IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Mar 02, 2016

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• In the Lok Sabha, a privilege motion can be moved under Rule No 222 in Chapter 20 of the Lok Sabha Rule Book while in the Rajya Sabha it can be moved under Rule 187 in Chapter 16 of the Rajya Sabha rule book.
• Under the rules in the respective houses, a member may, with the consent of the Speaker or the Chairperson, raise a question involving a breach of privilege either of a member or of the House or of a committee thereof provided that the notice is given before 10 am and the matter pertains to an incident of recent occurrence.
• Past experience shows that in a large percentage of cases the privilege motions are kept pending or are withdrawn following an apology from the accused.
• In the Indira Gandhi case, Charan Singh had moved a resolution of breach of privilege against her following observations made by the Justice Shah Commission which probed excesses during the Emergency. Indira Gandhi, who had just won Lok Sabha seat, was expelled from the House.
• The house can ensure attendance of the offending person. The person can be given a warning and let go or be sent to prison as the case may be.
• In the case of throwing leaflets and chappal, the offending individuals were sentenced to simple imprisonment.
• In 2008, an editor of an Urdu weekly referred to the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha as a “coward” attributing motives to a decision taken by him. The privileges committee held the editor guilty of breach of privilege. The committee instead of recommending punishment stated that, “it would be better if the House saves its own dignity by not giving undue importance to such irresponsible articles published with the sole intention of gaining cheap publicity.”

ANSWER: Any parliamentarian against anyone accused of breaching parliamentarians' privileges

Explanation:

• A privilege motion can be moved by any lawmaker against anyone accused of breaching parliamentarians' privileges, their special rights and immunities.
• Each of the two houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, has separate privilege committees, made up of their members. The presiding officers of the two Houses, the Speaker and the Chairperson respectively, can dismiss privilege notices, or refer them to the privilege committee, or get a sense of the House before taking a decision.
• In the Lok Sabha, a privilege motion can be moved under Rule No 222 in Chapter 20 of the Lok Sabha Rule Book while in the Rajya Sabha it can be moved under Rule 187 in Chapter 16 of the Rajya Sabha rule book.

ANSWER: Decentralization

Explanation:

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the 1st Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. Envisioned as India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, the Raisina Dialogue 2016 is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.
• The conclave will focus on Asia's physical, economic, human and digital connectivity. More than 450 delegates from around 40 countries are participating in the three-day conference. The delegates also include former president of Sri Lanka Chandrika Badaranaike Kumaratunga and former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.

ANSWER: Arunachal Pradesh

Explanation:

• The North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (NEIFM) is a National Institute, established under the Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• It is located at Pasighat, East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The aims and objectives of the NEIFM are to survey, document and validate folk medicine practices, remedies and therapies prevalent in the region, with a view to revitalize, promote and harness these local health traditions for the wellbeing of wider public especially living in North Eastern Region.
• Under the Central Sector Schemes, various steps taken for creating infrastructure facilities for the development of AYUSH. NEIFM is the Centre of Excellence and Apex Research Centre for all aspect of Folk Medicine knowledge with linkage and collaboration with other research. The objective of the institute is to provide better medical/clinical facilities in North Eastern Region.

ANSWER: Atacama Desert

Explanation:

• A Mars-like laboratory in the “driest place on Earth” is helping NASA scientists study the limits of life and test drilling and life-detection technologies that might be sent to Red Planet in the future.
• In a harsh environment with very little water and intense ultraviolet radiation, most life in the extreme Atacama Desert in Chile exists as microbial colonies underground or inside rocks.
• According to researchers at NASA, the same may be true if life exists on Mars.
• The Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) project has just completed its first deployment after one month of fieldwork in the hyper arid core of the Atacama Desert.
• The extreme dryness the soil in this region is remarkably similar to that of the Red Planet.
• Having both subsurface reach and surface mobility should greatly increase the number of biomarker and life—target sites we can sample in the Atacama.
• Biomarkers - The cold and dry conditions on Mars open the possibility that evidence for life may be found below the surface where negative effects of radiation are mitigated — in the form of organic molecules known as biomarkers. But until humans set foot on the Red Planet, obtaining samples from below the surface of Mars will require the ability to identify a location of high probability for current or ancient life, place a drill, and control the operation robotically.
• More than 20 scientists from US, Chile, Spain and France worked in dry conditions with high winds during the first ARADS field deployment.
• Their work was primarily conducted at Yungay Station, a mining ghost town in Atacama, owned by Antofagasta University in Chile.

ANSWER: Ministry of communication and information technology

Explanation:

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a central government agency of India. It is under the ministry of communication and information technology India.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was set up by the Government of India on 28 January 2009 as an attached office of the erstwhile Planning Commission of India vide it’s a gazette notification.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards, has been shifted to the administrative control of the ministry of communication and information technology from Niti Aayog.
• The decision to shift UIDAI from Niti Aayog, which has replaced Planning Commission, has been taken keeping in mind the government's ambitious 'Digital India' programme as the Aadhaar numbers are being linked with several services.

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• The legislation to back UIDAI is still pending in the Parliament of India.
• The statutory status will provide a legal foundation to Aadhaar for expanding its use to a range of developmental purposes
• It has been suggested that all benefits, subsidies or services funded from the consolidated fund of India should be through the Aadhaar platform.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was set up by the Government of India on 28 January 2009 as an attached office of the erstwhile Planning Commission of India vide it’s a gazette notification.