule-constitution.html

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The laws in India are governed by the Constitution of India. Citizenship Article 5 to 11 deal with the Citizenship of India. The draft regarding the citizenship was created and destroyed multiple times, before incorporating the final draft in the Constitution as Part II, it was amended over 100 times.

Ans: (c)

Explanation: Incorrect options have been asked!!

• The commission may take any of the following steps during or after the completion of an inquiry –
  • it may recommend payment of compensation to victims, to concerned government or authority;
  • it may recommend to initiate proceedings for prosecution or any other action against the guilty public servant, to the concerned government or authority;
  • it may recommend to the concerned government or authority for the grant of immediate interim relief to the victim;
  • it may approach the Supreme Court or the concerned high court for the necessary directions, orders or writs.
• Role of the Commission –
  • The functions of the commission are mainly recommendatory.
  • It cannot punish the violators of human rights, nor to award any relief including monetary relief to the victim.
  • Its recommendations are not binding on the concerned government or authority.
  • But, it should be informed about the action taken on its recommendations within one month.
  • The National Commission has limited powers with respect to the violation of human rights by the members of the armed forces.
  • In this sphere, the commission may make its recommendations.
  • The Central Government should inform the commission of the action taken on the recommendations within three months.
  • The National Commission submit its annual or special reports to the Central government and to the State Government concerned.
  • The State Commission submits it to the State Government.

Refer: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/nhrc-team-grills-8-cops-involved-in-shootout/articleshow/72463631.cms

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Maharashtra established the system of Lokayukta in 1971 through ‘The Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act’, and the institutions of the Lokayukta and Uplokayukta came into existence on October 25, 1972

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The expression ‘district judge’ includes judge of a city civil court, additional district judge, joint district judge, assistant district judge, chief judge of a small cause court, chief presidency magistrate, additional chief presidency magistrate, sessions judge, additional sessions judge and assistant sessions judge.
• The expression ‘judicial service’ means a service consisting exclusively of persons intended to fill the post of district judge and other civil judicial posts inferior to the post of district judge.

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The government has announced the first Further Fund Offer (FFO) of Bharat 22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). This is in pursuance of its disinvestment policy targeting an initial amount of Rs.6000 crore.
• Bharat 22 consists of 22 stocks of CPSE’s, PSB’s & strategic holding of SUUTI. Bharat 22 is a well-Diversified portfolio with 6 sectors (Basic Materials, Energy, Finance, FMCG, and Industrials & Utilities).
• The Bharat 22 Index will be rebalanced annually. ICICI Prudential AMC will be the ETF Manager and Asia Index Private Limited (JV BSE and S& P Global) will be the Index Provider.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/12/05/bharat-bond-etf/