[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 2 Jun 2023

Solution: a)

Only Statement 1 is correct.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Retail Direct Scheme. The scheme provides investors an opportunity to invest in government securities in a safe and hassle-free way, in the primary and secondary market. Government securities under this scheme, includes Government of India Treasury Bills (T-Bills), Government of India dated securities (dated G-Sec), State Development Loans (SDLs), Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB). Retail Direct Scheme offers retail investors the opportunity to buy securities directly and free of charges. Individual retailers can open a Gilt Securities Account, called a Retail Direct Gilt (RDG) account with RBI to participate in the buying and selling of government securities.

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Solution: c)

For generations, the rough wool of the sturdy Deccani sheep has been handcrafted by the Kuruma and Kuruba — pastoral communities spread across the Deccan plateau — into a tough, all-weather shawl called a gongadi in Telangana. Now, this resilient fabric has been repurposed into all-weather shoes for farmers by three alumni of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

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Solution: c)

Statement 4 is incorrect.

The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India; Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with legislature; Lt Governors of other UTs; Ex-Officio Members; Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Full-Time Members, NITI Aayog; and Special Invitees.
It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national priorities and strategies, with the active involvement of States, in shaping the development narrative. The Governing Council, which embodies the objectives of cooperative federalism, presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental and federal issues to accelerate the implementation of the national development agenda.

So far, eight meetings of the Governing Council have been held under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.

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Solution: b)

Statement 2 is incorrect.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that it has finalised the preparation of the Model Prisons Act, 2023, to replace the existing 130-year-old colonial law.

Intending to provide guidance and address gaps in the existing prison laws, the 2023 Act seeks to bring in the use of technology in prison management, make provisions for the grant of parole, furlough, and remission, and introduce special provisions for women and transgender inmates.

The first legislation that governed the management and administration of prisons in India was the Prisons Act, of 1894. 

As per the provisions of the Constitution, ‘prisons’ and ‘persons detained therein’ fall under the State List. This means that the responsibility of prison management and administration solely vests with the state government, which alone is competent to make appropriate legislative provisions in this regard.

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Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

The Union Agriculture Ministry has restricted the use of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide.

What is glyphosate?

It is a herbicide used to kill weeds — undesirable plants that compete with crops for nutrients, water and sunlight. Since weeds basically grow at the expense of crops, farmers remove them manually or spray herbicides.

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that can control a wide range of weeds, whether broadleaf or grassy.

In general, though, the scope for glyphosate use is limited for the very reason that it is non-selective. Designed to kill all plants coming into contact with it, the chemical cannot ordinarily distinguish between crop and weed. Hence, it can be used in tea or rubber plantations, but not in fields where the crops and weeds are at almost the same level.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare issued a notification stating that “the use of glyphosate involves health hazards and risk to human beings and animals”. It has, however, not banned and only “restricted” its use. The spraying of glyphosate and its derivatives shall henceforth only be permitted through “pest control operators”.