DAY – 26 ( INSTA REVISION TEST – 26)INSTA REVISION PLAN 2.0, 2021

Solution: A

Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)

• The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had constituted PLFS under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kundu.

Key findings:

• The unemployment rate (UR) in both rural and urban India is at its highest since 1972.
• In urban areas, the UR among men is more than twice and has increased twice among women since 2011- 12.
• The unemployment rates in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas.
• In urban areas, the unemployment rates for females are higher than those for males.
• unemployment among rural not-literate females has reduced and among urban females, the number of those who are literate up to primary-level jobs, is the same as 2011-12.
• Among social groups, the highest UR is among the ‘General’ or ‘Others’ category — 6.7 per cent.
• Among religious groups, Christians have the highest UR in both urban and rural areas.

Solution: A

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of the Collaborative Agreement with French National Research Agency (ANR), France for supporting the Belmont Forum Secretariat from January, 2015 to December, 2017 at a total estimated expenditure of Euro 40,000. The Cabinet also approved continued financial support to Belmont Forum Secretariat beyond 2017.

What is Belmont Forum?

The Belmont Forum, created in 2009, is a high-level group of the world’s major and emerging funders of global environmental change research and international science councils.

What it does?

It provides an opportunity to identify study and deliver international environmental research priorities, for the society, in an accelerated way through trans­national research collaboration between natural and social scientists and alignment of international resources

Members:

India is a member of Belmont Forum, besides Australia, Brazil, Canada, European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Netherland, South Africa, UK and USA etc.

Ministry of Earth Science (MoES), represents India in the Belmont Forum since 2012.

Solution: C

The World Bank Group supports systematic efforts to create and curate knowledge and know-how generated within India and disseminate it across the country as well as to the outside world.  

Support for a Lighthouse India includes amplifying the country’s role as a leader on key global development issues and leveraging its vast experience to provide for two-way learning. The World Bank Group also supports sustained dialogue among policy influencers and the private sector in the South Asia region to sharpen awareness and strengthen coalitions for action on common development challenges within and across countries.

Solution: A

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

• Intergovernmental organization
• Established in 1899 by Convention on the Pacific Settlement of disputes
• Headquarter — The Hague, Netherlands
• membership: 121 states
• India is a party to the convention
• It is not a United Nations agency but PCA is an official United Nations Observer
• It is not a court “in the traditional sense” but provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that arise out of international agreements between member states, international organizations or private parties
• The cases span a range of legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries, sovereignty, human rights, international investment, and international and regional trade
• All decisions, called “awards” are binding on all the parties in the dispute and have to be carried out without delay.

Solution: D

Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur shares border with Myanmar.

Uttarkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim shares border with Nepal.

Ladakh shares border with China, Pakistan and Afghanistan

Solution: D

Sentinelese:

• The Sentinelese is a negrito tribe who live on the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans. The inhabitants are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as well as linguistic similarities. Their numbers are believed to be less than 150 and as low as 40.
• Based on carbon dating of kitchen middens by the Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese presence was confirmed in the islands to 2,000 years ago. Genome studies indicate that the Andaman tribes could have been on the islands even 30,000 years ago.
• Surveys of North Sentinel Island have not found any evidence of agriculture. Instead, the community seems to be hunter-gatherers, getting food through fishing, hunting, and collecting wild plants living on the island.
• Sentinelese are also listed under Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)by the government of India.

They have been protected under:

• A &N Islands (PAT) Regulation 1956.
• Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
• Restrictions under Foreigner (Restricted Area) Orders, 1963.
• Visa Manual Conditions/Passport Act 1920,
• Indian Forest Act, 1927
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Steps taken to ensure the protection of Sentinelese:

• The entire North Sentinel Island along with 5 km coastal sea from high water mark is notified as tribal reserve.
• The Government respects their way of life style, therefore, has adopted an ‘eyes-on and hands-off’ practice to protect and safeguard the Sentinelese tribe.
• A protocol of circumnavigation of the North Sentinel Island has been notified. The ships and aircrafts of Coast Guard and boats of Marine Police make sorties around North Sentinel to keep surveillance.

Solution: B

Manas National Park (MNP):

• Manas National Park is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam, India.
• Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• The Manas river flows thorough the west of the park and is the main river within it. It is a major tributary of Brahmaputra river and splits into two separate rivers, the Beki and Bholkaduba as it reaches the plains.
• The Manas River also serves as an international border dividing India and Bhutan.
• The bedrock of the savanna area in the north of the park is made up of limestone and sandstone, whereas the grasslands in the south of the park stand on deep deposits of fine alluvium.
• The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai formation along with the riverine succession continuing up to Sub-Himalayan mountain forest make it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world.
• The fauna of the sanctuary include Indian elephants, Indian rhinoceros, gaurs, Asian water buffaloes, barasingha, Indian tigers, Indian leopards, clouded leopards, Asian golden cats, dholes, capped langurs, golden langurs, Assamese macaques, slow loris, hoolock gibbons, smooth-coated otters, sloth bears, barking deers, hog deers, black panthers, sambar deers and chitals.
• The park is well known for species of rare and endangered wildlife that are not found anywhere else in the world like the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog.

