Daily Current Affairs MCQ- March 20, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Maharashtra is the latest state to threaten to withdraw from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yogna (PMFBY) if changes to it are not carried out.

• Introduced in the 2016-17 kharif season, PMFBY is a central-state scheme which aims to cushion farmers against crop loss.
• The central and state governments pay more than 95 per cent of the premium amount while the farmer bears 1.5-5 per cent of the premium.
• As extensive usage of technology is used to settle the claims of farmers within a stipulated time period, farmers are required to fill loss reports online which are validated by insurance companies before the compensation amount is paid directly in their accounts.
• Prior to 2020, the scheme was mandatory for farmers who availed institutional finance, but that was changed and made voluntary for all farmers.

Criticism

• Since the beginning, farm leaders across the state have criticised the scheme for various reasons.
• One of the main arguments against it is that it helps insurance companies more than the farmers. Farm leaders claim insurance companies have made windfall gains at the behest of the public exchequer and farmers.
• Delayed payouts and denial of claims are other common complains against insurance companies.
• Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand have opted out of the scheme because of low claim ratio and financial constrains.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The United States Senate on March 15, 2022 unanimously passed a law making daylight saving time (DST) permanent, scrapping the biannual practice of putting clocks forward and back coinciding with the arrival and departure of winter.

• If the legislation, Sunshine Protection Act, passes in the House of Representatives as well, and is signed into law by President Joe Biden, it will come into effect in November 2023.
• The practice of turning clocks back by an hour to standard time every November will stop — and DST, which now starts in March, will be in effect all year round.
• DST is currently followed by some 70 countries twice a year.

Arguments for having Daylight Saving Time (DST)

• The key argument is that DST is meant to save energy.
• It involves resetting clocks ahead by an hour in spring, and behind by an hour in autumn, and those in favour of DST argue that it means a longer evening daytime. Individuals will complete their daily work routines an hour earlier, and that extra hour of daylight means — or is supposed to mean — a lower consumption of energy.

Hence both statements are correct.

According to a Parliamentary Standing Committee report submitted to the Lok Sabha, various issues are hampering the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme.

• Some of these issues are Fake job cards, widespread corruption, late uploading of muster rolls, huge pending payments for wages and materials and insufficient funding.
• Genuine labourers not getting their dues while money keeps changing hands due to collusion of unscrupulous elements surrounding the implementation of scheme at ground level is a bitter truth of the time.
• The Committee said that study visits and observations had shown that “rozgar sevak-s are in the habit of filling up kachha muster at the start and go to the Block once a week for online uploading of muster-rolls”.
• It noted that if the muster-roll is not updated and uploaded within the stipulated time, it could not be backdated, causing a loss in payment.
• Pending wages amounted to ₹4,060 crore, while material component payments are pending to the tune of ₹9,000 crore.
• The panel found it “alarming” that in such a scenario, the budget estimates for the scheme for 2022-23 were reduced from the ₹78,000 crore sought by the Department of Rural Development, to ₹73,000 crore.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Supreme Court upheld the Centre’s one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme for the armed forces.

• The Bench held, “We find no constitutional infirmity in the OROP principle as defined in the government’s communication of November 7, 2015, on the implementation of the pension scheme.”
• The OROP scheme stipulated that benefits would be effective for pensioners from the cut-off date of July 1, 2014. Pensions of past pensioners would be refixed on the basis of pensions of retirees in the calendar year 2013.
• The Centre had promised that pensions of “all pensioners would be protected.” Finally, the scheme mandated the re-fixation of pension every five years.
• The judgment dealt with a petition filed by the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, complaining that pensioners of the same rank, who were a “homogeneous class”, were arbitrarily being given varying pensions under the OROP scheme.
• The amount of pension, they argued, should be uniform across armed forces personnel who retired with the same rank. They contended that the OROP had created a separate class among the personnel equally situated in rank and length of service. However, the court did not accept the argument.

Hence both statements are correct.

While hearing a criminal appeal against the Bihar Government, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana admonished a counsel for submitting a ‘sealed cover report’ to the court. The CJI asked the counsel to not submit the report in a sealed cover.

While hearing a criminal appeal against the Bihar Government, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana admonished a counsel for submitting a ‘sealed cover report’ to the court. The CJI asked the counsel to not submit the report in a sealed cover.

