Daily PIB Analysis For UPSC/IAS | 26th April 19 | Download PDF

Apex court directs RBI to disclose information under RTI Act

• The Supreme Court has directed the RBI to disclose information pertaining to its annual inspection report of banks under the Right to Information (RTI) Act unless they are exempted under law.
• A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao also directed the federal bank to review its policy to disclose information relating to banks under RTI.
• The bench, which did not go ahead with contempt proceedings against the RBI, made it clear that it was giving a last opportunity to it to comply with provisions of the transparency law.
• The bench said it would have taken a serious view to the refusal of RBI to part with information under RTI.
• It said that any further violation shall be viewed seriously.
• In January this year, the top court had issued contempt notice to RBI for not disclosing annual inspection report of banks under RTI.

• The bench was hearing a contempt petition filed by RTI activist S C Agrawal against the RBI.
• Earlier, the apex court and the Central Information Commission, both had held that the RBI cannot deny information to an information seeker under the transparency law unless the material is exempted from disclosure under the law.
• The RBI, in its defence, had said that it cannot disclose information as the annual inspection report of the bank contained “fiduciary” information as defined under the transparency law.

MCQ 1

• Who among the following are the female member of in-house inquiry panel set up to examine the allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi.

1. Indira jaisingh
2. Arundhati roy
3. Indu Malhotra
4. None

MCQ 2

1. Officers of the Special Protection Group are drawn from Central Armed Police Forces and Railway Protection Force
2. The Special Protection Group (SPG) is “an armed force of the Union for providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India and president

• Choose correct

(A)Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None

• The Special Protection Group (SPG) is “an armed force of the Union for providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India and former Prime Ministers of India and members of their immediate families wherever in the world they are.” It was formed in 1988 by an act of the Parliament of India.
• Former PMs, their immediate family members, and family members of a serving Prime Minister may, if they choose, may decline SPG security
• Before 1981, the security of the Prime Minister at the official residence was the responsibility of the Special Security District of the Delhi Police under the charge of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). In October 1981, a Special Task Force (STF) was raised by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to provide ring-round and escort to the Prime Minister in and out of New Delhi.
• After the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984, a review was undertaken by a Committee of Secretaries and it was decided to entrust security of the Prime Minister to a Special Group under unitary and direct control of a designated Officer and the STF to provide immediate security cover both in New Delhi and outside. These decisions were taken as short-term measures.
• Then on 18 February 1985, the Ministry of Home Affairs set up the Birbal Nath Committee to go into the issue in its entirety and submit its recommendation. In March 1985, the Birbal Nath Committee submitted its recommendations of raising a Special Protection Unit (SPU). On 30 March 1985, the President of India created 819 posts for the unit under the Cabinet Secretariat. The SPU was then re-christened Special Protection Group and the post of Inspector General of Police was re-designated as Director.
• The SPG came into being on 8 April 1985 when S. Subramaniam, then Joint Director (VIP Security) in the Intelligence Bureau assumed office. Creation of the SPG required an elaborate exercise in order to clearly delineate responsibility of various agencies concerned with the security of the Prime Minister. The provisions contained in the Blue Book, which lays down security guidelines for the protection of the Prime Minister, had to be harmoniously blended with this new concept of proximate security.
• IB and the State/UT Police concerned were responsible for coordination, collection and dissemination of intelligence affecting VIP security. State/UT Police and the SPG were responsible for providing physical security arrangements for the Prime Minister, while the IB was to provide the required intelligence inputs to these operational agencies. The SPG functioned as a security group purely on the strength of an Executive Order for three years without a legislation, from April 1985 to June 1988.
• The SPG was constituted and trained specially to provide protection to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in view of the threats to him from several sources. But, the organization created for the proximate security of Prime Minister Gandhi, did not contemplate provision of protection to him when he ceased to be Prime Minister, and faced magnified threats. SPG cover for Rajiv Gandhi was withdrawn once he ceased to be Prime Minister. After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, the SPG Act was amended in 1991 to provide security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate families for a period of 10 years from the date on which the former Prime Minister ceased to hold office.
• The President’s Bodyguard (PBG) is an elite household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. It is senior-most in the order of precedence of the units of the Indian Army. The primary role of the President’s Bodyguard is to escort and protect the President of India which is why the regiment is based in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, India. It is equipped as a mounted unit, with horses for ceremonies at the presidential palace and BTR-80 vehicles for use in combat. The personnel of the regiment are also trained as paratroopers and nominally are expected to lead in airborne assaults in the role of pathfinders. The regiment is the successor of the Governor General’s Bodyguard of the British Raj.