Solution: C

About e-Biz:

e-Biz is one of the integrated services projects and part of the 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) under the National E-Governance Plan (NEGP) of the Government of India.

Implementation: e-Biz is being implemented by Infosys Technologies Limited (Infosys) under the guidance and aegis of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.

The focus of e-Biz is to improve the business environment in the country by enabling fast and efficient access to Government-to-Business (G2B) services through an online portal. This will help in reducing unnecessary delays in various regulatory processes required to start and run businesses.

Aim: This project aims at creating an investor-friendly business environment in India by making all regulatory information – starting from the establishment of a business, through its ongoing operations, and even its possible closure – easily available to the various stakeholders concerned. In effect, it aims to develop a transparent, efficient and convenient interface, through which the government and businesses can interact in a timely and cost-effective manner, in the future.

Solution: C

Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA):

• It was established in 1943 by group of Indian intellectuals as think tank. It was established as non-official, non-political and non-profit organisation under Registration of Societies Act 1860.
• It was declared institution of national importance by Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), 2001 enacted by Parliament.
• The Vice President of India is the ex-officio President of ICWA, while the Minister of External Affairs is its Vice-President.
• ICWA is devoted exclusively for the study of international relations and foreign affairs.
• It had conducted historic international conferences like Asian Relations Conference in 1947 under leadership Sarojini Naidu and United Nations and New World Order in 1994.

Solution: D

Know India Programme is a flagship programme of Ministry of External Affairs for engagement with Indian origin youth (between 18-30 years) to enhance their awareness about India, its cultural heritage, art and to familiarise them with various aspects of contemporary India.

Eligibility: Minimum qualification required for participating in KIP is graduation from a recognized University /Institute or enrolled for graduation and ability to speak in English. The applicant should not have visited India through any previous Programme of Government of India. Those who have not visited India before will be given preference.

Solution: A

Financial Action Task Force (FATF):

• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 on the initiative of the G7. 
• It is a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in various areas.
• The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris.
• Objectives: The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
• Functions: The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally.  In collaboration with other international stakeholders, the FATF works to identify national-level vulnerabilities with the aim of protecting the international financial system from misuse.

The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering is an inter-governmental organisation, consisting of 41 member jurisdictions, focused on ensuring that its members effectively implement the international standards against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing related to weapons of mass destruction. It doesn’t works under FATF.

Solution: B

Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The Act provided for the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management in the country. Initially, the NDMA was constituted in 2005 by an Executive Order of the Government of India. Subsequently, the NDMA was notified in 2006 under the provisions of the Act.

The NDMA consists of a chairperson and other members, not exceeding nine. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA. The other members are nominated by the chairperson of the NDMA. The chairperson of the NDMA designates one of the members as the vice-chairperson of the NDMA. The vice chairperson has the status of a Cabinet Minister while the other members have the status of a Minister of State.

The NDMA is the apex body for disaster management in the country. It works under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Solution: C

Lunar Evacuation System Assembly (LESA):

Context: Among preparations for NASA’s 2024 Moon mission, one has been to test a device called Lunar Evacuation System Assembly, or LESA.

• Developed by the European Space Agency (ESA)
• LESA is a pyramid-like structure whose purpose is to rescue an astronaut should he or she suffer an injury on the lunar surface.
• LESA can be operated by a single astronaut to rescue a fallen colleague. It enables an astronaut to lift their crewmate onto a mobile stretcher in less than 10 minutes, before carrying them to the safety of a nearby pressurised lander.

Solution: A

The following are the drawbacks (shortcomings) of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013:

• Lokpal cannot suo motu proceed against any public servant.
• Emphasis on form of complaint rather than substance.
• Heavy punishment for false and frivolous complaints against public servants may deter complaints being filed to Lokpal.
• Anonymous complaints not allowed -Can’t just make a complaint on plain paper and drop it in a box with supporting documents.
• Legal assistance to public servant against whom complaint is filed.
• Limitation period of 7 years to file complaints.
• Very non-transparent procedure for dealing with complaints against the PM.

Solution: B

The Central Information Commission was established by the Central Government in 2005. It was constituted through an Official Gazette Notification under the provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005). Hence, it is not a constitutional body. The Central Information Commission is a high-powered independent body which inter alia looks into the complaints made to it and decide the appeals. It entertains complaints and appeals pertaining to offices, financial institutions, public sector undertakings, etc., under the Central Government and the Union Territories.

The Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.

They should be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance. They should not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory. They should not hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession.

The Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner shall hold office for such term as prescribed by the Central Government or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They are not eligible for reappointment.