Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 13.01.22

Q1. Consider the following statements

1. Chief election commissioner is appointment by bipartisan committee of PM, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India
2. Parliament is empowered to legislate on appointment procedure of members of the Election Commission of India (ECI)

Which among the following statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : b

Why is the Question ?

Act now, recast the selection process of the ECs
Crux: A multi-institutional, bipartisan committee will ensure a transparent exercise, given the quasi-judicial nature of the ECI
The independence and the impartiality of the Election Commission of India (ECI)
1. Reports of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and his Election Commissioner colleagues ‘attending’ an ‘informal’ meeting with the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, late last year, has brought renewed focus on independence and the impartiality of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
2. The CEC’s initial hesitation when ‘summoned’ was appropriate given that the ECI is a constitutionally mandated body that should maintain its distance from the Executive, in perception and reality.
3. Over the last seven years, the ECI has faced multiple accusations of favouring the ruling party. For instance, the Citizens’ Commission on Elections (CCE), chaired by the retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan B. Lokur, in its report titled “An Enquiry into India’s Election System”, has highlighted several instances of inaction on the part of the ECI while conducting the 2019 general election.
Appointment:
1. Given that the ECI is the institutional keystone holding up the edifice of Indian democracy, we suggest that changes in the appointment process for Election Commissioners can strengthen the ECI’s independence, neutrality and transparency.
2. The appointment of Election Commissioners falls within the purview of Article 324(2) of the Constitution, which establishes the institution. Pertinently, it contains a ‘subject to’ clause which provides that both the number and tenure of the Election Commissioners shall be “subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf by Parliament, be made by the President”.
3. It was left to Parliament to enact legislation regarding the appointment of Election Commissioners. Apart from enacting a law in 1991, which was subsequently amended to enlarge the number of Election Commissioners from one to three, Parliament has so far not enacted any changes to the appointment process.

Q2. Which of the following states had declared India’s first dugong conservation reserve?

a. Karnataka
b. Tamilnadu
c. Kerala
d. Odisha

Answer : b

Why is the Question ?

Newly declared dugong conservation reserve will help protect marine biodiversity

Dugongs, which rely on underwater seagrass meadows, are the world’s only herbivorous marine mammal.
• Tamil Nadu has declared India’s first dugong conservation reserve in the Gulf of Mannar and the adjacent Palk Bay on the southeast coast of India.
• There are an estimated 200-250 dugongs left in the oceans, and among them, around 150 can be spotted in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar which has now become the most significant surviving natural habitat for dugongs globally.
• Dugongs are herbivorous marine mammals that feed exclusively on underwater seagrass meadows which abound in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay region. The region is presently facing threats of climate change apart from destructive fishing practises and industrial pollution.

Q3. Consider the following statements

1. Soil organic carbon is much more in amount than total carbon in the atmosphere
2. It is also more than the total carbon stored in all vegetation
3. Soil organic carbon enhances microbial activity

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

To address climate change, grow and restore soil, not trees
• The earth’s soils contain about 2,500 gigatons of carbon, more than three times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and four times the amount stored in all vegetation.
• Soil organic carbon (SOC) content is important for climate change mitigation, but it is equally important for farmers and biodiversity.
• COP26, the United Nations climate change conference this year, emphasised the urgency to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, both via emission reductions and the sequestration of atmospheric CO2, while ensuring a just transition to a low carbon economy.

Tree planting versus Soil restoration:
1. These calls have resulted in a massive push toward tree planting. A closer investigation, however, of actual carbon stocks – the amount of carbon stored in a particular system – calls into question this enthusiasm, particularly in the semi-arid tropics.
2. The natural (native) land cover in these hot, dry places includes scrub forests and savannah grasslands. Indiscriminate planting of exotic deep-rooted tree species here, often results in decreasing streamflow, lowering groundwater tables and depriving herbivores of their fodder.
3. In contrast, in these semi-arid regions, below-ground carbon (soils) can hold two to ten times the amount of carbon of above-ground carbon (vegetation).
4. But the potential of soils to store carbon has hitherto not received as much attention as tree planting. Indeed, the earth’s soils contain about 2,500 gigatons of carbon, more than three times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and four times the amount stored in all vegetation.

Q4. Consider the following statements

1. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a political and military alliance
2. Russia is member of NATO

Which among the following statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Russia, NATO layout stark differences on the Ukraine crisis
1. The NATO allies warned Russia that they would not compromise on the alliance's right to defend its eastern members to avoid further conflict in Ukraine, but invited Moscow to further talks on calming security concerns.
2. There are significant differences between NATO allies and Russia on these issues.