[MISSION 2022] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS (7 May 2022 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS – INSIGHTSIAS

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislature and it came into being in 1991 under Article 239AA of the Constitution inserted by ‘the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991.
• As per the parent Act, the legislative assembly of Delhi has power to make laws in all matters except public order, police and land.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/07/centre-delhi-row-heads-to-constitution-bench/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• A proclamation imposing President’s Rule must be approved by both the Houses of Parliament within two months from the date of its issue.
• The approval takes place through simple majority in either House, that is, a majority of the members of the House present and voting.
• Initially valid for six months, the President’s Rule can be extended for a maximum period of three years with the approval of the Parliament, every six months.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/07/presidents-rule-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The 48-member NSGis an elite club of countries that deals with the trade-in nuclear technology and fissile materials besides contributing to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
• Brought in 1974– in response to the Indian nuclear test (smiling Buddha).
• It is a Group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferationby controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.
• The NSG first met in November 1975 in London,and is thus popularly referred to as the “London Club”.
• Its guidelines are not binding.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/07/indias-bid-for-permanent-membership-in-reformed-unsc-nsg/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Global Report on Food Crises 2022was recently released by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC).
• The report is the flagship publication of the GNAFCand is facilitated by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).
• What is GNAFC?
  • It was Founded by the European Union, FAO and WFP in 2016.
  • It is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors working together to prevent, prepare for and respond to food crises and support the Sustainable Development Goal to End Hunger (SDG 2).
• What is the Food Security Information Network (FSIN)?
  • It is a global initiative co-sponsored byFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  • It seeks to strengthen food and nutrition security information systems for producing reliable and accurate data to guide analysis and decision-making.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/07/global-report-on-food-crises-2022/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Article 25 guarantees the freedom of conscience, the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion to all citizens.
• The freedom to manage religious affairsis provided by Article 26. This Article gives the right to every religious denomination, or any section thereof, to exercise the rights that it stipulates. However, this right has to be exercised in a manner that is in conformity with public order, morality, and health.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/05/07/mission-2022-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-07-may-2022/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

• Mahabalipuram
  • Fifty six kilometre south of Chennai stands Mahabalipuram (traditionally known as Mamallapuram) the ancient seaport of the Pallava kingdom (7th – 8th centuries)
  • Mahabalipuram,which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 is a complex of rock cut temples, monolithic structures, rathas (chariot temples), mandapas (caves) and numerous Siva sculptures.
• Cave temples
  • The Cave Temples were built before the reign of the Pallava king Mahendravarman I and are a complex of various temples that denote the oldest forms of Pallava architecture.
  • These consist of the Adi Paraha Perumal Cave Temple (dedicated to Lord Vishnu), the Trimurti Cave Temple (dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Siva), the Krishna Caves, Mahishasuramardini Cave (dedicated to Goddess Durga) and the Yali or Tiger Caves (Narasimhavarman II or Rajasimha – The Royal Seat).
• Pancha Ratha
  • The Pancha Rathas or the five chariots is essentially an architectural eclogue to the five Pandavas and their wife Draupadi from the Mahabharata. Each ratha (Draupadi ratha, Arjuna ratha, Bhim ratha, Dharmaraja ratha, Nakul-Sahadev ratha) structurally signifies the traits of each of the Pandavas which makes them different from one another. Carved from a single slab of rock, the walls of these rathas are adorned with bas reliefs and murals such as elephants and Nandi the bull.
• Descent of the Ganges/Arjuna’s Penance
  • The Descent of the Ganges also known as Arjuna’s penance is the second largest ancient monolithic structure in Asia. The inscription depicts the mythical story of Arjuna from the Mahabharata and scenes from everyday South Indian life.
  • The centre represents the nagas (snakes) descending from a once water-filled cleft, representing the Ganges. The left has Arjuna performing self-mortification (standing on one leg), in order to procure Pasupatastra, the most powerful weapon from Lord Siva.
• Shore Temple
  • The two towered Shore Temple at the very coast of Coromandel is one of the most significant representations of Pallava architecture. It consists of the seven pagodas that were built between 700 and 728 CE during the reign of Narasimhavarman II and is dedicated to Lord Siva. The entrance of the temple is marked by gopurams and the shikhara or the roof of the temple resembles a pyramidal structure, which is one of a kind. A complex of seven temples, there are a few along with other civil structures that presently lie under the sea.
• Olakkanneshvara Temple
  • The Olakkanneshvara Temple or the Olakkanatha Temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Siva located on the top of a hill.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/249/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Hampi is a village on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra divided between the Gangavati taluk of Koppal district and the Hospet Taluk of Bellary district of Karnataka. The historicity of the region takes us back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic times, tracing its role through epochs of Indian history such as the Ashokan empire, a minor rock edict having been found within the District. Prior to the establishment of the Vijayanagar empire, the region was ruled by the Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Yadavas and others.
• It was the seat of power of the Vijayanagara empire from 1335 to 1565. The present day UNESCO World Heritage Site covers 41,8,724 hectares. The Vijayanagar kingdom was established by two brothers, Hari Har and Buka Ram who were earlier a part of the Tughlaq bureaucracy. The brothers were recent converts to Shaivism. They considered themselves deputies of the God Virupaksha and signed their official documents in His name. The new city was completed by 1343.
• Four dynasties that ruled over Vijayanagar Empire were the Sangama, Saluva ,Tuluva and the Aravidu. The third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty was Krishnadeva Raya. Often recognized as the greatest of the Vijayanagara Rulers. Krishnadeva was a great conqueror, a scholar, author, a liberal patron of the arts and a great builder.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Ellora caves are located in the district of Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The caves were excavated between the 6th to 11th centuries CE. There are more than 100 caves out of which only 34 are open to the public. Out of the 34, the first 12 are Buddhist, caves, 13 to 29 are Hindu caves, and 30 to 34 are Jain caves. The caves were declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983. The topography of the area consists of a rocky plateau in the shape of a semicircle. The Buddhist caves lie at the right arc on the south, the Jain caves lie at the left arc on the north, while the Hindu caves are at the centre.
• The rocks are made of multi-layered basalt formations, known as the Deccan Traps, the finer grains of which lend themselves to detailed sculpting. Due to their close proximity to a trade route, the Ellora caves, unlike the ones at Ajanta, were never lost to oblivion. There are written records which prove that these caves were visited regularly by travellers and royal patronage continued well after the last constructions took place.
• The constructions at Ellora, also locally known as Verul, were done under the patronage of kings and wealthy merchants and traders. Although inscriptional evidence is quite scanty, yet it is known that the Rashtrakuta dynasty got a part of the Hindu and the Buddhist caves constructed, while the Yadava dynasty constructed the Jain caves.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/243/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment. The first temple was built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C., and the present temple dates from the 5th or 6th centuries. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing in India, from the late Gupta period.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1056/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• An inscription in the temple dates it to the year 1213 and says it was built by a Kakatiya General Recherla Rudra Reddy, during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva. Talking about the outstanding universal value of the temple, Raghvendra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Culture (under which the ASI functions), told Indian Express, “Ramappa is the main Shiva temple in a larger walled temple complex, which includes several smaller temples and structures. The temple stands as a testimony to the highest level of creative, artistic and engineering talents involving various experimentations in expressive art forms of the Kakatiya period (1123-1323).”
• It is built of sandstone with decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite, with a distinctive Vimana (inner sanctum) made of lightweight porous bricks, also known as the “floating bricks”. The sculptures of the Ramappa Temple, especially its bracket figures, have their lustre intact even after 800 years of construction.

Refer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1570/