February 11-12 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award in the country instituted in the year 1954.
• The award is conferred “in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour “, without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex.
• The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services but the government expanded the criteria to include “any field of human endeavour” in December 2011.
• It is also not mandatory that Bharat Ratna be awarded every year.

Statement 2 is correct

• The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister himself to the President.
• No formal recommendations for this are necessary.
• The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were politician C. Rajagopalachari, philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and scientist C. V. Raman, who were honoured in 1954.

Statement 3 is correct

• The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
• The awardees are not allowed to use Bharat Ratna as a prefix or suffix to their names, as stated in Article 18(1) of the Indian Constitution.
• The Emblem of India is embossed on the back, & ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed in Devanagari script.

• The Award does not carry any monetary grant.

Answer: (a) 1 Only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• SGBs are government securities denominated in grams of gold.
• The SGB Scheme was first launched by the Government of India (GOI) on October 30, 2015.
• They are substitutes for holding physical gold.
• Investors have to pay the issue price, and the bonds will be redeemed upon maturity.
• The bond is issued by Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the GOI.
• Who is eligible to invest in the SGBs?
  • The bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities, including individuals (in their capacity as individuals, or on behalf of minor child, or jointly with any other individual), Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions.
  • The minimum investment in the bond shall be one gram, with a maximum subscription limit of 4 kg for individuals, 4 kg for HUFs, and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities notified by the government from time to time per fiscal year.
  • In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 KG will be applied to the first applicant only.

Statement 2 is correct

• Who are the authorized agencies selling the SGBs?
• Bonds are sold through offices or branches of Nationalised Banks, Scheduled Private Banks, Scheduled Foreign Banks, designated Post Offices, Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd. (SHCIL), and the authorised stock exchanges either directly or through their agents.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Interest on the bonds will be taxable as per the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
• The capital gains tax arising on the redemption of SGB to an individual has been exempted.

Answer: (b) 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Kilkari, is an IVR based mobile health service which delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate 72 audio messages about pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare directly to families’ mobile phones from the second trimester of pregnancy until the child is one year old.

Statement 2 is correct

• Kilkari Programme is centrally hosted by MoHFW for all the States/UTs and no further investment in the technology, telephony infrastructure or operational costs is required to be borne by States/UTs.
• This service is Free of cost for States/UTs and beneficiaries

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The Science for Women-A Technology & Innovation (SWATI) Portal was recently launched in New Delhi.
• The portal was officially launched on February 11, 2024, coinciding with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).
• It is developed by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR).

Statement 2 is correct

• Aims and objectives of SWATI Portal:
  • To showcase and celebrate the contributions of Indian women scientists while promoting inclusivity and opportunities in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine).
  • It provides a platform for knowledge dissemination, highlights advances in fundamental science, and emphasizes the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Answer: (a) 1 Only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Nazul land refers to government-owned land leased out for various purposes, including non-agricultural uses.
• The state generally allots such land to any entity on lease for a fixed period, generally between 15 and 99 years.
• In case the lease term is expiring, one can approach the authority to renew the lease by submitting a written application to the Revenue Department of the local development authority.
• The government is free to either renew the lease or cancel it — taking back Nazool land.

Statement 2 is correct

• During British rule, kings and kingdoms that opposed the British frequently revolted against them, leading to several battles between them and the British Army.
• Upon defeating these kings in battle, the British would often take their land away from them.
• After India gained Independence, the British vacated these lands.
• But with kings and royals often lacking proper documentation to prove prior ownership, these lands were marked as Nazool land — to be owned by the respective state governments.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• Sandbox for Agricultural and Rural Security, Technology and Insurance (SARTHI) is the comprehensive digital insurance platform launched by Agriculture ministry in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India.
• It extends coverage to health, life, home, shop, agriculture implements, motor, and parametric products.
• It can be accessed via the AIDE app available on Android App Store.
• This ambitious endeavour, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, not only aims to safeguard farmers’ livelihoods but also to fortify the resilience of the agricultural sector as a whole.

Answer: (c) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• It was once a large saltwater lake of Central Asia and the world’s fourth largest body of inland water.
• It was made by waters from the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers that were dependent on glacial melt, as reported by NASA.

Statement 2 is correct

• It stands at the boundary between Kazakhstan to the north and Uzbekistan to the south.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• According to NASA, in 1960 the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project where they diverted the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers for irrigation projects.
• Though the project made the desert region surrounding the sea bloom, it had a devastating impact on the Aral Sea.

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement1 is correct

• The Bill replaces the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.
• The Bill retains the constitutional provision (Article 324(5)) that allows the CEC to be removed like a Supreme Court Judge, while ECs can only be removed on the recommendation of the CEC.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The CEC and ECs will be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
• The Selection Committee will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of Opposition/leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.
• Recommendations of the Selection Committee will be valid even when there is a vacancy in this Committee.
• A Search Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary will propose a panel of names to the Selection Committee.
• Eligibility for the posts includes holding (or having held) a post equivalent to the Secretary to the central government.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• The salary and conditions of service of the CEC and ECs will be equivalent to that of the Cabinet Secretary.
  • Under the 1991 Act, it was equivalent to the salary of a Supreme Court Judge.

Statement 4 is incorrect

• The SC noted recommendations from the Dinesh Goswami Committee on Electoral Reforms (1990) and the Law Commission’s 255th report on Electoral Reforms (2015).
• Both committees suggested a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India (CJI), and the Leader of the Opposition for appointing the CEC and ECs.
• The recommendations of Dinesh Goswami Committee for appointment of CECs and ECs are consultative in nature and not solely depend on the union government.

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• High-altitude Pseudo Satellite Vehicle (HAPS) is a solar-powered pseudo satellite, a new age unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
• It can fly at altitudes of 18-20 km from the ground, almost double the heights attained by commercial airplanes.
• Its ability to generate solar power, can remain in air for months, even years, offering it advantages of a satellite.
• The cost of operating HAPS is several times lower than that of a satellite that is usually placed at least 200 km from the earth.
• It can significantly increase India’s surveillance and monitoring capabilities in the border areas that are prone to insurgency.
• It can provide mobile communications networks in remote areas, if the normal networks get damaged due to any disasters or calamity.
• HAPS is a still-developing technology, and the successful test flight last week puts India among a very small group of countries currently experimenting with this technology.
• National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru is one of the laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Answer: (d) All; Difficulty Level: Medium