DAY – 8 ( INSTA REVISION TEST)INSTA REVISION PLAN 3.0, 2020

Solution: A

Solution: C

Solution: C

The PGS is an internationally applicable organic quality assurance system [like ISO 9000] implemented and controlled by the committed organic farmer-producers through active participation, along with the consumers, in the process based on verifiable trust.

http://www.pgsorganic.in/

Solution: B

The 1901 Calcutta Session was the first time Mahatma Gandhi appeared on the Congress platform. Then a lawyer based in South Africa, Gandhi ji urged the Congress to support the struggle against racial discrimination and exploitation in the country.

  1924: Belgaum. President: M.K. Gandhi

• Only Session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi

  1920: Nagpur. President: C. Vijayaraghavachariar

• Reconstitution of Working committees of Congress on Linguistic basis
• MA Jinnah left the Indian National Congress

  1911: Calcutta. President: B.N. Dhar

• First time recital of Jan-Gan-Man in Congress session

  1896: Calcutta. President: Rahimtullah Sayani

• National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ sung for the first time by Rabindranath Tagore.

Solution: D

The Charter Act of 1833

• The lease of 20 years to the Company was further extended. Territories of India were to be governed in the name of the Crown.
• The Company’s monopoly over trade with China and in tea also ended.
• All restrictions on European immigration and the acquisition of property in India were lifted. Thus, the way was paved for the wholesale European colonization of India.
• In India, a financial, legislative and administrative centralization of the government was envisaged:

— The governor-general was given the power to superintend, control and direct all civil and military affairs of the Company.

— Bengal, Madras, Bombay and all other territories were placed under complete control of the governor-general.

— All revenues were to be raised under the authority of the governor-general who would have complete control over the expenditure too.

— The Governments of Madras and Bombay were drastically deprived of their legislative powers and left with a right of proposing to the governor-general the projects of law which they thought to be expedient.

• A law member was added to the governor-general’s council for professional advice on law-making.
• Indian laws were to be codified and consolidated.
• No Indian citizen was to be denied employment under the Company on the basis of religion, colour, birth, descent, etc. (Although the reality was different, this declaration formed the sheet-anchor of political agitation in India.)
• The administration was urged to take steps to ameliorate the conditions of slaves and to ultimately abolish slavery. (Slavery was abolished in 1843.)

Solution: D

The five Indian states that share a land border with Nepal are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim.

The Sharda River demarcates Nepal’s western border with India. It descends from 3,600 m at Kalapani to 200 m as it enters the Terai plains in Uttar Pradesh, flowing southeast across the plains to join the Ghaghra river, a tributary of the Ganges.

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/china-nepal-xi-jinping-international-relations-security-diplomacy-6069020/

Solution: C

Indian Councils Act, 1892

• In 1885, the Indian National Congress was founded. The Congress saw reform of the councils as the “root of all other reforms”. It was in response to the Congress demand that the legislative councils be expanded that the number of non-official members was increased both in the central (Imperial) and provincial legislative councils by the Indian Councils Act, 1892.

• The Legislative Council of the Governor-General (or the Indian Legislative Council, as it came to be known) was enlarged.
• The universities, district boards, municipalities, zamindars, trade bodies and chambers of commerce were empowered to recommend members to the provincial councils. Thus was introduced the principle of representation.
• Though the term ‘election’ was firmly avoided in the Act, an element of indirect election was accepted in the selection of some of the non-official members.
• The members of the legislatures were now entitled to express their views upon financial statements which were henceforth to be made on the floor of the legislatures.
• They could also put questions within certain limits to the executive on matters of public interest after giving six days’ notice.

Solution: B

Satyagraha Against the Rowlatt Act—First Mass Strike

Gandhi, who had been at the forefront in offering cooperation in the British war effort, and who had even offered to encourage recruitment of Indians into the British Indian forces. He called the Rowlatt Act the “Black Act” and argued that not everyone should get punishment in response to isolated political crimes.

Gandhi called for a mass protest at all India level. But soon, having seen the constitutional protest meet with ruthless repression, Gandhi organized a Satyagraha Sabha and roped in younger members of Home Rule Leagues and the Pan Islamists. The forms of protest finally chosen included observance of a nationwide hartal (strike) accompanied by fasting and prayer, and civil disobedience against specific laws, and courting arrest and imprisonment.

There was a radical change in the situation by now.

(i) The masses had found a direction; now they could ‘act’ instead of just giving verbal expression to their grievances.

