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The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative.
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Consider the following statements about PM CARES Fund
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Solution (b)
Statement Analysis
| Statement 1 | Statement 2 | Statement 3 |
| Correct | Incorrect | Correct |
| PM CARES Fund:
· It was created on March 28, 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. · It was set up to have a dedicated national fund to deal with any emergencyand provide relief to the distressed. · Fund Constitution: · It has been registered as a Public Charitable Trust. · The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the PM CARES Fund, and the Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, and Minister of Finance of the Government of India are ex-officio Trustees of the Fund. |
· Donations to PM CARES Fund would qualify for 80G benefits for 100% exemption under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
· Donations to the PM CARES Fund will also qualify to be counted as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure under the Companies Act, 2013 · PM CARES Fund has also got an exemption under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and a separate account for receiving foreign donations has been opened. · This enables the CARES Fund to accept donations and contributions from individuals and organizations based in foreign countries. |
· The fund consists entirely of voluntary contributions from individuals/organizations and does not receive any budgetary support. |
Context: The Delhi High Court recently set aside an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing the Income Tax (IT) department to provide details regarding the tax exemption granted to the PM Cares Fund under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Solution (b)
Statement Analysis
| Statement 1 | Statement 2 | Statement 3 |
| Correct | Incorrect | Correct |
| PM CARES Fund:
· It was created on March 28, 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. · It was set up to have a dedicated national fund to deal with any emergencyand provide relief to the distressed. · Fund Constitution: · It has been registered as a Public Charitable Trust. · The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the PM CARES Fund, and the Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, and Minister of Finance of the Government of India are ex-officio Trustees of the Fund. |
· Donations to PM CARES Fund would qualify for 80G benefits for 100% exemption under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
· Donations to the PM CARES Fund will also qualify to be counted as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure under the Companies Act, 2013 · PM CARES Fund has also got an exemption under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and a separate account for receiving foreign donations has been opened. · This enables the CARES Fund to accept donations and contributions from individuals and organizations based in foreign countries. |
· The fund consists entirely of voluntary contributions from individuals/organizations and does not receive any budgetary support. |
Context: The Delhi High Court recently set aside an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing the Income Tax (IT) department to provide details regarding the tax exemption granted to the PM Cares Fund under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Consider the following statements about BrahMos Missile
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Solution (a)
Statement Analysis
| Statement 1 | Statement 2 | Statement 3 |
| Incorrect | Correct | Incorrect |
| BrahMos
· It is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, and air. · It has been developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture of India and Russia. · It is named after the rivers Brahmaputra (India) and Moskva (Russia). |
· It is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage, which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. The liquid ramjet, or second stage then takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in the cruise phase.
· It is one of the fastest cruise missiles currently operationally deployed, with a speed of Mach 2.8, which is nearly three times more than the speed of sound. · It has a launch weight of 2,200-3,000 kg. · The extended-range variant of the missile can strike land and sea targets at a maximum range of 400 to 500 kilometers with supersonic speed all throughout the flight. |
· It operates on the “Fire and Forgets” principle, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target.
· Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km, and its terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters. · It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg and is also capable of carrying nuclear warhead · It is equipped with stealth technology designed to make it less visible to radar and other detection methods. · It has an inertial navigation system (INS) for use against ship targets, and an INS/Global Positioning System for use against land targets. |
Context: India is all set to begin the export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
Solution (a)
Statement Analysis
| Statement 1 | Statement 2 | Statement 3 |
| Incorrect | Correct | Incorrect |
| BrahMos
· It is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, and air. · It has been developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture of India and Russia. · It is named after the rivers Brahmaputra (India) and Moskva (Russia). |
· It is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage, which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. The liquid ramjet, or second stage then takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in the cruise phase.
· It is one of the fastest cruise missiles currently operationally deployed, with a speed of Mach 2.8, which is nearly three times more than the speed of sound. · It has a launch weight of 2,200-3,000 kg. · The extended-range variant of the missile can strike land and sea targets at a maximum range of 400 to 500 kilometers with supersonic speed all throughout the flight. |
· It operates on the “Fire and Forgets” principle, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target.
· Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km, and its terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters. · It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg and is also capable of carrying nuclear warhead · It is equipped with stealth technology designed to make it less visible to radar and other detection methods. · It has an inertial navigation system (INS) for use against ship targets, and an INS/Global Positioning System for use against land targets. |
Context: India is all set to begin the export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
Consider the following National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries
How many of the above given National Parks or Wild Sanctuary is not a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)?
Solution (d)
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)
Location:
Flora:
Fauna:
It includes the largest known population of two endangered animal species, namely the Nilgiri Tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque and the largest South Indian population of elephant, tiger, gaur, sambar, and chital.
Solution (d)
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)
Location:
Flora:
Fauna:
It includes the largest known population of two endangered animal species, namely the Nilgiri Tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque and the largest South Indian population of elephant, tiger, gaur, sambar, and chital.
