Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 24, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The Electricity Act, 2003:

• Electricity is on the Concurrent List (Centre and states have equal rights to frame laws) of the Constitution of India.
• Before the Electricity Act, 2003, the generation, distribution and transmission of electricity were carried out mainly by the State Electricity Boards in various States.
• Due to the politico-economic situation, the cross-subsidies reached an unsustainable level.
• The Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act was enacted in 1998 to detach state governments from tariff determination.
• The Electricity Act was enacted in 2003 in order to further reform the electricity sector through private sector participation and competition.

Hence both statements are correct.

The 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games – Birmingham came to an end

Australia is to host the next edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

The Commonwealth

• The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.
• The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022.
• The Commonwealth's roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth.
• The member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR):

• It was set up in 1942as an autonomous body (under the Societies Registration Act, 1860).
• CSIR is now the largest government funded multi-disciplinary industrial research and development (R&D) organisation in India.
• It comes under the administrative supervision of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.
• The R&D activities of CSIR include aerospace engineering, structural engineering, ocean sciences, life sciences, metallurgy, chemicals, mining, food, petroleum, leather and environmental science.
• CSIR is headquartered in New Delhi.
• CSIR@80: Vision and Strategy 2022 - New CSIR for New India: Under this, the CSIR’s vision is to pursue -
  • Science which strives for global impact,
  • The technology that enables innovation-driven industry,
  • The technology that fosters multidisciplinary leadership, catalysing inclusive economic development for the people of India.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A mother and father should have equal rights as guardians of their children and the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act (HMGA), 1956 should be amended as it discriminates against women, a parliamentary panel has recommended in its report.

• The said Act does not provide for joint guardianship nor does it recognise the mother as the guardian of the minor legitimate child unless the father is deceased or is found unfit.
• The Act gives preference to father over mother, it goes against the right to equality and right against discrimination envisaged under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
• The committee feels that there is an urgent need to amend the HMGA and accord equal treatment to both mother and father as natural guardians.
• Section 6 of the HMGA lays down that in the case of a Hindu minor boy and a Hindu minor unmarried girl, the father is the natural guardian and ‘after’ him the mother. Section 7 of the same Act provides that the natural guardianship of an adopted son, who is a minor, passes on adoption to the adopted father and ‘after’ him to the adoptive mother.

Hence both statements are correct.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla believes “inflation is going to drop rapidly” and prices of commodities used in the manufacture of electric vehicles “trending down in six months”.

• What he’s projecting is already happening in food. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index (FPI) averaged 140.9 points in July, 8.6% down from its previous month’s level and marking the steepest monthly drop since October 2008.
• The FPI – a trade-weighted average of international prices of key food commodities over a base period value, taken at 100 for 2014-16 – hit an all-time-high of 159.7 points in March, the month that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
• The latest index reading is the lowest since the 135.6 points of January, before the still-ongoing war.

Hence both statements are correct.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on August 7 declared a six-point “guarantee” for tribals in Gujarat’s Chhota Udepur district, including the “strict implementation” of The Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act).

• 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.

Hence both statements are correct.

With rising cases of mobile phone snatching in the national capital, the Delhi Police is now planning to close ranks with internet service providers and the department of telecommunications to block stolen or robbed phones.

• This will be done by using the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
• The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a unique number that is used to identify a device on a mobile network. It has 15 digits, and is like your phone’s unique identity.
• When you use the internet or place a call through your cellular service provider, then this number is used to verify the identity of your device.
• If you have a dual SIM phone, then you will have two IMEI numbers, one for each slot.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 was introduced in Parliament amid protests and later sent to the standing committee for further deliberation. Many power engineers protested the Bill across the country, in states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, and others.

• In this Bill, Section 42 of the Electricity Act will be amended to allow ‘non-discriminatory open access’ to the distribution network, allowing private companies to supply electricity provided they get a license.
• Section 14 of the Electricity Act has also been proposed to be amended, allowing private companies to use distribution networks built by public sector electricity companies, enabling competition and enhancing the efficiency of power supply across the country.
• Under the Bill, consumers will be able to choose from multiple electricity providers, essentially like how they choose currently between telecom providers like Airtel, Vodafone, etc..

Hence both statements are correct.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) has driven India’s push towards the adoption of cleaner energy generation technologies. From less than 10 MW in 2010, India has added significant PV capacity over the past decade, achieving over 50 GW by 2022.

• By 2030, India is targeting about 500 GW of renewable energy deployment, out of which ~280 GW is expected from solar PV. This necessitates the deployment of nearly 30 GW of solar capacity every year until 2030.
• However, there are challenges that need to be overcome for the sustainability of the PV economy. Indian solar deployment or installation companies depend heavily on imports, as India currently does not have enough module and cell manufacturing capacity.

Hence both statements are correct.

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

• Monetary policy refers to the policy of the central bank with regard to the use of monetary instruments under its control to achieve the goals specified in the RBI Act.
• The primary objective of the RBI’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth.
• In May 2016, the RBI Act was amended to provide a legislative mandate to the central bank to operate the country’s monetary policy framework.
• This amendment lays down that
• MPC shall determine the Policy Rate required to achieve the inflation target”,
• that the decision of the MPC shall be binding on the Bank.

Hence both statements are correct.