MCQ - Current Affairs (August - 2019) - UPSC MCQ

The equalization levy, introduced in 2016, is a direct tax on payments made by residents to non-resident companies for online advertisement, provision of digital and advertising space or any other facility or service for online advertisement.

Government of India has introduced a pension scheme for unorganised workers namely Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) to ensure old age protection for Unorganised Workers. The unorganised workers mostly engaged as home based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washer men, rickshaw pullers, landless labourers, own account workers, agricultural workers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, audio- visual workers and similar other occupations whose monthly income is Rs 15,000/ per month or less and belong to the entry age group of 18-40 years. They should not be covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees‘ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees‘ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Further, he/she should not be an income tax payer.

Started in 1948 by the US-based Institute of Supply Management, the Purchasing Managers‘ Index, or PMI, has now become one of the most closely watched indicators of business activity across the world. PMI or a Purchasing Managers‘ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity-both in the manufacturing and services sectors. It is a surveybased measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before. It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.

The main objectives of the scheme are to:
(i) Create new jobs and reduce unemployment
(ii) Promote entrepreneurship culture in India
(iii) Boost Grassroots economic development at district level
(iv) Facilitate innovative business solution for un-met social needs, and
(v) Promote innovation to further strengthen the competitiveness of the MSME sector.

The act recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in Forest land in forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD)who have been residing in such forests for generations. The act also establishes the responsibilities and authority for sustainable use, conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological balance of FDST and OTFD. It strengthens the conservation regime of the forests while ensuring livelihood and food security of the FDST and OTFD. It seeks to rectify colonial injustice to the FDST and OTFD who are integral to the very survival and sustainability of the forest ecosystem.
The act identifies four types of rights: ·
Title rights: It gives FDST and OTFD the right to ownership to land farmed by tribals or forest dwellers subject to a maximum of 4 hectares. Ownership is only for land that is actually being cultivated by the concerned family and no new lands will be granted.
Use rights: The rights of the dwellers extend to extracting Minor Forest Produce, grazing areas, to pastoralist routes, etc.
Relief and development rights: To rehabilitation in case of illegal eviction or forced displacement and to basic amenities, subject to restrictions for forest protection.
Forest management rights: It includes the right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving for sustainable use.

Public housing programme in the country started with the rehabilitation of refugees immediately after independence and since then, it has been a major focus area of the Government as an instrument of poverty alleviation. Rural housing programme,as an independent programme, started with Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) in January 1996. Although IAY addressed the housing needs in the rural areas, certain gaps were identified during the concurrent evaluations and the performance Audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in 2014. These gaps, i.e. nonassessment of housing The shortage, lack of transparency in selection of beneficiaries, low the quality of the house and lack of technical supervision, lack convergence, loans not availed by beneficiaries and weak the mechanism for monitoring was limiting the impact and outcomes of the programme. To address these gaps in the rural housing program and in view of Government‘s commitment to providing ―Housing for All‘‘ by the scheme 2022, the IAY has been re-structured into Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana –Gramin (PMAY-G) w.e.f. 1st April 2016.
PMAY-G aims at providing a pucca house, with basic amenities, to all houseless householder and those households living in kutcha and dilapidated house, by 2022. The immediate the objective is to cover 1.00 crore household living in kutcha house/dilapidated house in three years from 2016-17 to 2018- 19.The minimum size of the house has been increased to 25 sq.mt (from20sq.mt) with a hygienic cooking space. The unit assistance has been increased from Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 1.20 lakh in plain and from Rs75,000 to Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly states, difficult areas and IAP district. The beneficiary is entitled to 90.95 person day of unskilled labour from MGNREGS. The assistance for construction of toilet shall be leveraged though convergence with SBM-G, MGNREGS or any other dedicated the source of funding. Convergence for piped drinking water, electricity connection, LPG gas connection etc. different Government programmers are also to be attempted.

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, recently announced that she will cross the Atlantic Ocean by boat to attend a United Nations global warming summit in New York. She does not believe in flying in airplanes, for the obvious reason that air travel is a contributor to the carbon emissions problem.

Regulation of surrogacy: The Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance coverage during the pregnancy. Commercial surrogacy includes surrogacy or its related procedures undertaken for a monetary benefit or reward (in cash or kind) exceeding the basic medical expenses and insurance coverage.
• Purposes for which surrogacy is permitted: Surrogacy is permitted when it is: (i) for intending couples who suffer from proven infertility; (ii) altruistic; (iii) not for commercial purposes; (iv) not for producing children for sale, prostitution or other forms of exploitation; and (v) for any condition or disease specified through regulations.
• Appropriate authority: The central and state governments shall appoint one or more appropriate authorities within 90 days of the Bill becoming an Act. The functions of the appropriate authority include; (i) granting, suspending or cancelling registration of surrogacy clinics; (ii) enforcing standards for surrogacy clinics; (iii) investigating and taking action against breach of the provisions of the Bill; (iv) recommending modifications to the rules and regulations.
• Registration of surrogacy clinics: Surrogacy clinics cannot undertake surrogacy related procedures unless they are registered by the appropriate authority. Clinics must apply for registration within a period of 60 days from the date of appointment of the appropriate authority.

It is a standard item of the bridal trousseau at Tamil weddings, with the names of the bride and the groom inscribed on it. Indeed, the fine, handmade Pathamadai mat, which is made of Korai grass, is a symbol of pride for Tamil Nadu. It has even been granted Geographical Indication (GI) status by the trademarks and GI authorities.

In a bid to bring in consistency in enforcing food safety regulations and standards across States, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is set to launch its ‗One Nation One Food Law‘ initiative. The regulator is leveraging technology for uniform implementation of norms for testing and sampling by various States and labs.

The  Bureau of  Civil Aviation Security  was initially  set up  as  a Cell in the     Directorate General  of Civil Aviation  (DGCA) in January 1978 on the  recommendation of  the Pande Committee  constituted  in the  wake of the hijacking  of the Indian Airlines  flight  on  10th September , 1976.  The role of the Cell was to coordinate, monitor, inspect and train personnel in Civil Aviation Security matters.
The BCAS was reorganized into an independent department on 1stApril, 1987 under the Ministry of Civil Aviation as a sequel to the Kanishka Tragedy in June 1985.  The main responsibility of BCAS are lay down standards and measures in respect of security of civil flights at International and domestic airports in India.

The Pench Tiger Reserve and its neighborhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling‘s most famous work, The Jungle Book. Kipling borrowed heavily from Robert Armitage Strendale‘s books 'Seonee', 'Mammalia of India and Ceylon‘ and 'Denizens of the Jungle‘ for the topography, wildlife, and its ways. Mowgli was inspired by Sir William Henry Sleeman‘s pamphlet, 'An Account of Wolves Nurturing Children in Their Dens‘ which describes a wolf-boy captured in Seoni district near the village of Sant Baori in 1831. Many of The Jungle Book‘s locations are actual locations in Seoni District, like the Waingunga River with its gorge where Sherkhan was killed, Kanhiwara villlage and the 'Seeonee hills‘.

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species. The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need.

The Erstwhile Indian Standards Institution (now Bureau of Indian Standards) was established in the year 1947 with the objective of harmonious development of standardization activity in India. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was established under the BIS Act, 1986 for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. A new Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 which was notified on 22nd March 2016, has been brought into force with effect from 12 October 2017 that reinforces the activities of BIS in respect to standardization and certification of goods, articles, processes, systems and services.

As floodwaters gush to the Srisailam dam, the authorities have lifted four gates letting out over one lakh cusecs into the Krishna river. The dam has been getting heavy inflows, as much as 3.60 lakh cusecs, as rains lash Karnataka and Maharashtra. The authorities are also releasing 735 cusecs of water to the KC Canal through Muchumarri, 1,350 cusecs of water to Handri Neeva. The Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy is drawing 1,600 cusecs of water.

The Commission may consider proposing measurable performance-based incentives for States, at the appropriate level of government, in following areas: (i) Efforts made by the States in expansion and deepening of tax net under GST; (ii) Efforts and Progress made in moving towards replacement rate of population growth; (iii) Achievements in implementation of flagship schemes of Government of India, disaster resilient infrastructure, sustainable development goals, and quality of expenditure; (iv) Progress made in increasing capital expenditure, eliminating losses of power sector, and improving the quality of such expenditure in generating future income streams; The Commission shall use the population data of 2011 while making its recommendations.

