Consider the following statements regarding Rural Development Board
- It is mandated with the promotion of better agriculture, and granting relief for the loss and damage to agricultural produce
- It was incorporated in April 1987 under Rural Development Act, 1987.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS: Explained: The Rural Development Fund that’s causing bad blood between Punjab and the Centre
- The Union government’s decision to withhold rural development fee from Punjab, and letters asking the Punjab Government to explain its utilisation of the Rural Development Fund (RDF) that it gets largely from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has enraged the state government
What is Rural Development Fund or RDF?
- RDF is the 3 per cent cess leviedon the purchase or sale of agricultural produce under the Rural Development Fund Act, 1987.
- It is executed by Punjab Rural Development Board (PRDB)with the Chief Minister as its chairman.
What is Rural Development Board (RDB)?
- The RDB was incorporated in April 1987under Rural Development Act, 1987. Hence statement 2 is correct.
- It is mandated with the promotion of better agriculture, and granting relief for the loss and damage to agricultural produce. Hence statement 1 is correct.
- It also provides the facility of streets lights, dharamshalas, panchayat ghars, canals and drains, government health infrastructure, drinking water, sanitation, and government educational institutionsin rural areas.
Why has the central government suspended this fund?
- The central government, in a letter from the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has observed that thefund is being diverted.
- The Union government has asked the state government to explain how it is utilising the money.
Consider the following statements regarding World Wide Fund for Nature
- It is international non-governmental organization working in the field of the wilderness preservation and reduction of human impact on the environment.
- It is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS: WWF identifies 100 cities, including 30 in India, facing ‘severe water risk’ by 2050
- A hundred cities worldwide, including 30 in India, face the risk of ‘severe water scarcity’ by 2050, according to a recent report by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
- The cities would face a ‘grave water risk’ by 2050 due to a dramatic increase in their population percentageto 51 per cent by 2050, from 17 per cent in 2020
- The WWF report listed 30 Indian cities among a total 100 that would face grave water risk by 2050
- Two Indian cities — Jaipur (45th) and Indore (75th) — feature in this list.
- The WWF report named 28 more Indian cities, which it said will face “increasing water risks in the next few decades”. They are Amritsar, Pune, Srinagar, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Visakhapatnam, Thane, Vadodara, Rajkot, Kota, Nashik, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Hubli-Dharwad, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Dhanbad, Bhopal, Gwalior, Surat, Delhi, Aligarh, Lucknow and Kannur.
- The analysis also gave cities a risk score out of five in 2030 and 2050 where anything above three is a ‘high risk’ and anything above 4 is a ‘very high risk’.
- The WWF Water Risk Filter is a practical online tool that enables companies and investors to explore, assess, value and respond to water risks worldwide. It aims to “help evaluate and inform long-term resilience planning and strategy
About World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF):
- It is international non-governmental organizationworking in the field of the wilderness preservation and reduction of human impact on the environment. Hence statement 1 is correct.
- It founded in 1961and is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland. Hence statement 2 is correct.
- WWF aims to stop degradation of planet’s natural environment and build future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
- Currently, its work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests, and oceans.
- It publishes Living Planet Reportevery two years since 1998.
Consider the following statements regarding Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio
- As per Indian Banks’ Association, scheduled commercial banks are required to maintain a CAR of 9% while Indian public sector banks are emphasized to maintain a CAR of 12%
- The Basel III Norms have prescribed a CAR of 8%
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Explanation:
In NEWS: Govt provides Rs 670-cr support to Regional Rural Banks to meet regulatory capital
- In a bid to strengthen capital base, the union government has provided Rs 670 crore to Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) considering their importance in agriculture finance during these difficult times.
- Of the 43 RRBs, about one-third especially from north-eastern and eastern regions are in losses and they needed fund to meet regulatory capital requirement of 9 per cent
- As per the current scheme for recapitalization of RRBs, the capital support is provided to these banks by the Centre, concerned state governments and the sponsor banks in the ratio of 50:15:35, respectively to enable them to meet the regulatory requirement of capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of 9 per cent.
About Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio:
- Capital to Risk (Weighted) Assets Ratio (CRAR) or Capital Adequacy Ratio is the ratio of a bank’s capital to its risk.
- It is the capital needed for a bank in terms of the assets (mostly loans) disbursed by the banks.
- The higher the CRAR of a bank, the better capitalized the bank is.
- CRAR is arrived at by dividing the capital of the bank with aggregated risk-weighted assets for credit risk, market risk, and operational risk.
- As per RBI guidelines, scheduled commercial banks are required to maintain a CAR of 9% while Indian public sector banks are emphasized to maintain a CAR of 12%. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
- The Basel III Norms have prescribed a CAR of 8%. Hence statement 2 is correct.
- It is decided by the Central bank (RBI) and bank regulators.
RBI tracks CRAR of a bank:
- To ensure that the bank can absorb a reasonable amount of loss.
- To comply with statutory capital requirements.
- To prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process.
Consider the following statements regarding National Monsoon Mission
- It was launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences
- It aims to build a state-of-the-art coupled ocean atmospheric model for improved prediction of monsoon rainfall on extended range to seasonal time scale
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS: Dr. Harsh Vardhan releases the NCAER Report on “Estimating the economic benefits of Investment in Monsoon Mission and High Performance Computing Facilities
- According to the report, 1000 crores of investment in High Performance computing facilities in India will bring in 50,000 crores of benefits. This is to mainly get reflected in livelihood of 1.07 crores of people Below Poverty Line and 53 lakhs Below Poverty Line fisher folk households.
- The report was prepared by NCAER based on face-to-face survey. Around 6,098 respondents were surveyed. This included 757 marine fishermen and 1,376 livestock owners. Also, responses were collected from two lakh farmers through Interactive Voice Response System. The IVRS allows computers to interact with humans via keyboard and use of voice input.
- The survey finds that almost all livestock owners are taking decisions on livestock management practices based on weather forecast, 76 per cent of whom are doing so on all the three practices viz.
- modification of shed/shelter, vaccination against seasonal disease; and fodder management
- The decision on venturing into sea based on Ocean State Forecast (OSF) advisories for fishing has resulted in substantial reduction in operational cost. About 82 per cent of fishermen reported using OSF advisories every time before venturing into sea while 18 per cent reported using it sometimes.
- The estimated number of agricultural households belonging to Below Poverty Line category in the rain-fed areas, is 10.7 million.
About National Monsoon Mission initiative:
- It was launched by of Ministry of Earth Sciences, in Hence statement 1 is correct.
- Mission aims to build a state-of-the-art coupled ocean atmospheric model for:
- improved prediction of monsoon rainfall on extended range to seasonal time scale (16 days to one season). Hence statement 2 is correct.
- improved prediction of temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events on short to medium range time scale (up to 15 days)
- The four MoES institutes partnered for NMM are:
- Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune;
- National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida;
- India Meteorological Department (IMD); and
- Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1669815
Consider the following statements regarding Mission sagar II
- It aims to provide assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries to overcome natural calamities and Covid-19 pandemic.
- As part of this mission, Indian Naval Ship Airavat will deliver food aid to Sudan, Djibouti, south Sudan and Eritrea.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS: Indian Naval Ship Airavat reaches Port Sudan as part of ‘Mission Sagar-II’
- The Government of India is providing assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries to overcome natural calamities and COVID-19 pandemic, and towards the same INS Airavat is carrying a consignment of 100 Tonnes of food aid for the people of Sudan. Hence statement 1 is correct.
- Mission Sagar-II, follows the first ‘Mission Sagar’ undertaken in May-June 2020, wherein India reached out to Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, and provided food aid and medicines.
- As part of Mission Sagar-II, Indian Naval Ship Airavat will deliver food aid to Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea. Hence statement 2 is correct.
Source: http://newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=403575
With reference to iGOT e-learning platform, consider the following statements
- It provides self-contained training material for COVID-19 warriors comprising modules, videos and training documents.