(ii) From now onwards, peasants, artisans and the urban poor were to play an increasingly important part in the struggle.

(iii) Orientation of the national movement turned to the masses permanently. Gandhi said that salvation would come when masses were awakened and became active in politics.

Satyagraha was to be launched on April 6, 1919 but before it could be launched, there were large-scale violent, anti-British demonstrations in Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Ahmedabad, etc.

Especially in Punjab, the situation became so very explosive due to wartime repression, forcible recruitments and ravages of disease that the Army had to be called in. April 1919 saw the biggest and the most violent anti-British upsurge since 1857. The Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Sir Michael O’Dwyer, is said to have used aircraft strafing against the violent protestors.

Solution: C

The wetlands conservation and management rules, 2017 stipulates for setting up national wetland authority (NWC) to be headed by the secretary of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

The functions of NWC would be to monitor the implementation of these rules and oversee various works carried out by the state governments.

The NWC will also give advice to the union government on various policies and action programs for wetland conservation, wetland protection and wise use of wetlands. It would recommend the designation of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar convention.

It would also advise the government in collaboration with the International organizations on various issues related to wetland conservation and wetland protection etc.

Solution: B

Those advocating entry into legislative councils came to be known as the ‘Swarajists’, while the other school of thought led by C. Rajagopalachari, Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad and M.A. Ansari came to be known as the ‘No changers’.

The ‘No-changers’ opposed council entry, advocated concentration on constructive work, and continuation of boycott and non-cooperation, and quiet preparation for resumption of the suspended civil disobedience programme.

The differences over the question of council entry between the two schools of thought resulted in the defeat of the Swarajists’ proposal of ‘ending or mending’ the councils at the Gaya session of the Congress (December 1922).

C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru resigned from the presidentship and secretaryship respectively of the Congress and announced the formation of Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party or simply Swarajist Party, with C.R. Das as thepresident and Motilal Nehru as one of the secretaries.

Solution: D

Amendments Proposed by Jinnah

At the All Parties Conference held at Calcutta in December 1928 to consider the Nehru Report, Jinnah, on behalf of the Muslim League, proposed three amendments to the report:

(i) one-third representation to Muslims in the central legislature;

(ii) reservation to Muslims in Bengal and Punjab legislatures proportionate to their population, till adult suffrage was established; and

(iii) residual powers to provinces.

These demands were not accommodated.

Jinnah’s Fourteen Points

Jinnah went back to the Shafi faction of the Muslim League and in March 1929 gave fourteen points which were to become the basis of all future propaganda of the Muslim League. The fourteen points were as follows.

1. Federal Constitution with residual powers to provinces.
2. Provincial autonomy.
3. No constitutional amendment by the centre without the concurrence of the states constituting the Indian federation.
4. All legislatures and elected bodies to have adequate representation of Muslims in every province without reducing a majority of Muslims in a province to a minority or equality.
5. Adequate representation to Muslims in the services and in self-governing bodies.
6. One-third Muslim representation in the central legislature.
7. In any cabinet at the centre or in the provinces, onethird to be Muslims.
8. Separate electorates.
9. No bill or resolution in any legislature to be passed if three-fourths of a minority community consider such a bill or resolution to be against their interests.
10. Any territorial redistribution not to affect the Muslim majority in Punjab, Bengal and NWFP.
11. Separation of Sindh from Bombay.
12. Constitutional reforms in the NWFP and Baluchistan.
13. Full religious freedom to all communities.
14. Protection of Muslim rights in religion, culture, education and language.

Solution: A

Congress Offer to Viceroy

Though the Congress did not like the unilateral action of the British of drawing India into the war without consulting the Indians, it decided to support the war effort conditionally. The hostility of the Congress to Fascism, Nazism, militarism and imperialism had been much more consistent than the British record. The Indian offer to cooperate in the war effort had two basic conditions:

1. After the war, a constituent assembly should be convened to determine political structure of a free India.
2. Immediately, some form of a genuinely responsible government should be established at the Centre.

The offer was rejected by Linlithgow, the viceroy. The Congress argued that these conditions were necessary to win public opinion for war.

Gandhi, who had all sympathy for Britain in this war an unconditional support to the Allied powers. He made a clear distinction between the democratic nations of western Europe and the totalitarian Nazis and fascists. He said that he was not willing to embarrass the British government during the war.

