10 PM Current Affairs Quiz : October 6

Correct match:

Located in Kendrapara district, Gahirmatha is the lone mass nesting spot in Indian Ocean region and the only turtle sanctuary in Odisha.

Kachhua Sanctuary  is  in Varanasi District in UP.

Bandipur National Park, Karnataka

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala

Statement 1 is correct.  The 2017 Nobel prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Jacques Dubochet (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) Joachim Frank (Columbia University, New York) and Richard Henderson(MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, U.K.) “for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution“.

Statement 2 is incorrect. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation and awarded by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the   Nobel Committee for Chemistry which consists of five members elected by Academy

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry.

All statements are correct.

Details:

The NHRC performs the following functions:

• Proactively or reactively inquire into violations of human rights or negligence in the prevention of such violation by a public servant.
• by leave of the court, to intervene in court proceeding relating to human rights
• to visit any  Jail or other institution under the control of the State Government, where persons are detained or lodged for purposes of treatment, reformation or protection, for the study of the living conditions of the inmates and make recommendations
• review the safeguards provided by or under the Constitution   or any law for the time being in force for the protection of human rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation
• review the factors, including acts of  terrorism that inhibit the enjoyment of human rights and recommend appropriate remedial measures
• to study treaties   and other international instruments on human rights and make recommendations for their effective implementation
• undertake and promote research in the field of human rights
• engage in  human rights education among various sections of society and promote awareness of the safeguards available for the protection of these rights through publications, the media, seminars and other available means
• encourage the efforts of  NGOs and institutions working in the field of human rights
• Such other function as it may consider it necessary for the protection of human rights.
• Requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office.

Statement 1 is correct. An Act to provide for the establishment of a National Green Tribunal for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Statement 2 is correct. It draws inspiration from the India’s constitutional provision of Article 21, which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment.

Statement 3 is also correct. The act also provides compensation for damages to persons and property for matters connected therewith.

The Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Other Union Ministries and State Governments has launched nationwide ‘Paryatan Parv’ to showcase cultural diversity of country and reinforce the principle of ‘Tourism for All’. Thus, statement 1 is correct.
Its primary objective is to draw focus on the benefits of tourism. Thus, statement 2 is incorrect.
It was inaugurated at Humayun’s Tomb and will be held across the country from the 5th to 25th October 2017. During this period, ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project launched by Ministry of Tourism will be implemented at key sites.

It is a statutory authority established under The Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. CBDT is supreme body in India for framing policies related to direct taxes. Thus, statement 1 is correct.

It is nodal policy-making body of the Income Tax (IT) department under the Union Finance Ministry. Thus, statement 2 is correct.

The main causes of inequality are:

1. Unemployment

Low la­bour productivity implies low rate of economic growth which is the main cause of poverty and inequality of the large masses of people. In fact, inequality, poverty and unemployment are inter­related. Since sufficient employment could not be created through the process of planned economic development, it was not possible to increase the income levels of most people.

2. Inflation:

During inflation, few profit earners gain and most wage earners lose. This is exactly what has happened in India. Since wages have lagged behind prices, profits have increased. This has cre­ated more and more inequality. Moreover, during inflation, money income increases no doubt but real income falls. And this leads to a fall in the standard of living of the poor people since their purchasing power falls.

3. Tax Evasion:

In India, the personal in­come tax rates are very high. High tax rates en­courage evasion and avoidance and give birth to a parallel economy. This is exactly what has hap­pened in India during the plan period. Here, the unofficial economy is as strong as (if not stronger than) the official economy. High tax rates are re­sponsible for inequality in the distribution of in­come and wealth. This is due to undue concentra­tion of incomes in a few hands caused by large- scale tax evasion.

4. Regressive Tax:

The indirect taxes give maximum revenue to the government. But they are regressive in nature. Such taxes have also cre­ated more and more inequality over the years due to growing dependence of the Government on such taxes.

5. New Agricultural Strategy:

No doubt, India’s new agricultural strategy led to the Green Revolution and raised agricultural productivity. But the benefits of higher productivity were en­joyed mainly by the rich farmers and landowners. At the same time, the economic conditions of lan­dless workers and marginal farmers deteriorated over the years. Most farmers in India could not enjoy the-benefits of higher agricultural produc­tivity. As a result, inequality in the distribution of income in the rural areas has increased.

Reducing Inequality:

Various measures have been adopted by the Government during the plan period to reduce in­equality in the distribution of income.

Four im­portant measures are the following:

1. Payment of Bonus:

Firstly, the payment of bonus (called annual payment) has been made compulsory in every industry.

2. Ceiling on Land Holding:

Secondly, a ceiling on landholdings has been imposed in the rural areas. Each household (or family) is allowed to hold a certain amount of land. Any surplus above this is taken over by the Government and is redistributed among the landless workers and marginal farmers. Moreover, in 1976 a ceiling on urban property has also been imposed.

3. Self-Employment Projects:

Moreover, various self-employment projects have been taken both in rural and urban areas to solve the growing unemployment problem.

4. Transfer Payments:

Finally, various types of transfer payments (such as unemploy­ment, compensation, soft loans, pensions to free­dom fighters, concessions to senior citizens, etc.) have been made for improving the welfare of cer­tain weaker sections of the society.