Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 2 August 2024 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Government Wednesday tabled the “The Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024” that replaces the Aircraft Act 1943, to shelve colonial legacy from one of the most modern and hi-tech sectors — aviation.
Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said: “We have introduced ‘The Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024’ which replaces erstwhile Aircraft Act of 1934.
This is a consolidated principle act which removes redundancy, addresses all concerns and aliens with the governing principles of Civil Aviation across the globe.”
The new law will simplify processes and improve ease of doing business. The Bill will bring Radio Telephone Operator Certificate exam under DGCA instead of the Dept of Telecommunications. This exam has been a nightmare for aspiring pilots and they hope things will improve under the new system.
The Aircraft Act 1934 had received the then Governor General’s assent on August 19, 1934, and has been amended several times over the years. “On Aug 15, 2022, PM Modi had given a call to remove even an ‘ounce of slavery’ and to ‘liberate ourselves from the slavery mind set which is visible in innumerable things within and around us.’ The Union law ministry identified the laws from that period. Aircraft Act was one of them,” senior officials who worked on this Bill had told TOI last year.
However, VT — that has over the decades been known as the short form of Viceroy’s Territory — will remain as the country code for aircraft registered in India. This code was finalised in 1929 and India had retained the same in 1947 after getting independence. “VT is not a part of the Aircraft Act 1934 act which we are replacing with a new, modern law,” officials had said.
The government had in 2021 said VT does not stand for Viceroy’s Territory. Call sign VT was assigned to India during the International Radiotelegraph Convention of Washington, 1927. Call signs that are closer to India or Bharat such as I, IN, B, BH, BM, or HT are already assigned to other countries, the government had said about two years back.
[Excerpt from TOI “Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024” Dated 02/08/24]

Q1: What is the primary purpose of the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024?
(a) To promote international aviation cooperation
(b) To replace and update the Aircraft Act of 1934
(c) To introduce new airline routes
(d) To increase government funding for aviation

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Q2: What key feature of the new bill includes changes related to aircraft operations?
(a) It limits the powers of the Central Government
(b) It allows private companies to oversee safety
(c) It centralizes control of aircraft design, manufacturing, maintenance, and safety under the Central Government
(d) It eliminates all regulations related to aircraft

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Q3: How does the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 support the ‘Make in India’ campaign?
(a) By encouraging foreign aircraft manufacturers to set up plants in India
(b) By improving the quality of foreign aircraft
(c) By promoting local aircraft design and production and improving maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services
(d) By focusing solely on airline passenger services

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Q4: What is a notable change in the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 compared to the old Aircraft Act of 1934?
(a) It removes all safety regulations
(b) It introduces new rules without repealing old ones
(c) It repeals the old Aircraft Act and enacts new rules
(d) It focuses only on international aviation laws

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Q5: What was the criticism faced by the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024, and how was it addressed?
(a) The bill was criticized for not including international standards
(b) The bill was criticized for its Hindi title, which was defended as representing a new identity while keeping the main content accessible in English
(c) The bill was criticized for excluding local manufacturers
(d) The bill was criticized for not addressing accident investigations

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