Solution: A

What Is the Group of Seven (G-7)?

The Group of Seven (G-7) is an intergovernmental organization made up of the world’s largest developed economies—France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Government leaders of these countries meet periodically to address international economic and monetary issues, with each member taking over the presidency on a rotating basis.

The G-7 was for a while known as the Group of Eight (G-8), until 2014 when former member Russia was removed after annexing the region of Crimea illegally from Ukraine. The European Union (EU) is sometimes considered to be a de-facto eighth member of the G-7, since it holds all the rights and responsibilities of full members except to chair or host meetings.

How the Group of Seven (G-7) Works

The major purpose of the G-7 is to discuss and sometimes act in concert to help resolve global problems, with a special focus on economic issues. Since its inception in the early 1970s, the group has discussed financial crises, monetary systems, and major world crises such as oil shortages.

The G-7 has also launched initiatives to fund issues and relieve crises where it sees an opportunity for joint action. Those efforts include several aimed at debt relief for developing nations.

Solution: C

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was preceded by the Shanghai Five mechanism.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter was signed during the St.Petersburg SCO Heads of State meeting in June 2002, and entered into force on 19 September 2003. This is the fundamental statutory document which outlines the organisation’s goals and principles, as well as its structure and core activities.

The historical meeting of the Heads of State Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was held on 8-9 June 2017 in Astana. On the meeting the status of a full member of the Organization was granted to the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The SCO’s main goals are as follows: strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Solution: B

About Codex Alimentarius

The Codex Alimentarius, or “Food Code” is a collection of standards, guidelines and codes of practice adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Commission, also known as CAC, is the central part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme and was established by FAO and WHO to protect consumer health and promote fair practices in food trade. It held its first meeting in 1963.

Solution: C

Background:

In June 2020, India was elected unopposed to the UNSC for a two-year term beginning in 2021.

Elections  was held on June 17 by the UN General Assembly to elect five of the ten nonpermanent members.

India was the single candidate in the Asia-Pacific group that  returned to the council after a decade starting January 2021.

How are non- permanent members elected?

Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members out of a total of 10, for a two-year term.

Distribution of seats: These 10 seats are distributed among the regions thus: five for African and Asian countries; one for Eastern European countries; two for Latin American and Caribbean countries; two for Western European and other countries.

Of the five seats for Africa and Asia, three are for Africa and two for Asia; there is an informal understanding between the two groups to reserve one for an Arab country. The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turns every two years to put up an Arab candidate.

Elections:

Elections for terms beginning in even-numbered years select two African members, and one each within Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Terms beginning in odd-numbered years consist of two Western European and Other members, and one each from Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Votes:

Irrespective of whether a country is a “clean slate” candidate and has been endorsed by its group it needs to secure the votes of two-thirds of the members present and voting at the General Assembly session, (a minimum of 129 votes if all 193 member states participate).

When contested, the elections for non-permanent seats can be fraught and can go on for several rounds, In 1975, there was a contest between India and Pakistan, which went to eight rounds. Pakistan won the seat that year. In 1996, India lost a contest to Japan.

Solution: A

United Nations Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.

The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly.

The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by resolution 60/251. Its first session took place from 19 to 30 June 2006. One year later, the Council adopted its “Institution-building package” to guide its work and set up its procedures and mechanisms.

Among them were the Universal Periodic Review mechanism which serves to assess the human rights situations in all United Nations Member States, the Advisory Committee which serves as the Council’s “think tank” providing it with expertise and advice on thematic human rights issues and the Complaint Procedure which allows individuals and organizations to bring human rights violations to the attention of the Council.

The Human Rights Council also works with the UN Special Procedures established by the former Commission on Human Rights and now assumed by the Council. These are made up of special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts and working groups that monitor, examine, advise and publicly report on thematic issues or human rights situations in specific countries.

Review of the Council

When creating the Human Rights Council in March 2006 the United Nations General Assembly decided that the Council’s work and functioning should be reviewed five years after it had come into existence at the level of the General Assembly. More information about the review and its 2011 outcome are available here.

Solution: D

About RCEP:

• The mega trade bloc comprises 15 countries led by China (10 ASEAN members and Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
• The group is expected to represent at least 30% of the global GDP and will emerge as the largest free trade agreement in the world.
• The mega trade bloc is expected to boost commerce among the member-countries spread across the Asia-Pacific region.

