Daily MCQs 19 September

Q 1. With reference to the Financial Stability and Development Council’ (FSDC), consider the following statements:

1. It is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010.

2. It is headed by the prime minister of India.

3. It monitors macro-prudential supervision of the economy.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only

b. 1 and 3 only

c. 2 and 3 only

d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b)

Recently, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs chaired the 26th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC). 

Statement 1 is correct: FSDC is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010. The Raghuram Rajan committee (2008) on financial sector reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC.

Statement 2 is not correct: It is chaired by the finance minister and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA & IRDA), Finance Secretary, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser. In 2018, the government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and the Revenue Secretary. FSDC sub-committee is headed by the Governor of RBI

Statement 3 is correct: It Functions is to strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination, and promoting financial sector development and monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. It assesses the functioning of large financial conglomerates.

Q 2.  With reference to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), consider the following statements:

1. It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE).

2. The Swaraj Award was organized in association with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither I nor 2

Answer: (c)

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare addressed the ‘Outlook Agritech Summit and Swaraj Awards 2022’.

Statement 1 is correct: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It is an autonomous organization under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. It is headquartered at New Delhi. With 102 ICAR institutes and 71 agricultural universities spread across the country this is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world.

Statement 2 is correct: Outlook Agritech Summit is a platform to bring together the top political leadership, policymakers, thought leaders and companies involved in agriculture-related technology to share knowledge and recognize the best practices in the field of agriculture in India. The annual awards recognize the best performances and innovations in the field of agriculture and recognize those who are pushing the envelope by using smart technology. The awards were given to various Krishi Vikas Kendras, Farmers’ Producers Organizations as well as individual scientists. The Swaraj Award was organized in association with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare.

Q 3. The Ramakrishna Mission was founded by:

a. Swami Vivekananda 

b. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

c. Sarada Devi 

d. Mahendranath Gupta

Answer: (a)

Recently, the Union Minister for Education launched Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’ Programme for school students. Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’ Programme for school students is an initiative towards ensuring overall personality development of a child in line with the philosophy of National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. It is for the students of classes I to V.

Option (a) is correct: Ramakrishna Mission carries out extensive educational and philanthropic work and expounds a modern version of Advaita Vedanta—a school of Indian philosophy. The society was founded near Kolkata by Vivekananda in 1897 with a twofold purpose to spread the teachings of Vedanta as embodied in the life of the saint Ramakrishna (1836–86) and to improve the social conditions of the Indian people. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886), a 19th-century saint, was the founder of the Ramakrishna Order of monks and is regarded as the spiritual founder of the Ramakrishna Movement. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was his foremost disciple.

Q 4. Operation Polo was recently mentioned in the news. It is related to:

a. Liberation of Goa

b. Accession of Jodhpur

c. Annexation of Hyderabad

d. Settlement with Mizoram

Answer: (c)

The diamond jubilee celebrations of the merger of Hyderabad State with Indian Union, being organised by the State government, commenced on 16th September

Option (c) is correct: The state of Hyderabad was under the Nizam which included the whole of current-day Telangana, the Marathwada region in Maharashtra and several regions of Karnataka. The Nizam of Hyderabad hoped to retain his sovereignty and opposed the idea of merging with India after Independence. Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam of the princely state of Hyderabad proclaimed Hyderabad as a sovereign state and this added to the tension and led to communal clashes.

The Indian government did not want Hyderabad to remain free fearing that it would lead to the country’s balkanization. The then Home Minister Sardar Patel referred to the concept of an independent Hyderabad as “an ulcer in the heart of India which needed to be removed surgically.”

Hence, India decided to annex Hyderabad and named the operation “Operation Polo”. On September 13, 1948, Indian forces attacked Hyderabad. In a five-day battle, the Indian Army took Hyderabad and fully integrated it into Indian territory by decisively defeating Nizam.

Q 5. Which of the following statements is correct about the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS)?

1. It was started to provide quality education to scheduled tribe (ST) students in remote areas (with high tribal population), in form of residential schools.

2. They emphasize not only on academic education but all-round development of tribal students.

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 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), a model school for tribal students has been operationalised in Kandi, District Rajouri and facilities dedicated to the students. 

Statement 1 is correct: Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) is a scheme for making model residential schools for Indian tribals (ST- Scheduled Tribes) across India. It started in the year 1997-98.

The Eklavya Model Residential School in Shinde (Nashik) has been planned by the Ministry Tribal Affairs to give impetus to quality education in nearby tribal areas. The EMR School follows the CBSE curriculum.

Statement 2 is correct: They emphasize not only on academic education but all-round development of tribal students.

At present, there are 384 functional schools spanned across the country established at par with Navodaya Vidyalaya with focus on special state-of-the-art facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development.

Coverage:

• As per existing EMRS Guidelines of 2010, at least one EMRS is to be set up in each Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) / Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) having 50% ST population in the area.
• As per the budget 2018-19, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Eklavya Model Residential School by the year 2022.

What are the Objectives EMRS?

• Comprehensive physical, mental and socially relevant development of all students enrolled in each and every EMRS.
• Seek to empower students to be change agents, beginning in their school, in their homes, in their village and finally in a larger context.
• Focus differentially on the educational support to be made available to those in Standards XI and XII, and those in standards VI to X, so that their distinctive needs can be met.
• Support the annual running expenses in a manner that offers reasonable remuneration to the staff and upkeep of the facilities.
• Support the construction of infrastructure that provides education, physical, environmental and cultural needs of student life.