10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: September 30, 2020

Statement 1 is correct. COVAX is one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which was launched in April by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and France in response to pandemic.

The ACT Accelerator is a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, vaccines and health systems.

Statement 2 is incorrect. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.

The Facility continually monitors the COVID-19 vaccine landscape to identify the most suitable vaccine candidates, based on scientific merit and scalability, and works with manufacturers to incentivize them to expand their production capacity in advance of vaccines receiving regulatory approval.

Article 19(2) provides for State’s power to make law imposes reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right to freedom of speech and expression in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

The ‘protection of the interests of any Scheduled Tribe’ is provided under the Constitution as basis of reasonable restriction on freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India and to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India.

Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas signed in September 1993.

Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas signed between the two sides in November 1996.

Agreement between the India and China on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question was signed in April 2005.

In 2016, the government provided statutory backing to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) by notifying amendments to the RBI Act, 1934.

Statement 1 is correct. As per the act the Monetary Policy Committee determines the Policy Rate required to achieve the inflation target. Further the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee is binding on the Reserve Bank of India.

Statement 2 is correct. The Monetary Policy Committee consists of:

– Governor of the RBI—Chairperson, ex officio;

– Deputy Governor of the RBI, in charge of Monetary Policy—Member, ex officio;

– one officer of the RBI to be nominated by the Central Board—Member, ex officio; and

– three persons to be appointed by the Central Government—Members.

The Members of the Monetary Policy Committee appointed by the Central Government hold office for a period of four years and are not eligible for re-appointment.

National Crime Record Bureau has recently released its annual “Crime in India” 2019 report. Crime rate registered showed an increase from 21.2 (per lakh population) in 2018 to 22.8 in 2019.

Statement 1 is incorrect. As per the report, crimes against Scheduled Castes went up 7.3 per cent since 2018.

The crimes against women also went up 7.3 per cent in the same period. The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 62.4 in 2019 in comparison with 58.8 in 2018.

Statement 2 is correct. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of crimes against women (59,853), accounting for 14.7 per cent of such cases across the country. It was followed by Rajasthan (41,550 cases; 10.2 per cent) and Maharashtra (37,144 cases; 9.2 per cent).

Assam reported the highest rate of crime against women at 177.8 (per lakh population), followed by Rajasthan (110.4) and Haryana (108.5).

‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, a ‘Flagship Programme’ of the Union Government to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.

Main pillars of the Namami Gange Programme:

Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure, River-Front Development, River-Surface Cleaning, Bio-Diversity, Afforestation, Public Awareness, Industrial Effluent Monitoring and Ganga Gram.

The implementation of the program is divided into entry-level activities (for immediate visible impact), medium term activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame), and, long-term activities (to be implemented within 10 years).

# Prime Minister recently inaugurated several development projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission.

Statement 1 is correct. Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) are launched with Problem Statements (PS) from Armed Forces and Ordnance Factory Boards or Defence PSUs for resolution to prospective startups, innovators, MSMEs alike to provide their innovative ideas on technologies which find their application in the defence sector.

In order to develop a ‘right product and the product right’, Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) has adopted the Product Management Approach to steer the prototype development to a market ready product.

Statement 2 is incorrect. It has been launched by the iDEX initiative of the Department of Defence Production. The iDEX initiatives are executed by Defence Innovation Organisation, a Section 8 company of DPSUs BEL and HAL.

The fourth round of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) has been launched by iDEX.

The Code on Wages, 2019 replaces the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.

Statement 1 is correct. According to the Code, the central government will fix a floor wage, taking into account living standards of workers.  Further, it may set different floor wages for different geographical areas.

The minimum wages decided by the central or state governments must be higher than the floor wage.

Statement 2 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 a similar nature is defined as work for which the skill, effort, experience, and responsibility required are the same.

National Statistical Office (NSO) conducted the first Time Use Survey in India during January – December 2019 and has recently published the Time Use in India-2019 report.

The primary objective of Time Use Survey (TUS) is to measure participation of men and women in paid and unpaid activities. TUS is an important source of information on the time spent in unpaid caregiving activities, volunteer work, and unpaid domestic service producing activities of the household members. It also provides information on time spent on learning, socializing, leisure activities, self-care activities, etc., by the household members.

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 provides protection to an ‘aggrieved woman’; a woman who alleges to have been subjected to any act of sexual harassment. It covers every woman at the work place (whether employed or not).

Statement 1 is correct. The act provides that every employer is required to constitute an ‘Internal Complaints Committee’ at all offices and branches with staff strength of 10 or more employees. The Complaints Committees have the powers of civil courts for gathering evidence.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The act provides protection to domestic workers (means a woman who is employed to do the household work in any household for remuneration whether in cash or kind).

Statement 3 is correct. The act provides that if the Internal Committee or the Local Committee arrives at a conclusion that the allegation against the respondent is malicious or the aggrieved woman or any other person making the complaint has made the complaint knowing it to be false, it may recommend for a penalty against the complainant.