31 MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Consider the following statements [Page 8]

1. The Act defines Child as any person below eighteen

2. The Act provides a mandatory minimum punishment of three years.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

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

Answer: c)

Explanation:

The POCSO Act and related issues

● The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) enacted in 2012 and amended in 2019.

● The Act was formulated to effectively address sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and pornography.

● But, there is an urgent need to understand the issues and challenges Courts are facing in the implementation of The POCSO Act. The recent interpretation by Bombay High Court is one such issue among many.

● Bombay High Court in Satheesh vs State of Maharashtra case acquitted a man of sexual charges under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) act.

● The court cited the stringent Mandatory Minimum Sentence provision in the POCSO act and punished the person based on the IPC section 354 (Outraging the modesty of women).

Salient provisions of the Act

● The Act defines Child as any person below eighteen. The Act also defines different forms of sexual abuses.

● The Act provides for relief and rehabilitation as soon as the complaint is made to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or the local police.

● The Act prescribes a maximum punishment of life imprisonment or the death penalty.

● The Act provides a mandatory minimum punishment of three years.

● The Act provides for the establishment of Special Courts for the trial of offences under the Act.

2. Which of the following article says about Press Freedom in India? [Page 9]

1. Article 21
2. Article 19
3. Article 29
4. Article 32

Answer: b)

Explanation:

Press Freedom in India

● In 1950, the Supreme Court in Romesh Thappar v. State of Madras observed that freedom of the press lay at the foundation of all democratic organisations.

● The Constitution, the supreme law of the land, guarantees freedom of speech and expression under Article 19, which deals with ‘Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.

● Freedom of press is not expressly protected by Indian legal system but it is impliedly protected under article 19(1) (a) of the constitution, which states – “All citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression”.

● However, Freedom of press is also not absolute. A law could impose only those restrictions on the exercise of this right, it faces certain restrictions under article 19(2), which is as follows- ○ Matters related to interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

3. Who publishes World Press Freedom Index (WPFI)? [Page 9]

1. NITI Aayog
2. World Economic Forum
3. UNDP
4. Reporters Without Borders

Answer: d)

Explanation:

International Initiative for Freedom of Press

● The Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) publishes annually a World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) purporting to evaluate the level of freedom available to the media in 180 countries, which makes the governments and authorities aware of their policies and regulations against and for freedom of press.

● India has dropped to two places on the World Press Freedom Index, 2020 to be ranked 142nd out of 180 countries.

4. Which of the following are the Privileges available to the OCI card? [Page 10]

1. Right to vote
2. Employment in government service
3. Owning agricultural land

Code:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. 3 only
4. None

Answer: d)

Explanation:

Privileges available to the OCI card

● The OCI card issued to people of Indian origin globally gives them almost all the privileges available to an Indian national, except for the right to vote, employment in government service and buying agricultural land.

● The OCI card gives them a visa free travel to India.

● In a March 26 press release, the Indian missions in the U.S. said the “timeline for re-issuance of OCI cards has been extended until 31 December, 2021.”

5. Consider the following statements [Page 10]

1. Government of India discontinued the PIO card and merged it with OCI card

2. Individuals whose parents or grandparents hold citizenship of Pakistan and Bangladesh are not eligible to apply

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

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

Answer: c)

Explanation:

Overseas Citizens of India (OCI):

● Government of India launched the ‘Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme’ by making amendments to Citizenship Act, 1955 in 2005.

● On 09 January 2015, the Government of India discontinued the PIO card and merged it with OCI card.

Exceptions

● Anyone who is applying for OCI card should hold a valid Passport of another country.

● Individuals who do not have citizenship of any other country are not eligible to gain an OCI status.

● Individuals whose parents or grandparents hold citizenship of Pakistan and Bangladesh are not eligible to apply.

6. Consider the following statements [Page 14]

1. India adopted a flexible inflation targeting mandate of 2 (+/-4) percent

2. Headline consumer price inflation was chosen as a key indicator.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

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

Answer: b)

Explanation:

India’s Flexible Inflation Target Framework:

● The central bank and the government agreed in 2015 on a policy framework that stipulated a primary objective of ensuring price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth.

● The Flexible Inflation Target (FIT) was adopted in 2016. This has put India on par with other nations in terms of flexible inflation targeting.

● The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for a FTI framework.

● The amended Act provides for the inflation target to be set by the Government, in consultation with the RBI, once every five years.

Inflation Targeting

● It is a central banking policy that revolves around adjusting monetary policy to achieve a specified annual rate of inflation.

● The principle of inflation targeting is based on the belief that long-term economic growth is best achieved by maintaining price stability, and price stability is achieved by controlling inflation.

● Strict inflation targeting is adopted when the central bank is only concerned about keeping inflation as close to a given inflation target as possible, and nothing else.

● Flexible inflation targeting is adopted when the central bank is to some extent also concerned about other things, for instance, the stability of interest rates, exchange rates, output and employment.

The FIT Framework

● India adopted a flexible inflation targeting mandate of 4 (+/-2) percent and headline consumer price inflation was chosen as a key indicator.

● Purpose: Inflation targeting is known to bring more stability, predictability, and transparency in deciding monetary policy. ○ This is because of the argument that rising prices create uncertainties and adversely affect savings and investments.

● Fixed Accountability: The framework made the RBI more accountable to explain to the government if it fails to meet the inflation targets. ○ The flip side of this is such targets will restrain the RBI from taking any tight or accommodating monetary policy stance.

7. Which of the following are correctly paired? [Page 14]

1. L shaped Recovery – Economy never fully recovers

2. V shaped Recovery – Economy recovers but activity permanently lost

3. Z shaped recovery – Recovery is longer than V shape

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c)

Explanation:

8. Consider the following statements about New Development Bank [Page 14]

1. It is a multilateral development bank jointly founded by the BRICS countries

2. It is headquartered at Shanghai, China.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

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

Answer: c)

Explanation:

New Development Bank

● It is a multilateral development bank jointly founded by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) at the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil in 2014.

● It was formed to support infrastructure and sustainable development efforts in BRICS and other underserved, emerging economies for faster development through innovation and cutting-edge technology.

● It is headquartered at Shanghai, China.

● In 2018, the NDB received observer status in the United Nations General Assembly, establishing a firm basis for active and fruitful cooperation with the United Nations.

9. A citizen poll to identify the national butterfly concluded with three species garnering the highest number of votes. Which of the following are the species? [Page 8]

1. Indian Jezebel

2. Krishna Peacock

3. Orange Oakleaf

Code:

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: d)

Explanation:

National Butterfly Status

● A citizen poll to identify the national butterfly concluded with three species garnering the highest number of votes.

● The three species are:

1. Indian Jezebel

2. Krishna Peacock

3. Orange Oakleaf

10. Recently, a group of lepidopterists have found a new butterfly species. In which part of India has it been discovered? [Page 8]

1. Andaman Islands
2. Tropical rain forests of northeast
3. Maikala Hills
4. Agasthyamalai

Answer: d)

Explanation:

A group of lepidopterists have found a new butterfly species in India.

• The discovery of the species Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii Sadasivan, 2021 in the Agasthyamalais in the Western Ghats a decade ago has now found place in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
• The new taxon of Lycaenid butterflies belongs to the Nacaduba genus.
• Line Blues are small butterflies belonging to the subfamily Lycaenidae and their distribution ranges from India and Sri Lanka to the whole of southeastern Asia, Australia and Samoa.
• It is the first time that a butterfly species was discovered by an all-Indian research team from the Western Ghats.
• Lepidopterology is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies.
• Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.