GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

(PMGSY)

1. It is under the authority of Ministry of Rural Development.

2. One of the aims of this scheme is to provide all-weather road connectivity for Left

Wing Extremism affected Areas.

3. This scheme will help in increasing agricultural incomes and employment

opportunities in India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only

b. 2 and 3 only

c. 3 only

d. 1, 2 and 3

Solution: d

Explanations:

We will see all important points regarding this scheme. Understand from the basic.

Introduction:

Rural Road Connectivity is not only a key component of Rural Development by

promoting access to economic and social services and thereby generating increased

agricultural incomes and productive employment opportunities in India, it is also as a

result, a key ingredient in ensuring sustainable poverty reduction.

Notwithstanding the efforts made, over the years, at the State and Central levels, through

different Programmes, many Habitations in the country are still not connected by All-

weather roads. It is well known that even where connectivity has been provided, the

roads constructed are of such quality (due to poor construction or maintenance) that they

cannot always be categorized as All-weather roads.

With a view to redressing the situation, Government had launched the Pradhan Mantri

Gram Sadak Yojana on 25th December 2000 to provide all-weather access to eligible

unconnected habitations.

This scheme is under administrative control of Ministry of Rural Development.

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

The primary objective of the PMGSY is to provide Connectivity, by way of an All-weather

Road (with necessary culverts and cross-drainage structures, which is operable

throughout the year), to the eligible unconnected Habitations in the rural areas with a

population of 500 persons and above in Plain areas.

In respect of the Hill States (North-East, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and

Uttarakhand), the Desert Areas (as identified in the Desert Development Programme), the

Tribal (Schedule V) areas and Selected Tribal and Backward Districts (as identified by

the Ministry of Home Affairs and Planning Commission) the objective would be to

connect eligible unconnected Habitations with a population of 250 persons and

above.

The unit for this Programme is a Habitation and not a Revenue village or a

Panchayat. A Habitation is a cluster of population, living in an area, the location of 2 which

does not change over time. Desam, Dhanis, Tolas, Majras, Hamlets etc. are commonly

used terminology to describe the Habitations.

Phases of the Scheme: It is important.

PMGSY-I: It involved construction of new all-weather roads in rural habitations having

nothing more than kutcha or non-metalled dirt tracks. In this phase (formally ended in

March 2019) 5,80,359 km out of the total sanctioned length of 6,46,728 km got built.

PMGSY-II: In PMGSY-II, the focus was on upgradation of existing roads. Strengthening

through re-laying of surface, widening or straightening. About 50,000 km of roads was

identified and 32,163 km have been completed so far. In addition, about 8000 kms of roads

will be constructed/upgraded under a separate “Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing

Extremism Affected Areas”. In addition, about 8000 kms of roads will be

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

constructed/upgraded under a separate “Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing

Extremism Affected Areas”.

PMSGY-III: In July 2019, the central government cleared phase three of PMGSY. It proposes

to consolidate the gains from the scheme by linking already-built roads to agricultural

markets.

Most important point:

The PMGSY shall cover only the rural areas. Urban roads are excluded from the purview

of this Programme. Even in the rural areas, PMGSY covers only the Rural Roads i.e.,

Roads that were formerly classified as ‘Other District Roads’ (ODR) and ‘Village

Roads’ (VR).

Other District Roads (ODR) are roads serving rural areas of production and providing

them with outlet to market centres, taluka (tehsil) headquarters, Block headquarters or

other main roads. Village Roads (VR) are roads connecting villages / Habitation or groups

of Habitations with each other and to the nearest road of a higher category.

Q2. Bikram, Brahampuri and Jamkhani was seen in news recently. They are:

a. Newly allocated coalmines

b. Newly excavated Harrapan sites

c. Water reservoirs

d. Newly discovered uranium mines

Solution: a

Explanation:

These are tough questions. But its fine. May be luck goes with you and appears in exam.

GoalTide students can solve then. Like in 2019 prelims one question was asked:

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding World Urban Forum (WUF).

1. The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established by the United Nations to raise

awareness about sustainable urbanization.

2. 10th session, World Economic Forum 2020 was conducted in India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: a

Explanation:

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

India has never hosted any summit. See below.

The Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF 10) will be held from 8-13 February

2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This will be the first time that an Arab country

will host the world’s most important conference on cities and human settlements.

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

The Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED), an institution established

by the Kochi Municipal Corporation, has been selected to participate in the 10th World

Urban Forum organized by UN-Habitat.

Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/c-hed-to-participate-in-world-urban-

forum/article30756523.ece

Q4. Consider the following statements.

