Daily Current Affairs Quiz: January 02 2023

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

• Recently, India and Saudi Arabia discussed signing a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to obtain formal assistance from each other in investigations related to criminal cases.

What is MLAT?

• It is a mechanism whereby countries cooperate with one another to provide and obtain formal assistance in the prevention, suppression, investigation and prosecution of crime to ensure that the criminals do not escape or sabotage the due process of law for want of evidence available in different countries.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs is the Central Authority of India for dealing with requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
• Section 105of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) explains the reciprocal arrangements to be made by the Central Government with the Foreign Governments with regard to the service of summons/warrants/judicial processes.
• India has so far signed MLATs with 45 countries.

ANSWER: D

• The Allahabad High Court had ordered the Uttar Pradesh Government to conduct urban local body elections without the OBC reservations as the “triple test” requirement for the quota has not been fulfilled. The state government has recently constituted a commission to conduct the tripe test survey in the urban local bodies.

What is a triple test survey?

• The Supreme Court put forth the triple test in the case Vikas Kishanrao Gawali vs. State of Maharashtra and others on March 2, 2021. It involves the government implementing three tasks to finalize the reservation to the OBCs in the local bodies. These tasks are:

• Constitute a dedicated commission to conduct a rigorous empirical study into the nature and implications of the backwardness in local bodies
• To specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies based on the commission’s recommendations
• To ensure that the reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs together do not surpass the aggregate of 50 percent of the total seats.

Why is triple survey used instead of rapid survey?

• In 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government conducted a rapid survey to determine the OBC population. This survey was conducted in each municipality, and based on its result, seats were reserved in proportion to the OBC population in the respective constituency.
• The rapid survey only focuses on the headcount of the OBC population. According to the Allahabad High Court, granting reservations based on the population alone does not consider the backwardness and the political representation of a class or a group.
• Disadvantages faced by a community in accessing education and job opportunities cannot be equated with the disadvantages in the area of political representation.
• This is because increasing participation in local self-government ensures immediate overall empowerment of an underrepresented community to which an elected representative belongs. Whereas, increasing access to education and jobs ensures only the socio-economic upliftment of individuals.

ANSWER: B

• Stock exchanges have been directed by the Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI) to set up an Investor Risk Reduction Access (IRRA) platform. With the growing reliance on technology in the securities market, there is an increase in instances of glitches in trading members’ systems, some of which resulted in the disruption of trading services. In these cases, investors with open positions are at risk of the non-availability of avenues to close their positions, especially at times when the markets are volatile.

What is an Investor Risk Reduction Access (IRRA) platform?

• The Investor Risk Reduction Access (IRRA) platform will be jointly developed by the stock exchanges to enable investors to square off their position or cancel the pending orders if there is a disruption of services provided by the trading members. Trading members are those who trade on their own account as well as on the account of their clients.
• According to the new SEBI circular, the trading members can request the enablement of the IRRA service in case they face technical glitches that can cause disruption in the trading services.
• The market regulator has directed the stock exchanges to monitor parameters like connectivity, social media posts, order flow, and others. It also called on the stock exchanges to initiate the enablement of the service if required, irrespective of the trading member’s request.
• The SEBI also called on the stock exchanges to put in place a detailed framework to support the reverse migration from the IRRA system to the trading member’s trading system when the trading system is revived and a request is made in this regard.
• The stock exchanges are also required to periodically test the IRRA platform from time to time for the seamless functioning of the service.
• The SEBI has asked the stock exchanges and clearing corporations to operationalize the IRRA platform by October 1, 2023.

ANSWER: C

• The government is working to boost surveillance at all 3,693 centrally protected monuments (CPMs) across the country with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) launching a study on security needs of the monuments in collaboration with IIT-Delhi.
• The project comes on the back of acute shortage of security personnel at centrally protected monuments with the ASI recently telling the parliamentary committee probing the matter that security guards were posted at only 248 of the 3,693 CPMs. That comes to a dismal 6.7 per cent security coverage.
• The committee notes with dismay that out of the total requirement of 7,000 personnel for the protection of monuments, the government could provide only 2,578 security personnel at 248 locations due to budgetary constraints,” the report of the committee noted.
• The panel observed that budgetary constraints should not be an excuse for not providing security guards to protect India’s rich cultural heritage.
• It is the bounden duty of the government to protect our heritage sites. A budget should be provided to appoint 7,000 personnel for the protection of the monuments or as per the study conducted by IIT-Delhi.
• There is ban on construction within 100 metres of a Centrally protected monument and regulated construction within 100-200 metres under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
• The Act protects monuments and sites that are over 100 years old.

ANSWER: B

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) through video conferencing.
• The 108th annual session of ISC will be held at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Maharashtra which is also celebrating its centenary this year.
• The first session of the Congress was held in 1914
• The focal theme of this year’s ISC is Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment.
• It will witness discussions on issues of sustainable development, women empowerment and the role of science and technology.
• The participants will discuss and deliberate on ways to increase the number of women in higher echelons of teaching, research and industry, along with trying to find ways to provide women with equal access to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics education, and economic participation.
• A special programme to showcase the contribution of women in science and technology will also be held, which will also witness lectures by renowned women scientists.

Several other programmes will also be organised alongside ISC.

• Children’s Science Congress will be organised to help stimulate scientific interest and temperament among children.
• Farmer’s Science Congress will provide a platform to improve the bio-economy and attract youth to agriculture.
• Tribal Science Congress will also be held, which will be a platform for scientific display of indigenous ancient knowledge system and practice, along with focusing on the empowerment of tribal women.

ANSWER: C

• The Himachal Pradesh government has set up a fund of Rs 101 crore to sponsor their higher education, vocational education and overall financial wellbeing.
• The Government has set up the Chief Minister’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh with an outlay of Rs 101 crore with immediate effect.
• It will safeguard their right to live a dignified and cared-for life like any other individual.
• The scheme is broadly aimed at taking care of the financial needs of the orphan children and destitute women till they start earning.
• Apart from funding their higher education after Plus II in any stream or institution of their choice, the fund will take care of their daily needs as well.
• It’s going to be like a parent-child relation between the government and the beneficiaries of this scheme.
• The government will even provide pocket money to the beneficiaries, pay for the vacation if the child wants to have one.
• As per the officials, around 6,000 children and destitute women have been identified who would benefit from the scheme.
• Sukhu had visited the Balika Ashram at Tutikandi in Shimla immediately after swearing-in as the Chief Minister. “When I was in school, a boy would come from an orphanage. I struck friendship with him and would often invite him home. It was then I realized that how deprived are they of love and affection and how they need to be look after,” said Sukhu.
• Apart from the government’s contribution, the government will go for the CSR
• 40 Congress MLAs will donate one lakh each to the fund. The government will also request the BJP MLAs to Contribute.

ANSWER: D

• Prabodh Saxena, a 1990-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh. He replaces RD Dhiman, who retired on 31st December 2022 and has been appointed as the State Chief Information Commissioner.
• Born in 1965 in Uttar Pradesh, Saxena is a graduate in economics and law. He was holding the charge of Additional Chief Secretary (Finance, Planning, Economics and Statistics).
• Saxena has been elevated ahead of five officers senior to him — Ram Subhag Singh (a 1987-batch officer), Nisha Singh (1987), Ali Raza Rizvi (1988), Sanjay Gupta (1988) and K Sanjay Murthy (1989).

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C