Daily MCQs 17 August

Q 1. Consider the following statements about the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) 1955: 

1. The ECA Act 1955, was legislated at a time when the country was facing a scarcity of foodstuffs due to persistently low levels of foodgrains production.

2. The ECA 1955 is used to curb inflation by allowing the Centre to enable control by state governments of trade in a wide variety of commodities.  

3. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is the nodal agency for the implementation of this Act.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A. 1, 2 and 3

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 1 and 3 only

D. 1 and 2 only

Answer: (A)

Recently, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has invoked the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 to curb tur dal prices surging. States and Union Territories are asked to direct ‘stockholder entities to upload the data of stocks held by them on an online monitoring portal of the Department of Consumer Affairs, on a weekly basis.

Statement 1 is correct: To prevent hoarding and black marketing of foodstuffs, the Essential Commodities Act was enacted in 1955. The ECA Act of 1955, was legislated at a time when the country was facing a scarcity of foodstuffs due to persistently low levels of foodgrains production.

Statement 2 is correct: The ECA 1955 is used to curb inflation by allowing the Centre to enable control by state governments of trade in a wide variety of commodities. There is no specific definition of essential commodities in the Essential Commodities Act, of 1955. Section 2(A) states that an “essential commodity” means a commodity specified in the Schedule of the Act. 

• The Centre, if satisfied that it is necessary to do so in the public interest, can notify an item as essential, in consultation with state governments.

Statement 3 is correct: The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is the nodal agency for the implementation of this Act.

Q 2. With reference to the NAMASTE scheme, consider the following statements:

1. The NAMASTE scheme is being undertaken jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

2. It will streamline the process of rehabilitating sanitation workers and eventually merge with and replace the Self-Employment Scheme for the Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS).

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (C)

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E) is now preparing to undertake a nationwide survey to enumerate all people engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, an activity that has led to at least 351 deaths since 2017.

Statement 1 is correct: The NAMASTE scheme is being undertaken jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E) and aims to eradicate unsafe sewer and septic tank cleaning practices, said Yogita Swaroop, Senior Economic Advisor in the MoSJ&E, who is overseeing the project.

Statement 2 is correct: Ministry officials said that the enumeration exercise, soon to be conducted across 500 AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) cities, is part of the Union government’s National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), which will streamline the process of rehabilitating sanitation workers and eventually merge with and replace the Self-Employment Scheme for the Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS), which was started in 2007.

Q 3. Digital Lending consists of lending through web platforms or mobile apps, by taking advantage of technology for authentication and credit assessment. Which of the following are the significance of Digital Lending?

1. It helps in meeting the vast unmet credit need, particularly in the microenterprise and low-income consumer segment in India.

2. It helps in reducing informal borrowings as it simplifies the process of borrowing.

3. It decreases time spent on working loan applications in-branch.

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)

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the first set of guidelines for digital lending, to crack down on illegal activities by certain players.

Option (D) is correct: following are the significance of digital lending:

• Financial Inclusion: It helps in meeting the huge unmet credit need, particularly in the microenterprise and low-income consumer segment in India.

• Reduce Borrowing from Informal Channels: It helps in reducing informal borrowings as it simplifies the process of borrowing.

• Time Saving: It decreases time spent on working loan applications in-branch. Digital lending platforms have also been known to cut overhead costs by 30-50%.

Q 4. With reference to Intellectual Property Rights in India, consider the following statements:

1. According to the Indian Patents Act, biological processes for the production or propagation of plants and animals can be patented in India.

2. In India, there is no Intellectual Property Appellate Board.

3. Plant varieties are not eligible for a patent in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 3 only

B. 2 and 3 only 

C. 3 only 

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (C)

National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM), launched in 2021, has achieved the target of imparting Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and basic training to 1 million students. The target has been achieved ahead of the deadline which was 15 August 2022.

Statement 1 is not correct: Section 3(J) of the Indian Patent Act, excludes from patentability “plants and animals in whole or in any part thereof other than microorganisms, including seeds, varieties, and species, and essentially biological processes for production or propagation of plants and animals”. 

Statement 2 is not correct: The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was constituted in 2003 by the Government of India to hear and resolve the appeals against the decisions of the registrar under the Indian Trademarks Act, 1999 and the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Statement 3 is correct: Plant variety protection provides legal protection of a plant variety to a breeder in the form of Plant Breeder’s Rights (PBRs). In India, the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPVFR) Act, 2001, is a sui generis system that aims to provide for the establishment of an effective system for the protection of plant varieties and the rights of plant breeders and farmers. A sui generis system is an alternative to the patent system. 

Q 5. Which of the following is the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Sites in India?

1. Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve ( Odisha )

2. Deomali Elephant Reserve ( Arunachal Pradesh )

3. Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve ( Assam )

4. Agasthiyamalai Elephant Reserve (Tamil Nadu) 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A. 1, 2 and 3 only

B. 2 and 4 only

C. 1, 3 and 4 only

D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (D)

The World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12th of August, with the aim to acknowledge Elephants’ significance in our ecosystem.

Option (A) is correct: The Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme, launched in 2003, is an international collaboration that tracks trends in information related to the illegal killing of elephants from across Africa and Asia, to monitor the effectiveness of field conservation efforts. Following are the Mike Sites in India:

• Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve (Assam)

• Deomali Elephant Reserve ( Arunachal Pradesh )

• Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve ( Assam )

• Garo Hills Elephant Reserve ( Meghalaya )

• Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve ( West Bengal )

• Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve ( Odisha )

• Shivalik Elephant Reserve (Uttarakhand )

• Mysore Elephant Reserve ( Karnataka )

• Nilgiri Elephant Reserve ( Tamil Nadu)

• Wayanad Elephant Reserve ( Kerala)