IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - Oct 28 & 29, 2016

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• The reservation of seats in the Scheduled Areas in every Panchayat shall be in proportion to the population of the communities for whom reservation is sought to be given under Part IX of the Constitution.
• However, the reservation for the Scheduled Tribes shall not be less than one half of the total number of seats.
• The State Legislations shall contain safeguards to ensure that Panchayats at the higher level do not assume the powers and authority of any Panchayat at the lower level or of the Gram Sabha.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• The state government may nominate such Scheduled Tribes which have no representation in the Panchayat at the intermediate level or the Panchayat at the district level.
• But such nomination shall not exceed one-tenth of the total members to be elected in that Panchayat.
• The Gram Sabha or the Panchayats at the appropriate level shall be consulted before making the acquisition of land in the Scheduled Areas for development projects and before resettling or rehabilitating persons affected by such projects in the Scheduled Areas.
• However, the actual planning and implementation of the projects in the Scheduled Areas shall be coordinated at the state level.

ANSWER: All seats of Chairpersons of Panchayats at all levels shall be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes

Explanation:

• All seats of Chairpersons of Panchayats at all levels shall be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
• Every Panchayat at the village level shall be required to obtain from the Gram Sabha a certification of utilisation of funds for the above plans, programmes and projects.
• Every Gram Sabha shall be competent to safeguard and preserve the traditions and customs of the people, their cultural identity, community resources and the customary mode of dispute resolution.
• The Gram Sabha has power to exercise control over institutions and functionaries in all social sectors and also the power to control local plans and resources for such plans including tribal sub-plans.

ANSWER: 1, 2

Explanation:

• The Government has reconstituted the Inter State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the Inter State Council under Clause 2 of the Inter State Council order, 1990.
• The PM is the Chairman.

The six union Ministers appointed by the PM are:
1. Shri Rajnath Singh - Minister of Home Affairs
2. Smt.Sushma Swaraj - Minister of External Affairs
3. Shri Arun Jaitley - Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs
4. Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu - Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting
5. Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari - Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping
6. Shri Manohar Parrikar - Minister of Defence


• Minister of tribal affairs is included amongst the Five Ministers of Cabinet rank / Minister of State (independent charge) nominated by the Chairman of the Council (i.e., Prime Minister) are permanent invitees to the Council.

ANSWER: Union Minister of Home Affairs

Explanation:
The composition of the Standing Committee of the Inter State Council is
Chairman - Shri Rajnath Singh - Minister of Home Affairs

Members

• Smt. Sushma Swaraj - Minister of External Affairs
• Shri Arun Jaitley - Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs
• Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu - Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation & Information & Broadcasting
• Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari - Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping
• Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh
• Chief Minister, Punjab
• Chief Minister, Chattisgarh
• Chief Minister, Tripura
• Chief Minister, Odisha
• Chief Minister, Rajasthan
• Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:
The Standing Committee will:

• Have continuous consultation and process matters for consideration of the Council.
• Process all matters pertaining to Centre State Relations before they are taken up for consideration in the Inter-State Council.
• Monitor the implementation of decisions taken on the recommendations of the Council and consider any other matter referred to it by the Chairman/Council.
• The Standing Committee may, if necessary, invite experts and persons eminent in specific fields to have the benefit of their views while deliberation upon the related subjects.

ANSWER: 2005-2015

Explanation:

• The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is the key instrument for implementing disaster risk reduction, adopted by the Member States of the United Nations.
• Its overarching goal is to build resilience of nations and communities to disasters, by achieving substantive reduction of disaster losses by 2015 – in lives, and in the social, economic, and environmental assets of communities and countries.
• The HFA offers five areas of priorities for action, guiding principles and practical means for achieving disaster resilience for vulnerable communities in the context of sustainable development.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The five priorities for action are:

• Make disaster risk reduction (DRR) a priority
• Know the risks and take action
• Build understanding and awareness
• Reduce risk
• Be prepared and ready to act

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:

• Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 outlines who is responsible for implementing disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the HFA at all levels: state, regional and international organizations.
• States are responsible for developing national coordination mechanisms, etc.
• Regional organizations are responsible for Promoting regional programmes for disaster risk reduction, etc.
• International organizations are responsible for strengthening the capacity of the United Nations system to assist disaster-prone developing countries with disaster risk reduction initiatives, etc.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
To support the assessment of global progress in achieving the outcome and goal of the Sendai Framework.

Seven global targets have been agreed:

• Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global mortality between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015;
• Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower the average global figure per 100,000 between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015;
• Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product by 2030;
• Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030;
• Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020;
• Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the framework by 2030;
• Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.

ANSWER: Japan

Explanation:

• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted by UN Member States on 18 March 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
• The Sendai Framework is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda, with seven targets and four priorities for action.
• It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.