Current Affairs - MCQ Online Test (8) - UPSC MCQ

India’s UIP provides free vaccines against 11 life threatening diseases, to 26 million children annually, the largest birth cohort in the world. The Universal Immunization Programme provides life - saving vaccines to all children across the country free of cost to protect them against Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea. (Rubella, JE and Rotavirus vaccine in select states and districts).
The government has announced the expansion of rotavirus vaccine in five additional states under its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). Now, the vaccine will be expanded to Assam, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
The vaccine will prevent Rotavirus diarrhoea in children, which accounts for approximately 40% of hospitalizations from diarrhoea in India. Diarrhoea is one of the biggest killers in children and rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe diarrhoea in children less than 2 years of age.

The Marriages (Compulsory Registration and Prevention of wasteful expenditure) Bill, 2016 seeks to put a restriction on extravagant spending in weddings in the country by limiting the number of guests and number of the dishes in the menu.
The bill aims to check ‘show of wealth’ and wants those who are spending above 5 Lakh in a wedding to contribute towards marriages of economically poor girls. The main objective behind its introduction is to prohibit extravagant and wasteful expenditure on marriages and to put into effect a simpler and much cheaper process.
The Bill also seeks that “if a family intends to spend more than 5 lakh on a wedding, then, it will have to declare the amount proposed to be spent in advance to the appropriate government body and contribute 10% of it to a welfare fund established to assist poor families in the marriages of their daughters.

Moving towards the rolling out of GST, the GST Council has recently approved a law to compensate states for any loss of revenue from the implementation of the new national sales tax but deferred approval for enabling laws to the next meeting.
The Council, in its last meeting on January 16, had agreed that 90% of tax assesses below Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover will be assessed by states and the remaining 10% by the Centre. For taxpayers with over Rs 1.5 crore turnover, the split was 50:50 between the Centre and the states.

TAMRA was created with an aim to speed up mining activity in India and facilitated all stakeholders to track the status of clearances linked to mining blocks for getting mines to reach till operationalisation for the same. Salient features of TAMRA are as follows:

• It covers block-wise, mineral-wise and state-wise information of the mines to be auctioned.
• It will also monitor various statutory clearances and highlight the additional resources generated through e-auction.
• TAMRA platform will help in enhancing transparency and accountability in mining.
• In the case of delay in obtaining any clearances, TAMRA will send triggers to the concerned authority. These triggers will help the authority to take the remedial steps immediately.
• The triggers generated by TAMRA will also be sent to the ministry of mines, which will allow the ministry to expedite clearances in case the timelines set against each of the statutory clearances are not met.

Publications Division, a Media Unit under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Sasta Sahitya Mandal (SSM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for joint publication of books on heroes of freedom struggle, cultural leaders and other eminent personalities who worked towards Nation development.
The agreement is a joint initiative between the two organisations to sensitise the young generation about India’s rich and diverse culture and history. It would promote the availability of good literature for the people on diverse topics.
SSM is a Trust established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1925 and mandated to promote, develop and publish high-class literature in Hindi and to make it available to the public at affordable prices.
Since its inception, SSM has brought out more than 2500 titles on Indian culture, heritage, Indian epics, & stories and has created a huge corpus of children literature to infuse in them the values of life and love for the nation and humanity.

A Constitution Bench is set to hear the question whether triple talaq and polygamy violates the fundamental rights of Muslim women for which the Supreme Court said it has to examine if these personal law practices are the "fundamental traits" of the minority religion.
In this context, the Centre’s question as to “whether personal law is ‘law’ under Article 13 of the Constitution?” is significant. Article 13, for one, is so inclusive in its ambit that the term ‘law’ in the constitutional provision includes anything from an “ordinance, order, by-law, rule, regulation, notification and even customs and usages” passed or made by the Legislature or any other “competent authority”.
The Bombay High Court in State of Bombay versus Narasu Appa Mali had held that personal law is not ‘law’ under Article 13. The court had observed that reformation of personal laws is best left to the legislature as "chosen representatives of the people" and not the judiciary. It said the phrase ‘customs and usages’ in Article 13 does not include personal laws of various religions. It held that Article 44 (Uniform Civil Code) acquiesced the existence of varied personal laws. This 1951 judgment was never challenged in the Supreme Court.

The government plans to come out with ‘Indradhanush 2.0’, a comprehensive plan for the recapitalisation of public sector lenders, with a view to making sure they remain solvent and fully comply with the global capital adequacy norms, Basel-III.
The Reserve Bank of India had asked banks to recognise some top defaulting accounts as non-performing assets (NPAs) and make adequate provisions for them. It has had a debilitating impact on banks’ numbers and their stocks.

South Asia is a rapidly growing region that is home to one-fifth of the world’s population. SARTTAC will allow the IMF to meet more of the high demand for technical assistance and training from the region.
SARTTAC is a collaborative venture between the IMF, the member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka), and development partners.
The Centre aims at helping its member countries strengthen their institutional and human capacity to design and implement macroeconomic and financial policies that promote growth and reduce poverty in a rapidly growing region that is home to one-fifth of the world’s population.
SARTTAC will allow the IMF to meet more of the high demand for technical assistance and training from the region.

Kambala is traditionally a simple sport which, essentially, to entertain rural people of the area. The 'track' used for Kambala is a slushy paddy field. The contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes, each pair race in wet rice fields, controlled by a whip-lashing farmer. Historically, the winning pair of buffaloes was rewarded with coconuts and bananas.
Kambala is held traditionally under the sponsorship of local landlords and households or Patel of the village, in coastal Karnataka, India. The Kambala season generally starts in November and lasts until March. Currently, more than 45 races are held annually in Coastal Karnataka, including smaller remote villages like Vandaru, Gulvadi etc.

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the country and it has now become home to the first of its kind loktak floating elementary school. The school has been inaugurated at Langolsabi Leikai of Champu Khangpok village in Manipur. It aims to provide education to drop out students, who were rendered homeless due to the recent evacuation of phumdis.
The school has been opened under the initiative undertaken by All Loktak Lake Fisherman’s Union with the support of an NGO – People Resources Development Association (PRDA). The school will not only cater to the need of the children but for the illiterate adults as well. The school will be accommodated around 25 students and two teachers from the community.
The Loktak Lake is referred as the “lifeline of Manipur” as it is highly productive and many lives depend on the lake for endurance. The lake is also an Important Bird Area as it’s a potential breeding site for waterfowl and is a staging site for migratory birds.
This ancient lake serves as a source of water for hydropower generation, irrigation and drinking water supply. The lake is also a source of livelihood for the rural fisherman who lives in the surrounding areas and on phumdis, also known as “phumshongs”.

In India, GI registration is governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force in September 2003. Darjeeling tea was the first product to be accorded with a GI tag in India.
The GI tag is an indication which is definite to a geographical territory. It is used for agricultural, natural and manufactured goods.
For a product to get GI tag, the goods need to be produced or processed or prepared in that region. It is also essential that the product has special quality or reputation.
Nilambur teak is popularly known as the Mecca of teak. Nilambur teak, internationally known for its superior quality and elegant appearance, will soon be added to the list of Kerala produces with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

The Indian Navy has installed solar panels on board survey ship INS Sarvekshak which is based in Kochi coast. With this, Sarvekshak has become the first ship in India, perhaps first in the world, to use solar energy on board.
The solar panels have the capacity to produce 5.4 KV of electricity, which is sufficient for internal lighting of the vessel round-the-clock.

In India, the Extradition Act, 1962, regulates the surrender of a person to another country or the request for the arrest of a person in a foreign land. According to the act, any conduct by a person in India or elsewhere mentioned in a list of extradition offences punishable with a minimum one year of imprisonment qualifies for an extradition request. Currently, India has extradition treaties with 38 countries.
Extradition refers to the surrender of a criminal to one country by another. The process of extradition is regulated by treaties between the two countries. Extradition is important because it helps to maintain the sanctity of the penal code of one country or territory.
The crime done by the accused should fall in the category of dual criminality. This means that it should be a punishable offence according to the laws of both countries – the one where the accused has taken refuge and the one that seeks extradition. Persons charged for political reasons are generally not extradited.
There are countries where capital punishment is banned. If a fugitive has taken refuge in such a country, and if the establishment of that country thinks that, if extradited, the accused might get capital punishment, the country most likely refuses to extradite.

Rip tides are strong sea currents which push away from the shore as a strong storm is near. They are formed by the strong winds pushing water towards the shore. Tropical cyclone winds push waves up against the shoreline even if they are hundreds of miles away, so rip tide warnings are often the first indication of a nearby hurricane.
Rip currents are a potential source of danger for people in the shallow water with breaking waves in seas, oceans and lakes. Rip currents are the proximate cause of 80% of rescues carried out by beach lifeguards. In a rip current, death by drowning occurs when a person has limited water skills and panics, or when a swimmer persists in trying to swim to shore against a strong rip current, thus eventually becoming exhausted and unable to stay afloat.

The international naval exercise “AMAN-17” is being held in Karachi, Pakistan. More than 35 countries are participating in the event. The multinational exercise, themed “together for peacAe,” has been planned by the Pakistan Navy.
AMAN 17 exercise will feature harbour and sea phases where participants will witness a variety of activities including Search & Rescue (SAR) Operations, gunnery drills, anti-piracy demonstrations, replenishment at Sea (RAS) and maritime counterterrorism demonstrations.
It involves ships, aircraft, helicopters, Special Operations Forces (SOF), Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD), marine teams and observers from regional as well extra-regional navies. This exercise provides a platform for the navies involved – some of which do not work together very often – to hone their skills and build cooperation and friendship to promote peace and stability.

The judicial powers and functions of the governor are that he can grant pardons, reprives, respites and remissions of punishment or suspend, remit and commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the state extends.
He cannot pardon a death sentence. Even if a state law prescribes for a death sentence, the power to grant pardon lies with the President and not the governor. But, the governor can suspend, remit or commute a death sentence.
Governor cannot grant pardon, reprieve, respite, suspension, remission or commutation in respect to punishment or sentence by a court-martial (military court).

