QUIZ – 2019: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 10 December 2019

Solution: d)

Ganga Sagar, is the largest island in the Sundarbans archipelago.

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Solution: c)

• A Member of Parliament (MP) who is not a Minister in the Union Cabinet is called a Private Member. Bills introduced by such members are called Private Member’s Bills. A PMB can be introduced in either the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Bills introduced by ministers are called Government Bills.
• Generally, the 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm slot on alternate Fridays during sessions are reserved for discussion on PMBs.
• There are no restrictions as to what a PMB should be about. The scope of a PMB is same as that of a Government Bill. These bills can deal with any issue and can also be a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
• Unlike a Government Bill, a PMB is not discussed by the Council of Ministers internally.

The procedure

• PMBs are drafted by MPs themselves or by their staff. These bills are, however, scrutinised and checked by the Parliament Secretariat for technicalities and legal consistency.
• The member has to provide a one-month notice along with a copy of the ‘Statement of Object and Reasons’. Through the statement, the member is required to elaborate on the bill.
• In case there are multiple PMBs being proposed at the same time, a ballot system is used to determine the sequence of bills for introduction.
• There is also a Parliamentary Committee on Private Member’s Bills and Resolutions that goes through all PMBs. The committee classifies these Bills based on their urgency and importance, which in turn, determines which would be discussed first.

 Track record

• According to PRS Legislative Research (PRS), 372 PMBs were introduced in the 15^thLok Sabha (2009-2014). Only 11 out of them were discussed.

Solution: c)

Goods & Services Tax Council is a constitutional body for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods and Service Tax. The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.

• The GST council is the key decision-making body that will take all important decisions regarding the GST.
• The GST Council dictates tax rate, tax exemption, the due date of forms, tax laws, and tax deadlines, keeping in mind special rates and provisions for some states.
• The predominant responsibility of the GST Council is to ensure to have one uniform tax rate for goods and services across the nation.

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Solution: d)

On 23 December 2005, the Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act, which envisaged the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India.

It involves in the following disasters

Natural Disaster:

• Earthquakes
• Floods
• Landslides
• Cyclones
• Tsunamis
• Urban Floods
• Heat Wave

Man-Made Disasters

• Nuclear and Radiological Disaster
• Chemical Disaster

Biological Disaster

Solution: d)

“Sea ranching or ocean ranching is an internationally accepted concept, where fish that are commercially important and need replenishment are reared in a controlled laboratory environment and let into the sea when they are of a certain size. The expectation is that they would develop so that local fishers can catch them.

This is being done as part of the phase II of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan.

The sea ranching programme being carried out by Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

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