[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 3 February 2023

Solution: b)

The Supreme Court held that chargesheets are not ‘public documents’ and enabling their free public access violates the provisions of the Criminal Code of Procedure as it compromises the rights of the accused, victim, and the investigation agencies.

Section 74 of the Evidence Act defines ‘public documents’ as those which form the acts or records of sovereign authority, official bodies, tribunals, and of public offices either legislative, judicial or executive in any part of India, Commonwealth or a foreign country. It also includes public records “kept in any State of private documents”.

Meanwhile, Section 76 of the Evidence Act mandates every public officer having custody over such documents to provide its copy pursuant to a demand and payment of legal fee, accompanied by a certificate of attestation along with the date, seal, name and designation of the officer.

Source

Solution: b)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body responsible for the host city’s selection. It has 99 member countries, each having its own IOC representative, who is often an ex-Olympian or athlete. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, is India’s representative.

Till now India has not hosted any Olympic Games, since the beginning of modern Olympics.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams at these events.

Legendary athlete PT Usha on 10 December, 2022 was elected as the first woman president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Solution: a)

The wheat that was sown before mid-November is now in the “boot” stage, where the earheads (which bear the flowers and eventually grain) are forming at the top of the plants. Heading (when the earheads fully emerge from the stem) and flowering (pollination) happens within 90-100 days from sowing, which is followed by about 25 days of early kernel formation (“milk” stage) and another 15 days or more of grain-filling (“dough”).

“The crop is looking very good. The combination of sunny skies and low night temperatures that we are having is just right for wheat. Rain would be welcome at this time: “It will provide growth momentum to the crop by cooling the canopy and enabling natural nitrogen fixation.

Light showers along with thunderstorms now would be equivalent to applying 15 kg of urea per acre. Rainwater will also wash away the dust and pollutants deposited on leaves; it is also purer than groundwater that may contain salts and other contaminants.

Farmers have planted an all-time-high area of 91.56 lh under mustard, compared to 84.47 lh in 2021-22, and the normal average of 63.46 lh. Unlike with wheat though, the dry and cold winter has not been beneficial for mustard.

The reason: Mustard, which is generally sown by October-end, starts flowering after 50-60 days and forming siliqua (pods containing seeds) over the next 35-40 days. The severe cold wave conditions prevailing over Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh during January 15-18 is believed to have caused frost damage to the crop in many areas.

While clear sunshine in the morning and a sharp dip in night temperatures to near freezing point isn’t bad for wheat in the tillering/ booting stages, it can be disastrous for mustard.

Chana is the second biggest rabi crop by area, with farmers sowing 110.91 lh. That’s down from last year’s 112.65 lh, but higher than the normal area of 98.86 lh.

Source

Solution: b)

‘No poverty’ and ‘Zero hunger’ are the first and second SDGs. According to NITI Aayog (2020-21), out of 100 points set for the grade of Achiever, India scored 60 (Performer grade, score 50-64) for no poverty and 47 (Aspirant grade, score 0-49) for zero hunger, with wide State-level variations. India’s score in the SDGs of 8, 9, and 12 (‘Decent work and economic growth’; ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’ and ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’, respectively) — considered for working out planetary pressure — are 61 (performer), 55 (performer) and 74 (front runner), respectively.

SDG 10 – Reduced inequalities.

Solution: b)

Nominal GDP is nothing but the total market value of all the goods and services produced in India in a financial year. For purposes of analysing the economy one often uses the “real” GDP but for preparing the budget, it is the nominal GDP that matters. The real GDP is “derived” from the nominal GDP by removing the effect of inflation.

Once the government knows the nominal GDP of the current financial year, it uses this number to project the likely nominal GDP in the next financial year (in this case, 2023-24) for which the budget is being made.

Typically in India, as indeed is the case with most developing economies, the governments are forced to spend more than they earn. That means they have to borrow money from the market. But overtime India instituted strict rules limiting how much the Union government can borrow. These limits are set by the Fiscal responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. The FRBM Act stipulates that the total borrowings (fiscal deficit) cannot be more than 3% of the (nominal) GDP.

Source