Current Affairs Questions

Creation Of New District In India

With reference to the process of creation of new district in India, consider the following statements:

1. The power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing districts rests with the State governments.
2. A new district can be created either through an executive order or by passing a law in the State Assembly.
3. The Centre has no role to play in the alteration of districts or creation of new ones. States are free to decide.

Choose the correct statement(s) from the options given below:

Namsai Declaration

Recently, which of the following two state governments signed the historic ‘Namsai Declaration’, in a bid to resolve the border issue between them?

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

Consider the following statements with reference to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA):

1. The Act is applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations.
2. It was amended in 2010 to “consolidate the law” on utilisation of foreign funds, and “to prohibit” their use for “any activities detrimental to national interest”.
3. The 2020 amendments gave the government tighter control and scrutiny over the receipt and utilisation of foreign funds by NGOs.

Choose the correct statement(s) from the codes given below:

National Flag Of India

Consider the following constitutional & statutory provisions regarding National Flag of India:

1. The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 prohibits the desecration of or insult to the country’s national symbols, including the national flag, the Constitution, the national anthem and the Indian map.
2. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 restricts the use of the national flag, the coat-of-arms used by a government department, the official seal of the President or Governor, the pictorial representation of Mahatma Gandhi and the Prime Minister, and the Ashoka Chakra.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Inter-State Council

Consider the following statements with reference to the Inter-State Council (ISC):

1. The Inter-State Council was established under Article 263 of the Constitution, which states that the President may constitute such a body if a need is felt for it.
2. In 1998, Sarkaria Commission suggested the Council should exist as a permanent body, and in 1990 it came into existence through a Presidential Order.
3. The Council was reconstituted in May 2021.

Choose the incorrect statement(s) from the options given below:

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis

Consider the following statements with reference to Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis:

1. The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) with a Statistical Laboratory was set up by him in 1950.
2. He was also a key figure in the development of India’s second five-year plan (1956-1961).

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Indus Water Treaty

Consider the following statements with reference to the Indus Water Treaty:

1. The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory.
2. The Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.
3. It sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers, known as the Permanent Indus Commission, which has a Commissioner appointed by World Bank.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)

With reference to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), which of the statement(s) given below is/are correct?

1. It is a statutory body constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
2. It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change.
3. The body also looks into proposals regarding the use of living modified organism that comes in the risk category III and above in the import/manufacture of recombinant pharma products, or where the end-product of the recombinant pharma product is a modified living organism.

Choose the correct answer from the options below:

Nidhi Companies

Consider the following statements with reference to the Nidhi Companies:

1. Nidhi companies cannot accept Deposit from the public, nor lend to the public, so they are not purely NBFCs, and out of the scope of RBI.
2. It cannot carry any business related to chit fund, hire purchase finance, leasing finance, insurance, or acquisition of securities issued by anybody corporate.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

National Panchayati Raj Day

With reference to the National Panchayati Raj Day, consider the following statements:

1. It is celebrated every year on the 25th of April.
2. The day marks the enactment of the 73rd amendment of the Constitution in 1993, which came into force with effect from 24th April 1993.
3. The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2011.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?