Aims and Objectives of RCEP:

• To lower tariffs, open up trade in services and promote investment to help emerging economies catch up with the rest of the world.
• To help reduce costs and time for companies by allowing them to export a product anywhere within the bloc without meeting separate requirements for each country.
• It also touches on intellectual property, but will not cover environmental protections and labour rights.

Solution: C

Discretionary Grants

Article 282 empowers both the Centre and the states to make any grants for any public purpose, even if it is not within their respective legislative competence. Under this provision, the Centre makes grants to the states. “These grants are also known as discretionary grants, the reason being that the Centre is under no obligation to give these grants and the matter lies within its discretion. These grants have a two-fold purpose: to help the state financially to fulfil plan targets; and to give some leverage to the Centre to influence and coordinate state action to effectuate the national plan.”

Solution: D

The National Human Rights Commission is a statutory (and not a constitutional) body. It was established in 1993 under a legislation enacted by the Parliament, namely, the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

The commission is a multi-member body consisting of a chairperson and five members. The chairperson should be a retired chief justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court and members should be a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, a serving or retired chief justice of a high court and three persons (out of which at least one should be a woman) having knowledge or practical experience with respect to human rights.

In addition to these full-time members, the commission also has seven ex-officio members–the chairpersons of the National Commission for Minorities, the National Commission for SCs, the National Commission for STs, the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for BCs and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

Solution: B

Fundamental duties

According to Article 51A, it shall be the duty of every citizen of India:

(a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem;

(b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals that inspired the national struggle for freedom;

(c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;

(d) to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;

(e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;

(f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of the country’s composite culture;

(g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures;

(h) to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;

(i) to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;

(j) to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement; and

(k) to provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between the age of six and fourteen years. This duty was added by the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002.

Solution: D

The World Bank Group consists of five organizations:

·        The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) lends to governments of middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries.

·        The International Development Association

The International Development Association (IDA) provides interest-free loans — called credits — and grants to governments of the poorest countries.

• Together, IBRD and IDA make up the World Bank.

·        The International Finance Corporation

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, mobilizing capital in international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments.

·        The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) was created in 1988 to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries to support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives. MIGA fulfills this mandate by offering political risk insurance (guarantees) to investors and lenders.

·        The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) provides international facilities for conciliation and arbitration of investment disputes.

India is not a member of The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Hence, option (d) is correct.

Members of ICSID

Solution: D

Earth Observation Applications

Earth Observation Satellites of ISRO has been successfully able to establish many operational applications in the country. Both at Central and State level, there are large number of users who utilise space based inputs for various purposes. Some of the important missions of ISRO, in terms of IRS series of satellites, that has enabled unique applications of space based imaging are, Cartosat-1 & 2, Resourcesat-1 & 2, Oceansat-1 & 2, Risat-1, Megha-Tropiques, SARAL, Scatsat, INSAT series, and host of other satellites. ISRO is in the verge of realising next generation of these satellites, as part of continuity of missions, to ensure that the user community is continuously benefitted from space inputs for sustainable development and good governance.

Some of the most prominent ones are Agricultural Crops Inventory, Water Resources Information System, Ground Water Prospects, Forest Working Plans, Biodiversity and Coral Mapping, Potential Fishing Zones, Ocean State Forecasts, Rural Development, Urban Development, Inventory & Monitoring of Glacial Lakes / Water Bodies, Location based Services using NavIC constellation, Disaster Management Support Programme (Cyclone and Floods Mapping & Monitoring, Landslide Mapping & Monitoring, Agricultural Drought, Forest Fire, Earthquakes, Extreme Weather Monitoring and experimental Forecasts and so on).

Geospatial technologies, remote sensing, satellite communication and navigation systems are providing many new ways for effective management of natural resources. This has resulted in enabling variety of data and information products for societal benefits and also helping planners and decision-makers to embark upon unique people-centric services. Web Geoportals and mobile technologies (Bhuvan Geoportal) are the other popular platforms, being used by Governments, to provide information services and solutions at all levels, which are proving to be effective. The Government system has successfully adopted  to use such technologies for the benefit of people at large. ISRO works closely with Central & State Government departments/ ministries, Industry and Academia in ensuring best of solutions for optimal management of Natural Resources, support services for good governance and societal development. Through a well-coordinated effort, this system has been able to provide several important applications that are becoming people-centric today.

https://www.isro.gov.in/earth-observation/applications

Solution: D

The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation.

The UN Global Compact is a principle-based framework for businesses, stating ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. Under the Global Compact, companies are brought together with UN agencies, labor groups and civil society. Cities can join the Global Compact through the Cities Programme.