- It is launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS: iGOT, more than 50 lakh online trainee issued certificates
Ministry of Health has said that uniquely designed Integrated Government Online training ’-iGOT platform provides self-contained training material for COVID-19 warriors comprising 56 modules, 196 videos and 133 training documents.Hence statement 1 and statement 2 is correct.
- Early this year, the Department of Personnel and Training has announced the launch of a learning platform (https://igot.gov.in) to combat COVID 19 for all front-line workers to equip them with the training and updates in coping with Pandemic.
- The target group is Doctors, Nurses, Central & State Govt. Officers, Civil Defence Officials, various Police Organisations, National Cadet Corps (NCC), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), National Service Scheme (NSS), Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Bharat Scouts & Guides (BSG) and other volunteers.
- The platform delivers curated, role-specific content, to each learner at his place of work or home.
- To begin with nine courses on iGOT have been launched on topics like Basics of COVID, ICU Care and Ventilation Management, Clinical Management, Infection Prevention through PPE, Quarantine and Isolation, Laboratory Sample Collection and Testing etc.
Source: http://newsonair.com/News?title=iGOT%3a-More-than-15-lakh-online-trainees-issued-certificates&id=403589
Consider the following statements regarding National Payment Corporation of India(NPCI)
- NPCI is an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.
- NPCI is an initiative of Ministry of Finance and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Explanation:
In NEWS: UPI transactions cross 2 billion/month
- National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. Hence statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect.
- It is a “Not for Profit” Company under the provisions of Section 25 of Companies Act 1956 (now Section 8 of Companies Act 2013), with an intention to provide infrastructure to the entire Banking system in India for physical as well as electronic payment and settlement systems.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/business/banking-and-finance/upi-transactions-cross-2-billion-month-6915441/
Consider the following statements regarding Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)
- PMI is an indicator of business activity only in the manufacturing sectors.
- The purpose of the PMI is to provide information about current and future business conditions to company decision makers, analysts, and investors.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Explanation:
In NEWS: Indicators hint at demand revival; caution prevails
- Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity – both in the manufacturing and services sectors. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
- It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is also constructed. Hence statement 2 is correct.
- The PMI summarizes whether market conditions as viewed by purchasing managers are expanding, neutral, or contracting.
- The purpose of the PMI is to provide information about current and future business conditions to company decision makers, analysts, and investors.
- The headline PMI is a number from 0 to 100
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/october-data-indicators-hint-at-demand-revival-caution-prevails-6915411/
With reference to Extradition, consider the following statements
- It is the delivery on the part of one State to another of those whom it is desired to deal with for crimes of which they have been accused or convicted and are justifiable in the Courts of the other State
- An Extradition request for an accused can be initiated in the case of under-investigation, under-trial and convicted criminals.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In News: Govt gets 6 weeks to file status report on Mallaya’s extradition
- As defined by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, ‘Extradition is the delivery on the part of one State to another of those whom it is desired to deal with for crimes of which they have been accused or convicted and are justifiable in the Courts of the other State’. Hence statement 1 is correct.
- An Extradition request for an accused can be initiated in the case of under-investigation, under-trial and convicted criminals. Hence statement 2 is correct.
- In cases under investigation, abundant precautions have to be exercised by the law enforcement agency to ensure that it is in possession of prima facie evidence to sustain the allegation before the Courts of Law in the Foreign State.
Source: https://epaper.thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GF17U4H9M.1&imageview=0
Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because
1.he was asked by the Board of Directors at London to do so
2.he wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India
3.he wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment
4.he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India
Answer: (d) he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India
Explanation:
- Fort William College was established on 18 August 1800 by Lord Richard Wellesley (d. 1837), Governor General of Bengal, in order to provide instruction in the vernacular languages of India to the civil and military officials of the East India Company. It was named after King William III of England
- The purposes were multi folded: fostering of Indian languages and making the British officials to be familiar with the local languages, etc . so that their administrative work would become easier as it involved interaction with the Indian natives.
