[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 13 Jun 2023

Solution: b)

Given its long duration and being a relatively water-intensive crop, cotton needs a minimum of 5-6 irrigations, especially during the flowering, bud and boll formation stages. “Tur is also a long-duration crop, but doesn’t need more than 2-3 irrigations. The crop’s deep taproot system allows its plants to draw moisture from the soil better than cotton.

Source

Solution: b)

Statement 2 is incorrect.

The onset of the monsoon over Kerala signals the beginning of the four-month (June-September) southwest monsoon season, during which India gets more than 70% of its annual rainfall. It is an important day in the economic calendar of the country.

Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, the onset does not mean the first rain of the season. That can start happening in certain places even before the onset is declared.

For example, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands usually start receiving monsoon rainfall between May 15 and May 20, and it starts raining along the Kerala coast in the last week of May. However, ‘onset’ is a technical expression with a specific definition — and the IMD does not officially declare onset until certain prescribed conditions are met.

What are these conditions, which determine the onset of monsoon?

According to the IMD, the onset of the monsoon happens when there is a significant transition in the large-scale atmospheric and ocean circulations in the Indo-Pacific region. IMD announces the onset of the monsoon only after certain precisely defined and measurable parameters are met.

The IMD essentially looks at the consistency of rainfall over a defined geography, the intensity of the rainfall, and the wind speed.

Source

Solution: a)

What does the expression “sealed cover jurisprudence” mean?

It is the practice followed by the Supreme Court (and sometimes lower courts as well) of seeking and accepting information from government agencies in sealed envelopes that can only be perused by the judges.

In broadly two circumstances: when information is connected to an ongoing investigation, and when it involves personal or confidential information. The logic is that disclosure of information linked to an ongoing investigation could impede the investigation, and the disclosure of personal or confidential information could violate an individual’s privacy or result in breach of trust.

Solution: a)

Only statement 1 is correct.

The Special Marriage Act, 1954, provides a civil marriage for couples who cannot marry under their personal law. 

Same-sex marriage, which has been legalised in 30-odd countries, including the U.S. 

The K.S. Puttaswamy verdict (2017) which upheld the right to privacy and Navtej Singh Johar (2018) that decriminalised homosexuality.

Solution: d)

The Tobin tax is a tax levied on spot currency conversions, with the intention of disincentivizing short-term currency speculation, named after economist James Tobin.

In contrast to a consumption tax paid by consumers, the Tobin tax is meant to apply to financial sector participants as a means of controlling the stability of a given country’s currency. It is more formally known today as a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT).