Daily Current Affairs MCQ - June 7, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

Migrants belonging to six non-Muslim minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who came to India on long term visa (LTV) before 2014 are eligible to apply online for citizenship under the Citizenship Act, 1955 from any part of the country, Home Ministry said.

• The six communities are Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis.
• Citizenship is a Home Ministry subject but it can delegate powers to States for specific objective.

Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA)

• The official asserted that this particular awareness drive was not related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) that is intended to benefit undocumented (illegal migrants) from the six persecuted communities who entered India before December 31, 2014.
• The CAA is yet to come into force as the rules that govern the law have not been notified by the Ministry yet.

Long term visa (LTV)

• For foreigners of non-Indian origin, a longer-term visa is classed as one that permits the holder to stay in India for longer than 180 days (six months) continuously.
• The main visas that provide this are the Employment, Entry and Student visas.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Union government has written to all Ministries relaxing the norms for disbursing pension to families of deceased employees considering their urgent need of funds for their livelihood during covid-19.

• The authorities have been told to disburse the provisional family pension immediately after receiving the claim with a death certificate.
• Stating that the completion of the process for sanction of family pension and its disbursement through the bank could take some time, the department cited provisions under Rule 80-A of the Central Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 1972.
• This rule provided for payment of provisional family pension and also provisional death gratuity, without waiting for forwarding of the family pension case to Pay & Accounts Office (PAO).

Hence both statements are correct.

COVID pandemic has resulted in recent volatility in Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) of Oxygen Concentrators. Margin at the level of distributor currently ranges up to 198%. Thus, the Government has decided to step-in to regulate the price of Oxygen Concentrators.

• By invoking extraordinary powers under Para 19 of the DPCO, 2013, NPPA has capped the Trade Margin up to 70% on Price to Distributor (PTD) level on Oxygen Concentrators.
• Earlier, in February 2019 NPPA had successfully capped the Trade Margin on Anti-cancer Drugs.

NPPA

• Mandate: It is an independent Regulator for pricing of drugs and to ensure availability and accessibility of medicines at affordable prices.
• History: It was constituted by a Government of India Resolution in 1997.
• Parent Ministry: It is as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• DPCO: The NPPA regularly publishes lists of medicines and their maximum ceiling prices under the Drug Price Control Orders (DPCO).
• Headquarters: New Delhi.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has laid down a defined procedure to be followed by government organisations for getting vigilance clearance before employing a ‘retired’ official on a contractual or consultancy basis.

• Before offering employment to retired All India Services and Group A officers of the Central government or their equivalent in other organisations owned or controlled by the Centre, vigilance clearance from the employer organisation, from which the officer has retired, should be obtained.
• In case a retired officer served in more than one organisation, clearance has to be obtained from all of them where the person was posted in the 10 years prior to retirement.
• Simultaneously, a communication seeking clearance should also be sent to the CVC.
• If no reply is received from the erstwhile employer (s) within 21 days of sending the communication by speed post, vigilance clearance should be deemed to have been given.
• Later, if the employee is found involved in any vigilance-related matter or not cleared from the vigilance point of view, the erstwhile employer organisation would be responsible for all consequential actions.

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)

• Mandate:
  1. it is an apex Indian governmental statutory body to address governmental corruption.
  2. The CVC is not an investigating agency: the only investigation carried out by the CVC is that of examining Civil Works of the Government.
• History:
  1. it was set up by the Government in 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam.
  2. Consequent upon promulgation of an Ordinance by the President, the CVC has been made a multi member Commission with "statutory status" with effect from 25th August,1998.
  3. Later on the Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003 was enacted which governs it.
• The Commission shall consist of –
  1. A Central Vigilance Commissioner - Chairperson;
  2. Not more than two Vigilance Commissioners - Members;
• Nittoor Srinivasa Rau, was selected as the first Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India.
• Appointment: The commission members shall be appointed by the President of India on recommendation of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Minister of home affairs (Member) and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.

Hence both statements are incorrect.

National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is collaborating with the Science Museum Group, London for an international travelling exhibition ‘Hunt for the Vaccine’. The exhibition will tell the story of the global effort to find new ways to develop vaccines and look at vaccinations more broadly with a historical and contemporary view.

• National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is a premiere institution in the field of science communication.
• It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.
• It is Headquartered in Kolkata.
• It was established in 1978.
• It is primarily engaged in popularizing Science and Technology through a network of science centres and Mobile Science Exhibitions (MSE) units that visit rural schools.
• Presently NCSM administers and manages 25 science museums/centres spread across the country and is the “world’s largest network of science centres and museums that functions under a single administrative umbrella” with an annual reach to about 15 million people.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

What is strategic disinvestment or strategic sale?
When the government decides to transfer the ownership and control of a public sector entity to some other entity, either private or public, the process is called strategic disinvestment.

What is the difference between strategic disinvestment/sale and disinvestment
Selling minority shares of Public Enterprises, to another entity be it public or private is disinvestment. In this the government retains ownership of the enterprise. On the other hand, when the government sells majority shares in an enterprise, that is strategic disinvestment/sale. Here, the government gives up the ownership of the entity as well.

Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles.

Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. Almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath. Although the ground is frozen, permafrost regions are not always covered in snow.

Most permafrost is located in high latitudes (in and around the Arctic and Antarctic regions), but at lower latitudes alpine permafrost occurs at higher elevations.

It can also be located in the Southern Hemisphere, just on mountain tops. Permafrost frequently occurs in ground ice, but it also can be presented in non-porous bedrock. Permafrost is formed from ice holding all different sorts of soil, sand, and rock combination together.

There is approximately twice as much carbon in permafrost than is currently in the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Vaigai River originates in the Western Ghats (Varusanadu Hills).
  • It travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.
  • Its main tributaries are Suruliyaru, Mullaiyaru, Varaganadhi, Manjalaru, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal and Upparu.
• The Vaigai is 258 kms long and finally empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district.
• Heritage River: The Vaigai was the river that flowed through the noted city of Madurai, the capital (4^th-11^th century CE) of the ancient and prosperous Pandya kingdom located in southern Tamil Nadu.
  • The river finds a mention in Sangam literature dated to 300 before the Common Era.
• Hence, option A is correct.

• The Cabinet Committee on Security, in June 1999, had approved a 30-year submarine-building plan which included construction of 24 conventional submarines indigenously by 2030. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Project 75 (I), approved in 2007, is part of the Indian Navy’s 30 year Plan for indigenous submarine construction.
  • P75I succeeded the Project-75 (P75) under which six diesel-electric attack submarines of the Kalvari class, based on the Scorpene class, were being built at MDL (Mazagon Dock Limited) – the third submarine, INS Karanj, was commissioned in March 2021. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Out of the total 24 submarines to be built in India, six will be nuclear-powered.
  • India has only one nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, at the moment. The INS Arighat, also a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, is to be commissioned soon. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • INS Chakra, a nuclear submarine, which is taken on lease from Russia, is believed to be on its way back to the country of origin.

• The National Security Guard is a counter-terrorism unit that formally came into existence in 1986 by an act of Parliament- ‘National Security Guard Act, 1986’.
  • Its headquarters is located in Manesar, Gurugram. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The idea behind raising such force came in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, Akshardham Temple attack and the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • The Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operation was code named Operation 'Nistar’ which led to the successful evacuation of 38 Indian Nationals stranded in the Socotra Island, Yemen in the aftermath of cyclone Mekunu.