INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 26 November 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• S1: The Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members (as soon as may be, after its first sitting).
• S2: whenever the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker does not vacate his office and continues till the newly-elected Lok Sabha meets.
• S3: He is the final interpreter of the provisions of (a) the Constitution of India, (b) the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and (c) the parliamentary precedents, within the House.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/speaker-of-the-lok-sabha-2/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: It seeks to provide a mechanism for the Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs.
• S2: MPs are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 per cent of the MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 5 per cent for areas inhabited by S.T. population.
• S3: Funds can be carried forward. Funds released to the District Authority by the Government of India are therefore non-lapsable. Funds left in the district can be carried forward for utilization in the subsequent years. Further, the funds not released by the Government of India in a year will be carried forward for making releases in the subsequent years
• S4: The District Authority would be responsible for overall coordination and supervision of the works under the scheme at the district level and inspect at least 10% of the works under implementation every year. The District Authority should involve the MPs in the inspections of projects to the extent feasible.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/centre-within-its-rights-to-suspend-mplads-says-bombay-high-court/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: About ESMA, 1968:

• The Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) is an act of Parliament of India.
• Objective: It was established to ensure the delivery of certain services, which if obstructed would affect the normal life of the people.
• These include services like public transport (bus services), health services (doctors and hospitals).
• ESMA gives police right to arrest without a warrant anybody violating the Act’s provisions.
• Implementation:
  • The ESMA is a law made by the Parliament of India under List No. 33 in Concurrent List of 7th Schedule of Constitution of India.
  • Although it is a very powerful law, its execution rests entirely on the discretion of the State government. Each state in the union of India, hence has a separate state Essential Services Maintenance Act with slight variations from the central law in its provisions. This freedom is accorded by the central law itself.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/essential-services-maintenance-act/

Explanation:

• S1: Zoram Mega food park launched in Mizoram, to benefit 25,000 farmers and create 5,000 jobs. This is the first Mega Food Park operationalized in the state of Mizoram.
• https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/07/21/mega-food-park/
• Ministry of Food Processing Industries is implementing Mega Food Park Scheme (MFPS) to create modern infrastructure for the food processing industries since 2008.
• S2: This scheme is now a component of the new Central Sector Umbrella Scheme– Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). The Mega Food Park Scheme (MFPS) aims at providing modern infrastructure facilities for food processing along the value chain from farm to market.
• S3: The primary objective of the MFPS is to provide modern infrastructure facilities for the food processing along the value chain from the farm to the market. It will include creation of processing infrastructure near the farm, transportation, logistics and centralized processing centres.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/mega-food-park-2/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The J&K administration had extended the ban on 3G-4G mobile internet excluding two districts of Ganderbal and Udhampur.
• Recently, the Standing Committee on Information and Technology met to discuss on the issue.
• What’s the issue?
  • The main question that the committee posed was about the status of the Internet shutdown.
  • As per the Supreme Court judgment in the Anuradha Bhasin case, Internet services cannot be suspended indefinitely.
  • Following the orders, the Central government amended the Telecom Suspension Rules 2017 to insert Rule 2A, which specifies that an Internet shutdown order can remain in operation for a maximum period of 15 days.
• Supreme Court’s verdict:
  • The Court said that all restrictive orders under Section 144 of CrPC and suspension of internet services in Jammu and Kashmir have to be reviewed by the administration.
  • The Court also laid down a framework of how the Internet can be suspended, and what rights and legal recourses a citizen has when it is suspended.
• Observations made by the Court:
  • On internet restrictions:
    • Right to internet is a fundamental right (subject to reasonable restrictions) included in the freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
    • Restrictions on fundamental rights could not be in exercise of arbitrary powers. These freedoms could only be restricted as a last resort if “relevant factors” have been considered and no other options are there.
    • Suspension of internet services indefinitely is also a violation of telecom rules.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/row-over-jk-net-ban-at-house-panel-meet/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: This is widely used in developed countries to save manpower.
• S2: Drones can go where volcanologists can’t, e.g. craters of volcanoes, giving researchers access to potentially life-saving data. See https://www.insightsonindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/UPSC-prelims-questions-paper-2020-GS-paper-1.pdf
• S3: See recent article on this: https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/13/16468698/drone-humpback-whale-microbiome-health-conservation
• Scientists flew a small drone over the blowhole of a few humpback whales in the US and Canada to collect the microbes living inside their breath. Sampling the community of microbes and bacteria living inside whales, called the microbiome, can help us better understand what makes a healthy whale, and what happens when a whale gets sick.
• MQ-9B Sea Guardian unarmed drones:
  • The Indian Navy has inducted two MQ-9B Sea Guardian unarmed drones procured from the U.S. on lease.
  • The drone has a maximum endurance of 40 hours and a maximum flying altitude of 40,000 feet.
  • It has a 3600 maritime surveillance radar and an optional multimode maritime surface search radar.
• Background:
  • The recently released Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 has introduced an option for leasing military platforms.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-26-november-2020/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Constitution day which is also known as the Samvidhan Divas is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the day on which the Constitution of India was adopted. While the adoption of the Constitution took place on November 26, 1949, it came into effect on January 26, 1950.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/26/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-26-november-2020/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• It is a part of the Constitution as declared by the SC. It certaintly does not have a legal effect independently since it cannot be enforced in a court of law.
• Although not enforceable in court on its own (option C is wrong), the Preamble states the objects of the Constitution, and acts as an aid during the interpretation of Articles when language is found ambiguous. Therefore, it begets some kind of legal effect when read along with the constitution, not independent from it. Option D is more appropriate.

Source: UPSC CSE 2020

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: We follow the First past the post system, where majority of votes is sufficient to get elected, even if it is less than 50% of the total votes polled.
• S2: Speaker and Deputy speaker are elected by the house. This is a convention (not constitutional provision) that usually Speaker’s post goes to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker’s to the Opposition.

Source: UPSC CSE 2017

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• There is some dispute about the answer. Some claim it to be A or B which are not correct. Both Khangchendzonga and Nandadevi National park do not have tropical vegetation.
• Namdapha National Park is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and is located in Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India.
  The area is also known for extensive Dipterocarp forests, comprising the northwestern parts of the ecoregion of Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests.
• The habitat changes with increasing altitude from tropical moist forests to Montane forests, temperate forests and at the higher elevations, to Alpine meadows and perennial snow. The park has extensive bamboo forests and secondary forests in addition to the primary forests.

Source: UPSC CSE 2015