INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 1 April 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Article 142 “provide(s) a unique power to the Supreme Court, to do “complete justice” between the parties, i.e., where at times law or statute may not provide a remedy, the Court can extend itself to put a quietus to a dispute in a manner which would befit the facts of the case.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/01/plea-in-sc-against-uniform-civil-law-on-divorce-and-alimony/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S1: National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 on March 28, 2014, established by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, as a wholly owned company of the Government of India, to act as a common trustee company for multiple credit guarantee funds.
• S2: SIDBI is implementing the Poorest States Inclusive Growth Programme (PSIG Programme), funded by UKAid from the Department for International Development (DFID), aims to improve access for poor, mainly women, to a variety of financial services in the 4 low income states viz., Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. NCGTC manages two collaterized funds under the Programme.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/01/emergency-credit-line-guarantee-scheme-eclgs-2/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S1: In May 2016, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework. The amended RBI Act also provides for the inflation target to be set by the Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, once in every five years.
• S2: As per the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the central bank is required to organise at least four meetings of the MPC in a year.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/01/inflation-targeting-2/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• What are military farms?
• The farms were set up with the sole requirement of supplying hygienic cow milk to troops in garrisons across British India. The first military farm was raised on February 1, 1889, at Allahabad.
• Post-Independence, they flourished with 30,000 heads of cattle in 130 farms all over India. They were even established in Leh and Kargil in the late 1990s.
• For more than a century, the farms supplied 3.5 crore litres of milk and 25,000 tonnes of hay yearly.
• Suggestions for closure:
  • In 2012, the Quarter Master General branch had recommended their closure.
  • In December 2016, the Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar (retd.) committee, which was appointed to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed forces.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/01/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-1-april-2021/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: AIM-PRIME:

• Launched by Atal Innovation Mission (http://niti.gov.in/aim ) in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) & Venture Center.
• AIM-PRIME (Program for Researchers on Innovations, Market-Readiness & Entrepreneurship) is an initiative to promote and support science-based deep-tech startups & ventures across India.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/01/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-1-april-2021/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S3: the Ministry of Environment notified that states which have a forest land of more than 75% of their geographical area need not provide non-forest land for compensatory afforestation. Instead, land can be taken up in states with lesser forest cover. Further, it was also notified that the minimum area of compensatory land should be five hectares if the land is not contiguous to a forest.
• S1: According to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, each time forest land is diverted, the project proponent has to pay the state to undertake plantation and for the ecosystem services lost due to diverting forest land, called Net Present Value (NPV). Whenever forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes, it is mandatory under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 that an equivalent area of non-forest land has to be taken up for compensatory afforestation.
• S2: As per the rules, 90% of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre.

Refer: http://egreenwatch.nic.in/public/aboutcampa.aspx

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Neora Valley National Park is situated in the Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India and was established in 1986.
• It is the land of the elegant red panda in the pristine undisturbed natural habitat with rugged inaccessible hilly terrain and rich diverse flora and fauna making this park an important wilderness zone.

Refer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neora_Valley_National_Park

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Tal Chhapar Sanctuary is a sanctuary located in the Churu district of Northwestern Rajasthan in the Shekhawati region of India. It is known for blackbucks and is also home to a variety of birds. The sanctuary is 210 km from Jaipur on the fringe of the Great Indian Desert and situated on road from Ratangarh to Sujangarh.
• Tal Chhapar is a refuge of the blackbuck.

Refer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_Chhapar_Sanctuary

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• S4: In India, hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• S1: The blackbuck is native to the Indian subcontinent, but extirpated in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Nepal, the last surviving blackbuck population inhabits the Blackbuck Conservation Area south of Bardia National Park.
• S3: The blackbuck is active mainly during the day. It forms three type of small groups, female, male, and bachelor herds.
• S2: It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

Refer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbuck

Ans: (a)

Example:

• Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is located 54 km from Pithoragarh near the town of Askot in Uttarakhand. As the name suggests, the sanctuary has been set up primarily for the conservation of musk deer and its natural habitat.
• S2: Various rare and endangered species like bharal or blue sheep, black bear, brown bear, Himalayan Monal, Himalayan Snowcock, Himalayan Thar, musk deer and Snow leopard are found in the park.
• S3 and S4: Musk deer are largely distributed in the Himalayan high altitude belts, so Manas and Kishanpur can be discounted.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2020