Weekly Current Affairs : Quizzes 23/05/2022 to 28/05/2022

EXPLANATION:

• There are 5 parameters on which this ranking is based:

1. Legal framework
2. Political context
3. Economical Context
4. Safety of journalist
5. Socio cultural content.

• Religious biases are not the parameter. Among these parameters, India is ranked worst on this parameter of the safety of journalists. Safety regarding their job, regarding their personal security. India's ranking on this parameter is 163.The parameter legal framework defines the degree to which journalists and media are free to work without censorship or Judicial sanction. Since our country is a democratic country therefore the constitution provides more rights to journalists legally. On this parameter, however, India’s ranking is satisfactory. It is the 120 in the world. Hence (c) is the correct option.

EXPLANATION: 

• The "Shillong Accord" was signed on 11 November 1975 at Shillong, by the Governor of Nagaland, L.P. Singh represented the Indian government and Nagaland's underground leadership represented by Kevi Yalie, M. Assa, S. Dahru, Veenyiyl Rhakho, and Z. Ramyo and they agreed to surrender their arms and to accept the Constitution. Some top leaders of the NNC who were operating NNC from Myanmar did not accept the Shillong accord. This accord is done to resolve the Naga Problem. Nagas are continuously demanding complete freedom from India. They had declared their government in Greater Nagaland region (Some part of Assam, Arunachal and Nagaland). This Shillong accord is not related to border and trade disputes. Hence option (b) is correct.

EXPLANATION:

• The Maharashtra Department of Prisons has launched the first kind of credit scheme for prisoners in jails across the state. The loan scheme titled Jivhala is offered by the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank for inmates who are undergoing a prison sentence of more than three years. The pilot was introduced at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune, and will be extended to nearly 60 prisons. Inmates can use the loans for education of their children, medical treatment of family members, legal fees, or other expenses.This scheme is issued by the Government of Maharashtra. Hence the option (c) is correct.

EXPLANATION: 

• Indian startups are finally catching up with the world, with a whopping 100 startups now part of the fantastical unicorn club (startups with a valuation of $1 Bn+). Open, a neo-banking fin-tech portal recently raised capital to push up its value over a billion dollars and became India’s 100th unicorn. Open, a five-year-old Bengaluru-based neo-bank, raised USD 50 mn recently. Earlier, Google, Temasek, Visa, and Japan’s SoftBank invested USD 100 million in the startup. 14 Indian Startups entered the Unicorn Club In 2022 while 42 startups and 2 listed companies touched the billion-dollar valuation in 2021. After a whopping 44 unicorns in 2021, the milestone of a 100 unicorns was just a touching distance away for the Indian startup ecosystem. Hence option (a) is correct.

EXPLANATION: 

• The Damodar Valley Project is a multipurpose river valley Damodar Valley Corporation was set up in 1948 as “the first multipurpose river valley project of independent India.” DVC was formed with the central government and the governments of Bihar (later Jharkhand) and West Bengal participating in it. This project was prepared by Meghnad Saha who was a great scientist in the fields of physics and astronomy. He developed an equation to determine the ionization state of the various elements making up the star.He founded the journal Science and Culture and was the editor until his death. During 1952 to 56 He remained a Lok Sabha MP. Hence statement 1 is correct 
• Damodar river does not pass through Punjab. It originates from the Chhota Nagpur plateau and passes through the state of Jharkhand and Bengal. Hence statement 2 is not true 
• Damodar river is not the Himalayan river. It is the peninsula river. It does not meet with Ganga. It merges with the Hoogly river. Hence statement 3 is not true. 
• This project was completed during the time of Jawar Lal Nehru. Hence statement 4 is not true.

EXPLANATION: 

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, endeared as Lokmanya, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence activist. He was one third of the Lal Bal Pal triumvirate. The British colonial authorities called him "The father of the Indian unrest.He released two newspapers Mratha and Keshara. Maratha is released in English while Keshari is in Hindi. 
• Through his newspaper he criticized the policies of the The bRitish government. He was exterminated and indirectly he supported the violent activities and individual killing by the revolutionaries. In newspaper Kesari he compared the actions of Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki with Shivaji. Therefore he was charged with 124 A section of IPC. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the good friend of Tilak and He appeared from the side of tilak in the court. It was the effort of Jinnah and Annie Besant because of whom Tilak and other radicals re-entered the congress. In Lucknow session 1916. Tilak also participated.This was the joint session of the Congress and Muslim League and in this session , congress accpepted that Muslim league is the sole representatives of the Muslims. Madan Mohan Maliviya opposed this joint session.  Hence option (c) is correct.

