Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• The Punjab and Haryana High Court has declared Sukhna Lake(Chandigarh) as a living entity.
• The court invoked its parenspatriae jurisdiction to declare the lake as a ‘legal entity’ for its survival, preservation and conservation having a distinct persona with corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.

About Sukhna Lake

• It is a rain-fed lake, located within Chandigarh and its catchment area falls both in Punjab and Haryana.
• The lake was constructed in 1958 and is spread over 3 sq km.
• An area of 2 km to 2.75 km around the lake has been declared as an eco-sensitive zone by the Chandigarh Administration.
• All activities in this area fall under provisions of the Environment Protection Act.

Explanation :

• The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAPA) was established under section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
• It was set up to monitor and to oversee whether the reduction or benefit of input tax credit is reaching the recipient by way of appropriate reduction in prices.

Aim

• The primary aim of the Authority is to ensure the benefits of reduction or lower taxes under the new GST regime are passed onto the end consumers.

Institutional Framework

• The National Anti-profiteering Authority comprises of a five-member committee, consisting of, a Chairman (equivalent to a rank of secretary in the government), four technical members (present/former commissioners of State tax or central tax departments).
• The Additional Director General of Safeguards under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBEC) would be the Secretary to NAA.

Function

• The Authority’s main function is to ensure that the registered suppliers under GST law are not profiteering by charging higher prices from recipients in the name of GST.

Explanation :

• ChapcharKut is an annual harvest festival of the Mizo Community in Mizoram state of India which marks the beginning of Spring Season.
• It is celebrated during March after completion of their most arduous task of jhum operation i.e., jungle-clearing (clearing of the remnants of burning).
• One of the greatest highlights of ChapcharKut is the popular bamboo dance called Cheraw, which features men tapping the bamboo sticks according to the rhythm of the dance and women adjust their dance moves with moving sticks.

Explanation :

• The Land Ports Authority of India(LPAI) is a statutory body established under the Land Ports Authority of India Act,2010.
• It functions under the administrative control of the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The Authority works to provide secure and efficient systems of cargo and passenger movements across international borders. It also works to reduce the dwell time and trade transaction time and costs. It promotes people-to-people contact.

Explanation :

• The Government of India set up Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

Mission

• The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.

Role

• BEE co-ordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies and other organizations and recognize, identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act.

Explanation :

• The Project Monitoring Group (PMG) is an institutional mechanism for the expedited resolution of issues and regulatory bottlenecks in projects with investments upward Rs. 500 Crores in India.
• It aims to facilitate issue resolution in projects that are facing delays or awaiting regulatory clearances with State and/or Central Ministries.
• It was set up as a special cell in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in 2013 and was subsequently brought under the administrative control of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in 2015.
• In February 2019, PMG was merged with Invest India, Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce.
• PMG seeks to enlist unresolved project issues of all Public, Private and ‘Public–Private Partnership’ (PPP) Projects and undertakes fast-tracking of approvals, sectoral policy issues and removal of bottlenecks in expeditious commissioning.

Explanation :

• PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojana(PMKSY) is a Central Sector Scheme aiming to create modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.
• It is an umbrella scheme with its period coterminous with the cycle of 14^th Finance Commission.

Objectives

• Creation of modern infrastructure for food processing mega food parks/ clusters and individual units
• To create effective backward and forward linkages - linking farmers, processors and markets
• To create robust supply chain infrastructure for perishables

Seven Components of PMKSY

• Mega Food Parks
• Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure
• Creation/ Expansion of Food Processing/ Preservation Capacities (Unit Scheme)
• Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters
• Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages
• Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure
• Human Resources and Institutions

Explanation :

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF) of United Kingdom, jointly commenced the fifth edition of Ex Indradhanush at Air Force Station Hindan on 24^thFebruary,2020.
• The focus of this edition of the exercise is 'Base Defence and Force Protection'.
• This theme is of significance considering the recent threats to military establishments from terror elements.
• The exercise started in 2006 and has held four editions so far.
• Ex Indradhanush provides a platform for the IAF and RAF to share and jointly validate strategies and tactics to counter terror threats to their installations.

Explanation :

• The International Judicial Conference-2020, organized by the Supreme Court of India, was held from 21st-23rd February, 2020 in New Delhi, under the theme- Judiciary and the Changing World.
• The Conference discussed the changes being introduced by the Government of India to bring Gender Equality in recruiting women in military services, selection process of fighter pilots, freedom of women to work in mines at night.
• The Conference also focused on the need for technology to deliver rapid justice.

Explanation :

• Mahadayi River rises in the Western Ghats, from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Khanapur taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district. Flowing westward, it enters Goa from Sattari taluk of North Goa district.
• A number of streams join the flow of the river to form the Mandovi which is one of two major rivers that flow through Goa.
• It joins the Arabian Sea at Panaji.
• The Mahadayi River, also spelt Mhadei or Mahadeyi, stretches 111-km. Over two-thirds of the river’s stretch lies in Goa (76km).
• Mapusa River is an important tributary of Mandovi.
• Dudhsagar Falls and Varapoha Falls are important falls located on Mandovi River.