DAY – 18 ( INSTA REVISION TEST)INSTA REVISION PLAN 2.0, 2020

Solution: A

Market Intervention Price Scheme:

• It is a price support mechanism implemented on the request of State Governments.
• It is for procurement of perishable and horticultural commodities in the event of a fall in market prices.
• The Scheme is implemented when there is at least 10% increase in production or 10% decrease in the ruling rates over the previous normal year.
• Its objective is to protect the growers of these horticultural/agricultural commodities from making distress sale in the event of bumper crop during the peak arrival period when prices fall to very low level.
• The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation is implementing the scheme.

Solution: A

Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF)

• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted an ‘Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF)’ to examine bank fraud of over ₹50 crore and recommend action.
• Headquartered in Delhi, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will provide required secretarial services, logistic and analytical support along with the necessary funding to the board.

Composition:

• Besides the chairman, the Board consists of three other members.
• The tenure of the Chairman and members would be for a period of two years from 21st August, 2019.

Functions:

• The board’s jurisdiction would be confined to those cases involving the level of officers of General Manager and above in the Public Sector Banks in respect of an allegation of fraud in a borrowal account.
• It would function as the first level of examination of all large fraud cases before recommendations or references are made to the investigative agencies by the respective public sector banks (PSBs).
• Lenders would refer all large fraud cases above ₹50 crore to the board and on receipt of its recommendation or advice, the bank concerned would take further action in such matter.
• The Central Bureau of Investigation may also refer any case or matter to the board where it has any issue or difficulty or in technical matters with the PSB concerned.
• It would also periodically carry out frauds analysis in the financial system and give inputs for policy formulation related to the fraud to the RBI.

Solution: D

Stubble burning:

• Stubble burning is a common practice followed by farmers to prepare fields for sowing of wheat in November as there is little time left between the harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat.
• Stubble burning results in emission of harmful gases such carbon diaoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide along with particulate matter

Advantages of stubble burning:

• It quickly clears the field and is the cheapest alternative.
• Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.
• Kills slugs and other pests.
• Can reduce nitrogen tie-up.

Under a central government scheme for promoting agricultural mechanisation for in-situ management of crop residue in North India between 2018-19 and 2019-20, an amount of ₹1,151.80 crore has been allocated. Within the first year of implementation, the Happy Seeder/zero tillage technology was adopted in 8 lakh hectares of land in these States.

Stubble burning results in emission of harmful gases such carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide along with particulate matter.

Solution: A

One Nation One Ration Card:

• One Nation One Ration Card (RC) will ensure all beneficiaries especially migrants can access PDS across the nation from any PDS shop of their own choice.
• Benefits: no poor person is deprived of getting subsidisedfoodgrains under the food security scheme when they shift from one place to another. It also aims to remove the chance of anyone holding more than one ration card to avail benefits from different states.
• Significance: This will provide freedom to the beneficiaries as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop and reduce their dependence on shop owners and curtail instances of corruption.
• The poor migrant workers will be able to buy subsidised rice and wheat from any ration shop in the country but for that their ration cards must be linked to Aadhaar.
• Migrants would only be eligible for the subsidies supported by the Centre, which include rice sold at Rs. 3/kg and wheat at Rs. 2/kg, It would not include subsidies given by their respective state government in some other state.

Solution: D

Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC):

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
• Functions: It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.”

The Commission has three main objectives which guide its functioning. These are:

• The Social Objective – Providing employment in rural areas.
• The Economic Objective – Providing salable articles.
• The Wider Objective – Creating self-reliance amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit.

Solution: A

10th Schedule of the Constitution

• The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act.
• It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.
• The decision on question as to disqualification on ground of defection is referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, and his decision is final.
• The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.

Disqualification:

If a member of a house belonging to a political party:

• Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or
• Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.
• If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election.
• If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature.

Exceptions under the law:

• Legislators may change their party without the risk of disqualification in certain circumstances. The law allows a party to merge with or into another party provided that at least two-thirds of its legislators are in favour of the merger. In such a scenario, neither the members who decide to merge, nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification.

Solution: C

e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India:

• It is offered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in collaboration with School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC).
• Features: It is a unique course that offers awareness and understanding about natural hazards, helps identify regions with high vulnerability with respect to various hazards (earthquakes, cyclones, landslides, floods, etc.) and specifies district-wise level of damage risks to the existing housing stock.

Solution: C

Manufacture, sale and distribution of colistin and its formulations for food-producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplements have been prohibited in an order issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

• Colistin is a valuable, last-resort antibiotic that saves human lives in critical care units.
• Indiscriminate use of colistin has led to rise of anti-microbial resistance in the country.

Solution: D

The Leather industry in India accounts for around 12.9% of the world’s leather production of hides/skins and handles a robust annual production of about 3 bn sq. ft. of leather.

The country accounts for 9% of the world’s footwear production. The industry is known for its consistency in high export earnings and it is among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the country.

The major markets for Indian Leather & Leather Products are USA with a share of 15.7%, Germany 11.6%, UK 10.5%, Italy 6.5%, France 5.7%, Spain 4.5%, UAE 3.9%, Netherlands 3.4%, Hong Kong 3.3%, China 2.6%, Poland 2.0%, and Belgium 2.0%.

Solution: C

Industrial Security Annex (ISA) to the India U.S General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) will provide a framework for exchange and protection of classified military information between the U.S and Indian defence industries.

Currently, under GSOMIA, such information is exchanged between the Government authorities of the two countries but not between private parties. It will enable greater industry-to-industry collaboration for co-production and co-development in the defence sector, in line with the GOl’s objective of promoting Make in India in the defence sector

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-and-usa-conclude-several-landmark-agreements-in-22-ministerial-dialogue/articleshow/72892719.cms

Solution: C

India has become the third Asian country after Japan and South Korea to get the Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status after the U.S. issued a federal notification to this effect, paving the way for high-technology product sales to New Delhi, particularly in civil space and defence sectors.

India is the 37th country to be designated the STA-1 status by the United States.

The federal notification, issued on August 3, gains significance as the Trump Administration made an exception for India, which is yet to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Traditionally, the U.S. has placed only those countries in the STA-1 list who are members of the four export control regimes: Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), Australia Group (AG) and the NSG.

https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/india-third-asian-nation-to-get-sta-1-status-from-us/article24603607.ece

Solution: B

SMARTGRAM is an initiative by Rashtrapathi Bhavan. It aims to transform villages into happy, harmonious and hi-tech villages, by connecting the villagers with the initiative.

No Dedicated funds will be setup under district administration to implement this initiative

https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=153549

Solution: C

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defined the EEZ as a zone in the sea over which a sovereign nation has certain special rights with respect to the exploration and usage of marine resources, which includes the generation of energy from wind and water, and also oil and natural gas extraction.

The coastal state has the rights to:

1. Explore and exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources (living or non-living).
2. Produce energy from wind, currents and water.
3. Establish and use artificial islands, structures and installations.
4. Conduct marine scientific research.
5. Protect and preserve the marine environment.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/eez.html

Solution: A

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a specialised agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organisation of industrialised countries, based in Paris, France.

India is a not member state of Nuclear Energy Agency

India has around 22 nuclear reactors in operation in 7 nuclear power plants, having a total installed capacity of around 7000 MW.

Solution: A

Gatka is the name of an Indian martial art associated with the Sikhs of the Punjab and the Tanoli and Gujjar communities of the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan who practice an early variant of the martial art.

It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords.

The Punjabi name gatka properly refers to the wooden stick used. The word originates as a diminutive of Sanskrit gada “mace”.