The ninth edition of the Global Wealth Report published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information available on global household wealth. During the twelve months to mid-2018, aggregate global wealth rose by $14.0 trillion (4.6%) to a combined total of $317 trillion, outpacing population growth. Wealth per adult grew by 3.2%, raising global mean wealth to a record high of $63,100 per adult. The US contributed most to global wealth adding $6.3 trillion and taking its total to $98 trillion. This continues its unbroken run of growth in both total wealth and wealth per adult every year since 2008. Unsurprisingly, China is now clearly established in second place of the world wealth hierarchy. The country overtook Japan with respect to the number of ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals in 2009, total wealth in 2011 and the number of millionaires in 2014.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment had constituted an expert committee on 17 January 2017, under the Chairmanship Dr. Anoop Satpathy, Fellow, V. V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) to review and recommend methodology for fixation of National Minimum Wage (NMW). The Expert Committee has submitted its report on ―Determining the Methodology for Fixation of the National Minimum Wage‖ to the Government of India through the Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment on 14-02-2019. The report has recommended fixing the need based national minimum wage for India at INR 375 per day (or INR 9,750 per month) as of July 2018, irrespective of sectors, skills, occupations and rural-urban locations for a family comprising of 3.6 consumption units. It has also recommended to introduce an additional house rent allowance (city compensatory allowance), averaging up to INR 55 per day i.e., INR 1,430 per month for urban workers over and above the NMW. Apart from proposing the level of a single national minimum wage at an all-India level, the report has also estimated and recommended different national minimum wages for different geographical regions of the country to suit the local realities and as per socio-economic and labour market contexts. For the Purpose of estimating national minimum wages at regional levels it has grouped the states into five regions based on a composite index and have recommended region specific national minimum wages.

The oil which contains sulfur amount less than 0.5% is called Sweet Crude Oil. If the Sulfur content is more than 0.5%, it will be called Sour Crude Oil. The Brent crude oil is having around 0.37% Sulfur and that is why Brent Crude Oil is a Sweet crude Oil. Brent Crude is extracted from the North Sea and comprises Brent Blend, Forties Blend, Oseberg and Ekofisk crudes (also known as the BFOE Quotation). The Brent Crude oil marker is also known as Brent Blend, London Brent and Brent petroleum.

Volkswagen India was recently awarded with a certificate of appreciation for the initiatives undertaken for 'the advancement of the government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Pimpri, Chinchwad.
The felicitation function was held to recognize the continuous support and investment that corporate such as Volkswagen India were making to impart skills and improve employability of youth in the State.

At the national/regional level, trademark protection can be obtained through registration, by filing an application for registration with the national/regional trademark office and paying the required fees. At the international level, you have two options: either you can file a trademark application with the trademark office of each country in which you are seeking protection, or you can use WIPO‘s Madrid System. The Madrid System is a convenient and cost-effective solution for registering and managing trademarks worldwide. File a single application and pay one set of fees to apply for protection in up to 121 countries. Modify, renew or expand your global trademark portfolio through one centralized system.

In continuation of various Amnesty schemes introduced by States such as Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, the Central Government, to "unload the baggage of more than INR 3.75 lakh crores (3750bn) blocked in litigations in service tax and excise and allow the business to move on" has proposed to introduce a legacy dispute resolution scheme (scheme). This will allow quick closure of preGST litigations.

Doing away with the need for the litigant to be present in the court and facilitate adjudication of the case online, the Punjab and Haryana High Court will launch its first virtual court on Saturday at Faridabad through videoconferencing.
A Punjab and Haryana High Court spokesperson said the court would deal with traffic challan cases from across the State. The project will be launched under the guidance of eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India.

The devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 laid bare the vital link between coastal ecosystems and human livelihoods. It was United States President Bill Clinton‘s vision that rebuilding in tsunami-hit areas should improve natural infrastructure and strengthen resilience against future natural disasters. In response to this vision, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) developed Mangroves for the Future in 2006. Since then, MFF has grown to include eight institutional partners, plus a growing number of countries.

Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging.
We produce roughly 300 million tons of plastic each year and half of it is disposable! Worldwide only 10-13% of plastic items are recycled. The nature of petroleum based disposable plastic makes it difficult to recycle and they have to add new virgin materials and chemicals to it to do so. Additionally there are a limited number of items that recycled plastic can be used.
Petroleum based plastic is not biodegradable and usually goes into a landfill where it is buried or it gets into the water and finds its way into the ocean. Although plastic will not biodegrade (decompose into natural substance like soil,) it will degrade (break down) into tiny particles after many years. In the process of breaking down, it releases toxic chemicals (additives that were used to shape and harden the plastic) which make their way into our food and water supply.
These toxic chemicals are now being found in our bloodstream and the latest research has found them to disrupt the Endocrine system which can cause cancer, infertility, birth defects, impaired immunity and many other ailments.
Harsh Vardhan, the then Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, said on World Environment Day 2018 (June 5) that the country would try to ―phase out‖ singleuse plastic by 2022.