IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Apr 29, 2016

ANSWER: NAVIC

Explanation:

• The navigation system will be known as NAVIC – “Navigation with Indian Constellation.”
• The system is a constellation of 7 satellites and will be useful for navigation.

ANSWER: 1

Explanation:

• Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in compliance with the Hon’ble Supreme Court directions dated 13.5.2015 has constituted a three member committee to address the issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising.
• The committee would be chaired by Shri B.B. Tandon, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India and members of the committee includes Shri Rajat Sharma and Shri Piyush Pandey.
• In May 2015, Supreme Court in its order had issued Guidelines on Regulating Government Advertisements based on recommendations of Prof NR Madhava Menon Committee. The NR Madhava Menon Committee of 2014 was on Government ads. In its order, SC had barred publication of photos of leaders in government advertisements except those of the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India.
• However, in March 2016 SC modified its earlier May 2015 order and allowed photographs of Chief Ministers, Governors and ministers to be carried in public advertisements.
• Supreme Court had directed to constitute the Body for ironing out the creases that are bound to show from time to time in implementation of the judgement of Apex Court on Content Regulation of Government Advertising.
• As per the Terms of Reference, the Committee would, inter-alia, address complaints from the general public of violation on the implementation of the guidelines set out by Supreme Court.
• The Committee would also take suo motu cognizance of any violation / deviation of the guidelines of Supreme Court and recommend corrective action to the Ministry /Department.
• The Committee may recommend suitable changes to the Supreme Court guidelines to deal with new circumstances and situations that may arise from time to time, without making major policy changes within the policy direction of Supreme Court.
• The Committee shall not be bound by any legal rules of evidence and may follow such procedure that appears to it to be fair and proper for swift settlement of grievances. For all decisions of the Committee, the view of majority would prevail.
• The tenure of the members would be initially for a period of two years which shall be extendable by one year at a time, but overall extension should not be more than two times.
• The Committee would be operational from Delhi and Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity would facilitate day to day functioning of the Committee.

ANSWER: Singapore

Explanation:

• NITI Aayog has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) to tap the expertise of Singapore in urban sector to build capacities in State Governments and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to facilitate in implementation of the Urban Rejuvenation Mission.
• The yearlong Programme would comprise of a series of highly interactive workshops and advisory sessions and focus on Singapore’s and international best practices in areas of Urban Planning & Governance, Water and Wastewater Management, Solid Waste Management and bringing in private sector efficiencies in urban infrastructure and also identify key challenges faced by implementing agencies in these areas.

ANSWER: Himalayan wolf

Explanation:

• Scientists have confirmed the presence of the critically endangered Himalayan wolf - the most ancient wolf lineage known - in Nepal's largest protected area.
• When compared to the European wolf, this one stands out with its smaller size, unusually longer muzzle and stumpy legs.
• Another clearly distinctive feature is the white colouration around the throat, chest, belly and inner part of the limbs. On the other hand, its characteristic woolly body fur has given the subspecies the common name 'woolly wolf'.
• However, the distinctiveness of the Himalayan wolf is far more than skin-deep. Researchers note that recent studies have already showed that these wolves have split as a separate branch within the 'tree of life' so long ago that they are divergent from the whole globally distributed wolf-dog clade.
• Having undergone such an isolated evolution, the Himalayan wolf is considered of particular conservation concern.
• These are genetically distinct wolves.

ANSWER: Art

Explanation:

• Sudarsan Pattnaik (born 15 April 1977) is an Indian sand artist from Odisha.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri by Government of India in 2014.
• He started sculpting images on sand since the age of seven and has designed hundreds of sand art.
• He was the brand ambassador of NALCO, India.
• He established "The Golden Sand Art Institute" which is first of its nature in India. His sculptures include environmental crisis, famous festivals, national integrity and religious tolerance.
• He has won the gold medal at the 9th Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship. Sudarshan won the award for his creation 15 feet high sand sculpture- titled Mahatma Gandhi and World Peace.

ANSWER: Rahuri

Explanation:

• Rahuri Municipal Council of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra today became the first Municipal Council to attain the status of integrated with digital locker for the issuance of all essential Documents. This service here is a part of Digital India Programme.
• The Website is integrated as an issuer and Requester with DigiLocker where the Citizen will have access to all these documents at any time.
• They will have freedom to access them from anywhere in the world at any time. The citizen of the area can now apply for the certificates like Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates online without going to Municipal Council and these documents will be available in the Digilocker signed to the citizens.
• This will also ensure them the peace of mind provided by the easy security of their documents forever.

ANSWER: Mahindra

Explanation:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Mahindra Intertrade Ltd and MSTC Limited, a PSU under the Ministry of Steel, for setting up a Joint Venture Company for establishing first of its kind Auto Shredding Plant in India in New Delhi for recycling of Specialised Steels and other non-ferrous metals.
• The enterprise would support Clean India by waste utilization and also bring down imports of scrap resulting in foreign exchange savings.
• The setting up of a Shredding Plant in India will reduce the dependency on import of Shredded Scrap which will help save precious foreign exchange as well as it will be helpful for the secondary steel sector.
• Apart from this, the shredding of automobiles and other scrap will facilitate & promote recycling, reduce pollution and make Indian roads safe for driving. Recycling will also make Indian Steel more competitive vis-a-vis imported steels.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• The Bill establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
• These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments.
• The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
• These Funds will be primarily spent on afforestation to compensate for loss of forest cover, regeneration of forest ecosystem, wildlife protection and infrastructure development
• The Bill also establishes the National and State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authorities to manage the National and State Funds.
• At present, an ad hoc National CAMPA (National Compensatory Afforestation
• Fund Management and Planning Authority) and ad hoc State CAMPAs, established by government orders, receive money collected for compensatory afforestation.
• Once the National Fund is created, money collected by state governments which has been placed with the existing National CAMPA will be transferred to the National Fund. Other sources of funds for the National Fund will be: (i) 10% of the funds collected for compensatory afforestation by states each year; and (ii) grants-in-aid/other sums received by, and loans/borrowings taken by the National CAMPA.
• The major sources of funds for the State Fund will be: (i) unspent balances lying with existing State CAMPAs; (ii) money transferred from the National Fund to the State Funds (90% of the money transferred from the existing National CAMPA to the National Fund); (iii) money received for compensatory afforestation; and (iv) grantsin-aid/other sums received by, and loans/borrowings taken by the State CAMPA.
• The balance with both funds will be non-lapsable and get interest as per a rate declared by the central government on a yearly basis.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• Article 348 (1) of the Constitution of India provides that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High court shall be in English Language until Parliament by law otherwise provides.
• Under Article 348 (2), the Governor of the State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorize the use of the Hindi language or any other language used for any official purpose of the State, in the proceedings of the High Court having its principal seat in that State provided that decrees, judgments or orders passed by such High Courts shall be in English.
• Section 7 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, provides that the use of Hindi or official language of a State in addition to the English language may be authorized, with the consent of the President of India, by the Governor of the State for purpose of judgments, etc. made by the High Court for that State.
• Government had taken up with the Supreme Court of India the proposals of the Governments of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka seeking consent of the President of India for allowing regional languages in the proceedings of their High Courts. However, the Full Court of the Supreme Court disapproved these proposals.

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• The provision of optional use of Hindi in proceedings has already been made in the High Courts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
• The Official Language Act of 1963 lays down that Hindi translation of acts, ordinances, orders, regulations and bye-laws published under the authority of the president are deemed to be authoritative texts. Further, every bill introduced in the Parliament is to be accompanied by a Hindi translation.
• Similarly, there is to be a Hindi translation of state acts or ordinances in certain cases.
• The act also enables the governor of a state, with the previous consent of the president, to authorise the use of Hindi or any other official language of the state for judgements, decrees and orders passed by the high court of the state but they should be accompanied by an English translation.