EXPLANATION: 

• The penal law on sedition was drafted by British historian-politician Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1837. In the provisions of the law, sedition was defined as an act by “whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which a fine may be added; or, with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which a fine may be added; or, with fine.”. The first recorded trial under Section 124A of the sedition law in India was against a newspaper editor Jogendra Chandra Bose. Hence Statement 1 is correct. 
• The prominent people against whom the law was applied at the time include Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Abul Kalam Azad. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was also charged with sedition. In 1922, the British government arrested Gandhi on Sedition charges in Bombay for taking part in anti-government protests and sentenced him to six years in prison. However, he was released after two years on medical grounds.Hence Statement 2 is correct. 
• Subhash Chandra Bose , however was arrested by the British many times but the charge framed on Subhash bose was not under the section 124 A of IPC. Hence statement 3 is not correct. 
• S. No Benrji was the first journalist who was sent to Jail for contempt of court. Tilak was not the first journalist who was sent Jail. Hence statement 4 is also not correct. 

EXPLANATION: 

• India observes National Technology Day on May 11 to mark the anniversary of the Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998. Every year, the day is observed to recognise the achievements and contributions of scientists and engineers.The National Technology day celebrates not only scientists and engineers, but anyone who is involved with ideating, innovating, and promoting the dissemination of knowledge and also ensuring that its benefits reach the grassroots level.
• After 24 years of the first nuclear test carried out in the year 1974 under the regime of Late Prime Minister Sm. Smt. Indira Gandhi, the second nuclear test was carried out.
• out on 11th May 1998 in Pokhran while Late Prime Sh. Atal B..Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister Of India. Initially the code name of the nuclear test was 'Smiling Buddha'. It was a great day when India registered its name in setting off five nuclear devices at a test site in Pokhran in Rajasthan. Hence option (b) is correct. 

EXPLANATION: 

• Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep S Puri launched the BHARAT TAP initiative at the ‘Plumbex India’ exhibition.
• BHARAT TAP initiative will provide low-flow, sanitary ware at scale, and thereby reduce water consumption at source considerably. The Puri also launched the ‘Nirmal Jal Prayas’ initiative which will work for saving 500 crore liters of water per year.
• It is an initiative for awareness creation for the promotion of BIS Certified Water-Efficient Plumbing Fixtures under IS 17650, Part 1 and Part 2 which comprises Low Flow Sanitaryware and Sanitary Fittings which reduce the water dispensation at the source, leading to a water-saving of minimum 40%. This will in turn result in water saving and energy saving because due to less water required less energy will be required for pumping, transporting, and purification. Hence, both statements are correct. 

EXPLANATION: 

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country. The scheme aims to add solar and other renewable capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022 with total central financial support of Rs. 34,422 Crore including service charges to the implementing agencies. Thus, statement 1 is correct.
• The program now hopes to achieve an enhanced solar capacity target of 30.8 GW by 2022 from the earlier 25.75 GW. Thus, statement 2 is correct.
• The Scheme consists of three components:
  • Component A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW.
  • Component B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.
  • Component C: Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.
  • Thus, statement 3 is also correct.

EXPLANATION :

• By enforcing Article 19 (2) of the Constitution, the State can enforce reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right to freedom of speech and expression based on eight grounds. These are:

1. Defamation:  Refers to statements which injures a man’s reputation.
2. Contempt of court: Restriction may be instituted on the freedom of speech and expression if it surpasses the reasonable limit and amounts to contempt of court.
3. Decency or morality: Sections 292 to 294 of the Indian Penal Code provide for situations where freedom of speech and expression is limited in the interests of dignity or morality.
4. Security of the state: Under Article 19(2), fair limitations on the freedom of speech and expression can be placed in the context of State’s security.
5. Friendly relations with other states: The intention behind the provision is to prevent unrestricted malicious publicity against a foreign friendly state that can disrupt India’s good ties with that state.
6. Incitement to an offense: Added through the 1951 Constitution (First Amendment) Act. Freedom of speech and expression cannot provide citizens with a privilege to incite people in committing offense.
7. Sedition: Sedition supports all those activities, whether through words or writing, determined to disrupt the State’s tranquility and drive misguided individuals to subvert the government.
8. Public Order: Introduced by the Constitution Act (first amendment). That which perturbs public peace or tranquility perturbs public order. ‘In the interest of public order’ involves not only utterances meant explicitly but also those which appear to contribute to disorder.Thus, option (a) is correct.

EXPLANATION: 

• Kokna is an Indian tribal community found in Sahyadri-Satpura Ranges of Maharashtra and is believed to have originated in the Konkan patti of Thane district.
• Birhor people (Birhul) are a tribal/Adivasi forest people, traditionally nomadic, living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
• Lepchas are the original inhabitants of Sikkim, formerly an independent kingdom situated in the Himalayas between Nepal and Bhutan. Thus, option (c) is not correct.
• The Balti are an ethnic group of Tibetan descent with Dardic admixture who live in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and the Kargil region of India.