Daily UPSC Prelims Current Affairs – May 13, 2022 [Mock Test]
May 13, 2022 May 13, 2022
1. Which of the following pairs of folk dances and respective states are matched correctly?
- Lavani – Maharashtra
- Jhamakada – Nagaland
- Zeliang – Himachal Pradesh
- Saang – Uttar Pradesh
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 1 & 4
[C] Only 1, 3 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1 & 4]
Notes:- Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra, India. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the beats of Dholki, a percussion instrument.
- Jhamakada dance of Himachal Pradesh is also known as Nanoo Vinayaka and Navami ka Swang. It is a group dance performed exclusively by the ladies.
- Zeliang dance form of Nagaland is a festival dance performed for the amusement of the crowd. The clapping and chanting of the group radiate energy through the dancers and the viewers.
- Saang also known as Swang (meaning “initiation”), is a popular folk dance–theatre form in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. Swang incorporates suitable theatrics and mimicry (or naqal) accompanied by song and dialogue.
2. With respect to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, consider the following statements:
- It mandated to constitute Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) with 50 or more employees.
- ICC has powers similar to criminal court.
- ICC must complete the inquiry within 90 days.
- The Act also deals with punishment for false complaint.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[A] Only 1, 2 & 3
[B] Only 2, 3 & 4
[C] Only 3 & 4
[D] Only 1, 2 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Only 3 & 4]
Notes:- The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act was passed in 2013. It broadened the Vishaka guidelines. The Vishaka guidelines were laid down by the Supreme Court in a judgment in 1997.
- The Act mandated that every employer must constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office or branch with 10 or more employees.
- The complaint must be made “within three months from the date of the incident”. However, the ICC can “extend the time limit”.
- The ICC “may”, before inquiry, and “at the request of the aggrieved woman, take steps to settle the matter between her and the respondent through conciliation” — provided that “no monetary settlement shall be made as a basis of conciliation”.
- The ICC may either forward the victim’s complaint to the police, or it can start an inquiry that has to be completed within 90 days.
- The ICC has powers similar to those of a civil court in respect of summoning and examining any person on oath, and requiring the discovery and production of documents.
- When the inquiry is completed, the ICC must provide a report of its findings to the employer within 10 days. The report is also made available to both parties.
- Section 14 of the Act deals with punishment for false or malicious complaint and false evidence.
3. Which of the following countries are parties to Biological Weapons Convention?
- Palestine
- Israel
- Russia
- Ukraine
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1, 2 & 4
[B] Only 1, 3 & 4
[C] Only 3 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1, 3 & 4]
Notes:- The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) currently has 183 states-parties, including Palestine, and four signatories (Egypt, Haiti, Somalia, and Syria). Ten states have neither signed nor ratified the BWC (Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Israel, Kiribati, Micronesia, Namibia, South Sudan, and Tuvalu). The BWC opened for signature on April 10, 1972, and entered into force on March 26, 1975.
- India is a signatory of the convention.
- It prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons. It was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).