23 MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS (MCQ)

1. The term ‘Super Chief Minister’ relate to

1. Puducherry
2. Delhi
3. Uttarakhand
4. Haryana

Answer:  B

2. Which of the following does RTI apply?

1. Private Bodies
2. CJI
3. Political Parties
4. 1 and 2 only
5. 1 and 3 only
6. 2 and 3 only
7. All the above

Answer: A

3. “An Inquiry into India’s Election System” report was released by

1. Citizens’ Commission on Elections
2. NITI Aatog
3. Election Commission of India
4. United Nations High-Level Political Forum On Sustainable Development

Answer: A

4. Which of the following Provisions are related to interstate river water disputes?

1. Entry 17 of State List
2. Entry 56 of Union List
3. Article 262

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. All the above

Answer: D

Provisions related to interstate river water disputes

Entry 17 of State List deals with water i.e. water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage, embankments, water storage and water power.

Entry 56 of Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by Parliament to be expedient in the public interest.

Article 262 – In the case of disputes relating to waters, it provides – ● Clause 1 – Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley.

● Clause 2 – Parliament may, by law provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint as mentioned above.

5. Consider the following statements:

1. 81st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 introduced Article 16(4B), which says unfilled SC/ST quota of a particular year, when carried forward to the next year, will be treated separately and not clubbed with the regular vacancies of that year.
2. 85th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001 provided for the reservation in promotion can be applied with ‘consequential seniority’ for the government servants belonging to the SCs and STs with retrospective effect from June 1995.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

6. Which government has taken a decision to reduce the minimum age for liquor consumption in the city to 21 from 25?

1. Jharkhand
2. Uttarakhand
3. Delhi
4. Haryana

Answer: C

7. Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to raise the limit for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in insurance companies from 49% to?

1. 75%
2. 74%
3. 51%
4. 89%

Answer: B

8. Who has developed a mobile application called “Cott-Ally”?

1. Cotton Corporation of India (CCI)
2. NITI Aayog
3. Ministry of Agriculture
4. IIT, Madras

Answer: A

Government Initiatives for Cotton

National Food Security Mission-Commercial Crops (NFSM-CC): ○ In the 12th Five Year Plan, under the NFSM, a cropping system approach is being adopted by including commercial crops like cotton, jute and sugarcane.

○ Cotton Development Programme (CDP), launched in 2014-15 is being implemented under NFSM-CC for enhancing production and productivity.

Ministry of Textiles in collaboration with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has prescribed a certification system for organic Cotton

Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has developed a mobile application called “Cott-Ally” to provide the latest news on weather conditions, the crop situation and best farm practices.

CCI has also opened 430 procurement centres in all cotton-growing states and payments are being made digitally to farmers’ accounts within 72 hours.

9. With reference to the draft district-wise export promotion plan, consider the following statements:

1. While foreign trade constitutes 45% of India’s GDP, most export promotion efforts are driven by the Centre.

2. District Export Promotion Committees have been notified in the districts of all the States except West Bengal.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

The government has readied a draft district-wise export promotion plan for 451 districts in the country after identifying products and services with export potential in 725 districts, Commerce Secretary said.

• Aiming for double-digit export growth from 500 districts over 3-5 years, the Commerce Ministry has asked States to prepare an annual ‘export ranking index’ of districts on export competitiveness with the assistance of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
• While foreign trade constitutes 45% of India’s GDP, most export promotion efforts are driven by the Centre.
• The district-specific approach, that involves the States in identifying potential export sectors and the logistics bottlenecks to be fixed, was taken up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed for each district to aim to be an export hub during his Independence Day address in 2019.
• In the initial phase, products and services with export potential in each district have been identified and an institutional mechanism of State and District Export Promotion Committees (SEPC) are being created, with an action plan to grow exports from each district.
• District Export Promotion Committees have been notified in the districts of all the States except West Bengal.
• Hence both statements are correct.

10. With reference to the Ken – Betwa link project, consider the following statements:

1. This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.

2. The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Saurashtra.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

Memorandum of Agreement between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, will take place on 22nd March 2021.

• This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.
• It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh ha, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.
• The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.