Daily Current Affairs MCQ - July 29, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

In a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) products from the north-eastern region, a consignment of ‘Raja Mircha’ also referred as king chilli from Nagaland was exported to London via Guwahati by air for the first time.

• The consignment of King Chilli also considered as world’s hottest based on the
• The chilli from Nagaland is also referred as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper.
• It got GI certification in 2008.
• Nagaland King Chilli belongs to genus Capsicum of family Solanaceae.
• Naga king chilli has been considered as the world’s hottest chilli and is constantly on the top five in the list of the world's hottest chilies based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs).
• In 2021, APEDA has facilitated exports of Jackfruits from Tripura to London and Germany, Assam Lemon to London, Red rice of Assam to the United States and Leteku ‘Burmese Grape’ to Dubai.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Supreme Court held that lawmakers cannot indulge in criminal acts on the Parliament or Assembly floors and then take cover behind the right to free speech.

• The court refused the Kerala government’s plea to withdraw prosecution of top Left Democratic Front (LDF)leaders accused of vandalism and wanton destruction of public property on the Assembly floor during a Budget speech in 2015.
• Acts of vandalism cannot be said to be manifestations of freedom of speech and be termed as ‘proceedings’ of the Assembly.
• It was not the intention of the drafters of the Constitution to extend the interpretation of ‘freedom of speech’ to include criminal acts by placing them under a veil of protest.
• Legislators cannot unleash violence, run riot in Parliament or a Legislative Assembly and then claim parliamentary privilege and immunity from criminal prosecution. Parliamentary privileges and immunities are not “gateways” for legislators to claim exception from the law of the land, especially criminal law.
• The court explained that the purpose of bestowing privileges and immunities to elected members of the legislature was to enable them to perform their “essential functions” without hindrance, fear or favour. The ‘essential’ function of the House is collective deliberation and decision-making.

Hence both statements are correct.

At least five policemen in India have died after police from Assam and Mizoram fired at each other.

• Assam shares a 164km (about 101 miles) border with Mizoram, and both states contest its demarcation.
• Under colonial rule, Lushai Hills, as Mizoram was then known, was part of Assam. The region only gained recognition in 1972 - almost three decades after India's independence - when it became a separate federally administered area. In 1987, it became a fully-fledged state.
• Three districts in Assam - Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj - share a 164km-long border with three districts of Mizoram.
• The forested area is contested at several points, with both Assam and Mizoram accusing each other of encroaching on their land.
• The federal government has been trying to mediate a truce between the states since 1994 but has failed to achieve a breakthrough.
• Tensions escalated to an unprecedented level in October 2020 when residents of Assam and Mizoram clashed twice in a week. At the heart of the matter was an "eviction drive" carried out by Assam along a contested part of the border - authorities from the state reportedly burned a farmhouse and crops in the area.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2021, passed by Lok Sabha has proposed ‘pre-packs’ or Pre-packaged Insolvency Resolution Process (PIRP) as an insolvency resolution mechanism for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

• A pre-pack envisages the resolution of the debt of a distressed company through a direct agreement between secured creditors and the existing owners or outside investors, instead of a public bidding process.
• Under the pre-pack system, financial creditors will agree to terms with the promoters or a potential investor, and seek approval of the resolution plan from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
• The approval of at least 66 per cent of financial creditors that are unrelated to the corporate debtor would be required before a resolution plan is submitted to the NCLT.
• The NCLTs will be required to either accept or reject an application for a pre-pack insolvency proceeding before considering a petition for a Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP).

How are pre-packs better than CIRP?

• One of the key criticisms of the CIRP has been the time it takes for resolution. The pre-pack in contrast, is limited to a maximum of 120 days with only 90 days available to stakeholders to bring a resolution plan for approval before the NCLT.
• Another key difference between pre-packs and CIRP is that the existing management retains control in the case of pre-packs; in the case of CIRP, a resolution professional takes control of the debtor as a representative of financial creditors. This ensures minimal disruption of operations relative to a CIRP.

Hence both statements are correct.

Basavaraj Bommai has been appointed as the 23rd Chief Minister (CM) of Karnataka.

• Basavaraj Somappa Bommai (born 1960) is an Indian politician and mechanical. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
• He belongs to Banajiga sub-sect of Lingayat community.
• Bommai is the son of the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, S. R. Bommai.
• He is the current and 23rd CM of Karnataka. On 28 July 2021, he succeeded B. S. Yediyurappa as the CM.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) is an international document that was adopted by the United Nations member states between 14 and 18 March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan.

The 97th Amendment added the words “or cooperative societies” to Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution to expand the fundamental right to form associations or unions to cover cooperative societies too. It also added a ‘Directive Principle’ through Article 43B, which says: “The State shall endeavour to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies.”

• The Earth Overshoot Day, 2021 marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources (fish and forests, for instance) and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The concept of Earth Overshoot Day was first conceived by Andrew Simms of the UK think tank New Economics Foundation, which partnered with Global Footprint Network in 2006 to launch the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • Global Footprint Network is an international non profit organization founded in the year 2003. It’s key strategy has been to make available robust Ecological Footprint data.
  • The ecological footprint is a metric that comprehensively compares human demand on nature against nature’s capacity to regenerate. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year), by humanity’s Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year:
  • (Earth’s Biocapacity/Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365 = Earth Overshoot Day.

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • Presently, the SCO comprises eight member states namely India, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.
• India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005.
  • India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. Hence, statement 2 is correct.