[MISSION 2022] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 16 April 2022 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS – INSIGHTSIAS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Ambedkar’s first political party, the Independent Labour Party (ILP), was committed to the welfare of the working classes.
• In 1942, Ambedkar established his second political party, the Scheduled Castes Federation (SCF), in Bombay.
• Both the ILP and the SCF had a comprehensive political programme, attractive leadership and the zeal to challenge the hegemony of the social elites. However, in electoral battles, they failed. The non-Mahar caste groups remained distant from these parties and presented them as single caste-centric parties.
• To overcome the stereotype that the SCF only represented the Mahars, Ambedkar launched the Republican Party of India (RPI) in 1956. He envisaged the RPI as a secular-socialist front drawing its ideological motives from Buddhist principles and representing the poor agrarian classes and the socially marginalised castes. Ambedkar’s aim with these experiments was to establish a caste-less societal order: free from upper caste control, superstitions and social prejudice.
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Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/16/br-ambedkar/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• It is an intergovernmental military alliance.
• Established by Washington treaty.
• Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.
• Headquarters —Brussels, Belgium.
• Headquarters of Allied Command Operations —Mons, Belgium.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/16/nato-enlargement/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Highlights of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021:
  • The proposed amendment is likely the most expansive so far in scope: it covers more areas of legislation, from trade in wild species to permitting filmmaking in protected areas and controlling the spread of invasive species.
• Positives:
  • The Bill increases penalties for wildlife crimes.For example, offences that attracted a fine of Rs 25,000 now attract Rs 1 lakh.
  • There’s a new and separate chapter on regulating speciesinvolved in international trade according to the CITES treaty.
  • The Bill prohibits possessing, trading and breeding species without prior permissions from CITES authorities.
  • The Bill also recognises threats that invasive alien species pose.
• What’s missing in the bill? What are the concerns?
  • The Bill doesn’t include regional invasive species –some of which may be native to the country but invasive in some parts.
  • The amendment Bill has no separate Schedule for species the Act classifies as ‘vermin’,so the Centre can directly notify such species and open them up to be hunted – including some of the species currently in Schedule II.
  • The Bill also proposes changes to the Schedules. Foremost, it reduces the number of Schedules from six to four, to “rationalise” the lists. But the two main substitute Schedules that will specify the protected species are incomplete.
  • The Bill will render the existing ‘State Boards for Wildlife’defunct by replacing it them with set up a ‘Standing Committee’ of the State Board of Wildlife – headed by the respective state forest minister and 10 members nominated by the minister.
  • The State Boards of Wildlife currently manage the conservation and protection of wildlife at the state level. The state chief minister sits atop the board and is supported by 20+ members, including of the state legislature, NGOs, conservationists and representatives of the state forest departments and tribal welfare.
  • Under the proposed amendments, the commercial sale and purchase of elephants will no longer be prohibited under the Act.This clause is prone to abuse and can severely impact elephant populations by legitimising live trade of elephants.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/16/mps-panel-lends-voice-against-elephant-trade/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is a “statutory board” constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (wildlife act). However, it is important to point out that the wildlife act, as originally enacted in 1972, did not provide for the NBWL. It was only through an amendment of the wildlife act in 20021 that the NBWL was constituted.
• It is a 47-member committee, headed by the Prime Minister and the minister of environment, forest and climate change (environment minister) as vice chairperson. In addition to offices and institutions directly involved in conservation and protection of wildlife, the NBWL also has the chief of army staff, defence secretary, expenditure secretary to Government of India as members. Further, the central government nominates 10 members who are eminent conservationists, ecologists and environmentalists.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/16/mps-panel-lends-voice-against-elephant-trade/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.
• S2: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has developed the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program to meet the electronic tolling requirements of the Indian market.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/16/mission-2022-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-16-april-2022/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• e-RUPI is a cashless and contactless digital payment medium, which will be delivered to mobile phones of beneficiaries in form of an SMS-string or a QR code.
• This will essentially be like a prepaid gift-voucher that will be redeemable at specific accepting centres without any credit or debit card, a mobile app or internet banking. e-RUPI will connect the sponsors of the services with the beneficiaries and service providers in a digital manner without any physical interface.
• The platform, which has been developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Health Authority, will be a person-specific and purpose-specific payments system.
• According to the government, e-RUPI is expected to ensure a leak-proof delivery of welfare services. It can also be used for delivering services under schemes meant for providing drugs and nutritional support under Mother and Child welfare schemes, TB eradication programmes, drugs & diagnostics under schemes like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, fertiliser subsidies etc. The government also said that even the private sector can leverage these digital vouchers as part of their employee welfare and corporate social responsibility programmes.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/16/mission-2022-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-16-april-2022/