UPSC Quiz – 2024 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 29th February 2024

·       The Chairperson should be either the former Chief Justice of India, or a former Judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person who fulfils the eligibility criteria as specified.

·       Out of the maximum eight members, half will be judicial members. The judicial member of the Lokpal should be either a former Judge of the Supreme Court or a former Chief Justice of a High Court.

·       A minimum of fifty per cent of the Members will be from SC / ST / OBC / Minorities and women. The Chairperson and the Members are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a selection committee composed of the Prime Minister as the Chairperson, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India or a Judge nominated by him/her, and one eminent jurist.

·       They hold office for a term of five years from the date on which they enter upon the office or until they attain the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.

·       It has jurisdiction to inquire into allegations of corruption against anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, a Minister in the Union government, or a Member of Parliament, as well as officials of the Union Government under Groups A, B, C, and D.

·       It covers chairpersons, members, officers, and directors of any board, corporation, society, trust, or autonomous body either established by an Act of Parliament or wholly or partly funded by the Union or State government.

·       It also covers any society, trust, or body that receives a foreign contribution above Rs 10 lakh.

·       Exceptions for Prime Minister:

·       Lokpal cannot inquire into allegations against the PM relating to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy, and space.

·       Also, complaints against the PM are not to be probed unless the full Lokpal bench considers the initiation of the inquiry and at least 2/3rds of the members approve it.

·       It has powers to superintendence over and to give direction to the CBI.

·       If it has referred a case to the CBI, the investigating officer in such a case cannot be transferred without the approval of Lokpal.

·       Powers to authorize CBI for search and seizure operations connected to such cases.

·       The Inquiry Wing of the Lokpal has been vested with the powers of a civil court.

·       Lokpal has powers of confiscation of assets, proceeds, receipts, and benefits arisen or procured by means of corruption in special circumstances.

·       Lokpal has the power to recommend the transfer or suspension of public servants connected with the allegation of corruption.

·       Lokpal has the power to give directions to prevent the destruction of records during the preliminary inquiry.

·       In terms of Section 48 of the said Act, the Lokpal is required to present annually to the President a report on the work done by it, which is caused to be laid in both the Houses of the Parliament.

·       Investors in these bonds do not get their principal back. However, the interest continues forever. AT-1 bonds have a higher interest rate than other bonds.

·       Due to the perpetual nature of AT-1 bonds, these are often treated and viewed as equity, not debt.

·       If the banking institution fails, these bonds are at risk. Investors cannot return their bonds to the bank as there is no put option against these bonds. However, these bonds are listed on the stock exchanges, so the investor can liquidate these whenever in need.

·       Subordinate debt: In case of default, these bonds rank lower than the other debt, which is why these are subordinate debts.

·       It primarily focuses on achieving the following:

·       Building an ecosystem for all stakeholders in professional and career development, including learners, course providers, industry, academia and strategic partners.

·       Enabling a mechanism that provides credit recognition for high quality certifications and courses offered by the best industry and academia partners.

·       Reaching a large learner base by catering to learning across the country, with a focus on reaching learners from tier 2 and 3 towns and rural areas and

·       Offering employment focused courses, based on learner needs across chosen disciplines with options to learn through resources in vernacular languages. Enabling a mechanism that provides credit recognition for high quality certifications and courses offered by the best industry and academia partners. Reaching a large learner base by catering to learning across the country, with a focus on reaching learners from tier 2 and 3 towns and rural areas and

·       Offering employment focused courses, based on learner needs across chosen disciplines with options to learn through resources in vernacular languages.

·       Manufacturing, Energy, Computer Science and Engineering/IT/ITES,

·       Management Studies, Healthcare, Hospitality and Tourism besides Indian Knowledge Systems and others.

·       The members are supposed to follow the directives given by the whip.Chief whip – A senior member appointed among their House to issue whips.

·       Provisions – The office of ‘whip’ is mentioned neither in the Constitution of India nor in the Rules of the House nor in a Parliamentary Statute.

·       It is based on the conventions of the parliamentary government

·       A one-line whip, underlined once, is usually issued to inform party members of a vote, and allows them to abstain in case they decide not to follow the party line.A two-line whip directs them to be present during the vote.

·       A three-line whip is the strongest, employed on important occasions such as the second reading of a Bill or a no-confidence motion and places an obligation on members to toe the party line.

·       Context: Recently Samajwadi Party Chief Whip Manoj Pandey resigns, fears of cross voting in Rajya Sabha polls.

·       A distinguished array of 130 awards is set to be bestowed, reflecting the remarkable accomplishments of cities and states.The award consists of various categories;

·       Pey Jal Gold, Silver, and Bronze City Awards, where Gold signifies top performers in their respective population categories (1 to 10 Lakh, 10 to 40 Lakh, and More than 40 Lakh),

·       Silver denotes the 2nd position, and Bronze the 3rd.

·       The awards extend to commendations for Best Water Body, Sustainability Champion, Reuse Champion, Water Quality, City Saturation, and AMRUT 2.0 Rotating Trophy of the Year.

·       Parameters: It encompassed diverse parameters, including access, coverage, water quality at treatment plants and households, and sustainability regarding the health of water bodies, availability of SCADA/ flowmeters, and reuse of treated used water.Cities will be graded on a star rating scale, ranging from 5 stars to No star, encapsulating their performance across these critical criteria.

·       Pey Jal Survekshan ensured clean water through independent NABL lab testing at source and citizen-end.

·       Using a GIS-enabled web portal, geo-tagging, and infrastructure mapping, the survey collected accurate and transparent data.

·       Significance: Its results are expected to drive ULB decision-making, enhance service delivery, and foster citizen engagement, instilling a sense of ownership and knowledge dissemination about water conservation and optimal use.