UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Oct 09 - Oct 15

All the statements are correct.

S. V. S. Raghavan headed the Central Government committee set up for advising policy guidelines on competition and corporate governance, which later came to be known as SVS Raghavan Committee. On the recommendation of the Raghavan Committee, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (MRTP Act) was repealed and replaced by the Competition Act, 2002.

Statements 1 & 3 only are correct. National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has replaced the Competition Appellate Tribunal. It is the Appellate Tribunal to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
NCLAT is the Appellate Tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by NCLT(s) under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC). National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a quasi-judicial body in India adjudicating issues concerning companies in the country. The NCLT is the Adjudicating Authority for insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

The IMD has begun testing and using ensemble models for weather forecast through its 6.8 peta flops supercomputers “Pratyush” and “Mihir”. They are two of the fastest supercomputers built for weather forecasting in India.

Only statement 2 is correct. The Monetary Policy Committee is responsible for fixing the benchmark interest rate in India. The committee comprises six members – three officials of the Reserve Bank of India and three external members nominated by the Government of India. According to the RBI Act, external members of the MPC will be appointed by the central government “from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing, having knowledge and experience in the field of economics or banking or finance or monetary policy.” The previous three external members were appointed for a term of 4 years. All the central government nominees are not eligible to be re-appointed.

While the World Economic Outlook, Global Financial Stability Report, and Fiscal Monitor are flagship reports of the IMF, the Global Competitiveness Report is published by the World Economic Forum.

Both statements are correct. The Ministry of Electronics and IT has approved 16 proposals by electronics manufacturers under its Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme. The approved firms include five international mobile phone makers and five domestic firms. The scheme offers a production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in mobile phone manufacturing and specified electronic components, including Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units. The scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year as defined.

Both are correct. Article 262 of the Indian Constitution provides for the adjudication of inter-state water disputes. It allows the Parliament by law to provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution and control of waters of any inter-state river and river valley. Under this provision, the Parliament has enacted two laws i.e. the River Boards Act (1956) and the Inter-State Water Disputes Act 1956. The provisions of Article 263 deal with Inter-state council. Article 263 contemplates the establishment of an Inter-State Council to effect coordination between the states and between Centre and states.

2 & 3 only are correct. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is an international non-profit foundation that takes donations to finance independent research projects to develop vaccines against emerging infectious diseases (EID). It is not a subsidiary of the World Health Organisation. While CEPI was conceived in 2015, it was formally launched in 2017 at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

All three are correct. Both Hepatitis C and Zika Virus belong to the family Flaviviridae. The Flaviviridae are a family of positive, single-stranded, enveloped RNA viruses. Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation, sometimes leading to serious liver damage. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) spreads through contaminated blood.

2 & 3 only are correct. SMART is a missile-assisted release of lightweight anti-submarine torpedo system for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range. Heavy-weight torpedoes are significantly larger in diameter. It is an addition to Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities of India. It is an indigenously developed system by laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs announces MSP for various crops at the beginning of each sowing season based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Minimum Support Price (MSP) has no legislative backing. Agriculture falls within the legislative competence of State governments, through Entry 14 of the State List as mentioned in schedule 7 of the Indian constitution.

All the statements are incorrect. Nagorno-Karabakh, a landlocked mountainous territory has been at the centre of the clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Lake Sevan is located in Armenia and is not within Nagorno ­Karabakh.

Involuntary administration of Narco analysis test is also widely believed to be an intrusion of the right to privacy of an individual, a right that is guaranteed as a part of the right to life & personal liberty given under Article 21. A Supreme Court judgment of 2010 has held that involuntary administration of narco or lie detector tests is an intrusion into a person’s mental privacy.

Statement 1 is only incorrect. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is the regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings and entities like Insolvency Professional Agencies (IPA), Insolvency Professionals (IP) and Information Utilities (IU) in India. It was established in 2016 and given statutory powers through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The members of IBBI include representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Law and Corporate Affairs, and the Reserve Bank of India.

Only statement 2 is correct. India has set a target of 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, comprising 300 GW of solar capacity.India is third among the countries with the largest solar capacity in the world.

1 & 3 only are correct. Earthquake swarms are a series of multiple low magnitude earthquakes without a discernible main shock. They are different from the aftershocks of a high magnitude earthquake. Swarms are observed in volcanic environments, hydrothermal systems, and other active geothermal areas, according to geophysicists. Rampur in Himachal Pradesh and Koyna and lathur in Maharashtra have experienced Earthquake swarms.

1, 2, 4, 3 is the correct order. North to south: Marshall Island, Soloman Island, Vanuatu, New Caledonia.

The Battle of Saraighat was a naval battle fought in 1671 between the Mughal Empire and the Ahom Kingdom on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, Assam.

All four are correctly matched.

Tiger Reserve                           State

• Indravati                          Chhattisgarh
• Valmiki                                   Bihar
• Kawal                                  Telangana
• Mudumalai                        Tamil Nadu

Chola inscriptions in Tamil Nadu have a reference to ‘Kudavolai’. Kudavolai refers to a system to elect members to the annual committee, garden committee, tank committee and other committees for 30 wards.

Trincomalee Harbour is a seaport in Trincomalee Bay. It is one of the deepest natural harbours in the world, developed by the British during World War II. It is on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.

When a bill is referred to a joint sitting of both the Houses of the Parliament, it has to be passed by a simple majority of members present and voting.

1 only is correct. Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, every offence punishable under this Act shall be cognizable. Cognizable offences are those where a police officer can arrest without a warrant. Non-cognizable offence, as the name suggests, is the offence in which the police has no authority to apprehend a person for crime on its own, as explicit permission of the court is required. The judge has an option to award the Death penalty for certain offences after a previous conviction. It is not mandatory.

Both are correct. Killing any animal in a manner required by the religion of any community is not an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle, falls under the Gandhian Principles of DPSP as part of Article 48.

Exercise Milan is a multilateral naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. It is a biennial event held in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and features professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures between participating nations. Milan was first held in 1995.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 was awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch.

Malavikagnimitra is a Sanskrit play by Kalidasa on the love story of the son of the founder of the Sunga dynasty. It is based on some events of the reign of Pushyamitra Shunga.

1 & 3 only are correct. Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched in 2018 to address health issues at all levels – primary, secondary, and tertiary.
It has two components: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), earlier known as the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) and Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs). The National Health Authority is the agency responsible for implementing the scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana offers eligible families an insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh per annum per family. The cover will include pre and post-hospitalization expenses. It will also cover all pre-existing conditions. The scheme also covers the treatment cost of oncology with chemotherapy for 50 different types of Cancer. Ayushman Bharat would provide health cover for cancer-based on the drug regimen and not on the type of cancer. The scheme now also covers the treatment for Black Fungus.

1 only is correct. The President can transfer the judges of the High Court, based on the recommendations of the Collegium. The decision to transfer the High Court judges is open to judicial review. The Supreme Court in the Vishwanath Gopal Palshikar vs Union Of India case (1999) held that the scope of judicial review in the matter of transfer is very limited and has held that the judicial review can be only on the ground that the transfer was made without the recommendation of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India. While consultation with the Governor of a state is mandated for the appointment of the Judge of a High Court, there is no such consultation with regards to the transfer process of the High Court judges. The consultation in such scenarios is limited to that with the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court.