1. Bandipur and Silent Valley National Park is in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.

2. Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve is a part of UNESCO World Heritage List.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: d

Explanation:

Bandipur and Silent valley are part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserves.

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve falls within the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari

districts of Tamil Nadu and the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala,

Southern India. It hosts one of the most diverse ecosystems in peninsular India and

constitutes an important biogeographical ‘hot spot’ within the Western Ghats.

The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve includes three wildlife sanctuaries,

Shendurney, Peppara and Nayar, as well as the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve.

Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve became part of World Network of Biosphere Reserves

in 2016. IT IS NOT PART OF UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST. DON’T MIX.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST: Read once all the places given below.

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Q5. ‘Lucknow Declaration’ was seen recently in news. It is related to:

a. India-Bangladesh Relations

b. India- Africa Relations

c. India-EU Relations

d. India- Brazil Relations

Solution: b

Explanation:

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/india-and-african-nations-sign-

lucknow-declaration-for-enhanced-collaboration/

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

1. The Financial Action Task Force was established by the G-20 Summit in 1989.

2. Both India and Pakistan are members of FATF.

3. A country in the Grey List of FATF means a warning has been given to country to

take immediate action to curb money laundering.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 and 3 only

c. 3 only

d. 1 and 2 only

Solution: c

Explanation:

In response to mounting concern over money laundering, the Financial Action Task Force

on Money Laundering (FATF) was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris

in 1989.

The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation

of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering,

terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international

financial system. The FATF is therefore a “policy-making body” which works to

generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory

reforms in these areas.

India is a member of FATF. Pakistan is not a member.

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Meaning of Grey List:

Those countries which are not considered as the safe haven for supporting terror funding

and money laundering; included in this list. The inclusion in this list is not as severe as

blacklisted. Now Grey list is a warning given to the country that it might come in

Blacklist (Just like a yellow card in a football match). If a country is unable to curb

mushrooming of terror funding and money laundering; it is shifted from grey list to

blacklist by the FATF.

Q7. In the context of provisions mentioned in the Constitution, Consider the following

statements.

1. The chairman or Speaker shall not accept resignation if he/she thinks resignation is

not voluntary or genuine.

2. If a member of Parliament is absent from meetings for a period of 90 days without

permission of the House, his seat becomes vacant.

Which of the above statement is/are NOT CORRECT?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: b

Explanation:

The element of acceptance of resignation was introduced by the Constitution (33rd

Amendment) Act, 1974 to place a check on any forced resignation.

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Therefore, statement 1 is correct and statement two is incorrect as it is period of 60

days.

So, we have to find incorrect one, so, option b is correct.

Q8. Consider the following statements:

1. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Parliament of India. 2. A person can be a Minister without being a Member of the Parliament.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

a. 1 only b. 2 only c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: a

Explanation:

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

We have to find incorrect option. So, be careful!!

Now, we will refer to provisions in the Constitution.

The Indian Constitution under Article 75(3) states that the Council of Ministers shall be

collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and not the

Parliament.

The Constitution stipulates that a Minister who is not a Member of the Parliament for a

period of six consecutive months, ceases to be a Minister.

Q9. Consider the following statements.

1. ‘Ecologically Sensitive zones’ are defined under Environment Protect Act, 1986.

2. Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers central government to make rules

for the handling of hazardous substances.

Which of the above statement is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: b

The Environment Protection Act, 1986 does not mention the word “Eco-sensitive

Zones”.

The section 3(2)(v) of the Act, says that Central Government can restrict areas in which any

industries, operations or processes shall not be carried out or shall be carried out subject to

certain safeguards.

Besides, the section 5 (a) of this act says that central government can prohibit or restrict

the location of industries and carrying on certain operations or processes on the basis of

considerations like the biological diversity of an area, maximum allowable limits of

concentration of pollutants for an area, environmentally compatible land use, and

proximity to protected areas. See both sections below:

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

The above two clauses have been effectively used by the government to declare Eco-

Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFA). The same criteria have been used

by the government to declare No Development Zones.

Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers central government to make rules for the

handling of hazardous substances. See below:

Q10. Which of the following city is recently added as a part of UNESCO Natural World

Heritage Site?

a. Jaipur

b. Uttar Pradesh

c. Odisha

d. None

Solution: d

GOALTIDE DAILY QUIZ, 7 FEBRUARY, 2020

Explanation:

question dhyan se ni padhiyega to galtiyaan hogi (if you don’t read question well, mistakes

will happen). Be careful!!

Jaipur, Ahmedabad are Cultural UNESCO Heritage List. Read the list from question number

4. Natural are 7: