INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 26 December 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The Constitution makes it clear that if any question arises whether a matter falls within the governor’s discretion or not, the decision of the governor is final and the validity of anything done by him cannot be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in his discretion. The governor has constitutional discretion in the following cases:
  • Reservation of a bill for the consideration of the President.
  • Recommendation for the imposition of the President’s Rule in the state.
  • While exercising his functions as the administrator of an adjoining union territory (in case of additional charge).
  • Determining the amount payable by the Government of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to an autonomous Tribal District Council as royalty accruing from licenses for mineral exploration
  • Seeking information from the chief minister with regard to the administrative and legislative matters of the state.
• In addition to the above constitutional discretion (i.e., the express discretion mentioned in the Constitution), the governor, like the president, also has situational discretion (i.e., the hidden discretion derived from the exigencies of a prevailing political situation) in the following cases:
  • Appointment of chief minister when no party has a clear-cut majority in the state legislative assembly or when the chief minister in office dies suddenly and there is no obvious successor.
  • Dismissal of the council of ministers when it cannot prove the confidence of the state legislative assembly.
  • Dissolution of the state legislative assembly if the council of ministers has lost its majority.
  • Moreover, the governor has certain special responsibilities to discharge according to the directions issued by the President. In this regard, the governor, though has to consult the council of ministers led by the chief minister, acts finally on his discretion.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/governor-not-sending-bills-for-presidential-assent/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• In estimating the constitutional position of the governor, particular reference has to be made to the provisions of Articles 154, 163 and 164. These are:
  • The executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution (Article 154).
  • There shall be a council of ministers with the chief minister as the head to aid and advice the governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is required to exercise his functions in his discretion (Article 163).
  • The council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the legislative assembly of the state (Article 164). This provision is the foundation of the parliamentary system of government in the state.
  • From the above, it is clear that constitutional position of the governor differs from that of the president in the following two respects:
    • While the Constitution envisages the possibility of the governor acting at times in his discretion, no such possibility has been envisaged for the President.
    • After the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976), ministerial advice has been made binding on the President, but no such provision has been made with respect to the governor.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/governor-not-sending-bills-for-presidential-assent/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context:
  • The Jammu and Kashmir administration has extended the ban on 4G mobile Internet up to January 8, saying “the restrictions on the high-speed connectivity acted as an impediment to attempts” of the militants to disturb the District Development Council (DDC) polls.
• The Supreme Court declared that the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to carry on trade or business using the Internet are constitutionally protected. The Information Technology Act, 2000, the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973 and the Telegraph Act, 1885 are the three laws that deal with suspension of Internet services.
• What is Section 144?
  • It gives power to a District Magistrate, a sub- divisional Magistrate or any other Executive Magistrate on behalf of the State Government to issue an order to an individual or the general publicin a particular place or area to “abstain from a certain act” or “to take certain order with respect to certain property in his possession or under his management”. Section 144 also empowers the authorities to block the internet access.
• What procedure does the government follow to suspend Internet services?
  • The Information Technology Act, 2000, the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973 and the Telegraph Act, 1885 are the three laws that deal with suspension of Internet services.
  • But before 2017, Internet suspension orders were issued under section 144 of the CrPC.
  • In 2017, the central government notified the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Service) Rules under the Telegraph Act to govern suspension of Internet.
  • These Rules derive their powers from Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, which talks about interception of messages in the “interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India”.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/jk-internet-ban-extended/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context:
  • PM Modi to launch the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) SEHAT scheme for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
• About the Scheme:
  • SEHAT scheme stands for Social, Endeavour for Health and Telemedicine, a health insurance scheme for the Union Territory.
  • The Scheme provides free of cost insurance cover to all the residents of the UT of J&K.
  • It provides financial cover up to Rs.5 Lakh per family on a floater basis to all residents of the UT of J&K.
  • It provides for an operational extension of PM-JAY to 15 lakh (approximately) additional families.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/ayushman-bharat-pm-jay-sehat/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Ayushman Bharat, a flagship scheme of Government of India, was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This initiative has been designed to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its underlining commitment, which is to “leave no one behind.”
• Ayushman Bharat adopts a continuum of care approach, comprising of two inter-related components, which are –
  • Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)
  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)
• Key Features of PM-JAY
  • PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the government.
  • It provides a cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization across public and private empanelled hospitals in India.
  • Over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable entitled families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) are eligible for these benefits.
  • PM-JAY provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point of service, that is, the hospital.
  • PM-JAY envisions to help mitigate catastrophic expenditure on medical treatment which pushes nearly 6 crore Indians into poverty each year.
  • It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
  • There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
  • All pre–existing conditions are covered from day one.
  • Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country i.e. a beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
  • Services include approximately 1,393 procedures covering all the costs related to treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’s fees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges etc.
  • Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with the private hospitals.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/ayushman-bharat-pm-jay-sehat/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context:
  • Russia expects to support an increase in oil production by OPEC+, of another 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from February at next month’s summit of the leading global oil producers.
• What is the Opec+?
• Opec+ refers to the alliance of crude producers, who have been undertaking corrections in supply in the oil markets since 2017.
• OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.
• What are their goals?
  • The Opec and non-Opec producers first formed the alliance at a historic meeting in Algiers in 2016.
  • The aim was to undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a flailing market.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/what-is-the-opec-3/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an intergovernmental organization of 13 nations.
• As of September 2018, the 13 member countries accounted for an estimated 44 percent of global oil production and 81.5 percent of the world’s “proven” oil reserves.
• A larger group called OPEC+ was formed in late 2016, to have more control on global crude oil market, who have been undertaking corrections in supply in the oil markets.
• OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/what-is-the-opec-3/

Ans: (a)

Explanation: here the directive word is incorrect!!

• Context:
  • India now has forty-two Ramsar sites with the addition of Ladakh’s Tso Kar wetland.
• The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
• The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”.
• The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.
• Montreux Record under the Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
• It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/tso-kar-wetland-complex/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• About Tso Kar:
• Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two principal waterbodies, Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake and Tso Kar itself, a hyper saline lake, situated in the Changthang region of Ladakh, India.
• It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water.
• It is also an Important Bird Area (IBA) as per BirdLife International and a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway.
• Important bird species found in the area:
• Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), Great Crested Grebe (Podicepscristatus), Bar-headed Geese (Anserindicus), Ruddy Shelduck (Tadornaferruginea), Brown-headed Gull (Larusbrunnicephalus), Lesser Sand-Plover (Charadriusmongolus) and many other species.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/tso-kar-wetland-complex/

Ans: (a)

Explanation: Montreux Record:

• Montreux Record under the Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
• It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.
• The Montreux Record was established by Recommendation of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (1990).
• Sites may be added to and removed from the Record only with the approval of the Contracting Parties in which they lie.
• Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur).
• Chilka lake (Odisha)was placed in the record but was later removed from it.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/26/tso-kar-wetland-complex/