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3 P2020_CRCA_500/D6

With reference to the 101. th Ministerial Meeting of Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC). Consider the following statements:

The new MGC Plan of Action envisages 1. project-based cooperation in areas like science & technology, skill development, and capacity building.

It was held in Bangkok, Thailand.2.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only(a)

2 only(b)

Both 1and 2(c)

Neither 1 nor 2(d)

Match the following:2. List I List II

A. Kihoto Hollohan 1. Police reforms Judgment

B. K.S. Puttaswamy 2. Tenth Schedule Judgment

C. Prakash Singh 3. Constitutinal Judgment Validity of Aadhar

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A B C

3 1 2 (a)

2 3 1(b)

1 2 3(c)

1 3 2(d)

The 263. th round of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have concluded recently. In this context, consider the following statements:

RCEP is billed as the world’s biggest trade 1. agreement.

It would cover every aspect of economic 2. trade such as goods, services, investment, economic and technical cooperation,

intellectual property rights (IPR), rules of origin, competition and dispute settlement.

India is not a member of China-proposed 3. ASEAN+3.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only(a)

1 and 2 only (b)

3 only(c)

1, 2 and 3(d)

An Empowered Expert Committee 4. (EEC) recommended considering 15 Public institutions and 15 Private institutions for giving status of Institutions of Eminence. Who was the Chairperson of this Committee?

T.S.R. Subramanian(a)

N.K. Singh(b)

Dr. K Kasturirangan(c)

N Gopalaswami(d)

Consider the following statements 5. regarding Common Service Centres(CSCs):

It is an initiative of the Ministry of Rural 1. Development.

These centers act as the access points for 2. the delivery of various digital services to villages in India.

Common Service Centres Scheme promotes 3. rural entrepreneurship and the building of sustainable rural livelihoods.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 and 2 only(a)

2 and 3 only(b)

1 only(c)

1, 2 and 3(d)

QUESTIONS

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4P2020_CRCA_500/D6

Match the following:6. Reports/Indices Organizations

Female work and 1. NITI A. Aayog labour force participation in India Report

SDG Gender Index 2. UNDPB.

Healthy States 3. Equal Measures C. Progressive India 2030 Report

World Population 4. United Nations D. Prospect Report

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A B C D

1 2 3 4(a)

2 3 1 4(b)

1 3 2 4(c)

3 4 1 2(d)

Consider the following statements 7. regarding The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill:

The Bill fi xes the maximum number of 1. judges in the Supreme Court at 30 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.

Originally, the strength of the Supreme 2. Court was fi xed at eight including Chief Justice of India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only(a)

2 only(b)

Both 1and 2(c)

Neither 1 nor 2(d)

Consider the following statements 8. regarding Legal Rights for Nature:

Giving nature legal rights means the law 1. can see nature as a legal person.Legal rights for nature enable nature to go 2. to court to protect its rights.

Which of the above statement is/are correct?

1 only(a)

2 only(b)

Both 1 and 2(c)

Neither 1 nor 2(d)

India was recently granted a NATO 9. ally-like status. In this regard, consider the following statements:

The status would result in increased Indo-1. US defense cooperation in the Indian Ocean.Major non-NATO allies (MNNA) are only 2. involved in strategic working partnerships with NATO countries.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only(a)

2 only(b)

Both 1 and 2(c)

Neither 1 nor 2(d)

Which of the following countries 10. became the fi rst country to grant all of its rivers the same legal status as humans?

Bangladesh(a)

India (b)

Russia(c)

New Zealand(d)

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6P2020_CRCA_500/D6

(c)Q. 1

(b)Q. 2

(d)Q. 3

(d)Q. 4

(b)Q. 5

(b)Q. 6

(b)Q. 7

(c)Q. 8

(c)Q. 9

(a)Q. 10

Answer Key

ANSWER HINTS

Correct Option: (c)1. Explanation:

Both statements are correct

Supplementary notes:

10th Ministerial Meeting of Mekong Ganga Cooperation

The 10 th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting (10th MGC MM) was held on 01 August 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Ministers adopted the new MGC Plan of Action 2019-2022 that envisages project-based cooperation in the seven areas of MGC cooperation, namely tourism and culture, education, public health and traditional medicine, agriculture and allied sectors, transport and communication, MSMEs as well as three new areas of cooperation, i.e. water resources management, science and technology, skill development and capacity building.

The Ministers agreed to hold the 11th MGC Ministerial Meeting on the margins of ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2020 in Viet Nam.

