[Mission 2022] Insta– QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 01 January 2022

Solution: a)

GoI’s annual sample registration survey (SRS) is a demographic survey that tracks changes in IMR. In 2019, India’s IMR was 30 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. It represents not just an annual improvement but also a better performance compared to the IMR of 50 in 2009.

Higher incomes often translate into improvements on many counts. In IMR, however, there’s no evidence of a tight link between the two. For instance, Nepal with just over half of India’s per capita GDP, has a lower IMR. Sri Lanka’s IMR is close to that of EU at a fraction of the per capita income.

Mizoram and Nagaland, the two standout performers with the IMR level of Scandinavia, do far better than states such as Haryana which have a much higher per capita income.

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Solution: d)

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in two separates orders slashed the basic customs duty and the agriculture and infrastructure development cess on specific edible oils.

The effective import duty including cess and other charges.
Rationalising import duty is a part of the government’s key strategy to check edible oil prices. The government is currently operating a centrally sponsored scheme called National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to increase domestic production of edible oils and to reduce imports dependency. Malaysia and Indonesia are major sources of edible oil imports for India.

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Solution: b)

Solution: c)

An electoral bond is a bearer banking instrument that works as follows: Any donor who is an Indian citizen or incorporated or established in the country can buy the bond from a designated branch of the SBI by submitting, among others, a copy of citizenship proof, KYC documents and a declaration on the source of funds. The bond can be bought in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and `1 crore. The payment can be made through cheque, demand draft or internet banking. To protect the donor’s identity, the bond does not contain their name but a unique alphanumeric character.

Donors can purchase and subsequently donate the bonds to their party of choice, which the party can then cash through its verified account within 15 days. There is no limit on the number of bonds an individual or company can purchase. 

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Solution: c)

Privately-held asset reconstruction companies set up in 2002 under the SARFAESI Act. 

As per SARFAESI, ARCs are permitted to buy NPAs from banks with a combination of cash and securities. They are expected to engage in loan-recovery activity and thus the revival of underlying businesses. Typically, they charge management fees for the securities they manage on behalf of a bank. ARCs are also permitted to sell these securities in the secondary market to qualified buyers.

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