31 October 2022

1. Under which of the following ministries does the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) fall?

1. Department of Finance
2. Corporate Affairs Ministry
3. Office of Foreign Affairs
4. Electronics and Information Technology Ministry

Explanation

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has administrative supervision over IEPFA.
• In accordance with the provisions of Section 125 of the Companies Act of 2013, the Government of India established the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority on September 7, 2016, to manage the Investor Education and Protection Fund.
• The Authority is tasked with managing the Investor Education Protection Fund (IEPF), issuing investor refunds for shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits/debentures, etc., and raising investor awareness.
• Refunds for unclaimed dividends, matured deposits, matured debentures, application money due for refund, and interest on those amounts are all to be paid out of the IEPF.
• Promotion of investor protection, education, and awareness
• Any disgorged funds will be distributed, in line with the court’s orders, to eligible and identifiable depositors who have lost money as a result of someone else’s wrongdoing, applicants for shares or debentures, stockholders, and holders of such securities.
• reimbursement of legal costs paid by members, holders of debentures, or depositors in bringing class action lawsuits under sections 37 and 245 as may be permitted by the Tribunal.

2. Which of the following nations and India are participating in Exercise Gurda?

1. Indonesia
2. France
3. Germany
4. Vietnam

Explanation

• At Air Force Station Jodhpur, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF) are taking part in the bilateral exercise “Garuda VIl” from October 26 to November 12, 2022.
• Four Rafale fighter aircraft, one A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), and 220 people will all take part in this exercise for FASF.
• Su-30 MKI, Rafale, LCA Tejas, Jaguar, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and Mi-17 helicopters from the IAF are taking part in the exercise.
• Combat enabling assets including AWACS, AEW&C, and flight refuelling aircraft will also be part of the IAF contingent.
• This collaborative exercise will give both nations a platform to improve operational capacity and interoperability while also exchanging best practises.
• The bilateral exercise is currently in its seventh edition. At the Air Force Stations at Gwalior, Kalaikunda, and Jodhpur, respectively, the first, third, and fifth editions were held in India in 2003, 2006, and 2014, respectively. In France, the second, fourth, and sixth editions took place in 2005, 2010, and 2019.

3.Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-2 RRF), which has recently been featured in the headlines, is a:

1. Genetically modified crop
2. Supercomputers
3. Black hole for dark matter
4. Quantum Particle

Explanation

• A BT cotton type that is both insect and herbicide resistant is called Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-2 RRF).
• Along with continuing to protect against insects, BGII RRF also provide protection against weeds like American Bollworm.
• India has already approved the commercial use of BG-1 and BG-2 GM cotton, however the BG-2 RRF has been in various phases of approval.
• The first two of the three alien genes in the transgenic cotton, known as Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-II RRF), were found to be isolated from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt and code for proteins toxic to the American bollworm, spotted bollworm, and tobacco caterpillar insect pests.
• The third gene, “cp4-epsps,” originates from Agrobacterium tumafaciens, a different soil bacterium.
• Because of its inclusion in cotton, the plant is “tolerant” to glyphosate. Since the pesticide does not distinguish between crops and weeds, it cannot be used on regular cotton.

4. Which of the following is covered by Section 45ZN of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934?

1. Failure to keep inflation within target
2. Publication of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting minutes as the Monetary Policy Report.
3. Members of the Monetary Policy Committee are dismissed under this section
4. Members of the Monetary Policy Committee are appointed under this section

Explanation

• Failure to maintain the inflation objective under Section 45ZN
• When the Bank misses the inflation target, it must provide the Central Government with a report outlining the reasons why, the corrective actions the Bank proposes to take, and an estimation of when the inflation target will be reached following prompt implementation of the suggested corrective actions.
• Within three months of the start date of Part I of Chapter XII of the Finance Act of 2016, the Central Government shall notify the Official Gazette of the factors that may be notified as failure for the purposes of this section.

5.Take into account the following statements from the Global TB Report, 2022:

1. Every year, the World Health Organization publishes it.
2. India has had a fall of 18%, which is 7 points higher than the global average of 11%.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

• Both of the claims are true.
• The World Health Organization publishes the Global TB report each year to give a thorough evaluation of the tuberculosis epidemic and the advancement of nations in preventing, detecting, and treating the disease at the international, regional, and national levels.
• The study is mostly based on information obtained from national health ministries by the World Health Organization.

Findings of the Global TB Report 2022:

• In 2021, more than 10.6 million people contracted TB. When compared to 2020 figures, this is a 4.5% increase.
• Six million individuals have died from TB. 187,000 of them are HIV sufferers.
• Between 2020 and 2021, the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) increased by 3%. The number of new cases of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) last year was 450 000.
• In actuality, over time, India has outperformed other nations by a wide margin on key criteria. The incidence of tuberculosis in India has decreased by 18% from the baseline year of 2015 (when it was 256 per lakh of the population), which is 7 percentage points better than the 11% global average. The incidence is projected to be 210 per 100,000 people in 2021.
• Additionally, according to this data, India is ranked 36th in the world for incidence rates (from largest to smallest incidence numbers).