The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability (a.k.a. corporate social responsibility) initiative with 13000 corporate participants and other stakeholders over 170 countries with two objectives: “Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world” and “Catalyse actions in support of broader UN goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)“. Moving forward, the UN Global Compact and its signatories are deeply invested and enthusiastic about supporting work towards the SDGs.

Solution: D

What is Smog?

Smog is a harmful mixture of fog, dust and air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, etc. which combine with sunlight to form a dense layer of ground-level ozone.

• Ozone present high in the atmosphere is good, but when nearer to the ground, it can cause irritating health effects.

(Note: The term ‘smog’ was first coined by Dr Henry Antoine des Voeux in his paper, Fog and Smoke, in July 1905, after a blanket of smoke and fog was noticed over London in the early 1900s.)

How is Smog formed?

It consists of ozone, along with harmful substances like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and PM10s, which can find their way deep into our lungs.

Smog can be caused by:

1. Large amounts of coal-burning in an area
2. Slash-and-burning of crops (a major source in Delhi)
3. Smog-forming pollutants generate from automobile exhausts, power plants, fireworks, even paint, hairspray, charcoal starter fluid, and plastic popcorn packaging.

Role of local weather phenomenon:

The formation of smog is also closely linked with temperature, sunshine, and calm winds. On a warmer day, smog can form more quickly than otherwise.

 Types:

Sulfurous smog and photochemical smog are two distinct types of smog recognised so far.

Sulfurous smog, also known as London smog, develops due to high concentration of sulfur oxides in the air.

Photochemical smog is produced when sunlight reacts with oxides of nitrogen and at least one volatile organic compound (VOC) in the atmosphere.

Solution: C

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavor to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons.

OPCW by the Numbers

193 States committed to the Chemical Weapons Convention • 98% of the global population live under the protection of the Convention • 98% of the chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor States have been verifiably destroyed

The organisation was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize “for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”.

https://www.opcw.org/about-us

Solution: B

The Australia Group (AG) is an informal forum of countries which, through the harmonisation of export controls, seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.

Coordination of national export control measures assists Australia Group participants to fulfil their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention to the fullest extent possible.

The Australia Group (AG) is an informal association that works on the basis of consensus. It aims to allow exporters or transshipment countries to minimize the risk of further proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW). The Group meets annually to assess ways in which the national level export licensing measures of its 41 participants can collectively be rendered more effective to ensure that would-be proliferators are unable to obtain necessary inputs for CBW programs, which are banned under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Solution: D

Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan

Eligibility

• The Scheme is applicable only for rural areas of the country.
• Eligible Household: A household is defined as a unit comprising of Head of family, spouse, children and parents. All such households where none of the family member is digitally literate will be considered as eligible household under the Scheme.
• Entry criteria
  • The beneficiary should be Digitally Illiterate
  • Only one person per eligible household would be considered for training
  • Age Group: 14 – 60 years
• Priority would be given to
  • Non-smartphone users, Antyodaya households, college drop-outs, Participants of the adult literacy mission
  • Digitally illiterate school students from class 9th to 12th, provided facility of Computer/ICT Training is not available in their schools
• Preference would be given to SC, ST, BPL, women, differently-abled persons and minorities
• The identification of the beneficiaries would be carried out by CSC-SPV in active collaboration with DeGS, Gram Panchayats, and Block Development Officers. The list of such beneficiaries would be made available on the scheme portal.

The implementation of the Scheme would be carried out under the overall supervision of Ministry of Electronics and IT in active collaboration with States/UTs through their designated State Implementing Agencies, District e-Governance Society (DeGS), etc.

Solution: D

The Election Commission of India designed and developed a simple yet effective mobile app called cVIGIL. Hence, option (d) is correct.

At its core, cVIGIL draws on the idea of community policing. It spurs citizen engagement, and participation in the enforcement process. It assumes officials need citizens, and a trust-based partnership to properly conduct elections. And the mobile application facilitates that partnership by creating awareness, building trust, and confidence.

cVIGIL has firmly taken root in the Electoral System of India. The initiative of the Election Commission of India will go meaningfully a long way in engaging Citizens in the electoral process but also meaningfully bringing in a level playing field. In coming times, cVIGIL will become the linchpin of democracy. However, there are many things that need to be done. The first thing is about its reach. A lot of efforts need to be done for its availability to the common man.

cVIGIL is a major transformative application which has simplified the recording, reporting and resolving the complex model code of conduct violations during the elections period. By use of this technology, Election Commission of India has ushered in an era of greater transparency and involvement of common man in the electoral process. As citizens become more aware about it, the more they will feel part of the elections and better will be the participation in democracy.

