Daily Current Affairs MCQ - February 23, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Government has approved the continuation of Central Sector National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMSS) over the 15th Finance Commission cycle for a period of five years i.e. from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with financial outlay of Rs. 1827.00 crore.

• The scheme has been approved with minor modifications in eligibility criteria such as increasing income ceiling from Rs.1.5 lakh per annum to Rs.3.5 lakh per annum and revising the renewal criteria under the scheme.
• The objective of the scheme, launched in 2008-09, is to award scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop-out at class VIII and encourage them to continue their education at secondary stage.
• One lakh fresh scholarships of Rs.12,000/- per annum (Rs.1000/- per month) per student are awarded to selected students of class IX every year and their continuation/renewal in classes X to XII for study in State Government, Government-aided and Local body schools under the scheme.
• Students are selected for award of scholarships through an examination conducted by the State/ UT Governments. 100% funds under the scheme are provided by Central Government.
• The scheme is boarded on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). Scholarships are disbursed directly into the bank accounts of students by electronic transfer through Public Financial Management System (PFMS) following DBT mode.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The IT ministry has come out with a draft policy that proposes a framework for government-to-government data sharing and moots that all data for every government department or organisation shall be open and shareable by default, with riders.

• The draft ‘India Data Accessibility and Use Policy’ circulated for public consultation will be applicable to all data and information created, generated and collected by the government directly or through ministries, departments and authorised agencies.
• The policy aims to ‘radically transform’ India’s ability to harness public sector data.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Delimitation Commission, set up to redraw the Assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, has been given two more months to complete the exercise, a notification from the Union Law Ministry said.

• The extension will further delay an announcement to hold elections in J&K that is now a Union Territory but with a provision for a legislature.
• The commission came into being by virtue of Section 3 of the Delimitation Act 2002, an Act of Parliament, under the provisions of Part V of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. It is redrawing boundaries of seven additional seats for the 83-member Assembly.

Members

• The term of the panel, headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retired), was coming to end on March 6.
• While Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and the Election Commissioner of J&K are ex-officio members of the Commission, all the five Lok Sabha members from the Union Territory are its associate members.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said it had blocked apps, website and social media accounts of Punjab Politics TV.

• The Ministry said the channel had close links with the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), and it attempted to use the online media to disturb public order during the ongoing Punjab Assembly election.
• The SFJ was proscribed by the government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019. Members of the organisation have been accused of trying to revive terrorism in Punjab.
• It’s chief, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has also been declared a terrorist. Pannun also has alleged links with key functionaries of other banned pro-Khalistan outfits, including Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Tiger Force and International Sikh Youth Federation.
• The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was enacted in 1967.
• The 2004 amendment was to ban organisations for terrorist activities, under which 34 outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad, were banned.
• The 2019 amendment gave the Home Ministry the power to designate individuals as terrorists.
• Hence both statements are correct.

• The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (ASFPA) gives unfettered powers to the armed forces and the Central armed police forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law and arrest and search any premises without a warrant and with protection from prosecution and legal suits. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • The law first came into effect in 1958 to deal with the uprising in the Naga Hills, followed by the insurgency in Assam.
• The Act was amended in 1972 and the powers to declare an area as “disturbed” were conferred concurrently upon the Central government along with the States. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the governing body of the UN Environment Programme. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.
  • It meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• UNEA was created in June 2012, during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also referred to as RIO+20. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

• Traditional & Non-Conventional Systems of Health Care and Healing Which Include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy etc.
  • Allopathy is not a part of AYUSH. Hence, statement 1 is correct but statement 2 is not correct.
• The market size of the AYUSH sector has grown by 17 % in 2014-20 to reach USD 18.1 billion.
• In terms of global share, India has grown faster in the AYUSH market as compared to the world and accounts for about 2.8 % of the market, which is likely to hold. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
• The Ayush market is currently estimated to be around USD 10 bn and it is projected to see a 50 % increase over the course of the next five years.

Similipal Biosphere Reserve

• Similipal derives its name from ‘Simul’ (silk cotton) tree. It was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and brought under Project Tiger in the year 1973.
  • It was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India in June, 1994.
  • It has been part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserve since 2009. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• It is part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve popularly known as Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • It is prone to forest fires. In 2021, the Simlipal saw a major fire between February-end and early March.
• Similipal is situated in the northern part of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. Geographically, it lies in the eastern end of the eastern ghat.
• Two tribes, the Erenga Kharias and the Mankirdias, inhabit the reserve’s forests and practise traditional agricultural activities. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

He can make advances out of the Contingency Fund of the state to meet any unforeseen expenditure. This is similar to the powers of the President at the Centre.

He constitutes a state finance commission after every five years to review the financial position of the panchayats and the municipalities.

He sees that the Annual Financial Statement of the state is laid before the state legislature. Further, Money bills can be introduced in the state legislature only with his prior recommendation.

No demand for a grant can be made except on his recommendation.

In India, there are four consumer price index numbers, which are calculated, and these are as follows:

• CPI for Industrial Workers (IW)
• CPI for Agricultural Labourers (AL)
• CPI for Rural Labourers (RL) and
• CPI for Urban Non-Manual Employees (UNME).

While the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation collects CPI (UNME) data and compiles it, the remaining three are collected by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour.