Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

Context: Recently, Goa’s first Lokayukta Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra, who retired from the post of Goa Lokayukta, has highlighted the issues related to the state office and the proceedings.

About Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013

• Under the 2013 Act, the Lokpal should consist of a chairperson and such number of members, not exceeding eight, of whom 50% should be judicial members.
• The Act states that not less than 50% of the members of the Lokpal should be from among persons belonging to the SCs, the STs, OBCs, minorities and women.
• It mandates that all public officials should furnish the assets and liabilities of themselves as well as their respective dependents.
• Underthe Act, the Department of Personnel and Training needs to create a list of candidates who are interested to become the chairperson or members of the Lokpal.
• The list was then to be presented to the proposed eight-member search committee. The committee on receiving the list shortlists the names and place them before the selection panel, headed by the Prime Minister.
• The Lokpal has jurisdiction to inquire into allegations of corruption against anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, or 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.
• Also covered are 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 Centre.
• It cannot inquire into any corruption charge against the Prime Minister if the allegations are related to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space, unless a full Bench of the Lokpal, consisting of its chair and all members, considers the initiation of a probe, and at least two-thirds of the members approve it.
• Such a hearing should be held in camera, and if the complaint is dismissed, the records shall not be published or made available to anyone.
• It also covers any society or trust or body that receives foreign contribution above Rs10 lakh.

Explanation :

Context: Foodtech major Swiggy has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs or MoHUA to bring India’s street food vendors on to its online platform.

Explanation:

About PM SVANidhi Scheme

• It is a special micro-credit facility plan to provide affordable loan to more than 50 lakh street vendors, who had their businesses operational on or before 24 March 2020.
• The scheme is valid until March 2022.
• The scheme is applicable to vendors, hawkers, thelewalas, rehriwalas, theliphadwalas in different areas/contexts who supply goods and services.
• Street vendors belonging to the surrounding peri-urban/rural areas are also included.
• Small Industries Development Bank of India(SIDBI) is the technical partner for implementation of this scheme.
• It will manage the credit guarantee to the lending institutions through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises.
• Under the scheme, vendors can avail working capital loan of up to ₹10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments within one year.
• On timely/early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy of 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) on six-months basis.
• There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan.

Explanation :

• The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 was passed in 2016 and the related rules were notified in 2018.

Salient Features of CAFA

• It provides for the establishment of the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
• The payments into the funds include:
  • Compensatory afforestation
  • Net Present Value (NPV)
  • Any project specific payments
• The National Fund gets 10% of funds collected and the remaining 90% goes to respective State Fund.
• These funds would be brought under the focus of Parliament and State Legislatures by transferring them to non-lapsable interest bearing funds.
• The collected funds will be utilized for:
  • Afforestation
  • Regeneration of forest ecosystem
  • Wild life protection
  • Infrastructure development
  • Location of villages from protected areas
  • Managing human-wildlife conflicts
  • Training and awareness generation
  • Supply of wood saving devices and allied activities

Explanation :

In a major success amid the ongoing border crisis with China, India on 3rd October, 2020, successfully test-fired a new version of nuclear-capable Shaurya missile off the coast of Odisha.

About Shaurya Missile

• It is a land variant of short-range Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-15 Sagarika.
• It belong to the K missile family — codenamed after late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam — which are launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines.
• It is a two-stage rocket missile having a strike range of around 800 kilometres.
• When fired, the missile in the final phase of its course moves at hypersonic speeds before reaching a height of 40 km as it gets closer to its target.
• The missile is less vulnerable to anti-ballistic missile defence systems due to its high maneuverability.

K Family of Missiles

• The K family of missiles are primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) and are named after DrKalam.
• Because these missiles are to be launched from submarines, they are lighter, smaller and stealthier than their land-based counterparts, the Agni series of missiles.
• K family are primarily submarine-fired missiles to be fired from India’s Arihant class nuclear powered platforms.