6.Take into account the following statements about the National Financial Reporting Authority:

1. The 2013 Companies Act was created.
2. It serves as the Ministry of Finance’s independent regulator for the auditing industry.
3. It also has the authority to punish and disqualify chartered accountants or CA firms who engage in professional misconduct after conducting an investigation into the situation.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

• Both claims 1 and 3 are true.
• The Companies Act of 2013 established the NFRA, an Indian entity, to set and enforce accounting and auditing standards and regulate auditors’ performance.
• According to the Companies Act of 2013, the NFRA is responsible for recommending accounting and auditing standards, verifying their adherence, and monitoring the calibre of the accounting and audit professions’ services.
• Additionally, it now has the authority to look into allegations of professional misconduct made by chartered accountants or CA firms, to punish offenders, and to bar them from the profession for a period of up to ten years.
• The second claim is untrue.
• It functions as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ independent regulator of the auditing industry.

7.Take into account the following statements about Tulu and Kodava:

1. Both languages are Dravidian.
2. The Kodava language, also known as Coorgi, is primarily spoken in the Kodagu district.
3. Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kasargod, and the Western Ghats are where Tulu is most often spoken.
4. Both languages are among India’s 22 official tongues.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1. 1, 2 and 3
2. 2, 3 and 4
3. 1, 3 and 4
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

• The first three claims are true.

Tulu

• Dravidian languages include Tulu.
• According to the 2001 census, it is primarily spoken in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kasargod, and the Western Ghats, which had 17,22,768 speakers.
• Tulu Nadu is the informal name for the region while Tuluva or Tulu people are terms used to refer to native Tulu speakers.

Kodava

• It speaks a Dravidian dialect.
• The Kodava language, also known as Coorgi, is primarily spoken in the Kodagu district.
• 166,187 people speak Kodava as a whole, up from 1,22,000 in the 1997 census, according to the 2001 census.
• The fourth statement is untrue.
• Both languages are not recognised as official in the nation at the moment.

8. Which of the following is the world’s biggest active volcano?

1. Mount Etna
2. Mauna Loa
3. Fagrada Falls
4. Sakurajima

Explanation

• The greatest active volcano on our planet, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, gradually rises to a height of more than 4 km (2.5 mi).
• Its undersea flanks drop another 5 km (3 mi) to the ocean floor, while Mauna Loa’s massive mass lowers the ocean floor by an additional 8 km (5 mi).
• The volcano’s top would be approximately 17 km (10.5 mi) above the volcano’s base.
• The world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, is giving warnings that it may erupt.

9. Which of the following countries will participate in India and the maritime exercise SIMBEX 2022?

1. Sri Lanka
2. Singapore
3. Vietnam
4. South Korea

Explanation

• From October 26 to October 30, 2022, Visakhapatnam will play home to the 29th Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX).
• The two phases of SIMBEX-2022 are the Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam (October 26–27, 2022) and the Sea Phase in the Bay of Bengal (October 28–30, 2022).
• On October 25, 2022, RSS Stalwart (a Formidable Class Frigate) and RSS Vigilance (a Victory Class Corvette), two ships from the Republic of Singapore Navy, arrived at Visakhapatnam to take part in the exercise.
• Exercise Lion King was the original name for the SIMBEX series of exercises, which debuted in 1994. Over the past two decades, the exercise’s complexity and scope have significantly increased to incorporate cutting-edge naval training that encompass a variety of maritime missions. The drill is a prime example of India and Singapore’s intense maritime cooperation. It also emphasises the two countries’ dedication and support for boosting marine security in the Indian Ocean region.

10.Take into account the following statements about Hatti Community:

1. Their name comes from the fact that they have traditionally worked at ‘haats,’ or small-town marketplaces, where they sold locally sourced produce, meat, and wool.
2. The Himachal-Uttarakhand border is where the Hatti homeland is located.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

• Both of the claims are true.
• The Hattis are a close-knit group of people who receive their name from the haats, or small-town markets, where they used to sell their homegrown produce, meat, and wool.
• On ceremonial occasions, Hatti men customarily adorn a distinctive white headpiece.
• The Hattis currently number perhaps in the neighbourhood of 3 lakh people.
• The Giri and Tons rivers are both tributaries of the Yamuna, and their basins are located in the Himachal and Uttarakhand borderlands, respectively.
• The Tons delineates the separation between the two states.
• Similar to the ‘khaps’ of Haryana, the Hattis are ruled by a traditional council known as a ‘khumbli,’ which makes decisions for the community.