Wildlife Trophy

Question 1 : Recently the government of Kerala has sought Union government's approval for using deer antlers (Wildlife trophy) in Ayurveda medicines. Which of the following statements is incorrect with respect to a 'wildlife trophy'?

a) It is defined as the "whole or any part of any captive animal or wild animal".
b) It is considered to be owned by the government.
c) The Environment Protection Act,1986 regulates the provisions related to wildlife trophies.
d) The Chief Wildlife Warden is an authorising official with respect to a wildlife trophy.

Further Reading :
1) Vermin: Provisions for killing wild animals in India
2) Earth Day
3) Tigers : Population and Conservation
4) UNESCO World's Network of Biosphere Reserves
5) E - Waste Management Rules,2016
6) Heat Islands
7) Forest Fires
8) Green Bonds

Answer :

1) c, The Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 regulates the provisions related to wildlife trophies.

A Food For Thought : Low Decision Making Powers Among Indian Muslims

3 out of 100 IAS and IPS officers in India are muslims whereas the 16th Lok Sabha has only 22 muslims representatives, which is 4.2% of total members in the house. These meagre presence of this community at the hierarchy of decision making is probably one of the factors for the backwardness among muslims.

This can also be considered a kind of deprivation in ability and capacity of this community to stand on equal footing with respect to ever changing competitive environment. The government of the day must focus on the capacity building of the youth of this community through better interactions, trust building efforts and effective learning outcomes.

The community also fares poorly when it comes to social indicators like accessibility to primary education and quality and affordable healthcare services. However considerable improvements have been witnessed in respect to sex ratio and increase in percentage of graduates in 2011 census. The sex ration among muslims in India is 951. So it can be said that, if adequate opportunities are provided than empowerment of muslims will fulfil the goal of inclusive development in the country.

Israel-Palestine Issue : Recent Developments

Question 1 : Recently United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution with a 14-0 majority urging Israel to halt its illegal settlements programme in the occupied Palestinian territories. Which of the following statements is/are correct in this regard?

a) United States abstained from voting.
b) The resolution is not binding and is only recommendatory in nature.
c) Israel has refused to comply with the terms of the resolution.
d) All of the above

Question 2: Which of the following statements is incorrect with respect to proposed 'two-state solution' to Israel Palestine issue?

a) At the most basic level it represents formation of 2 states for 2 people.
b) It is about establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
c) It is about establishing Jewish demographic majority in Palestine.
d) It is about division of Jerusalem into Israeli West and Palestinian East.

Answers

1) d
2) c, It is about establishing Jewish demographic majority in Isreal.

Question of the day...

Question 1 : Who of the following Indian Cricket team player has recently won the cricket's biggest individual prize, the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy?

a) Virat Kohli
b) R. Ashwin
c) Yuvraj Singh
d) None of the above

Answer

1) b 

Question of the day...

Question 1 : Which of the following is/are the objectives of scrapping the legal tender status of a currency note (demonitisation)?

i) To curb black money corruption.
ii) To  discourage cash system.
iii) To combat inflation.

a) i and ii only
b) All of the above
c) i only
d) None of the above

Answer :

1) b

Further Reading : Demonitisation in India

Electoral Reforms To Counter The Menace of Black Money

Ever since a landmark decision on demonitisation of high value currency notes has been taken by the current NDA government in India , the focus of political and economic gurus has been shifted towards the series of electoral reforms to curb the menace of black money.

Elections in India forms the bedrock of a vibrant democracy but at the same time election also represents the manifestation of  money and muscle power in its widest manner. Funding for election expenses by corporates, high-net worth individuals and even political parties forms the single largest sink of black money in India. As a result the winning party shows considerable inclination towards its funders in future policy actions.

Keeping this in mind the Election Commission of India has recently recommended several reform measures in the election process. These measures are as follows :

1) Anonymous contributions above or equal to the amount of Rs. 2000/- should be prohibited.

2) Exemptions of Income tax should only be extended to political parties that contest and win seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

3) Law ministry should ensure that political parties are made to register details of donors for 'coupons' of small amount , on the basis of Supreme Court order of 1996.

These recommendations make sense as the current provisions under the Representation of Peoples Act,1951 provides for indirect partial ban on anonymous donation to the political parties to an extent of Rs 20,000/-. The election commission has noticed that amount of less than Rs 20,000/- forms the large chunk of unaccounted money with the political parties.

Moreover tax exemptions provided to the political parties for income from house property, voluntary contributions, capital gains and other are often misused by the parties and candidates to fulfil their illegitimate aims. Often bogus parties are also formed to claim exemptions under this provision.

Hence, these recommendations if implemented in letter and spirit would help in stemming the flow of black money in polls and render accountability and transparency to the entire election process.

