Daily Quiz 4 September 2023

Explanation:

• Option (2) is correct: In India, the Right to Information (RTI) movement was launched at the grassroots level in the 1990s by an organisation called the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangthan. Later, the movement captured country-wide attention and support. The Government-appointed Working Group in 1997 known as the “Shourie Committee”. In July 2000, the Shourie draft was revived with significant amendments and introduced as the Freedom of Information Bill, 2000. In 2002, the Freedom of Information Act was passed, later superseded by the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005.
  • Subject to the provisions of this Act, all citizens have the right to information. Public authorities are required to disclose information.
  • The basic objective of the act was to increase the transparency and increase the accountability of the government offices.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Indian Ocean contributes around 40% of the world’s offshore oil production. Also, the region is a vital source of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and India, as the fourth-largest importer of LNG, depends significantly on these resources for its energy needs.
• Statement 2 is correct: India is geographically located at the center of the Indian Ocean, which serves as a vital conduit, connecting the East and West, facilitating global trade and cultural exchange. India has an extensive coastline of 7517 km length, of which 5423 km is in peninsular India and 2094 km is in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands. Over 70% of the value and nearly 95% of the volume of India’s international trade is transported by sea.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) is India’s policy or doctrine of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. The policy was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12, 2015. Initiatives like SAGAR and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) aims to foster regional stability and security in Indian Ocean region.

Explanation:

• Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body. It was established in 2009 by the Government of India under the Competition Act, 2002 for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of the Act. It is a quasi-judicial body.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government. It has adjudicated more than 1,200 antitrust cases that were highly complex, traversed to the apex court and stood the judicial scrutiny, and in the process, developed world-class jurisprudence. However, it has been called a ‘Toothless regulator’ by critics as most of the orders of the CCI are under appeal before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) or under challenge in the high courts or the Supreme Court.

Explanation:

The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is set to integrate Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL) into its existing Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform.

• Option (3) is correct: New Education Policy 2020 has clearly stated that a national repository of high-quality resources on foundational literacy and numeracy will be made available on the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA). DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) is a national platform for school education and is an initiative of the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT). DIKSHA, which comes under the Ministry of Education, provides e-content for schools via an online portal and a mobile application. It also has embedded assistive technologies for learners with visual or hearing impairments. With nearly 35 lakh students dropping out in Class 10 and ineligible to qualify for Class 11 every year, the Education Ministry wants to adopt digital learning with a focus on improving learning outcomes and school retention.

• Statement 1 is correct: NFSA aims to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to an adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices. Though the Indian Constitution does not have any explicit provision regarding the right to food, the fundamental right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution may be interpreted to include the right to live with human dignity, which may include the right to food and other basic necessities.
• Statement 2 is correct: The NFSA is being implemented in all 36 States/UTs, and on an all-India basis. While the Centre is responsible for the allocation of required foodgrains to States/UTs, the States/UTs are responsible for the effective implementation of the Act. The work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The identification of beneficiaries under the NFSA is under two categories-
• Households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)
• Priority Households (PHH) within the coverage determined for the State/UT.

Food Entitlement: While AAY households, which constitute the poorest of the poor are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month, priority households are entitled to 5 kg per person per month.