DAY – 44 ( INSTA REVISION TEST)INSTA REVISION PLAN 3.0, 2020

Solution: A

The time immediately following the Question Hour and laying of papers and before any listed business is taken up in the House has come to be popularly known as the `Zero Hour’.  As it starts around 12 noon, this period is euphemistically termed as `Zero Hour’.  For raising matters during the ‘Zero Hour’ in Lok Sabha, Members give notice between 8.30 a.m.  and 9.00 a.m. every day to the Speaker stating clearly the subject which they consider to be important and wish to raise in the House.  It is, of course, for the Speaker to allow or not to allow for raising such matters in the House.  The term `Zero Hour’ is not formally recognised in our parliamentary procedure.

Solution: B

What is the difference between breach of privilege and contempt of the House?

Answer.       When any of the privileges, either of the Members individually or of the House in its collective capacity, is disregarded or attacked by any individual or authority, the offence is called a `breach of privilege’.

Contempt of the House may be defined generally as any act or omission which obstructs or impedes either House of Parliament in the performance of its functions, or which obstructs or impedes any Member or officers of such House in the discharge of his or her duty, or which has a tendency, directly or indirectly, to produce such results even though there is no precedent of the offence.  Whereas all breaches of privilege are contempt’s  of the House, a person may be guilty of a contempt of the House even though he does not violate any of the privilege of the House, e.g. when he disobeys an order to attend a Committee or publishes reflections on the character or conduct of a Member in his capacity as a Member.

Solution: B

Bhoomi Rashi:

• Bhoomi Rashi, the portal developed by MoRTH and NIC, comprises the entire revenue data of the country, right down to 6.4 lakh villages.
• The entire process flow, from submission of draft notification by the State Government to its approval by the Hon. Minister of State for RT&H and publication in e-Gazette, is online.
• The portal, created for expediting the process of publication of notifications for LA, is now being fully utilised for issuing the notifications.
• Bhoomi Rashi portal has been instrumental in reducing the time taken for approval and publication of notifications pertaining to land acquisition.
• The portal intends to expedite the process of land acquisition for National Highways.

Solution: A

State Election Commission

• The Constitution of India vests in the State Election Commission, consisting of a State Election Commissioner, the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of all elections to the Panchayats and the Municipalities (Articles 243K, 243ZA).
• The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Governor.
• As per article 243(C3) the Governor, when so requested by the State Election Commission, make available to the State Election Commission such staff as may be necessary for the discharge of the functions conferred on the SEC by clause (1).

What was the need for State Election Commissions?

• Under the Constitution, establishment of local self-government institutions is the responsibility of the states (entry 5, List II, Seventh Schedule).
• The Constitution was amended in 1992 to define the term (five years) for these institutions. Simultaneously, another provision was made for setting up a constitutional authority, the SEC, on the lines of the EC to conduct regular panchayat elections.

Solution: B

20th Livestock Census

Context: Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying releases 20th Livestock Census.

Significance: The Census will prove beneficial not just for policy makers but also for agriculturists, traders, entrepreneurs, dairying industry and masses in general.

Key results of the Census:

• Total Livestock population is 535.78 million- an increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census-2012.
• Total Bovine population (Cattle, Buffalo, Mithun and Yak)-79 Million in 2019- an increase of about 1% over the previous census.
• A decline of 6 % in the total Indigenous/ Non-descript cattle population over the previous census.

About livestock census:

• Conducted periodically since 1919-20.
• Covers all domesticated animals and its headcounts.
• It has been released by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
• It has been conducted once every 5 years.

Solution: B

Inter-State Water Disputes Act of 1956

National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA)

The Central government is working on the establishment of an exclusive body to implement projects for linking rivers- To be called the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA).

Functions of NIRA:

• It is expected to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects.
• It will also make arrangements for generating funds, internally and externally.

About National River Linking Project (NRLP):

• The NRLP formally known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins to water ‘deficit’ basins, through inter-basin water transfer projects.
• Significance: It is designed to ease water shortages in western and southern India while mitigating the impacts of recurrent floods in the eastern parts of the Ganga basin.

ILR Projects in India:

• As of now, six ILR projects — the Ken-Betwa, Damanganga- Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada, Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga, Mahanadi-Godavari and Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) — have been under examination of the authorities.
• With regard to the peninsular rivers, the Centre has chosen to focus on the Godavari-Cauvery link than the earlier proposal to link the Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery rivers.

Solution: B

National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)

For effective implementation of relief measures in the wake of natural calamities, the Government of India has set up a Standing National Crisis Management Committee with Cabinet Secretary as Chairman.