• Sealed cover jurisprudence is a practice used by the Supreme Court and sometimes lower courts, of asking for or accepting information from government agencies in sealed envelopes that can only be accessed by judges.
• While a specific law does not define the doctrine of sealed cover, the Supreme Court derives its power to use it from Rule 7 of order XIII of the Supreme Court Rules and Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.
• It is stated under the said rule that if the Chief Justice or court directs certain information to be kept under sealed cover or considers it of confidential nature, no party would be allowed access to the contents of such information, except if the Chief Justice himself orders that the opposite party be allowed to access it.
• It also mentions that information can be kept confidential if its publication is not considered to be in the interest of the public.

Hence both statements are correct.

• Sealed Cover Jurisprudence is a practice used by the Supreme Court and sometimes lower courts, of asking for or accepting information from government agencies in sealed envelopes that can only be accessed by judges. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• While a specific law does not define the doctrine of sealed cover, the Supreme Court derives its power to use it from Rule 7 of order XIII of the Supreme Court Rules and Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • Rule 7 of order XIII of the Supreme Court Rules:
    • According to the rule, if the Chief Justice or court directs certain information to be kept under sealed cover or considers it of confidential nature, no party would be allowed access to the contents of such information, except if the Chief Justice himself orders that the opposite party be allowed to access it.
    • It also mentions that information can be kept confidential if its publication is not considered to be in the interest of the public.
  • Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act of 1872:
    • Under this act, official unpublished documents relating to state affairs are protected and a public officer cannot be compelled to disclose such documents.
    • Other instances where information may be sought in secrecy or confidence are when its publication impedes an ongoing investigation, such as details which are part of a police case diary.

• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation, it was officially founded in Bonn, Germany, in January 2009. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • Currently it has 164 members, India is the 77th Founding Member of IRENA.
  • It has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Major Functions:
  • It supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, and serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy.
  • It promotes the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth and prosperity. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Arctic Council:

• The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental body set up in 1996 by the Ottawa declaration to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States together with the indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • The Council has the eight circumpolar countries as member states and is mandated to protect the Arctic environment and promote the economies and social and cultural well-being of the indigenous people whose organisations are permanent participants in the council.
• The Council has members, ad hoc observer countries and "permanent participants"
  • Members of the Arctic Council: Ottawa Declaration declares Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States of America as a member of the Arctic Council.
  • Permanent participants: In 1998, the number of Permanent Participants doubled to make up the present six, as,the Aleut International Association (AIA), and then, in 2000, the Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) and the Gwich'in Council International (GGI) were appointed Permanent Participants.
  • Observer status: It is open to non-Arctic states, along with inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary, global, regional and non-governmental organisations that the Council determines can contribute to its work. As of May 2019, thirteen non-Arctic states have Observer status. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
    • Germany, 1998
    • Netherlands, 1998
    • Poland, 1998
    • United Kingdom, 1998
    • France, 2000
    • Spain, 2006
    • China, 2013
    • India, 2013
    • Italy, 2013
    • Japan, 2013
    • South Korea, 2013
    • Singapore, 2013
    • Switzerland, 2017

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yogna (PMFBY):

• It is a central-state scheme, introduced in the 2016-17 kharif season. It aims to cushion farmers against crop loss.
  • The central and state governments pay more than 95% of the premium amount while the farmer bears 1.5-5% of the premium. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• As extensive usage of technology is used to settle the claims of farmers within a stipulated time period, farmers are required to fill loss reports online which are validated by insurance companies before the compensation amount is paid directly in their accounts.
• Prior to 2020, the scheme was mandatory for farmers who availed institutional finance, but that was changed and made voluntary for all farmers. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

• Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Under it, the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for infrastructure development of 13 identified theme based circuits. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD)’ was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15 with the objective of holistic development of identified pilgrimage destinations.
  • The name of the scheme was changed from PRASAD to “National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)” in October 2017. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has been organizing the International Buddhist Conclave biennially since 2004.
  • The earlier International Buddhist Conclaves were organized in New Delhi and Bodhgaya (February 2004), Nalanda and Bodhgaya (February 2010), Varanasi and Bodhgaya (2012 and 2014) and in Sarnath/Varanasi and Bodhgaya (October 2016), New Delhi (2018). Hence, statement 3 is not correct.