Correct Option: (b)2. Explanation:

Option (b) is correct:

List I List II

A. Kihoto Hollohan 2. Tenth Schedule JudgmentB. K.S. Puttaswamy 3. Constitutional Judgment Validity of AadharC. Prakash Singh 1. Police reforms

Judgment

Supplementary notes:

Important Judgments

A constitutional challenge to the Tenth Schedule was settled by the apex court in Kihoto Hollohan.

The court said that The Speakers/ Chairmen hold a pivotal position in the scheme of Parliamentary democracy and are guardians of the rights and privileges of the House.

Vestiture of power to adjudicate questions under the Tenth Schedule in them should not be considered exceptionable

In Prakash Singh vs Union of India and Others, 2006 the Supreme Court provided for selection procedure and minimum tenure for Director General of Police (DGP).

The Director General of Police of the State shall be selected by the State Government from amongst the three senior most offi cers of the Department who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of their length of service, very good record and range of experience for heading the police force.

Once he has been selected for the job, he should have a minimum tenure of at least two years irrespective of his date of superannuation.

In K.S. Puttaswamy Case, Supreme Court examined the constitutional validity of Aadhar.

Correct Option: (d)3.

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7 P2020_CRCA_500/D6

Explanation:

All statements are correct

Supplementary notes:

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a so-called mega-regional economic agreement being negotiated since 2012 between the 10 ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) governments and their six FTA partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.

It is billed as the world’s biggest trade agreement because the RCEP countries make up 45% of the world’s population with 33% of its GDP and atleast 28% of all trade in the world today.

The goal of RCEP is to boost economic growth and equitable economic development, advance economic cooperation and broaden and deepen integration in the region.

RCEP would cover almost every aspect of economy such as goods, services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property rights (IPR), rules of origin, competition and dispute settlement.

It is expected to provide market access for India’s goods and services exports and encourage greater investments and technology into India. It would also facilitate India’s MSMEs to effectively integrate into the regional value and supply chains.

China is also hinting for a Free Trade Agreement between ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea i.e. ASEAN+3 because it has taken so long for inking RCEP.

Correct Option: (d)4. Explanation:

Option (d) is correct: N Gopalaswami was the Chairperson of the Empowered Expert Committee.

Supplementary notes:

Institutions of Eminence

Institutions of the Eminence scheme have been launched in order to implement the

commitment of the Government to empower the Higher Educational Institutions and to help them become world-class teaching and research institutions.

Ten public and ten private institutions are to be identified to emerge as world-class Teaching and Research Institutions. This will enhance affordable access to high-quality education for ordinary Indians.

The UGC has considered the reports of the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) appointed by the Government under the Chairmanship of Shri N Gopalaswami recommending (15) Public institutions and (15) Private institutions for considering to give status of Institutions of Eminence.

Since the scheme has only provided for (10) Public and (10) Private Institutions, the UGC has examined the list of (15) Public and (15) Private Institutions using transparent and verifi able criteria.

The following were the principles used for identifying the (10) Public and (10) Private Institutions, from the list of (15) Public and (15) Private Institutions recommended by the EEC:

Since the thrust of the scheme is to prepare institutions for the global rankings, no existing institution which has not fi gured in any of the global/national ranks shall be recommended for the IoE status.

Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, consideration shall be given to ‘yet to be established (Greenfi eld)’ proposals.

Correct Option: (b)5. Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity).

Supplementary notes:

Common Service Centre

Common Service Centers (CSC) scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Government of India.

CSCs act as the access points for delivery of various digital services to villages in India. Also, the scheme promotes rural entrepreneurship and building of sustainable rural livelihoods.

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8P2020_CRCA_500/D6

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9 P2020_CRCA_500/D6

CSC e-Governance Services India Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle (CSC SPV) formed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT under the Companies Act, 1956 to monitor the implementation of the Common Services Centers Scheme.

It provides a centralized framework for delivery of services to citizens through CSCs, besides ensuring systemic viability and sustainability of the scheme.

Correct Option: (b)6. Explanation:

Option (b) is correctly matched:

Reports/Indices Organizations

Female work and 2. UNDP A. labour force participation in India Report

SDG Gender Index 3. Equal Measures B. 2030

Healthy States, 1. NITI Aayog C. Progressive India Report World Population 4. United Nations D. Prospect Report

Supplementary notes:

Female work and labour force participation in India Report

Recently UNDP, in association with IKEA Foundation has brought out a report titled “Female work and labour force participation in India”.

The focus of this report has been to understand the continuing problem of low female labour force participation in India despite massive investments in employment and skill-building initiatives.

SDG Gender Index

India is ranked 95th out of a total of 129 countries in the fi rst-ever SDG Gender Index, which measures strides made in achieving gender commitments against internationally set targets.

