February 12 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• Parliament debated the missing 22 hand-painted illustrations from some Constitution copies, originally depicting India’s history and culture.
• Illustrations in Different Parts of the Constitution

Answer: (c) Krishna and Arjun’s discourse in the Mahabharata; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Pair 1 is correct

• Prem Behari Narain Raizada did the calligraphy in both Devanagari and Roman script.

Pair 2 is correct

• Nandalal Bose and his team at Santiniketan’s Kala Bhavana designed the illustrations.
• Artists used indigenous techniques like gold-leaf application and stone colors.
• Influences from Ajanta cave paintings and Bagh murals in the borders and illustrations.

Pair 3 is correct

• Beohar Rammanohar Sinha designed the intricate patterns on the Preamble page.

Pair 4 is correct

• Dinanath Bhargava sketched the National Emblem (Lion Capital of Ashoka).

Answer: (d) All four; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

• MoSPI is reviving the 2021 GDKP concept to supplement GDP by measuring the economic and social impact of knowledge-driven sectors.

Statement 1 is correct

• The concept of GDKP was initially proposed by NITI Aayog in 2021 as a supplementary metric to GDP, focusing on knowledge-driven economic contributions.

Statement 2 is correct

• GDP measures tangible economic activities but does not fully capture knowledge-based contributions like R&D, innovation, and human capital development.
• GDKP is a metric to assess the contribution of knowledge, innovation, and intellectual assets to economic growth

Statement 3 is correct

• Intellectual Property Products (IPP) expenditures are recorded under Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) in GDP data.
• GFCF may not fully reflect the knowledge economy, necessitating separate measurement for GDKP.

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Article 356 allows the President to assume direct control of a state’s administration if its government fails to function as per constitutional provisions.
• It is also known as State Emergency or Constitutional Emergency.
• The process is initiated by the Governor’s report or other credible sources and requires Presidential Proclamation.
• Duration: Initially for two months; requires parliamentary approval for an extension of up to six months, with further extensions possible up to three years under specific conditions.
• Conditions for Extension Beyond One Year: National Emergency in effect or Election Commission certifies difficulty in holding state elections.
• Recent large-scale violence in Manipur has led to discussions about imposing President’s Rule in the state.

Statement 2 is correct

• S.R. Bommai Case (1994) laid down guidelines to prevent misuse of Article 356.
  • Courts can examine whether the proclamation was based on valid grounds or arbitrary misuse of power.
  • Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy emphasized that states are not mere extensions of the Centre and need protection from undue central intervention.
  • Thus, state autonomy is protected:
  • President’s decision cannot be purely subjective.
  • Parliament must approve President’s Rule within two months.
  • If not approved, the dismissed government is automatically revived.

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

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• It was launched in February 2023, as a part of Migration and Mobility Agreement (2021).
• Ballot for the scheme which offers 3,000 Indian nationals the opportunity to live, study, travel & work in UK for upto two years will open in Feb 2025.
• Eligibility Age: 18 to 30 years.
• Annual Cap: 3,000 young professionals per country (India and UK).
• Qualification Requirement: A degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s level or higher.
• Financial Requirement: Proof of £2,530 in savings for self-support in the UK.
• Key Feature: Does not require an employer certificate or pre-approved job offer.
• Application Process: Randomly selected candidates required to apply within 90 days.
• Difference from Other UK Work Visas:
  • Requires a certificate of sponsorship, an approved employer, and a minimum salary threshold.
  • Limited to medical professionals working with NHS or adult social care.
  • No employer sponsorship needed; allows candidates to seek jobs or be self-employed.
  • Not extendable beyond 2 years; No dependent children allowed.

Answer: (b) United Kingdom; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

• A depreciating rupee means a higher exchange rate, requiring more rupees to buy one US dollar.
• Exchange rates in a free-market economy depend on supply and demand.
• RBI intervenes in the forex market to prevent excessive volatility but does not maintain a fixed rate.
• The Indian rupee has depreciated by over 22.36% in five years, increasing the cost burden on companies relying on foreign loans and imports.

Options 1 and 3 are correct but option 2 is incorrect

• Key Causes of Rupee Depreciation:
  • Rising US interest rates attract capital away from India, weakening the rupee.
  • Trade wars and global economic slowdowns reduce foreign capital inflow.
  • India’s high demand for dollars due to imports increases pressure on the rupee.
  • RBI’s policy of allowing gradual depreciation to maintain competitiveness.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

All the statements are incorrect

• Marine heatwaves (MHWs) occur when ocean temperatures for a particular oceanic location are unusually extremely warm for an extended period — when the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of a particular region rises to 3 or 4°C above the average temperature for at least five days.
• MHWs can occur in summer or winter and last for weeks, months or even years.
• 87% of MHWs are attributable to human-induced warming.
• MHWs have become twice more frequent in the past four decades and are lasting longer.
• By 2081, the frequency of marine heat waves could jump by 20 to 50 times.

Factors influencing Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Marine Heat Waves (MHWs):

• High-Pressure Systems
• Rossby waves
• ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation)
• Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)
• North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
• Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO)
• Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)
• Monsoons

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3; Difficulty Level: Medium