Key functions:

• Oversee the Command, Control and Coordination of the disaster response.
• Give direction to the Crisis Management Group (CMG) as deemed necessary.

Solution: C

What are Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvIT)?

• It is like a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of small amounts of money from possible individual/institutional investors in infrastructure to earn a small portion of the income as return.
• InvITs can be treated as the modified version of REITs designed to suit the specific circumstances of the infrastructure sector.
• They are similar to REIT but invest in infrastructure projects such as roads or highways which take some time to generate steady cash flows.
• InvITs are registered as trusts with SEBI and there are four parties — trustee, sponsors, investment manager and project manager.

Solution: D

Estimates Committee

the effectiveness of the role of the committee is limited by the following:

(a) It examines the budget estimates only after they have been voted by the Parliament, and not before that.

(b) It cannot question the policy laid down by the Parliament.

(c) Its recommendations are advisory and not binding on the ministries.

(d) It examines every year only certain selected ministries and departments. Thus, by rotation, it would cover all of them over a number of years.

(e) It lacks the expert assistance of the CAG which is available to the Public Accounts Committee.

(f) Its work is in the nature of a postmortem.

Solution: C

Indian Ocean Rim Association:

• The Indian Ocean Rim Association was set up with the objective of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean Region
• The IORA is a regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and Academia, for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among them.
• It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region.
• India, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman are among the members of IORA.

Significance of IORA:

The existence of IORA is a reminder of the untapped potential of Indian Ocean regionalism. Nearly five decades ago, in the aftermath of decolonisation, the attempt to bring together the Indian Ocean states faltered amidst deep divisions within the littoral and due to the negative impact of the Cold War. Today, the IORA underlines the region’s agency in shaping its own future.

Solution: C

Committee on Absence of Members

This committee considers all applications from members for leave of absence from the sittings of the House, and examines the cases of members who have been absent for a period of 60 days or more without permission. It is a special committee of the Lok Sabha and consists of 15 members. There is no such committee in the Rajya Sabha and all such matters are dealt by the House itself.

Solution: D

Advisory Jurisdiction

The Constitution (Article 143) authorizes the president to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court in the two categories of matters:

(a) On any question of law or fact of public importance which has arisen or which is likely to arise.

(b) On any dispute arising out of any pre-constitution treaty, agreement, covenant, engagement, sanad or other similar instruments.

In the first case, the Supreme Court may tender or may refuse to tender its opinion to the president. But, in the second case, the Supreme Court ‘must’ tender its opinion to the president. In both the cases, the opinion expressed by the Supreme Court is only advisory and not a judicial pronouncement. Hence, it is not binding on the president; he may follow or may not follow the opinion. However, it facilitates the government to have an authoritative legal opinion on a matter to be decided by it.

So far (2019), the President has made fifteen references to the Supreme Court under its advisory jurisdiction (also known as consultative jurisdiction).

Solution: C

Speaker of the Lok Sabha:

• The chairman or the Presiding Officer of Lok Sabha is called Speaker.
• The speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from all other members by simple majority.
• Any Member of Parliament is eligible to be nominated as a speaker but most commonly the candidate of ruling party or the party with majority wins this post.
• However, there are certain cases when the elected Speaker does not belonged to the majority ruling party of Lok Sabha (G. M. C. Balyogi, Manohar Joshi, Somnath Chatterjee).

Functions and Powers of Lok Sabha Speakers:

• Speaker of Lok Sabha is basically the head of the house and presides over the sittings of Parliament and controls its working.
• The constitution has tried to ensure the independence of Speaker by charging his salary on the consolidated Fund of India and the same is not subject to vote of Parliament.
• While debating or during general discussion on a bill, the members of the parliament have to address only to the Speaker.
• Whenever there is a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha) the Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over this meeting.
• The Speaker of Lok Sabha comes at sixth position in the Order of Precedence of Government of India.
• In the normal circumstances the Speaker does not casts his vote over any matter in Lok Sabha. But whenever there is a tie on votes between the ruling party and opposition, the Speaker at that time can exercise his vote.
• It is the Speaker who decides the agenda of various discussions.
• The speaker has the power to adjourn or suspend the house/meetings if the quorum is not met.
• The Speaker ensures the discipline and decorum of the house. If the speaker finds the behaviour and a Member of Parliament is not good, he/she can punish the unruly members by suspending.
• The Speaker decides whether a bill brought to the house is a money bill or not. In the case Speaker decides some bill as a money bill, this decision cannot be challenged.
• Speaker is the final and sole authority to allow different types of motions and resolutions such as No Confidence Motion, Motion of Adjournment, and Censure Motion etc.
• The Speaker of Lok Sabha does not leave the office just after dissolution of the assembly. He continues to be in the office till the newly formed assembly takes its first meeting and elects the new Speaker.

Solution: D

PIL is absolutely necessary for maintaining the rule of law, furthering the cause of justice and accelerating the pace of realisation of the constitutional objectives. In other words, the real purposes of PIL are:

(i) vindication of the rule of law,

(ii) facilitating effective access to justice to the socially and economically weaker sections of the society, and

(iii) meaningful realisation of the fundamental rights.

Solution: D

Flamingo Festival

It is held every year to promote tourism in Pulicat and Nellapattu. Flamingo Festival is being organized for the past 12 years.

Nellapattu Bird Sanctuary is one of the biggest habitats for some hundreds of pelicans and other birds. It is located about 20 km north of the Pulicat Lake, Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh.

Solution: A

Quorum

Quorum is the minimum number of members required to be present in the House before it can transact any business. It is ten members or one-tenth of the total number of members of the House (including the presiding officer), whichever is greater. If there is no quorum during a meeting of the House, it is the duty of the presiding officer either to adjourn the House or to suspend the meeting until there is a quorum.

Solution: C

Sambhar Lake is India’s largest inland salt lake, is located 80 km southwest of the city of Jaipur and 64 km northeast of Ajmer, Rajasthan. It surrounds the historical Sambhar Lake Town.

Rudrasagar Lake, also known as Twijilikma, is a lake located in Melaghar, Tripura, India. The Government of India’s Ministry of Environment and Forest has identified Rudrasagar as one of the wetlands of National Importance for conservation and sustainable use based on its bio-diversity and socio economic importance.

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a 120.82-square-kilometre (46.65 sq mi) lake and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the west of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village, in the Gujarat state of India. Mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India. It was declared a bird sanctuary in April 1969.

Solution: B

The Miyawaki method of afforestation revolutionized the concept of urban afforestation by turning backyards into miniforests.

Kerala is to take this method of afforestation to add green cover on government office premises, residential complexes, school premises etc in Kerala.

Solution: C

Article 3 authorises the Parliament to:
(a) form a new state by separation of territory from any state or by uniting two or more states or
parts of states or by uniting any territory to a part of any state,
(b) increase the area of any state,
(c) diminish the area of any state,
(d) alter the boundaries of any state, and
(e) alter the name of any state.

However, Article 3 lays down two conditions in this regard: one, a bill contemplating the above changes can be introduced in the Parliament only with the prior recommendation of the President;

Two, before recommending the bill, the President has to refer the same to the state legistature concerned for expressing its views within a specified period.

The President (or Parliament) is not bound by the views of the state legislature and may either accept or reject them, even if the views are received in time. Further, it is not necessary to make a fresh reference to the state legislature every time an amendment to the bill is moved and accepted in Parliament.

Solution: A

Core Banking Solution (CBS) is networking of branches, which enables Customers to operate their accounts, and avail banking services from any branch of the Bank on CBS network, regardless of where he maintains his account.

http://www.bankofbaroda.co.in/cbs.asp

Solution: B

The Right against Phone tapping is comes under Right to Freedom of speech and expression (Art 19).

Freedom to marriage a person of one’s choice is guaranteed by Article 21,

Solution: B

The Zonal Councils are the statutory bodies. They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, States Reorganisation Act of 1956.

The act divides the country into five zones (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and
Southern) and provided a zonal council for each zone

The home minister of Central government is the common chairman of the five zonal councils. Each chief minister acts as a vice-chairman of the
council by rotation, holding office for a period of one year at a time

Solution: A

India-Africa Summit started in 2008 (first summit) is one of the most spectacular diplomatic exercises hosted by India since the 1983 Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.

Second and third summit were held in 2011 and 2015.

Solution: D

Though the President of India is not a member of either House of Parliament and does not sit in the Parliament to attend its meetings, he is an integral part of the Parliament. This is because a bill passed by both the Houses of Parliament cannot become law without the President’s assent.

The Constitution has empowered the Parliament to prescribe the manner of choosing the representatives of the union territories in the Lok Sabha.
Accordingly, the Parliament has enacted the Union Territories (Direct Election to the House of the People) Act, 1965, by which the members of Lok Sabha from the union territories are also chosen by direct election.

Solution: A

Agenda 21 is a non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development.

It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.