The Securities and Exchange Board of India has liberalized norms for angel funds to invest in early-stage entities as part of its attempts to facilitate fund-raising for start-ups. The capital markets regulator also enhanced the scope of investment of foreign investors in unlisted debt securities.
• It has increased the upper limit for number of angel investors in a scheme from forty nine to two hundred.
• The requirement of minimum investment amount by an angel fund in any venture capital undertaking has been reduced from Rs.50 lakh to Rs.25 lakh.
• The lock-in requirements of investment made by angel funds in the venture capital undertaking has been reduced from three years to one year.
• The regulatory agency has also permitted foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to invest in unlisted non-convertible debentures and securitized debt instruments of a public or private company based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Earlier, FIIs were allowed to invest in such securities only if it was issued by a company from the infrastructure sector.
• An agreement between company management personnel and shareholders that assure certain compensation or share in profits to the employee was also placed in action.

Cabinet has approved on introduction of the Merchant Shipping Bill 2016 in the Parliament which will repeal the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and the Coasting Vessels Act, 1838.
The provisions of the Bill will simplify the law governing the merchant shipping in India and hence promote case of doing business and transparency. It will start allowing substantially-owned vessels and vessels on Bare Boat-cum-Demise (BBCD); charter by Indians to be registered as Indian flag vessels; recognizing Indian controlled tonnage as a separate category and making separate rules for coastal vessels to develop & promote coastal shipping. The requirement of signing of articles of agreement by the crew before the Shipping Master will no longer be necessary.

Punishment and reforms were the main tasks for the Lodha committee. Some of the major recommendations are as follows:
• It recommends legalization of betting. 
• Lodha committee wants BCCI to come under RTI Act.
• Lodha committee recommends no BCCI office-bearer can be Minister or government servant
• Lodha committee recommends that in no case President will hold post for more than 2 years
• It proposes one state, one vote and no proxy voting of individuals.

• Panel recommends separate governing bodies for the IPL and BCCI.

Indian journalist Malini Subramaniam has been conferred with the International Press Freedom Award for her reporting from the Naxal-infested Bastar area. She is one of the four journalists felicitated by the annual award for their commitment to a free press.
The CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honor journalists or their publications around the world that show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment. In addition to recognizing individuals, the organization seeks to focus local and international media coverage on countries where violations of press freedom are particularly serious.

Railways will be getting an advanced system, called "Tri-Netra", on its trains which will help reduce train accidents by keeping a record of the track maintenance and will also provide better visibility during foggy days. Tri-Netra system is made up of a high-resolution optical video camera, high-sensitivity infrared video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system.

Tri-Netra stands for ­ "terrain imaging for diesel drivers infrared, enhanced optical and radar assisted system". The system provides a locomotive pilot a clear view of up to one kilometre on a straight track, even during inclement weather. This will help in maintaining high speed in poor visibility and avoid delay in arrivals.

For the global access to medicines campaign, the World Health Organization (WHO) has dropped the term ‘counterfeit’ and retained ‘falsified’ to describe medicines of inferior quality. The terms were being used interchangeably to confiscated Indian made generic drugs exported to other countries by showing that they were in violation of intellectual property.

The adopted definition drops the word counterfeit and uses the term falsified which is much more in line with public health concerns regarding medicines, which make false claims about what they contain or where they are from.

The India Post Payments Bank or IPPB is the largest among the eight that are likely to start operations over the next few months. Eleven entities received the RBI’s in-principle approval for floating payments banks but three of them have left the field. The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has been recently incorporated as a Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts with 100% GOI equity.
IPPB has been recently integrated as a Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts with 100% GOI equity. IPPB will offer demand deposits such as savings and current accounts up to a balance of Rs 1 Lac, digitally enabled payments and remittance services of all kinds between entities and individuals and also provide access to third party financial services such as insurance, mutual funds, pension, credit products, forex, and more, in partnership with insurance companies, mutual fund houses, pension providers, banks, international money transfer organisations, etc.

Airtel has launched India's first live payments bank which has rolled out a pilot project in Rajasthan offering 7.25% interest on savings bank accounts. Airtel was the first to receive a payments bank licence from the Reserve Bank of India. The bank's focus is on financial inclusion and it will not be issuing ATM or debit cards, but will allow cash withdrawal facilities at designated Airtel retail outlets which will double as banking points. The bank is also providing a free personal accident cover of Rs 1 lakh with every savings bank account.
Airtel Payments Bank plans to open accounts by leveraging the telecom operator's extensive national distribution network of over 1.5 million retail outlets, including in rural areas. A unique feature about the bank is that customers with an Airtel mobile connection will have the mobile number as an account number. The bank will be fully digital and paperless, with even account opening being done using Aadhaar-based eKYC.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a spiritual teacher who founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya was the proponent for the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga based on Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita. Of various incarnations of Vishnu, he is revered as Krishna, popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra and composed the Siksastakam (eight devotional prayers) in Sanskrit.
Chaitanya is sometimes referred to by the names Gauranga or Gaura due to his fair complexion and Nimai due to his being born underneath a Neem tree. His original name was Vishambhar. He was a brilliant student and at an early age he became a scholar and opened a school.