10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: July 11, 2020

Statement 1 is incorrect. Wind power generation capacity is highest followed by the Solar Power in the Renewable Energy Installed Power Generation Capacity of India.

Data Source: Annual Report of MNRE

Statement 2 is correct. The initial target of the National Solar Mission of installing 20 GW grid-connected solar power plants by the year 2022 was enhanced to 100 GW to be achieved by the same target year.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Sero-prevalence surveys are investigations that involve the use of serology test also known as antibody tests to better understand how many infections have occurred at different points in time, in different locations, and in different populations.

Statement 2 is correct. Reported cases of disease likely represent only a fraction of all infections. This may be because an unknown proportion of people:

-have mild or no symptoms,

-do not seek medical care, or

-do not get tested when they sought medical care.

As people produce antibodies against an infection that last longer than the infection, serological surveys give an insight into past prevalence of the disease in the community.

Statement 1 is correct. Section 3 of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act provides for Fiscal policy statements to be laid before Parliament along with the annual financial statement

-the Medium-term Fiscal Policy Statement;

-the Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement;

-the Macro-economic Framework Statement;

-the Medium-term Expenditure Framework Statement.

Statement 2 is correct. Section 7A of the act provides that the Central Government may entrust the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India to review periodically as required, the compliance of the provisions of this Act and such reviews shall be laid on the table of both Houses of Parliament.

Statement 3 is correct. Section 4 of the Act providing Fiscal principles states that the Central Government shall endeavor to ensure that—

(i) the general Government debt does not exceed sixty per cent.;

(ii) the Central Government debt does not exceed forty per cent.,

of gross domestic product by the end of financial year 2024-2025.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Constitution provides proclamation of emergency as a ground for extension of the term of Legislative assembly of a state.

Article 172(1) of the Constitution provides that every Legislative Assembly of every State, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer, and the expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as dissolution of the Assembly:

Provided that the said period may, while a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation, be extended by Parliament by law for a period not exceeding one year at a time and not extending in any case beyond a period of six months after the Proclamation has ceased to operate.

Statement 2 is correct. Article 174(1) of the Constitution provides that the Governor shall from time to time summon the House or each House of the Legislature of the State to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Private Sector accounts for around 47 percent percent of India’s installed power capacity.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Industrial sector’s consumption of electricity in India is highest, followed by domestic and agriculture sector.

The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) is developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power. Its main objective is to establish minimum requirements for energy efficient design and construction of buildings.

The ECBC provides design norms for:

-Building envelope, including thermal performance requirements for walls, roofs, and windows;

-Lighting system, including day-lighting, and lamps and luminaire performance requirements;

– Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, including energy performance of chillers and air distribution systems; Electrical system; and

-Water heating and pumping systems, including requirements for solar hot-water systems.

Justice J.S. Verma Committee (2013) was constituted to recommend reforms in the Criminal Law so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault against women.  The Committee submitted its report on January 23, 2013.

Ministry of home Affairs has recently constituted a Committee to Recommend Criminal Reforms in India, headed by Prof. Ranbir Singh, Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi.

Committee on Reforms of Criminal Justice System (2003) was headed by Justice V.S. Malimath.  It recommended borrowing features from the inquisitorial system of investigation, modification to Article 20 (3) of the Constitution such that the accused should be required to file a statement to the prosecution disclosing his/her stand and several other reforms in investigation, victim rights, witness protection etc.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Silicon is also the second most abundant material on Earth’s crust after oxygen.

Note: Distribution below is of materials in Earth’s crust, not entire earth.

Statement 2 is correct. Solar Cell or Photovoltaic (PV) cell is a device that is made up of semiconductor materials such as silicon, gallium arsenide and cadmium telluride, etc. that converts sunlight directly into electricity. Silicon is one of the most common materials used in solar cells and computer chips.

Statement 1 is correct. The Code on Wages, 2019 prohibits gender discrimination in matters related to wages and recruitment of employees for the same work or work of similar nature.  Work of similar nature is defined as work for which the skill, effort, experience, and responsibility required are the same.

Statement 2 is correct. According to the Code, the central government will fix a floor wage, taking into account living standards of workers.  It may set different floor wages for different geographical areas. The central government may obtain the advice of the Central Advisory Board and may consult with state governments.

The minimum wages decided by the central or state governments must be higher than the floor wage. In case the existing minimum wages fixed by the central or state governments are higher than the floor wage, they cannot reduce the minimum wages.

The Labour and Employment Ministry has recently notified the draft Code on Wages (Central) Rules under the Code on Wages, 2019. Visit Factly, ForumIAS for more.

Both statements are correct.

The Climate Investment Funds (CIF), established in 2008, is one of the world’s largest climate finance mechanisms.

The CIF consists of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF).

CTF supports renewable energy, low carbon technologies, energy efficiency, and clean transport in middle-income countries. The World Bank is the Trustee and Administrating Unit of the CTF Trust Fund.

The World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank are the implementing agencies for CTF investments.

SCF finances new approaches or scales up activities through the Forest Investment Program, the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience and the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy in low-income countries.

India is receiving investment finance under CIF-CTF, majority of which supports the development of new installed solar power capacity and associated transmission infrastructure. The recently inaugurated Rewa Solar plant in Madhya Pradesh also got funding from Clean Technology Fund.