Consider the following statements about PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme (PM YASASVI)
Choose the incorrect statements:
Solution (a)
Statement Analysis
| Statement 1 | Statement 2 |
| Incorrect | Correct |
| · It is a scholarship scheme for Other Backward Class (OBCs), Economically Backward Class (EBC), and Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNT) students.
· Under this scheme, students can avail of Pre-Matric Scholarships from Classes 9 to 10 and Post-Matric Scholarships for their higher education at the post-matriculation or post-secondary level. · Exceptional students also have the opportunity to receive scholarships for top-tier schools and colleges. · Additionally, hostel facilities are provided for OBC students through a construction scheme. · Implementing Agency: Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. |
Eligibility:
· Other Backward Class (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC), and Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT) · Parents or guardians annual income is not more than Rs. 2.50 Lakhs. · Studying in a Top Class School in Class 9 or 11. · These scholarships shall be available for studies in India only and will be awarded by the Government of State/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs, i.e., permanently settled. · Entitlement: Upto Rs. 75,000 p.a. for Class 9/10, Rs. 1,25,000 p.a. for Class 11/12, covering the school tuition fee/hostel fee. |
Context: A total of ₹32.44 Crore has been released for Pre-matric Scholarships and ₹387.27 Crore for Post-Matric Scholarships to States/Union Territories (UTs) under the PM YASASVI scheme in 2023.
Solution (a)
Statement Analysis
| Statement 1 | Statement 2 |
| Incorrect | Correct |
| · It is a scholarship scheme for Other Backward Class (OBCs), Economically Backward Class (EBC), and Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNT) students.
· Under this scheme, students can avail of Pre-Matric Scholarships from Classes 9 to 10 and Post-Matric Scholarships for their higher education at the post-matriculation or post-secondary level. · Exceptional students also have the opportunity to receive scholarships for top-tier schools and colleges. · Additionally, hostel facilities are provided for OBC students through a construction scheme. · Implementing Agency: Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. |
Eligibility:
· Other Backward Class (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC), and Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT) · Parents or guardians annual income is not more than Rs. 2.50 Lakhs. · Studying in a Top Class School in Class 9 or 11. · These scholarships shall be available for studies in India only and will be awarded by the Government of State/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs, i.e., permanently settled. · Entitlement: Upto Rs. 75,000 p.a. for Class 9/10, Rs. 1,25,000 p.a. for Class 11/12, covering the school tuition fee/hostel fee. |
Context: A total of ₹32.44 Crore has been released for Pre-matric Scholarships and ₹387.27 Crore for Post-Matric Scholarships to States/Union Territories (UTs) under the PM YASASVI scheme in 2023.
Q.5) Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme, recently seen in news is administered by which of the following ministry?
Solution (b)
| Option b |
| Correct |
| Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme
· It is an export promotion scheme envisaged to act as a catalyst to promote India’s exports on a sustained basis. · The scheme is formulated on focus product-focus country approach to evolve specific markets and specific products through market studies and surveys. · Assistance would be provided to Export Promotion Organizations/Trade Promotion Organizations/National Level Institutions/ Research Institutions/Universities/Laboratories, Exporters etc., for the enhancement of exports through accessing new markets or through increasing their share in the existing markets. · Under the Scheme, the level of assistance for each eligible activities has been fixed. The following activities will be eligible for financial assistance under the Scheme: · Marketing Projects Abroad · Capacity Building · Support for Statutory Compliances · Studies · Project Development · Developing Foreign Trade Facilitation web Portal · To support Cottage and handicrafts units The funding for each project will be on cost-sharing basis with the sharing pattern ranging from 65% to 50% at the minimum. It is administered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). |
Context: Ahead of the interim Budget 2024, exporters have urged the government to allocate funds worth $3.88 billion for the Market Access Initiative (MAI) scheme.
Solution (b)
| Option b |
| Correct |
| Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme
· It is an export promotion scheme envisaged to act as a catalyst to promote India’s exports on a sustained basis. · The scheme is formulated on focus product-focus country approach to evolve specific markets and specific products through market studies and surveys. · Assistance would be provided to Export Promotion Organizations/Trade Promotion Organizations/National Level Institutions/ Research Institutions/Universities/Laboratories, Exporters etc., for the enhancement of exports through accessing new markets or through increasing their share in the existing markets. · Under the Scheme, the level of assistance for each eligible activities has been fixed. The following activities will be eligible for financial assistance under the Scheme: · Marketing Projects Abroad · Capacity Building · Support for Statutory Compliances · Studies · Project Development · Developing Foreign Trade Facilitation web Portal · To support Cottage and handicrafts units The funding for each project will be on cost-sharing basis with the sharing pattern ranging from 65% to 50% at the minimum. It is administered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). |
Context: Ahead of the interim Budget 2024, exporters have urged the government to allocate funds worth $3.88 billion for the Market Access Initiative (MAI) scheme.