Solution: C

Who is a service voter?

Ans. Service voter is a voter having service qualification. According to the provisions of sub – section (8) of Section 20 of Representation of People Act, 1950, service qualification means –
(a)    Being a member of the armed Forces of the Union ; or
(b)    Being a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), have been made applicable whether with or without modification ;
(c)    Being a member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that state; or Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
(d)    Being a person who is employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India.

1. 2 What is the relevant date for revision of electoral roll?

Ans. The relevant date for revision of electoral roll is 1st January of the year in which the roll is finally published.

1. 3 How is a service voter different from an ordinary elector?

Ans. While an ordinary elector is registered in the electoral roll of the constituency in which his place of ordinary residence is located, person having service qualification can get enrolled as ‘service voter’ at his native place even though he actually may be residing at a different place (of posting). He has, however, an option to get himself enrolled as general elector at the place of his posting where he factually, at the point of time, is residing ordinarily with his family for a sufficient span of time.

Solution: C

73RD AMENDMENT ACT OF 1992

Salient Features

The salient features of the act are:

Gram Sabha

The act provides for a Gram Sabha as the foundation of the panchayati raj system. It is a body consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls of a village comprised within the area of Panchayat at the village level.

Thus, it is a village assembly consisting of all the registered voters in the area of a panchayat. It may exercise such powers and perform such functions at the village level as the legislature of a state determines.

Three-Tier System

The act provides for a three-tier system of panchayati raj in every state, that is, panchayats at the village, intermediate, and district levels. Thus, the act brings about uniformity in the structure of panchayati raj throughout the country. However, a state having a population not exceeding 20 lakh may not constitute panchayats at the intermediate level.

Election of Members and Chairpersons

All the members of panchayats at the village, intermediate and district levels shall be elected directly by the people. Further, the chairperson of panchayats at the intermediate and district levels shall be elected indirectly–by and from amongst the elected members thereof. However, the chairperson of a panchayat at the village level shall be elected in such manner as the state legislature determines.

The chairperson of a panchayat and other members of a panchayat elected directly or indirectly shall have the right to vote in the meetings of the panchayats.

Solution: D

Metropolitan Planning Committee

Every metropolitan area shall have a metropolitan planning committee to prepare a draft development plan. The state legislature may make provisions with respect to the following:

1. The composition of such committees;
2. The manner of election of members of such committees;
3. The representation in such committes of the Central government, state government and other organisations;
4. The functions of such committees in relation to planning and coordination for the metropolitan area; and
5. The manner of election of chairpersons of such committees.

The act lays down that two-thirds of the members of a metropolitan planning committee should be elected by the elected members of the municipalities and chairpersons of the panchayats in the metropolitan area from amongst themselves. The representation of these members in the committee should be in proportion to the ratio between the population of the municipalities and the panchayats in that metropolitan area.

The chairpersons of such committees shall forward the development plan to the state government.

Solution: D

The Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the east and north. Gaza and the West Bank are claimed by the State of Palestine.

Solution: B

The Convention regarding the Regime of the Straits, often known simply as the Montreux Convention, is an international agreement governing the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey.

Solution: B

Bhasan Char,  is an island in Hatiya Upazila, Bangladesh. Until 2019 it was known as Thengar Char. It is located in the Bay of Bengal.

Solution: A

Biological Weapon:

Biological weapons are complex systems that disseminate disease-causing organisms or toxins to harm or kill humans, animals or plants. They generally consist of two parts – a weaponized agent and a delivery mechanism.

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, was opened for signature on 10 April 1972.

The BWC entered into force on 26 March 1975.

India signed the convention in 1973.

Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Solution: B

Mekong River:

Volga River:

Amazon River:

Irrawaddy River:

Ans. D.

A is wrong as the passage states that Marxism leninism is responsible for the violence unleashed. B is wrong as Marxism was not misunderstood but deliberately distorted to perpetuate power. C is correct but incomplete explanation of the passage. Hence D

Ans. D.

A and C are hypothesis unsupported by the passage. B is not the central idea of the passage. Hence D, which provides the inference.

Solution: d

Explanation:

Correct Answer: A

Only A and B are required to answer the question.

Correct Answer: D

All A, B and C together are required to answer the question.