Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (12 April 2023)

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

Date: 12 April 2023

Q1. With reference to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), consider the following statements:

1. It is a statutory body.
2. It is established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
3. It got established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.

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:

  • NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. It was constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, of 1972. Thus, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect.
  • It got established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. Thus, statement 3 is correct.

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).

1. The iCET is a partnership between India and the US to work together in developing important and new technologies.
2. It will boost India’s technological capabilities with access to cutting-edge technology and expertise in areas that are critical and emerging in nature.

Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 only
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

  • The iCET is a partnership between India and the US to work together in developing important and new technologies including quantum computing, semiconductors, 5G and 6G wireless infrastructure, and civilian space projects such as lunar exploration.
  • Thus statement 1 is correct.
  • The iCET will boost India’s technological capabilities with access to cutting-edge technology and expertise in areas that are critical and emerging in nature.
  • Thus statement 2 is also correct.

Q3. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2018)

1. As per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in a state, a person would be required to possess the minimum qualification laid down by the concerned state Council of Teacher Education.
2. As per the RTE Act, for teaching primary classes, a candidate is required to pass a Teacher Eligibility Test conducted in accordance with the National Council of Teacher Education guidelines.
3. In India, more than 90% of Teacher education institutions are directly under the State Government.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2
b) 2 Only
c) 1 and 3 Only
d) 3 Only

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • In accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 23 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has laid down the minimum qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in class I to VIII, vide its Notification dated August 23, 2010. Hence statement 1 is not correct
  • One of the essential qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in any of the primary schools is that he/she should pass the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) which will be conducted by the appropriate Government. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • From the mid-1960s to 1993, the number of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in India went up from about 1,200 to about 1,500. After the NCTE was set up, the number of TEIs increased significantly, to about 16,000 by 2011, with over 90% of these being privately run institutions. Hence statement 3 is not correct.

Q4. Which of the following is a characteristic of public goods?

1. They are excludable.
2. They are rivalrous.
3. They are non-excludable.
4. Creating public goods is much more difficult than supplying private goods.

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

a) 1, 2 and 4 only
b) 2, 3 and 4 only
c) 3 and 4 only
d) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • Public goods are those that are available to all (“non-excludable”) (Statement 3 is correct). And that can be enjoyed over and over again by anyone without diminishing the benefits they deliver to others (“non-rival”) (Statement 2 is incorrect).
  • The scope of public goods can be local, national, or global. Public fireworks are a local public good, as anyone within eyeshot can enjoy the show. National defense is a national public good, as its benefits are enjoyed by citizens of the state. Global public goods are those whose benefits affect all citizens of the world. They encompass many aspects of our lives: from our natural environment, our histories and cultures, and technological progress down to everyday devices such as the metric system.
  • No one can be prevented from using the metric system, and whenever someone uses it its usefulness to others is not diminished. The nature of their benefits sets public goods apart from the private goods we see in the store or the club goods we can pay a fee to access, but this also means they cannot be found in a store nor accessed via a simple fee. Creating public goods is much more difficult than supplying private goods, and providing global public goods poses a unique challenge. (Statement 4 is correct)

Only 3rd and 4th statements are correct, so correct option is (c)

Q5. Consider the following statements:

1. While ‘cooperatives ‘are placed in the Union List, ‘banking’ is included in the state list.
2. State governments have a great responsibility in promoting non-financial cooperatives without any dispute over jurisdiction.
3. Dual control in cooperative banks, both urban and rural, often results in jurisdictional disputes.

Which of the statement/s 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: (B)

Explanation:

  • The cooperative movement is as old as India’s Independence. As cooperatives are predominantly non-financial organisations, they have great potential to rejuvenate growth, formalise the economy, and reduce inequality besides improving the standard of living of the poor. The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution have rightly kept ‘cooperatives’ in the State List while ‘banking’ is included in the Union List. (Statement 1 is incorrect)
  • State governments have a great responsibility in promoting non-financial cooperatives without any dispute over jurisdiction. (Statement 2 is correct)
  • When it comes to cooperative banks — both urban and rural — there is dual control leading to jurisdictional disputes. (Statement 3 is correct)
  • While incorporation, management, audit, supersession of board and liquidation are administered by the Registrar of Cooperatives, banking licence, prudential regulation, capital adequacy, etc., are prescribed by the RBI.

Only 2nd and 3rd statements are correct, so correct option is (b)