[Mission 2024] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 04 October 2023

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Around 14 railway stations in Delhi-NCR are set to get a mega makeover as part of the central government’s Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS).

508 railway stations across the country are being revamped to provide state-of-the-art amenities to passengers. The stations will also showcase the grandeur of India, its art and rich cultural heritage.

Under the scheme, unwanted structures on the railway lines will be removed, lighting will be improved, stations will be upgraded with parking space and made disabled friendly. Further, lifts, escalators, concourses, waiting rooms and retail areas with modern facilities will be provided for the benefit of the passengers.

Source

Solution: c)

India and Russia on Wednesday agreed to train Indian seafarers in polar and arctic waters in this far eastern Russian port as the two sides discussed ways to widen maritime cooperation including possibility of usage of new transport corridors like the Northern Sea Route as well as the Eastern Maritime Corridor.

Source

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The PESA Act was enacted in 1996 “to provide for the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats to the Scheduled Areas”.

Under the PESA Act, Scheduled Areas are those referred to in Article 244(1), which says that the provisions of the Fifth Schedule shall apply to the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. The Fifth Schedule provides for a range of special provisions for these areas.

The PESA Act was enacted to ensure self-governance through Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) for people living in the Scheduled Areas. It recognises the right of tribal communities, who are residents of the Scheduled Areas, to govern themselves through their own systems of self-government, and also acknowledges their traditional rights over natural resources.

In pursuance of this objective, the Act empowers Gram Sabhas to play a key role in approving development plans and controlling all social sectors. This includes the processes and personnel who implement policies, exercising control over minor (non-timber) forest resources, minor water bodies and minor minerals, managing local markets, preventing land alienation and regulating intoxicants among other things.

Solution: a)

Only statement 1 is correct.

Euthanasia refers to the practice of an individual deliberately ending their life, oftentimes to get relief from an incurable condition, or intolerable pain and suffering. Euthanasia, which can be administered only by a physician, can be either ‘active’ or ‘passive’.

Active euthanasia involves an active intervention to end a person’s life with substances or external force, such as administering a lethal injection. Passive euthanasia refers to withdrawing life support or treatment that is essential to keep a terminally ill person alive.

Passive euthanasia was legalised in India by the Supreme Court in 2018, contingent upon the person having a ‘living will’ or a written document that specifies what actions should be taken if the person is unable to make their own medical decisions in the future.

In case a person does not have a living will, members of their family can make a plea before the High Court to seek permission for passive euthanasia.

Solution: b)

The Economic Survey highlighted the risks of an “entrenched inflation” and hence “higher and longer” interest rates, and a “depreciating rupee” leading to higher current account deficit, both on account of global headwinds.

Transitory inflation tends to be short-lived and circumstantial, while entrenched inflation tends to stick around even after the immediate problems that spurred it on have resolved.

If inflation were entrenched, it would mean that prices would not come back down, and that the new prices we see in the market would be a more permanent fixture in the economic life of citizens.