Subhas Bose and other socialists, such as Acharya Narendra Dev and Jayaprakash Narayan, who had been invited by the Congress to attend the Wardha meeting so that different opinions could be discussed, had no sympathy for either side in the war. In their opinion, the war was being fought by imperialists on both sides; each side wanted to protect its colonial possessions and gain more territories to colonise, so neither side should be supported by the nationalists.

In fact, they thought it was the ideal time to launch a civil disobedience movement, to thus take advantage of the situation and snatch freedom from Britain. Jawaharlal Nehru was not ready to accept the opinion of either Gandhi or of the socialists. He was clear in his mind about the difference between democratic values and fascism.

Solution: B

The term ‘untouchability’ has not been defined either in the Constitution or in the Act. However, the Mysore High Court held that the subject matter of Article 17 is not untouchability in its literal or grammatical sense but the ‘practice as it had developed historically in the country’.

The Supreme Court held that the freedom of movement of prostitutes can be restricted on the ground of public health and in the interest of public morals. The Bombay High Court validated the restrictions on the movement of persons affected by AIDS.

Solution: D

Cripps Mission

Main Proposals

The main proposals of the mission were as follows.

1. An Indian Union with a dominion status would be set up; it would be free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth and free to participate in the United Nations and other international bodies.
2. After the end of the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution. Members of this assembly would be partly elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation and partly

nominated by the princes.

3. The British government would accept the new constitution subject to two conditions: (i) any province not willing to join the Union could have a separate constitution and form a separate Union, and (ii) the new constitution making body and the British government would negotiate a treaty to effect the transfer of power and to safeguard racial and religious minorities.
4. In the meantime, defence of India would remain in British hands and the governor-general’s powers would remain intact.

Departures from the Past and Implications

The proposals differed from those offered in the past in many respects—

• The making of the constitution was to be solely in Indian hands now (and not ‘mainly’ in Indian hands—as contained in the August Offer).
• A concrete plan was provided for the constituent assembly.
• Option was available to any province to have a separate constitution—a blueprint for India’s partition.
• Free India could withdraw from the Commonwealth.
• Indians were allowed a large share in the administration in the interim period.

Solution: C

India and Singapore have signed Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation that will allow Indian Navy ships logistical support, including refuelling at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base located near disputed South China Sea (SCS).

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/rajnath-singh-visits-sembawang-air-base-in-singapore/videoshow/72123484.cms

Solution: B

The drain was in two forms: a) official drain (also known as home charges); and b) private drain.

Home charges were made of three components:

• Interest payable on Indian debt.
• Interest on the railways
• Civil (e.g. Secretary of State office in London) and military charges.

Private drain included gifts, tributes, bribes, extortions, profits from local trade monopolies, remittances out of official’s income to Europe etc.

Solution: D

The Cabinet Mission consisting of three members (Lord Pethick Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A V Alexander) arrived in India on March 24, 1946. The Cabinet Mission published its plan on May 16, 1946. It rejected the demand of Pakistan and recommended union of India. It also recognized Indian right to cede from Commonwealth.

The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan.

The features of the scheme were:

1. The total strength of the Constituent Assembly was to be 389. Of these, 296 seats were to be allotted to British India and 93 seats to the Princely States. Out of 296 seats allotted to the British India, 292 members were to be drawn from the eleven governors’ provinces and four from the four chief commissioners’ provinces, one from each.
2. Each province and princely state (or group of states in case of small states) were to be allotted seats in proportion to their respective population. Roughly, one seat was to be allotted for every million population.
3. Seats allocated to each British province were to be divided among the three principal communities—Muslims, Sikhs and general (all except Muslims and Sikhs), in proportion to their population.
4. The representatives of each community were to be elected by members of that community in the provincial legislative assembly and voting was to be by the method of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
5. The representatives of princely states were to be nominated by the heads of the princely states.

Solution: A

The All-India Congress Committee was then to meet in Bombay in August to ratify this decision. The historic August meeting at Gowalia Tank in Bombay was unprecedented in the popular enthusiasm it generated. Huge crowds waited outside as the leaders deliberated on the issue.

And the feeling of anticipation and expectation ran so high that in the open session, when the leaders made their speeches before the many thousands who had collected to hear them, there was pin-drop silence.

Solution: C

Various festivals being celebrated across the Nations:

• Makar Sankranti: The festival of Makar Sankranti is being celebrated today when the Sun enters the Makar zodiac and the days begin to lengthen compared to nights.
• Pongal: In South India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, it’s the festival of Pongal which is being celebrated over 4 days at harvest time.
• Magha Bihu: In Assam and many parts of the North East, the festival of Magha Bihu is celebrated. It sees the first harvest of the season being offered to the gods along with prayers for peace and prosperity.
• Uttarayan: Gujarat celebrates it in the form of the convivial kite festival of Uttarayan.
• Maghi: In Punjab, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Maghi. Bathing in a river in the early hours on Maghi is important.
• Saaji: In Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh, Makara Sankranti is known as Magha Saaji. Saaji is the Pahari word for Sankranti, start of the new month. Hence this day marks the start of the month of Magha.
• Kicheri: The festival is known as Kicheri in Uttar Pradesh and involves ritual bathing.

Solution: D

Khushi Scheme:

• As part of its initiatives to empower women, the Odisha government, last year, launched this scheme to provide free sanitary napkins to school girls across the state.
• The scheme will be implemented by the health and family welfare department of the state at a cost of 70 crore per year.
• Under this scheme, the Health Department of Odisha Government aims to provide free sanitary pads to 1.7 million girl students from grade 6th to 12th in government and government-aided schools. Also, it aims to promote health and hygiene among school going girls and higher retention of girls in school.

Solution: B

National Anti-Profiteering Authority:

• The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) has been constituted under Section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
• It is to ensure the reduction in rate of tax or the benefit of input tax credit is passed on to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices.
• The Authority’s core function is to ensure that the benefits of the reduction is GST rates on goods and services made by GST Council and proportional change in the Input tax credit passed on to the ultimate consumers and recipient respectively by way of reduction in the prices by the suppliers.

Composition:

The National Anti-profiteering Authority shall be headed by a senior officer of the level of a Secretary to the Government of India and shall have four technical members from the Centre and/or the States.

Powers and functions of the authority:

• In the event the National Anti-profiteering Authority confirms the necessity of applying anti-profiteering measures, it has the power to order the business concerned to reduce its prices or return the undue benefit availed along with interest to the recipient of the goods or services.
• If the undue benefit cannot be passed on to the recipient, it can be ordered to be deposited in the Consumer Welfare Fund.
• In extreme cases the National Anti-profiteering Authority can impose a penalty on the defaulting business entity and even order the cancellation of its registration under GST.

Solution: C

Operation Barga was a land reform movement throughout rural West Bengal for recording the names of sharecroppers while avoiding the time-consuming method of recording through the settlement machinery.

Barga Operation was a land reform movement in rural West Bengal, which led to the amendment of the West Bengal Land Reform Act 1955 into a new law, namely Bengal Land Revenue Act 1979 and the Revenue Rules 1980.

Solution: D

Namami Gange Programme:

• Government of India has launched the Namami Gange Programme in May 2015, with the total budgetary outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the period from 2014-2015 till 31 December 2020 to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga and its tributaries.
• It is an umbrella programme which integrates previous and currently ongoing initiatives by enhancing efficiency, extracting synergies and supplementing them with more comprehensive & better coordinated interventions.
• Government of India is supplementing the efforts of the state governments in addressing the pollution of river Ganga by providing financial assistance to the states.
• 961 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) have been identified on main stem of river Ganga.

Its implementation has been divided into:

• Entry-Level Activities (for immediate visible impact),
• Medium-Term Activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame) and
• Long-Term Activities (to be implemented within 10 years).

Main Pillars of the Namami Gange Programme are:

• Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure
• River-Surface Cleaning
• Afforestation
• Industrial Effluent Monitoring
• River-Front Development
• Bio-Diversity
• Public Awareness
• Ganga Gram

Solution: A

The word Satyagraha was used for the first time in Anti Rowlatt Act agitation.

Indigo plantations extended into Bihar, where too European planters used the zamindari system to force their peasant tenants to bow to their will.

Where they could not buy zamindaris they obtained leases from local zamindars, and in the form of ‘thekadars’ exercised the same rights over peasants as they would have had as zamindars.

In Champaran district of Bihar, most European planters obtained thekas or leases for whole villages from the large Bettiah zamindari. Here, as the demand for indigo grew with expanding textile imports, the planters imposed what came to be known as the tinkathia system, the peasants being forced

To address the situation, Gandhi arrived in Champaran in 1917 with a team of eminent lawyers: Brajkishore Prasad, Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha Ramnavmi Prasad, and others including J. B. Kripalani.

Solution: B

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):

• It is an International agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. It also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs
• It ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• It was signed on March 3, 1973 (Hence world wildlife day is celebrated on march 3).
• It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• Secretariat — Geneva (Switzerland).
• CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals.