Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 25-06-2022

Q1. The Shekatkar committee is linked to

1. Coastal mining
2. Defence reforms
3. Piracy in Indian Ocean
4. Arbitration in India

Answer (b)

Explanation:

• Defence pensions comprised 26.4% of the defence ministry’s budget in FY21, up from 18% a decade ago. The increase in the pension bill resulted in an equivalent decline in the capital procurement budget.
• With the implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, it became clear that pension expenditure will keep growing faster than all other components of the defence budget.
• While the stated objective of the recently announced Agnipath scheme tries to distance itself from the pension problem, it doesn’t hide the fact that containing the spending on salaries and pensions is an underlying motivator for this reform.

The history of this burgeoning defence pension bill has valuable lessons for policymaking:

• Before 1965, soldiers below officer ranks were recruited through a mechanism resembling Agnipath, in the sense that they served seven years of compulsory service and didn’t receive a pension on retirement. This service period was first raised in 1965 to 10 years for bulking up the armed forces after the 1962 defeat.
• Since a pension required a minimum service of 15 years — most soldiers still didn’t qualify. In 1976, this 10-year service term increased to 17 years, meaning every soldier in normal circumstances qualified for a pension on retirement.
• With the welcome development of rising life expectancy, there was also a steady increase in the number of pensioners. The combined effect of these factors was a rapid rise in the pension From ₹228 crores in FY81, the pension expenditure galloped to ₹5,923 crores by FY99.

  

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Q2. Which of the following is the first state to open all women police stations (AWPS)?

1. Tamil Nadu
2. Kerala
3. Karnataka
4. Telanaga

Answer (a)

Explanation:

A small start that went on to change the lives of women

• 30 years after the first All Women Police Station was opened, Tamil Nadu has 222 such stations; the model has been replicated elsewhere in the country too
• The principle is that for every sub-division, there has to be an All Women Police Station because the demand from people is huge in Tamilnadu.

Of the women, by the women, for the women:

• A new chapter in policing was heralded in the country in 1992 when Chief Minister Jayalalithaa declared open the first All Women Police Station (AWPS) in Chennai.
• Its objective was to encourage women to report cases of crime and harassment, which they would find difficult to narrate to a male officer.
• Its impact is seen in more cases of crime against women and children being It is evident that people were encouraged to report such abuses. The results are good, though there may be random discrepancies,” she said.

Q3. Consider the following statements

1. The size of the economy affects Land-use patterns
2. The changes in the composition of the economy- the proportion of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors changes land-use patterns.

Which of the above is/are correct?

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

Answer ©

Explanation:

Land-use in a region, to a large extent, is influenced by the nature of economic activities carried out in that region. However, while economic activities change over time, land, like many other natural resources, is fixed in terms of its area. At this stage, one needs to appreciate three types of changes that an economy undergoes, which affect the land-use pattern :

• The size of the economy (measured in terms of value of all the goods and services produced in the economy) grows over time as a result of increasing population, change in income levels, available technology and associated factors. As a result, the pressure on land will increase with time and marginal lands would come under use.

• Secondly, the composition of the economy would undergo a change over time. In other words, the secondary and the tertiary sectors usually grow much faster than the primary sector, specifically the agricultural sector. This type of change is common in developing countries, like India. This process would result in a gradual shift of land from agricultural uses to non-agricultural uses. You would observe that such changes are sharp around large urban areas. The agricultural land is being used for building purposes.

• Thirdly, though the contribution of agricultural activities reduces over time, the pressure on land for agricultural activities does not decline.

Q4. Consider following about cropping sessions in India

1. Three distinct crop seasons namely Kharif, Rabi and Zaid are found across India
2. The Kharif season largely coincides with Southwest Monsoon and is favourable for tropical crops such as rice, cotton and jute
3. The Rabi season facilitates the cultivation of temperate and subtropical crops such as wheat, gram and mustard
4. Zaid is a short duration summer cropping session done on Rainfed lands.

Which of the above is/are correct?

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

Answer (b)

Explanation:

There are three distinct crop seasons in the northern and interior parts of the country, namely Kharif, Rabi and Zaid. The Kharif season largely coincides with the Southwest Monsoon under which the cultivation of tropical crops, such as Rice, Cotton, Jute, Jowar, Bajra and Tur is possible. The rabi season begins with the onset of winter in October-November and ends in March-April. The low- temperature conditions during this

season facilitate the cultivation of temperate and subtropical crops such as wheat, gram and mustard. Zaid is a short duration summer cropping season beginning after the harvesting rabi crops. The cultivation of watermelons, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops during this season is done on irrigated lands. However, this type of distinction in the cropping season does not exist in southern parts of the country. Here, the temperature is high enough to grow tropical crops during any period in the year provided the soil moisture is available.

Therefore, in this region, the same crops can be grown thrice in an agricultural year provided there is sufficient soil moisture.

Q5. The King built the Shore temple at Mahabalipuram dedicated to Martanda, a form of Shiva. He also constructed the famous Kailashnath Temple at Kanchi.

The above passage is talking about

1. Mahendravarman I
2. Pulakesin II
3. Narasimhavarman I
4. Narasimhavarman II

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Narasimhavarman II built the Shore temple at Mahabalipuram. The Shore temple was dedicated to Martanda, a form of Shiva. He also constructed the famous Kailashnath Temple at Kanchi.

Q6. The famous Mattavilasa Prahasana, a satire on Jain and Shiva traditions is written by the following king of Pallava dynasty

1. Mahendravarman I
2. Pulakesin II
3. Narasimhavarman I
4. Narasimhavarman II

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Literature (Contribution of Pallavas)

Mahendravarman I wrote the famous Mattavilasa Prahasana, a satire on Jain and Shiva traditions.