Daily UPSC Prelims Current Affairs – June 30, 2022 [Mock Test]
June 30, 2022 June 30, 2022
1. Which of the following pairs of important days and dates are matched correctly?
- Civil Services Day – 21 April
- National Panchayati Raj Day – 24 April
- National Integration Day – 29 November
- National Statistics Day – 19 June
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 1, 2 & 3
[C] Only 1, 2 & 4
[D] 1, 2, 3 & 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 1 & 2]
Notes:- The Government of India celebrates April 21 every year as ‘Civil Services day’ as an occasion for the civil servants to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizen and renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work. This date is chosen to commemorate the day when first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi, he referred to civil servants as the ‘steel frame of India’. The first such function was held on 21 April 2006.
- National Panchayati Raj Day is the national day of Panchayati Raj System in India celebrated by Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 24 April annually. Then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh declared the first National Panchayati Raj Day on 24 April 2010.
- National Integration Day is observed on November 19th every year on the birth anniversary of the nation’s first female Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. The day is also referred to as Quami Ekta Diwas.
- National Statistics Day is marked on June 29 to celebrate the notable contribution in the fields of economic planning and the statistical development made by Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
2. With respect to the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021, consider the following statements:
- It seeks to implement provisions of CITES.
- It empowers state government to notify a conservation reserve.
- It seeks to reduce total number of schedules to three.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] Only 1 & 2
[B] Only 2 & 3
[C] Only 1
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Only 1 ]
Notes:- The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on December 17, 2021. The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- The Bill seeks to increase the species protected under the law, and implement the provisions of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Bill provides for the central government to designate a: (i) Management Authority, which grants export or import permits for trade of specimens, and (ii) Scientific Authority, which gives advice on aspects related to impact on the survival of the specimens being traded. The Bill prohibits any person from modifying or removing the identification mark of the specimen. Additionally, every person possessing live specimens of scheduled animals must obtain a registration certificate from the Management Authority.
- The Bill seeks to reduce the total number of schedules to four (currently six) by: (i) reducing the number of schedules for specially protected animals to two (one for greater protection level), (ii) removes the schedule for vermin species, and (iii) inserts a new schedule for specimens listed in the Appendices under CITES (scheduled specimens).
- The Bills empowers the central government to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession or proliferation of invasive alien species.
- The Bill specifies that actions of the Chief Warden must be in accordance with the management plans for the sanctuary.
- The Bill empowers the central government (the Act entrusted this power only to State govt) to also notify a conservation reserve.
- The Bill provides for any person to voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to the Chief Wild Life Warden.
- The Bill increases the fines for violating the provisions of the Act.
3. Which of the following reports was/were released by NITI Aayog?
- State of India’s Children: Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development
- Reimagining Healthcare in India through Blended Finance
- School Education Quality Index
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 3
[B] Only 1 & 2
[C] Only 2 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1, 2 & 3]
Notes:- NITI Aayog collaborated with UNICEF to bring out the country’s first report on multidimensional child development, focusing on aspects such as health, education and nutrition, namely ‘State of India’s Children: Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development’.
- In its report titled ‘India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy’, NITI Aayog proposed fiscal incentives, like tax breaks or start-up grants, for companies with about one-third of their workforce as women and people with disabilities. This is in an attempt to increase the participation of women in the gig economy.
- In its report titled ‘Reimagining Healthcare in India through Blended Finance’, NITI Aayog highlighted that, India’s healthcare spending is least among BRICS countries. Around 65 per cent of hospital beds in India cater to almost 50 per cent of the population in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, and Kerala.
- School Education Quality Index (SEQI) was developed by NITI Aayog to evaluate the performance of States and Union Territories (UTs) in the school education sector. The index aims to bring an ‘outcomes’ focus to education policy by providing States and UTs with a platform to identify their strengths and weaknesses and undertake requisite course corrections or policy interventions.
