Insights Daily Current Events, 09 May 2015

Insights Daily Current Events, 09 May 2015

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Every household to pay environmental compensation, says green tribunal

The National Green Tribunal recently, through an order, reminded denizens of Delhi of their fundamental duty towards protecting and cleaning environment as it announced that every household, including unauthorised, will have to pay a monthly environmental compensation for “Maily se Nirmal Yamuna”.

Other Details:

• The NGT has also extended its order of a fine of Rs 5,000 on throwing waste in the Yamuna to the smallest act of throwing municipal solid waste in any drain.
• The compensation to be paid would be directly proportional to the property tax or water bill, whichever is higher, payable by a particular household as every house generates waste which finally reaches the Yamuna which has now been reduced to a stinking drain of effluents and sewage.
• The Tribunal also said that where the household or person is not paying property tax and water bill or is living in unauthorised colonies, Rs 100 or Rs 500 per month would be levied as compensation.
• The ‘environmental compensation’ will be added to electricity bills which the power suppliers will deposit with the Delhi government. The Department of Delhi Jal Board has said Rs 3,659 crore is required towards ensuring clean Yamuna.

Yamuna River:

• The Yamuna is the Second largest tributary river of the Ganges, (Ganga) in India.
• It originates from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres on the south western slopes of Banderpooch peaks in the uppermost region of the Lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
• It merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad, the site for the Kumbha Mela every twelve years .
• The river accounts for more than 70% of Delhi’s water supplies.

Yamuna Action Plan:

Government of India has sanctioned Yamuna Action Plant (YAP)-I and YAP-II schemes for river Yamuna in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and YAP-III in Delhi under financial assistance from Japan International Coorperation Agency (JICA) for taking up works for sewerage/interception and diversion of drains, Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), low cost sanitation/community toilet complexes, electric/ improved wood crematoria, etc.

• The Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) is a bilateral project between the Government of India and Japan.
• It is one of the largest river restoration projects in India.
• The government of Japan, via the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), has provided financial aid of 17.7 billion yen to carry out the project, which is being executed by the National River Conservation Directorate, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Government of India.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki, YAP.

South Korea gets Asia’s first Google “campus”

Google formally opened its first Asian start-up campus in Seoul, South Korea recently.

Some facts:

• South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass.
• The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea.
• To the west is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is Ulleung-do and Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki, Google.

NPPA fixes prices of 30 formulation packs

Drug price regulator NPPA has fixed prices of 30 formulation packs, including drugs used to treat various diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, asthma and antibiotics.

• NPPA has already fixed the ceiling prices in respect of 521 formulations out of 680 till date which comes under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).

Who caps prices of essential drugs in India?

• At present, the government caps prices of essential drugs based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than one per cent. And the government regulates prices of all other medicines and companies are allowed to hike prices of such drugs by only up to 10% in a year.

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA):

NPPA is an organization of the Government of India which was established, inter alia, to fix/ revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995.

• The organization is also entrusted with the task of recovering amounts overcharged by manufacturers for the controlled drugs from the consumers.
• It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.

Functions of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

• To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order in accordance with the powers delegated to it.
• To deal with all legal matters arising out of the decisions of the Authority;
• To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps;
• To collect/ maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of individual companies, profitability of companies etc, for bulk drugs and formulations;
• To undertake and/ or sponsor relevant studies in respect of pricing of drugs/ pharmaceuticals;
• To recruit/ appoint the officers and other staff members of the Authority, as per rules and procedures laid down by the Government;
• To render advice to the Central Government on changes/ revisions in the drug policy;
• To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters relating to the drug pricing.

Sources: The Hindu, nppaindia.nic.in.

Cameron and Conservatives get majority in British election

Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservatives have won a resounding victory in the British general election. The party has secured an overall majority in Parliament.

• Cameron will continue as Prime Minister for the second term.

Basic facts regarding United Kingdom general elections:

There are six types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections, mayoral elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

• The United Kingdom general election of 2015 was held on 7 May 2015 to elect the 56th Parliament of the United Kingdom.
• There are 650 parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom and each elects one Member of Parliament to seats in the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament using the “first past the post” system..
• If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the Government. If the election results in no single party having a majority, then there is a hung parliament. In this case, the options for forming the Government are either a minority government or a coalition government.

First-past-the-post:

A first-past-the-post election is one that is won by the candidate receiving more votes than any others. Under first-past-the-post, a country/area is divided into numerous voting areas, i.e. constituencies or wards.

• It is one of the several plurality voting systems.
• First-past-the-post voting methods can be used for single and multiple member elections. In a single member election the candidate with the highest number, not necessarily a majority, of votes is elected.
• In a multiple member first-past-the-post ballot, the first number of candidates, in order of highest vote, corresponding to the number of positions to be filled are elected.

Following features of the Indian constitution were borrowed From the Constitution of U.K:

• Nominal Head – President (like Queen)
• Cabinet System of Ministers
• Post of PM
• Parliamentary Type of Govt.
• Bicameral Parliament
• Lower House more powerful
• Council of Ministers responsible to Lowe House
• Speaker in Lok Sabha

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.

Insights Secure Prelims 2015

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Welcome to Insights Secure Prelims – 2015 initiative. The following questions are based on current events that appear in PIB (Public Information Bureau) and from some important newspapers. For more challenging question papers (Full Length), please join our Preliminary Exam – 2015 Test Series (Please Click Here for Reviews)

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1. Question 1 of 6

   1. Question

   Identify the River, based on the following information:

   1. It is the Second largest tributary river of the Ganges, (Ganga) in India.
   2. It originates from Champasar Glacier in Uttarakhand.
   3. It merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.

   Choose the correct answer using the codes below:

   • a) Ramganga
   • b) Bhagirathi
   • c) Yamuna
   • d) Ghaggar
   Correct
   

   Solution: c

   Incorrect
   

   Solution:c
2. Question 2 of 6

   2. Question

   The Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) is a bilateral project between the Government of India and:

   • a) Japan
   • b) Germany
   • c) Singapore
   • d) China
   Correct
   

    

   Solution: a

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: a
3. Question 3 of 6

   3. Question

   Identify the country based on the following information:

   1. It is located in East Asia.
   2. The only country with a land border to this country is North Korea.
   3. This country has Yellow Sea to its west, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is Ulleung-do and Liancourt Rocks in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

   Choose the correct answer using the codes below:

   • a) Taiwan
   • b) Japan
   • c) Philippines
   • d) South Korea
   Correct
   

   Solution: d

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: d
4. Question 4 of 6

   4. Question

   Consider the following statements regarding the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA):

   1. It is the only statutory body under the aegis of the Ministry of Micro, small and Medium Industries
   2. It monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.
   3. It is entrusted with the task of recovering amounts overcharged by manufacturers for the controlled drugs from the consumers.

   Which of the above statements is/are correct?

   • a) 2 Only
   • b) 1 and 2 Only
   • c) 2 and 3 Only
   • d) All
   Correct
   

   Solution: c

    

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: c

    
5. Question 5 of 6

   5. Question

   Which of the following features of the Indian Constitution were borrowed from the British Constitution?

   1. Cabinet System of Ministers
   2. Directive Priniples of State Policy
   3. Post of Prime Minister
   4. Bicameral Parliament
   5. Speaker in Lok Sabha
   6. Fundamental Duties

   Choose the correct answer using the codes below:

   • a) 1,2,3 and 4 Only
   • b) 2, 3, 4 and 5 Only
   • c) 1, 3 and 5 Only
   • d) 1, 3, 4 and 5 Only
   Correct
   

   Solution: d

    

    

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: d
6. Question 6 of 6

   6. Question

   Consider the following statements with reference to the First-past-the-post system:

   1. A first-past-the-post election is one that is won by the candidate receiving more votes than any others.
   2. First-past-the-post voting methods can only be used for multiple member elections.
   3. The Presidential Election in India is held in accordance to the system of First-past-the-post.

   Which of the above statements is/are correct?

   • a) 1 and 3 Only
   • b) 1 and 2 Only
   • c) 2 and 3 Only
   • d) 1 Only
   Correct
   

   Solution: d

   Incorrect
   

   Solution: d