June 12-2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is a flagship housing scheme (centrally sponsored) launched by the Government of India in 2015 to provide affordable housing to the urban and rural poor.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) – Urban aims to provide affordable housing to the urban poor, including slum dwellers.
• Target Beneficiaries: Households with an annual income of up to Rs. 3 lakh (Economically Weaker Sections, or EWS) and Rs. 3-6 lakh (Low-Income Groups, or LIG).

Statement 2 is correct

• Components of the scheme:
  • In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR);
  • Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) – interest subsidies on home loans.
  • Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) – encourages public-private partnerships and
  • Beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancements (BLC),

Statement 3 is correct

• PMAY – Rural is administered by the Ministry of Rural Development, whereas PMAY – Urban is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Answer: (c) All three; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The size of the Council of Ministers (CoM) cannot exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, as per the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003.
• The CoM is the real executive authority in India’s parliamentary system of government.

Statement 2 is correct

• The post of Deputy Chief Minister is neither mentioned nor defined in the Constitution.
• The appointment and removal of Deputy CM is entirely at the discretion of the Chief Minister.
• The Chief Minister can appoint more than one Deputy CM.

Statement 3 is correct

• A minister who is not a member of Parliament for six consecutive months will lose their position.

Answer: (d) None; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is not correct

• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-Madras) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have carried out a collaborative study of the behaviour of ‘Superbug’, a multi-drug resistant pathogen aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
• Enterobacter bugandensis is a common nosocomial bacterium known for its resistance to multiple drugs.
• The study revealed that the strains had mutated and become genetically and functionally distinct from their Earth counterparts due to the unique conditions of space, such as microgravity, radiation, and elevated carbon dioxide levels.

Statement 2 is correct

• Enterobacter species are members of the ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species) group of pathogens and are on the WHO priority list for developing new antimicrobials.

Answer: (b) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• A committee of independent advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously concluded that the benefits of the new Alzheimer’s drug, Donanemab, outweigh its risks.
• Donanemab, like its predecessor Lecanemab, is a monoclonal antibody that targets amyloid beta plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Donanemab doesn’t cure the disease. It only slows progression.

Answer: (a) Monoclonal antibody designed to slow the progression of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is not correct

• Currently, there are 12 categories of disasters which are notified under this Act. These are cyclones, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, and frost and cold waves.
• Though heatwaves are not a new phenomenon in India, and heat-related illnesses and deaths have been common in large parts of northern, eastern and central India, these were not viewed as a disaster when the Act came into being in 2005.
• It was because heatwaves were a common occurrence during summer, and not really an unusual weather event.

Statement 2 is correct

• The money in these funds cannot be used for any purpose other than response and management of notified disasters.

Statement 3 is not correct

• While the entire money of the NDRF comes from the central government, states contribute 25% of the money in the SDRF (10% in case of special category states), the rest comes from the Centre.

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