Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• The Assam Legislative Council was the unicameral legislature of Assam in India from 1913 to 1935 and then the upper house of the bicameral legislature from 1935 to 1947, when it was disbanded by the India (Provincial Legislatures) Order, 1947.
• After Assam, West Bengal had abolished its Legislative Council in 1969.
• The Punjab Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1969 was adopted in 1969. Through this legislation the Punjab Legislative Council was abolished. The law came into effect on 7 January 1970.

Explanation :

• Mineral Accretion Technology, also known as Biorock Technology, is a method that applies safe, low voltage electrical currents through seawater, causing dissolved minerals to crystallize on structures, growing into a white limestone similar to that which naturally makes up coral reefs and tropical white sand beaches.
• Mineral accretion devices utilize a well-known process called electrolysis, which is also used for other applications such as plating metals, removing rust, creating hydrogen batteries, and more.
• The advantages corals gain from mineral accretion are cancelled if they no longer receive current, at which point weeds will overgrow the corals. If the current is maintained, coral reefs can often be restored even in areas where water quality would prevent their recovery by any other method.

Advantage

• This technique has been shown to greatly increase the settlement, healing, growth and survival of corals and to enable resistance in corals, intertidal salt marsh grasses and coral forming marine organisms to stresses such as extreme high temperatures, sedimentation, and eutrophication.

Explanation :

• A-SAT is essentially a missile that can destroy or jam an enemy country's satellite in space.It can also be used to access critical information about troop movements or incoming missiles.

Types

1. Kinetic A-SATs, like ballistic missiles, physically strike an object in order to destroy it.
2. Non-Kinetic A-SATsuse non-physical means to disable or destroy space objects, which include frequency jamming, blinding lasers or cyber-attacks.

• USA first tested the ASAT technology in 1958 which was followed by USSR in 1964.China joined the club in 2007.India is now the 4^th country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability.
• On March 27, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex.This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit.
• India used Kinetic Kill, a space technology in which India has developed capability.
• The range of an ASAT is limited and depends on where it is launched from. Satellites above the range of 20,000 kilometres are out of range. The US and Russia have the capabilities of launching an ASAT from the ship, land and space, while India, presently, has used a land installation.

Explanation :

• Shamlat is one of three categories of common land in Punjab villages. ‘Shamlat’ land is owned by the village panchayat.
• The second category, ‘Jumla Mushtraka Malkan’ is land in a common pool made with villager’s personal contributions, and is managed by the panchayat.
• The third category, ‘Gaucharan’, too belongs to the panchayat, and is for cattle grazing. Over time, however, all such lands have come to be known as Shamlat land.
• Shamlat land is mainly used for cultivation, and is allotted for this through an open auction that is conducted by the Rural Development and Panchayat Department every year.
• One-third of Punjab’s Shamlat lands are reserved for Dalits. Around 25,000 to 26,000 families in the state, mostly Dalits, depend on this land for their livelihood.
• Over half of Punjab’s Shamlat land is concentrated in the six districts of Patiala (highest at 15.5%), Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Amritsar.

Explanation :

• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are a large group of compounds, whose structure is very close to that of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but including one or more hydrogen atoms.
• These contain carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine.
• Under normal conditions, HCFCs are gases or liquids which evaporate easily. They are generally fairly stable and unreactive.
• HCFCs do not usually dissolve in water, but do dissolve in organic (carbon-containing) solvents. HCFCs are also part of a group of chemicals known as the volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are ozone depleting substances and potent greenhouse gases that are controlled under the Montreal Protocol.
• HCFCs are used in a wide variety of applications, including refrigeration, air conditioning, foam blowing, solvents, aerosols and fire suppression.

Explanation :

• On 17th January, 2020, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification, declaring the United Arab Emirates to be a “reciprocating territory” under Section 44 A of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908. The notification also declared a list of courts in the UAE to be “Superior Courts” under the same section.
• Apart from UAE, the other countries declared to be “reciprocating territories” are: United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, New Zealand, the Cook Islands (including Niue) and the Trust Territories of Western Samoa, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Aden.

Reciprocating Territory

• Essentially, orders passed by certain designated courts from a ‘reciprocating territory’ can be implemented in India, by filing a copy of the decree concerned in a District Court here.
• The courts so designated are called Superior Courts.
• It simply means that the foreign civil decrees passed by courts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can now be executed in India.

Limitations

• The scope of the Section is restricted to decrees for payment of money, not being sums payable in respect of taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty.

Impact

• The move is widely seen to act as a major deterrent for those fleeing to India after committing major financial fraud, including bank loan default in UAE.

Explanation :

• The Anti-Defection Law was passed in 1985 through the 52nd amendment to the Constitution. It added the Tenth Schedule to the Indian Constitution.
• It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.
• A legislator is deemed to have defected if he either voluntarily gives up the membership of his party or disobeys the directives of the party leadership on a vote.
• The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.
• The law does not specify a time-period for the Presiding Officer to decide on a disqualification plea. Given that courts can intervene only after the Presiding Officer has decided on the matter, the petitioner seeking disqualification has no option but to wait for this decision to be made.

Explanation :

• A letter of intent (LOI) is a document declaring the preliminary commitment of one party to do business with another. The letter outlines the chief terms of a prospective deal.
• A memorandum of understanding (MOU or MoU) is an agreement between two or more parties outlined in a formal document. It is not legally binding but signals the willingness of the parties to move forward with a contract. It is often used at the beginning of a business partnership.
• A Term Sheet is used to show interest in an investment opportunity. Often it is used to outline a potential agreement between an entrepreneur (or startup company) and investors. Term Sheets are used to start the process of establishing agreeable terms. Once both parties are agreed, a formal legal contract can be written.

Explanation :

• Jallikattu or Eruthazhuvuthal, the traditional bull taming event, dates back to the Tamil Classic period (400-100 CE). Jallikattu is an annual event where men try to tame and hug the bull and has been a part of the traditional celebrations of the four-day Tamil Nadu harvest festival, Pongal.
• The word Jallikattu has two components, Jalli also known as salli or kasu, which translates into coins, and kattu which means bundle or pouch. This is a reference to a yellow pouch of coins, which is tied to the bull’s horns.

There are three versions of Jallikattu:

Manju Virattu

• This version takes place mostly in the districts of Madurai, Pudukottai, Theni, Thanjavur and Salem and has been popularised by television and movies.

Vaeli Virattu

• This version is more popular in the districts of Sivagangai, Manamadurai, and Madurai. The bulls are released into open ground without any restrictions (no rope or determined path).

Vadam Manju Virattu

• Vadam means rope in Tamil. The bull is tied to a 50 feet long rope and is free to move within this space. A team of 7 or 9 members attempt to subdue the bull within 30 minutes. This version is very safe for spectators as the bull is tied and spectators are shielded by barricades.

Explanation :

• On 14^th January, 2020, the Punjab Cabinet gave its approval to a Punjab Right to Business Bill, 2020, a law aimed at ensuring ease of doing business for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
• Notably, Punjab is home to approximately two lakh MSME units, which are one of the most important pillars of the industrial growth.
• The Act would encompass various regulatory services, including sanction of building plans, issuance of completion/occupation certificate for buildings, registration of new trade license under the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 and the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976.

Advantages

• The MSMEs in the state will get a big relief from the tedious process of getting regulatory approvals before setting up of the units.