But these reforms must be synced with other measures like :

a) State funding of elections through a suitable law providing penalties and reasonable restrictions.

b) Bringing political parties under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act to ensure transparency in political system.

c) Self regulation by political parties and inner party democracy.

d) Simultaneous elections for election to centre and state legislature.

As most of these reforms demand political will and astuteness of current government in power, it is required that wider discussions and deliberation been conducted to implement these reforms. The reforms should then be implemented in a time bound manner. The majority government in the parliament and the pragmatic Prime Minister offer some ray of  hope.

Three Pronged Approach To Ensure Social Justice of Persons with Disabilities in India

To attain the goal of inclusive development it is very important that the  differently abled individuals are brought into social and economic mainstream. However this is easier said than done as barriers like poor implementation of statutory laws, architectural barriers, unfriendly transportation, information and communication ecosystem and other ; pose severe challenges in path of state's commitments towards welfare of these people.

To overcome these barriers, the government of India has taken several initiatives. Three initiatives are worth considering : ratification of Marrakesh treaty, launching an 'accessible India campaign' and introduction of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill in the parliament.

Let us try to understand these initiatives through the following questions:

Question 1 : Which of the following provisions is not correct with respect to recently introduced 'The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill'?

a) The bill recognises 21 conditions for disability certificate.
b) The bill provides for 5% reservation for persons with disabilities in employment.
c) The bill provides for penal provisions for non compliance in terms of monetary fines.
d) Private entities have now been brought within the purview of the definition of "establishments"

Question 2 Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to the 'Accessible India Campaign' or 'Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan'?

a) It aims to provide universal accessibility to persons with disability.
b) The campaign is been implemented by the Ministery of Social Justice and Empowerment.
c) Both a and b
d) Neither a nor b

Answers

1) b, The bill provides for 4% reservation for persons with disabilities in employment.
2) c

For further reading : Marrakesh Treaty

A coffee table thought...

Do not believe in a prediction that does not empowers you.

Kashmir Issue : Concerns and Resolution

The 'Kashmir Question' always remains at the crossroads when the bilateral relations of India and Pakistan are brought into public discourse. But issues related to Kashmir goes beyond India-Pakistan rhetoric. According to the present Chief Minister of the state, the Kashmir issue is an idea and thus the solution lies in addressing that idea or coming up with a better idea.

The seeds of the current issues were sown during the post independence consolidation of India when Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir signed an 'Instrument of Accession' with the Government of India in the wake of cross border attempts to annex the state. Accession of Kashmir valley to the Indian union marked the watershed of current cross border tensions. Article 370 of the constitution was framed during this period to give special status to Jammu and Kashmir region. Presently the Kashmir valley is reeling under communal tensions, frequent violence, clashes between state forces and the public, poor livelihood opportunities and other which have weakened the socio-economic fabric of the state.

Several issues lie at the core of Kashmir Question, that need to be dealt adequately to find a correct resolution.

The first issue is 'economic uncertainity'. Due to decades of violence and political instability, the investment climate in the state has dwindled. Corporates are reluctant to invest in the state leading to loss of opportunities for employment and revenue for state machinery. The residents of the state prefer to invest in gold than in real estate as the brunt of disorder in the state is primarily faced by the public properties. No wonder, a lot of primary schools were damaged by the assailants in the recent upsurge in the state.

This economic uncertainity also leads to 'stockpiling tendencies' among the residents. Residents buy goods in bulk and stock the essential commodities to insulate themselves from food crisis in case of situations like curfew or communal clashes.

However, the recent clash between the state forces and the public has brought some emerging issues in the limelight. These issues involve the demand for independent Kashmir  (azaadi), revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), self rule and political solution to Article 370 of the constitution that provides special status to the state.

Besides these there are social aspects involved in the Kashmir issue. Lack of quality jobs and lack of adequate livelihood opportunities mainly affects the youth of the state. These factors lead to migration of youth to other progressive states in the country or they may lead the distressed youth to join militancy. Both of which have the potential to break the socio-economic fabric of the state.

In the recent upsurge, some anti-state elements have used the young boys as a shield against the state forces. In lieu of small amount of money these boys were made scapegoat to pellet guns. However there is an alternative view that the state forces should have been more cautious while dealing with this demography.

Hence the 'Kashmir Question' is a multipronged issue and there can not be a single solution for its resolution. The key to the resolution lies in continuous dialogue with all the stakeholders at all the levels and engaging them in political mainstream.

Further three pronged approach can be adopted to effectively deal with the Kashmir issue. The first being the 'reconciliation' through focusing on several confidence building measures such as Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and Wagah Border trade. There is a need to create a conducive atmosphere so that dialogue, discussion and negotiation can be conducted with all the stakeholders. Current tactics of creating disorder, distruction and violence are by no means effective in meeting the demands of opposing groups.

The second way could be: making 'borders irrelevant'. This can be done by opening borders for free movement of goods and people. The world is fast moving towards globalisation and independence has taken a different meaning now. Increasing trade with neighbouring countries like Pakistan and China and building roads that can connect Kashmir valley to Central Asia and China will ensure better resolution to the Kashmir issue. However for this to happen there is need to bridge the trust deficit between the countries by investing diplomatic capital.

Lastly, there is a need to persuade the young boys of the state that have recently joined militancy to come back. This can further be corroborated by efforts to  integrate them in political and economic mainstream by providing them adequate livelihood opportunities through quality education and required skills for better future. In addition to this the state forces need to be sensitized towards youth. The youth being vulnerable get easily influenced by the divisive propaganda of non state actors and consider destruction of state machinery as Jihad.

Further Reading : Indus Water Treaty

Three Parent Baby : A Baby With One Father And Two Mothers

Question 1 Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to the 'three parent baby'?

a) Such a baby is born after faulty bits of the mother's DNA are replaced by those taken from a healthy donor.
b) Mexico has become the first country to legalise three parent babies.
c) Both a and b
d) Neither a nor b

Question 2: A three parent baby is born after faulty bits of the mother's mitochondrial DNA are replaced by those taken from a healthy donor. Which of the following statements is incorrect in this respect?

a) Mitochondria are doubled membraned and self replicating cellular organelles.
b) Mitochondria are commonly known as the powerhouse of the cell.
c) Mitochondrial DNA makes up less than 0.0005% of the entire human DNA.
d) A child receives Mitochondrial DNA from both father and mother.

Answers:

1) a, United Kingdom has become the first country to legalise three parent babies.
2) d, A child receives Mitochondrial DNA only from the mother (maternal inheritance).

Reference : Click Here

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 seeks to take care of persecuted minorities on humanitarian grounds and to prevent harassment of the people termed as illegal migrants. This is a pathbreaking bill that would ensure adequate protection of people facing religious persecution and coming to India before 31st December,2014.

Let us attempt few questions on this topic.

Question 1 : Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016?

a) The bill seeks to give citizenship by naturalization to immigrants from 3 countries belonging to 6 religions.
b) The bill exempts the migrants of 6 religions from document formalities of the National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) update, currently underway in Assam.
c) Both a and b
d) Neither a nor b

Question 2 The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 seeks to give citizenship by naturalization to immigrants from 3 countries belonging to 6 religions. Which of the following countries is not included in the list?

a) Myanmar
b) Bangladesh
c) Pakistan
d) Afghanistan

Question 3: Fill in the blanks. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 proposes to reduce the number of years from 11 to ________ of the last 14, required to live in India to obtain citizenship by naturalization?

a) Six
b) Seven
c) Five
d) Four

Answers: 

1) c
2) a, The 6 religions include: Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jains, Parsis and Christian.
3) a

Reference : PRS Link

National Anthem of India : Recent Supreme Court's Verdict

The National Anthem of India with an underlying message of pluralism was written and composed by the Nobel Laureate and an internationally acclaimed poet Shri Rabindranath Tagore during the Indian struggle for independence. The anthem forms the core of the ethos of Indian society and it is a civic duty of every citizen of the country to show due respect to the anthem while it is been sung, recited or played.

Keeping this into consideration, the Supreme Court of India has recently announced a verdict on National Anthem. The verdict was based on a writ petition filed before the court.

Let's attempt few questions on this topic.

Question 1 : Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to the National Anthem of India ?

a) It was adopted by the constituent assembly on 24th January, 1950.
b) It was first sung on 27th December, 1911 at the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress.
c) Both a and b 
d) Neither a nor b

Question 2 Which of the following statements is not the part of Supreme Court's verdict?

a) Cinema halls to play National Anthem before the beginning of a feature film and during the interval.
b) Commercial exploitation of National Anthem and its dramatization is prohibited.
c) Doors of cinema hall shall be closed while National Anthem is been played.
d) No printing of National Anthem that amounts to its disrespect.

Question 3 Which of the following laws or cases or code is/are related to the National Anthem of India?

a) Flag code of India
b) Uphaar Case
c) The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act,1971
d) All of the above

Question 4 Which of the following is not the 'fundamental duty' enshrined in the constitution of India?

a) To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions.
b) To respect the National Song of India.
c)  To respect the National Anthem of India.
d) To respect the National Flag of India.