The index has been developed by Equal Measures 2030, which is a partnership among global and regional organisations from the civil society and the development and private sectors. It includes The African Women’s Development and Communication

Network, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Women’s Health Coalition and Plan International.

Healthy States, Progressive India Report

NITI Aayog releases a comprehensive Health Index report titled, “Healthy States, Progressive India”.

The report ranks states and Union territories innovatively on their year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes, as well as, their overall performance with respect to each other.

The report has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical assistance from the World Bank, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

World Population Prospect Report

The World Population Prospects report 2019 is published by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

According to it, the world’s population is expected to increase by two billion people in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050.

The new report highlighted that more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just nine countries, led by India and followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the US.

Correct Option: (b)7. Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill was signed by President of India, increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court from the present 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

Supplementary notes:

Number of Judges of Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill was signed by President of India, increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court from the present 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

The move to increase the strength of judges by 3 or 10 per cent comes against the backdrop of rising cases in the top court which stand at nearly 60,000

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10P2020_CRCA_500/D6

At present, the sanctioned strength of the apex court is 30, excluding the CJI.

At present, the Supreme Court is working with its full sanctioned strength of 31, including the CJI.

Originally, the strength of the Supreme Court was fi xed at eight (one chief justice and seven other judges). The Parliament has increased the number of other judges progressively to ten in 1956, to thirteen in 1960, to seventeen in 1977 and to twenty-fi ve in 1986.

In February 2009, the centre notifi ed an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges from twenty-six to thirty-one, including the Chief Justice of India.

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, was last amended in 2009 to increase the judges’ strength from 25 to 30 (excluding the CJI).

Correct Option: (c)8. Explanation:

Both statements are correct.

Supplementary notes:

What are legal rights for nature?

Legal rights are not the same as human rights, and so a “legal person” does not necessarily have to be a human being. Corporations, for example, are also treated in law as “legal persons”, as a way to endow companies with particular legal rights and to treat the company as legally distinct from its managers and shareholders.

Giving nature legal rights means the law can see “nature” as a legal person, thus creating rights that can then be enforced.

Legal rights focus on the idea of legal standing (often described as the ability to sue and be sued), which enables “nature” (Court-appointed individual) to go to court to protect its rights. Legal personhood also includes the right to enter and enforce contracts, and the ability to hold property.

Rivers as Legal Persons

The extension of legal rights to rivers is ground-breaking and largely unprecedented.

For instance, the rivers have received their legal rights in different ways (via legislation or judicial decision), for different purposes (environmental protection, religious beliefs, and indigenous values) and by using different

legal forms as the basis for legal rights and personhood.

Correct Option: (c)9.

Explanation:

Both statements are correct

Supplementary notes:

NATO ally-like Status for India

The U.S. senate passed a legislative provision (National Defense Authorization Act) that brings India at par with America’s NATO allies like Japan, South Korea, and Australia etc. for increasing defense cooperation.

The act provides for increased Indo-U.S. defense cooperation in the Indian Ocean in areas of humanitarian assistance, counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, maritime security and advanced technology transfer.

Unlike the member nations of NATO, who have to contribute from their gross national income to fund the NATO, major Non-NATO allies (MNNA) are only involved in Strategic working partnerships with NATO Countries. India will be under no obligation to support any of the policy endeavors of NATO.

The move will enable India to access lot of military and fi nancial advantages which are otherwise not available to non-NATO members.

Pakistan is one of the major Non-NATO allies (MNNA) of US. But in 2017, a bill was introduced in the US Congress seeking withdrawal of the status from Pakistan. Now, a new legislation has been introduced in the Congress to terminate the status of Pakistan.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

It is an intergovernmental military and political alliance based on North Atlantic Treaty (also known as Washington Treaty) signed in 4 April 1949. It is also known as North Atlantic Alliance.

It consists of 28 independent member countries across North America and Europe.

It is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and Headquarters of its Allied Command Operations in Mons, Belgium.

It constitutes a system of collective defense by which its independent member states agrees for mutual defense in response to any attack on any member by any external party.

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11 P2020_CRCA_500/D6

NATO is committed to peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis-management operations.

Correct Option: (a)10. Explanation:

Option (a) is correct: Bangladesh became the fi rst country to grant all of its rivers the same legal status as humans.

Supplementary notes:

Legal Rights to Rivers

Recently, Bangladesh became the fi rst country to grant all of its rivers the same legal status as humans.

In 2017, four rivers have been given the status of legal persons: the Whanganui River in New Zealand, the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in India, and most recently, the Rio Atrato, in Colombia.

These developments have fundamentally altered the legal status of rivers in law, raising questions about whether the approach can be transferred and generalised to other rivers around the world.

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