Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 07-09-2022

Q1. Consider the following statements

1. At present, it is mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to provide seat-belt reminders only for front-seat passengers.
2. India has the highest yearly number of road fatalities.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Rear seat-belt alarm to be made mandatory

• The Union government is planning to make it mandatory for automakers to introduce a seat-belt alarm system for rear seats too, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
• At present, it is mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to provide seat-belt reminders only for front-seat passengers.
• Though not wearing a seat belt by passengers sitting in the rear seats attracts a fine of ₹1,000 under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), most people are either unaware of this rule or just ignore the stipulation.
• Even traffic policemen seldom impose penalties on passengers sitting on rear seats for not wearing seat belts.
• According to a recent Road Ministry report, the number of persons killed and injured due to not wearing a seat belt during 2020 stood at 15,146 and 39,102, respectively.

Q2. The Martand Temple was built by the Karkota dynasty king, Lalitaditya Muktapida. He was the ruler of

1. Gujarat
2. Karnataka
3. Kashmir
4. Sikkim

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Martand Temple in Kashmir: Its grandeur survives, and so do its controversies

• Around 1200 years ago, a great king built a grand temple, dedicated to Martand, the Sun god. The temple had mighty grey stone walls, its courtyard was filled with river water that glinted and sparkled in the sun, and it had “something of the rigidity and strength of the Egyptian temple and something of the grace of Greece”.
• The Martand Temple is believed to have been demolished by Sultan Sikandar Shah Miri, who ruled Kashmir from 1389 to 1413, although many historians hold a different opinion.
• The temple survives partially today in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag and lends its name to the adjacent town, Mattan. It still makes for an impressive sight with the formidable grey walls standing stark against the blue sky, broken grey fragments strewn around the green grass.

• Some of the walls bear clear carvings of deities, and the beauty and symmetry of the temple are still amply evident. The temple is ringed by a row of pillars—the peristyle common in Kashmiri temple architecture.

History of Martand Temple

• The Martand Temple was built by the Karkota dynasty king Lalitaditya Muktapida, who ruled Kashmir from 725 AD to 753 AD. Although some historians believe that an earlier temple existed here and was incorporated into Lalitaditya’s grander structure, others credit Lalitaditya entirely for Lalitaditya built his capital at Parihaspora, the ruins of which also survive to this day.

• Dedicated to Vishnu-Surya, the Martand Temple has three distinct chambers—the mandapa, the garbhagriha, and the antralaya— probably the only three-chambered temple in Kashmir. This points to the position it enjoyed. The temple is built in a unique Kashmiri style, though it has definite Gandhar influences.

Q3. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of India’s first dark sky reserve at

1. Ladakh
2. Leh
3. Sikkim
4. Arunachal Pradesh

Answer (a)

Explanation:

‘Dark sky reserve’ to come up in Ladakh

• In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of India’s first dark sky reserve at Hanle in Ladakh in the next three months.
• Hanle, which is about 4,500 metres above sea level, hosts telescopes and is regarded as one of the world’s most optimal sites for astronomical observations. However, ensuring that the site remains well-suited for astronomy implies keeping the night sky pristine, or ensuring minimal interference to the telescopes from artificial light sources such as electric lights and vehicular lights from the ground.

A dark sky reserve:

• A dark sky reserve is a designation given to a place that has policies in place to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificial light interference.
• The International Dark Sky Association is a U.S.-based non-profit that designates sites as international dark sky places, parks, sanctuaries and reserves, depending on the criteria they Several such reserves exist around the world but none so far in India.
• The Indian Astronomical Observatory, the high-altitude station of the IIA, is situated to the north of the Western Himalayas, at an altitude of 4,500 metres above mean sea Located atop Mt. Saraswati in the Nilamkhul Plain in the Hanle Valley of Changthang, it is a dry, cold desert with a sparse human population.

• The cloudless skies and low atmospheric water vapour make it one of the best sites in the world for optical, infrared, sub-millimetre, and millimetre wavelengths.

Q4. On the dissolution of Lok Sabha

1. A bill originated and passed by the Rajya Sabha but pending in Lok Sabha does not lapse
2. A bill pending in the Rajya Sabha but not passed by the Lok Sabha does not lapse
3. If the president has notified the holding of a joint sitting before the dissolution of Lok Sabha, the bill does not lapse

Which of the above is/are correct?

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

Answer (b)

Explanation:

Article 107 deals with the introduction and passing of bills. According to this article, on the dissolution of Lok Sabha,

Q5. Consider the following statements about Inter-State Council (ISC)

1. It is a permanent constitutional body
2. It was set up by a Presidential Order in 1990
3. The Union Home Minister is Ex-officio Chairman of the body

Which of the above is/are correct?

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

Answer (b)

Explanation:

• Article 263 of the constitution provides for the establishment of an Inter-State Council (ISC).
• It was set up on the recommendation of Sarkaria Commission by a Presidential Order in 1990.
• It is a recommendatory body on issues relating to inter-state, Centre- state and Centre–union territories relations.
• It aims at promoting coordination between them by examining, discussing and deliberating on such issues.
• It is not a permanent constitutional body. It can be established 'at any time' if it appears to the President that the public interests would be served by its establishment.
• The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the body. Chief ministers of all the states, Chief ministers of union territories having legislative assemblies, Administrators of union territories not having legislative assemblies and Six Central cabinet ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister (including the home minister) are members of the body.

Q6. Consider the following statements

1. The President has the power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme court if he deems necessary
2. Transfer of Judges from one High Court to another High Court is made by the President after consultations with the Chief Justice of India

Which of the above is/are correct?

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

Answer (b)

Explanation:

• Parliament has recently passed the legislation to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 31 to 34 including the Chief Justice of India.
• Article 124 (1) provides the power to the Parliament to increase the number of judges if it deems necessary.
• The Parliament through The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 increased the strength of the Supreme Court to ten. The Act was last amended in 2009 to increase the judges’ strength from 25 to 31.
• Transfer of Judges from one High Court to another High Court is made by the President after consultations with the Chief Justice of India under Article 222 (1) of the Constitution.