Answers

1) c
2) a . Cinema halls are required to play National Anthem before the beginning of a feature film only.
3) d
4) b 

National Anthem of India : YouTube Link

GDP of India

The gross domestic product (GDP) is the measure of national income and output for a given country's economy. India with its robust economic growth stands at 9th position in terms of its value of GDP. The growth of GDP in 2015-16 has been estimated to be 7.6%.

Let's attempt a question on this area.

Question 1: Which of the following statements is incorrect with respect to GDP of India?

a) The GDP is close to $ 2 trillion.
b) The GDP of India stands at 3.34% of the world economy.
c) The base year for calculation of GDP is 2011-12.
d) The GDP in India is measured at the factor cost.

Answer

1) d. The GDP in India is measured by the gross value added method at base price.

The New Secretary of State of United States of America

Question 1: The business tycoon, Rex Tillerson, has been offered the job of Secretary of State by President - elect Donald Trump. Mr. Tillerson has been associated with which of the following organisations?

a) Shell Corporation
b) ExxonMobil
c) Alibaba
d) Samsung

Answers

1) b

Innovations for Human Development

Question 1 : What is a 'Solar Dome'?

a) A solar powered telescope .
b) A device to light up homes without electricity.
c) China's space mission to study sun spot cycle.
d) A space tourism project by United States based organisation.

Question 2 : What is the primary function of an 'Ice Stupa' ?

a) Conservation of water
b) Propagation of teachings of Buddha.
c) Promotion of tourism.
d) Temporary shelters during natural calamity.

Question 3: Which of the following is/are the applications of a 'Solar Pond'?

a) Water desalination
b) Refrigeration
c) Power generation
d) All of the above

Answers

1) b. Reference : PIB Link
2) a. Reference:  YouTube Link
3) d. Reference:  Solar Pond

India's Nuclear Liability Act, 2010

Question 1 :  Which of the following provisions is incorrect with respect to the India's Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 ?

a) Operator has the right to seek recourse from suppliers and vendors in case of an accident.
b) Absolute liability of an operator.
c) Operator is mandated to take an insurance policy or such other financial security.
d) Non discrimination of victims on the grounds of nationality, domicile or residence .

Answer

1) b . Operator has the right to seek recourse from suppliers and vendors if the accident was the result of a patent or latent defect in equipment or substandard services.

Quote Decode # 1 : An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind

In simple words, the essence of the above quote is - hate begets hate and violence is perpetuated by violence. When Mahatama Gandhi propounded this quote during the Indian struggle for freedom movement, he simultaneosly asserted that 'ahimsa' or non violence is a weapon of strong. By this he meant that, only an individual  with a strong mental aptitude and a strong moral strength can practice the tenets of non violence.

It often happens that one gets hurt by someone's words or something visible disturbs one. In that scenario it would not be ideal to seek revenge for the same. In words of Gandhiji, it would be rather ideal to conquer one's opponent with love. The feeling of revenge, extreme competition, quest for power and other such negative thoughts make one vulnerable to the situation and make one morally weak. The most visible manifestation of which is rise in terrorism, fundamentalism and intolerance in today's world.

Case Study

A soldier died during a cross border attack. His younger son , being closest to his father took pledge on his father's death pyre that he will give justice to his father by killing all those terrorists. Though the intention of that kid was to seek justice for his father but the way justice was thought to be achieved was not moral. Ideally the kid should be made to understand the ethos of 'service of the nation' that his father has practiced in the real sense. His father has become a martyr, the place which few can achieve in their life.

The boy should rather take the pledge to follow his father's footsteps and get himself inducted into defence forces.

Air Pollution : Paris and Delhi

Question 1 How much micrograms per cubic meter of Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10) is considered safe for environment?

a) 80
b) 91
c) 93
d) 100

Question 2 Which of the following measures have been taken by the government of Paris to check the high level of Particulate Matter 10 in the city?

i)  Odd - even number scheme for vehicles
ii) Free public transport
iii) Only hybrid, electric and vehicles carrying 3 or more than 3 passengers are allowed on the roads.
iv) Regulation on speed of vehicles

a) i and ii only
b) All of the above
c) i,  ii and iii only
d) ii and iv only

Question 3 Which of the following factors is/are responsible for the high level of pollution in Delhi?

a) Vehicular pollution.
b) Post harvest burning of stalk in neighbouring state.
c) Both a and b
d) Neither a nor b

Question 4: Recently, the Supreme Court of India while emphasising the problem of poor air quality in Delhi has termed the city's atmosphere as 'gas chamber'. Which of the following constraints is/are responsible for ineffective pollution control in the city?

a) Weak state capacity.
b) Corruption in construction business.
c) Toothless pollution control boards.
d) All of the above

Answers

1) a
2) b
3) c
4) d