[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 26 January 2023

Solution: b)

The expression “minorities” appears in some Articles of the Constitution, but is not defined anywhere.

Central Government notifies minority communities at the national level in consultation with various stakeholders under Section 2 (c) of National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Act, 1992.  The six communities notified as minority communities under Section 2(c) of the NCM Act, 1992 are Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. Notification of any community specific to a State as minority community with in a State comes under the purview of the State concerned. 

Solution: b)

Green manures are crops grown specifically for maintaining soil fertility and structure. They are normally incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting. There are three main varieties of green manure, including Dhaincha, Cowpea, Sunhemp. Also some crops such as summer moong, mash pulses and guar act as green manure.

Punjab’s per hectare fertiliser consumption, which is around 244 kg, is one of the highest in the country and is also higher than the national average. Growing green manure can curtail this consumption to a large extent by 25 to 30% and can save huge input cost for the farmers.

Also, even the PH level of the soil in several parts of the state is more than 8.5 and 9 per cent and green manure is beneficial to maintain it at the required level which is 7 per cent.

Solution: a)

Recommendations at various instances to correct the AFSPA ACT:

• BP Jeevan Reddy committeeexamining it in relation to the Northeast in 2005, and the Veerappa Moily report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission of 2007, recommended that the Act be repealed.
• The reports of the Justice Verma Committee (2013)and the Justice Hegde Commission (2013) supported need to address the abuses committed under the AFSPA and end the effective impunity enjoyed by security forces.
• Supreme Court appointed Hegde Commission (2013)found that all seven deaths in the six cases it investigated were extrajudicial executions, and also said that the AFSPA was widely abused by security forces in Manipur.

N.K. Singh is the Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission. Prior to this position, he presided as Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Review Committee (FRBM).

Solution: c)

Solution: c)

First Narasimham Committee Report:

• Presented in 1991.
• It recommended the creation of a four-tier banking structure with three large banks on top.
• It also introduced the concept of rural-focused banks such as local area banks.
• It proposed a phased reduction in banks’ mandatory bond investment and cash reserve limits so that banks lend money for other productive needs of the economy.
• It introduced the concept of capital adequacy ratio and proposed the abolition of the branch licensing policy.
• The concepts of non-performing assets classification and full disclosure of accounts were also recommended by the first committee.
• By proposing to deregulate interest rates, it brought in gre­ater competition among banks.
• The committee introduced the concept of an asset reconstruction fund to take over bad debts.

Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low-Income Households (commonly known as the Nachiket Mor Committee) introduced the concept of differentiated banks such as small finance banks.