MCQ 3

1. BepiColombo was sent by NASA
2. Its srilanka’s 1 st space satellite

• Choose correct

(A)Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None

• BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO).
• The mission will perform a comprehensive study of Mercury, including characterization of its magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure.
• It was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket on 20 October 2018 at 01:45 UTC, with an arrival at Mercury planned for December 2025, after a flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus, and six flybys of Mercury.
• The mission was approved in November 2009, after years in proposal and planning as part of the European Space Agency’s Horizon 2000+ programme; it is the last mission of the programme to be launched

MCQ 4

1. Yohei Sasakawa is the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.
2. He has been given The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize for social achievement

• Choose correct

(A)Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None
 

• Yōhei Sasakawa is chairman of The Nippon Foundation, the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, and Japan’s Ambassador for the Human Rights of People Affected by leprosy. As chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Japan’s largest charitable foundation, he is seen as a pioneer in guiding public-interest activities by the private in modern Japan
• Yohei Sasakawa sees leprosy elimination as a personal mission, inherited from his father, Ryoichi Sasakawa. In 1965, he accompanied his father to a leprosy treatment facility in South Korea, and the shock at seeing, first-hand, the discrimination faced by people affected by leprosy, convinced him of the need for leprosy control, leading him to conduct own activities.
• Sasakawa works to advance dialog between people affected by leprosy, government leaders, the media, and other parties in many countries, with a particular focus on places where the disease is endemic. He focuses a special amount of effort on promoting an accurate understanding of the disease: particularly the fact that it is curable and as part of this drive, he has served as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination since May, 2001.
• The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded annually by the Government of India.
• As a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi, the Government of India launched the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries ₹ 1 Crore (10 million) in cash, convertible in any currency in the world, a plaque and a citation. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, creed or gender.
• A jury consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India and two other eminent persons decides the awardee each year

MCQ 5

• Writer of novel ‘Solo’, a tale of estrangement and the ultimate failure of material existence , is

1. Khushwant singh
2. Kuldeep randhava
3. Rana Dasgupta
4. Kokila chakrawarti

• The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2019 was awarded to author Rana Dasgupta for his 2010 novel “Solo” which is a tale of estrangement and the ultimate failure of material existence. It is the second edition of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize.
• Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize aims to revive poetry and books that can change lives. An amount of $10,000, a Tagore statue and a certificate for contribution to literature will be given to the awardee. Indian Poets, novelists and Playwrights writing in officially recognized languages or dialects of the Indian subcontinent, including English.

MCQ 6

1. Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) was established under companies act 2013 as a statutary body
2. Union minister of the ministry is the chairman of it.

• Choose correct

(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None
MCQ 7

1. Every year last week of April is observed as World Immunisation Week to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.
2. It was started in year 2000

• Choose correct

(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

• World Immunization Week 2019 is being observed from 24-30 April with the theme Protected Together: Vaccines Work.
• Every year last week of April is observed as World Immunisation Week to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.
• Earlier Immunization Week activities were observed on different dates in different regions of the world. Immunization Week was observed simultaneously for the first time in 2012, with the participation of more than 180 countries and territories worldwide after the World Health Assembly endorsed World Immunization Week during its May 2012 meeting.

MCQ 8

• ___ has released a special commemorative stamp on the theme of Ramayana to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of its diplomatic ties with India

1. Cambodia
2. Japan
3. Indonesia
4. Vietnam

• Indonesia has released a special commemorative stamp on the theme of Ramayana to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of its diplomatic ties with India.
• The stamp is designed by renowned Indonesian sculptor Padmashri Bapak Nyoman Nuarta. The stamp features a scene from Ramayana in which Jatayu valiantly fought to save Sita. It is a specially signed version of the stamp will be on display at the Philately Museum in Jakarta.
• The foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement at the Asian-African Conference held in Bandung in 1955 and the adoption of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ in 1955 and the adoption of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ in 1991, provided avenues for rapid development of bilateral relations in political, security, defeence, commercial and cultural fields. The diplomatic relations have further received uplift with the Act East policy.

 
MCQ 9

1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sold its entire stakes in the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) and National Housing Bank to private sector
2. It has been done according to the Narsimham committee

• Choose correct

(A)Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sold its entire stakes in the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) and National Housing Bank.
• Disinvestment by RBI : The decision to divest its entire stake was taken based on the recommendations of the second Narasimham Committee. The committee had stated that RBI could not own those entities which are regulated by it. The government now holds a 100 per cent stake in both NHB and NABARD.
• Earlier in June 2018, the government had bought out the entire 59.7 per cent stake in SBI from the Reserve Bank. The RBI in 2010 divested 71.5% of 72. .5% of its shares in NABARD and the remaining of were divested in February similarly RBI which held 100% in NHB, which was divested on 19 March 2019.

MCQ 10
SAECKs are related to

1. Aerospace industry
2. Space technology
3. medico-legal investigation
4. NGOs working

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has distributed over 3,100 special kits SAECKs for collecting blood and semen samples, besides other evidence, to carry out immediate investigations into sexual assault cases among states and Union Territories.
• Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits (SAECKs) or ‘rape investigation kits’ are specially designed kits to carry out the immediate medico-legal investigation. SAECKs also aid in furnishing evidence in sexual assault and rape cases.
• The SAECKs are being procured with financial support under the Central government’s Nirbhaya Fund and the Ministry of Home Affairs has procured 3,120 SAECKs and distributed these to the states and UTs.

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