Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (09 January 2023)

Current Affairs MCQs Quiz for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, MPPSC. BPSC, RPSC & All State PSC Exams

Date: 09 January 2023

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding Refugees in India

1. Kuki-Chin refugees found in Mizoram cross over from Bangladesh’s Chittagong hill tracts.
2. India is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
3. India does not have a national law on refugees as of now.

Choose the CORRECT answer using the codes given below:

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

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • Kuki-Chin, is a Christian community from Bangladesh’s Chittagong hill tracts (CHT).
  • It shares close ethnic ties with people in Mizoram and is largely Christian and thus crosses over to Mizoram. (Statement-1 is correct)
  • The 1951 Refugee Convention is a UN treaty that defines who a refugee is and establishes the rights of such persons and also of those who are granted asylum.
  • It is the main legal document that governs the working of the UNHCR.
  • India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. (Statement-2 is incorrect)
  • Although India is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and it does not have a national law on refugees as of now. (Statement-3 is correct)

Q2. Consider the following differences between banks & NBFCs:

1. NBFC cannot accept demand deposits.
2. NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself.
3. Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is however available to depositors of NBFCs, like in case of banks.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

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

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are akin to that of banks; however there are a few differences as given below:
  1. NBFC cannot accept demand deposits. (Hence option 1 is correct)
  2. NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself. (Hence option 2 is correct)
  3. Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks. (Hence option 3 is incorrect).

Solution. As statement 1 and 2 are correct, Hence correct option is (c) 1 and 2 only.

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the WTO.

1. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade.
2. It officially commenced operations on 1 January 1995 after the Marrakesh Agreement of 1994.
3. The WTO is the world's largest international economic organization, with 164 member states representing over 98% of global trade and global GDP.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 only
d) All of the above

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

  • The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. Thus statement 1 is correct.
  • It officially commenced operations on 1 January 1995, pursuant to the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, thus replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that had been established in 1948. Hence statement 2 is also correct.
  • The WTO is the world's largest international economic organization, with 164 member states representing over 98% of global trade and global GDP. Thus statement 3 is also correct.

Q4. With reference to INS Vikrant, consider the following statements:

1. It is the first aircraft carrier built in India.
2. The motto of the ship is “Balasya Mulam Vigyanam” which is taken from Rig Veda and is translated as “the source of strength is science”.
3. It makes India only the fifth country after the US, Russia, Britain and France to have such capabilities of developing indigenous aircraft carriers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • INS Vikrant (IAC-I) is the first aircraft carrier built in India and the first Vikrant-class aircraft carrier built by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) in Kochi, Kerala for the Indian Navy. So, statement 1 is correct.
  • The motto of the ship is Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah which is taken from Rig Veda and is translated as “I defeat those who fight against me”.
  • The motto of the Defence Research and Development Organisation is "Balasya Mulam Vigyanam"—the source of strength is science-drives the nation in peace and war. So, statement 2 is incorrect.
  • It makes India only the fifth country after the US, Russia, Britain and France to have such capabilities of developing indigenous aircraft carriers. So, statement 3 is correct.

Q5. Consider the following statements about the Joint Forest Management (JFM):

1. The concept was introduced by Government of India through the National Forest Policy of 1988.
2. The communities have the power to manage the use of forests by members and also exclude non-members.
3. They have a share in the income from timber as well as other intangible benefits from local ecosystem services.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) All of the above

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

  • The concept was introduced by Government of India through the National Forest Policy of 1988.
  • The key element in JFM is that communities have the power to manage the use of forests by members and also exclude non-members.
  • The benefits to them are direct access and control on the use and sale of most Non Timber Forest Produce and a share in the income from timber as well as other intangible benefits from local ecosystem services – like water recharge, pollination, wildlife habitat etc.

Hence, all the statements are correct.