02 AUGUST CURRENT AFFAIRS (MCQ)

1. “Chak-ho” was recently seen in news is a:
   a) Black Rice Variety of Manipur
   b) Tribal Dance of Arunachal Pradesh
   c) Buddhist Festival of Bhutan
   d) None of the above

Solution: a)
Explanation:
• Chak-Hao is a scented glutinous
(sticky) rice which has been in
cultivation in Manipur over centuries,
and is characterised by its special
aroma.
• The rice is black in colour and takes
the longest cooking time of 40-45
minutes due to the presence of a fibrous bran layer and higher crude fibre
content.
• It is normally eaten during community feasts and is served as Chak-Hao
kheer.
• Chak-Hao has also been used by traditional medical practitioners as part
of traditional medicine.

Q2. With reference to National Commission for Women, consider the following

statements-

1. It is a non-statutory body.
2. Till now, no male has been the chairman of this body.
3. It can fund the litigations involving issues affecting a large body of women.

Select the correct answer using the code below-
a) 1 and 2 only

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

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Solution: d)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct.
National Commission for Women
The National Commission for Women was set up in 1992 under the National
Commission for Women Act, 1990. This body was established to review the
constitutional and legal safeguards for women.
It recommends the remedial legislative measures, facilitates redressal of grievances
and advises the government on all policy matters affecting women. It enjoys all the
powers of a civil court.
The first commission was constituted on 31st January 1992 as Jayanti Patnaik as
the chairperson. Alok Rawat IAS is the first male member of the National

Commission for Women (NCW). His appointment filled the 4th seat on the five-
member body. Ms Rekha Sharma is the current Chairperson of the National

Commission for Women. She took over Lalitha Kumaramangalam as the new
Chairperson in September 2018.
No male has been the chairman of this body, though there is no statutory bar upon
the conditions of chair.

Q3. Consider the following-

1. There is no concept of creamy layer in Scheduled Castes and Scheduled

Tribes.

2. In context of creamy layer for those, whose parents are not in government
   job and belongs to Other Backward Classes (OBC), the current threshold of
   income is ₹16 Lakh per annum.
   Which of the statements is/are correct?
   a) 1 only
   b) 2 only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: a)
Explanation:
Statement 2 is not correct.

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Concept of “Creamy Layer” does not apply to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribes.
• Categories defined under Creamy Layer:
o Income beyond 8 lakh:
▪ For those not in government, the current threshold is an income
of Rs 8 lakh per year.
▪ The income threshold is supposed to be raised every three years.
It was last revised in 2017 (more than three years now).

• Parents’ rank: For children of government employees, the threshold is based
on their parents’ rank and not income.
o For instance, an individual is considered to fall within the creamy layer
if either of his or her parents is in a constitutional post; if either parent

has been directly recruited in Group-A; or if both parents are in Group-
B services.

o If the parents enter Group-A through promotion before the age of 40,
their children will be in the creamy layer.
o Children of a Colonel or higher-ranked officer in the Army, and
children of officers of similar ranks in the Navy and Air Force, too,
come under the creamy layer. There are other criteria as well.

Q4. “Operation Meghdoot” is related to which of the following?
a) Cloud seeding technique
b) Recovery of Siachen Glacier
c) India-Myanmar Counter Terrorism Strike on Border Areas
d) Police Action in Hyderabad

Solution: b)
Explanation:
Operation Meghdoot
• It was launched on 13 April 1984, this military operation was the first assault
launched in the highest battlefield in the world.
• The military action resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the entire
Siachen Glacier.

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Q5. Consider the following statements-

1. Extradition is the process in which on one state, upon the request of another

state affect the return of a person for a trial for a crime punishable by law of
the requesting state.

2. India has not signed any extradition treaty with any country.

Select the correct answer using the code below-
a) 1 only

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

Solution: a)
Explanation:
Recently, the UK’s Home Department has approved the extradition of Nirav Modi,
a diamond merchant to India in connection with the Rs. 13,758-crore Punjab
National Bank (PNB) fraud.
India and the UK entered into an extradition treaty in 1992.
Key Points
About:
Extradition is the process by which one state, upon the request of another, affects
the return of a person for trial for a crime punishable by the laws of the requesting
state and committed outside the state of refuge.
The Supreme Court defined extradition as the delivery on the part of one State to
another of those whom it is desired to deal with for crimes of which they have been
accused or convicted and are justifiable in the Courts of the other State.
Extraditable persons include those charged with a crime but not yet tried, those
tried and convicted who have escaped custody, and those convicted in absentia.
Extradition Law in India:
In India, the extradition of a fugitive criminal is governed under the Indian
Extradition Act, 1962.
This is for both extraditing persons to India and from India to foreign countries.
The basis of the extradition could be a treaty between India and another country.
At present India has an Extradition treaty with more than 40 countries and
Extradition agreement with 11 countries.

