Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (14 March 2023)

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

Date: 14 March 2023

Q1. Which of the following outcomes does the NAMASTE scheme aim to achieve?

a) Improved access to education for sanitation workers
b) Increased privatization of sanitation services in urban India
c) Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India
d) Reduction in the number of sanitation workers in urban India

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at ensuring the safety and dignity of sanitation workers in urban India by creating an enabling ecosystem that recognizes sanitation workers as key contributors to the operations and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure.
  • Its goals include providing sustainable livelihoods, enhancing occupational safety through capacity building and improved access to safety gear and machines, and providing access to alternative livelihood support and entitlements to reduce the vulnerabilities of sanitation workers.
  • One of the key outcomes that NAMASTE aims to achieve is zero fatalities in sanitation work in India. So, option (c) is the correct answer.

Q2. Consider the following statements:

1. Costs of transporting hydrogen are greater than the cost of transporting liquefied petroleum gas or liquefied natural gas.
2. Hydrogen doesn’t need costly refrigeration and it is transported at ambient air temperature.
3. Hydrogen carries only 25% of the energy of a litre of petrol.

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

a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) None of the above

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • Costs of transporting hydrogen are greater than oil-based liquid fuels, liquefied petroleum gas or liquefied natural gas. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • Ocean transport of hydrogen has to be at very low temperatures (-253℃).
  • Petrol or diesel doesn’t need costly refrigeration and it is transported at ambient air temperature. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
  • Hydrogen carries only 25% of the energy that a litre of petrol does, making it much more expensive to transport and store the same amount of energy. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Q3. Consider the following statement on participation of women in politics and bureaucracy

1. Since India's Independence, the representation of women in Lok Sabha has not even increased by 10 percent.
2. In India, there has never been a woman cabinet secretary, nor have any women held the positions of Secretary of Home, Finance, Defence, and Personnel.

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

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

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • Latest available report of the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows that women represent 10.5 per cent of all Members of Parliament as of October 2021. For all the state assemblies, female MLAs’ representation stands at an average of 9 per cent. India’s ranking in this regard has fallen over the last few years. It is currently behind Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The data for May 2022 showed that women’s representation in Pakistan was 20 per cent, in Bangladesh 21 per cent, and in Nepal was 34 percent. Since Independence, women’s representation in Lok Sabha has not even increased by 10 per cent. (Hence option 1 is correct).
  • As per Indian Administrative Services (IAS) data and the central government’s employment census of 2011, only 14 per cent of Secretaries in the IAS were women in 2022 — 13 out of 92 posts. There are only three women chief secretaries across Indian states and union territories.
  • India has never had a woman cabinet secretary. There have been no women Secretaries of Home, Finance, Defence and Personnel, either. (Hence option 2 is correct).

Solution. As both the statements are correct, Hence correct option is (c).

Q4. Which of the following statements regarding high seas is/are correct?

1. High seas are areas of the oceans that lie beyond the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of any coastal state.
2. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides for the regulation of activities on the high seas.
3. The high seas are considered a common heritage of mankind and should be exploited for the benefit of all nations.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

  • High seas are areas of the oceans that lie beyond the EEZ of any coastal state. Therefore, statement 1 is correct.
  • UNCLOS is an international treaty that provides for the regulation of activities in the high seas. Therefore, statement 2 is also correct.
  • According to UNCLOS, the high seas are considered a common heritage of mankind and should be exploited for the benefit of all nations. Therefore, statement 3 is also correct.

Hence, the correct answer is option D) 1, 2 and 3.