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Q6. “World Population Report” is released by-
a) World Bank

b) UN population Fund
c) UNICEF
d) Amnesty International

Solution: b)
Explanation:
Recently, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) flagship State of World
Population Report 2021 titled ‘My Body is My Own’ was launched.
This is the first time a United Nations report has focused on bodily autonomy,
defined as the power and agency to make choices about your body without fear of
violence or having someone else decide for you.

Q7. With reference to “Chilika Lake”, consider the following statements-

1. It is Asia’s and world’s second largest lagoon.
2. It is separated from Bay of Bengal by a strip of sand.
3. Kalijai Temple is located on Chilika.

Select the correct answer using the code below-
a) 1 and 2 only

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

Solution: c)
Explanation:
Chilika Lake
Chilika is Asia’s largest and world’s second largest lagoon.
It lies on the east coast of India in the state of Odisha, separated from the mighty
Bay of Bengal by a small strip of sand.
It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent
and is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals.

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In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international
importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Major attraction at Chilika is Irrawaddy dolphins which are often spotted off
Satapada Island.
The large Nalabana Island (Forest of Reeds) covering about 16 sq km in the lagoon
area was declared a bird sanctuary in 1987.
Kalijai Temple – Located on an island in the Chilika Lake.

Q8. “Shenzhou” have been frequently seen in the news is related to-
a) Russia Missile Defence System

b) China Manned Space Station
c) Afghanistan Battle Ground Artillery
d) Hongkong’s Anti-Tank Missile

Solution: b)
Explanation:
Recently, a Chinese spaceship “Shenzhou-12” carrying a three-person crew docked
with China’s new space station module Tianhe-1.
This has come after the launch of the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, which carried
vital supplies for the space station.
About Mission:
The Shenzhou-12 craft connected with the Tianhe space station module about six
hours after takeoff from the Jiuquan launch center in Gobi Desert.
The three-man crew will spend three months on the Tianhe module, which is
orbiting at some 340km to 380km above the earth.
China is the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to
carry out a manned mission on its own.

Q9. With reference to Indian Biodiversity, consider the following statement about

Cheetah-

1. It got extinct from India primarily from royal hunting and lack of conservation

efforts.

2. It is listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Red List.

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3. Recently Supreme Court has allowed translocation of Asiatic Cheetah in
   Madhya Pradesh.

Select the correct answer using the code below-
a) 1 and 2 only

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

Solution: a)
Explanation:
Statement 1 and 2 are correct.
• Cheetah is found only in the arid regions of eastern Iran in Asia, and in
Africa.
• It is found in isolated populations in grasslands, shrublands and open
forests across the continent, especially in the countries of Botswana,
Namibia and South Africa.
• It is listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Red list.
• It is under Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act ,1972.
• The country’s last spotted feline died in Chhattisgarh in 1947. Later, the
cheetah, was declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Recently, the Supreme Court has lifted its seven-year-long stay on a proposal
to introduce African Cheetahs from Namibia into the Indian habitat.
Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Q10. With reference to Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure (CDRI),

consider the following statements-

1. It is a global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and

programs, multi-lateral development banks.

2. It was launched in 2019 at UN Climate Summit.
3. Its secretariat is based in New Delhi.

Select the correct answer using the code below-
a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 only
c) 1 and 3 only

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d) 1,2 and 3

Solution: d)
Explanation:
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a multi-stakeholder
global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes,
multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and
knowledge institutions. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
The Prime Minister of India launched CDRI during his speech at the UN Climate
Action Summit on 23rd September 2019. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
It aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to
climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.
Members: 22 countries and 7 organizations.
Thematic Areas: Governance and Policy, Risk Identification and Estimation,
Standards and Certification, Capacity building, Innovation & Emerging
Technology, Recovery and Reconstruction, Finance and Community based
approaches. The CDRI Secretariat is based in New Delhi, India.