IAS Prelims GS Questions and Answers - July 13, 2016

1)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Cooperative Societies?

1) The number of such co-opted members in board of the cooperative shall not exceed 4.
2) Co-opted members have the right to vote in any election of the co-operative society.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

  • The state legislature shall make provisions for co-option of persons having experience in the field of banking, management, finance or specialisation in any other related field, as members of the board.
  • But, the number of such co-opted members shall not exceed two (in addition to twenty-one directors).
  • Further, the co-opted members shall not have the right to vote in any election of the co-operative society or be eligible to be elected as office bearers of the board.
  • The functional directors of a co-operative society shall also be the members of the board and such members shall be excluded for the purpose of counting the total number of directors (that is, twenty one).


2)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Cooperative Societies?

1) The superintendence, direction and conduct of elections to a co-operative society shall be done by the State Election Commission only.
2) The audit report of the accounts of an apex co-operative society shall be laid before the state legislature.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

  • The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to a co-operative society shall vest in such body, as may be provided by the state legislature.
  • Every co-operative society shall be audited by an auditor or auditing firm, appointed by the general body of the co-operative society. But, such an auditor or auditing firm shall be appointed from a panel approved by the State Government or a body authorised by the State Government on this behalf.
  • The accounts of every co-operative society shall be audited within six months of the close of the financial year.


3)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana?

1) The scheme will be applicable for the new employees, earning Rs.15, 000 a month, who have worked for 240 days during a year in an establishment.
2) Government will pay 8.33% of wages to Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) on behalf of employers for new workers during first 5 years of employment.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

  • Launched in Union Budget 2016-17, it is a pension scheme contribution in a bid to create more formal sector jobs.
  • The scheme will be applicable for the new employees, earning Rs.15, 000 a month, who have worked for 240 days during a year in an establishment.
  • About 3.5 lakh establishments, which hire more than 20 workers, will be covered under the scheme.
  • Govt will pay 8.33% of wages to Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) on behalf of employers for workers during first three years of employment.
  • The payment of the EPS contribution will be in the form of reimbursements to employers
  • Regulatory fear: It will increase regulation in the labour market which firms would not prefer as there will be increased scrutiny of their books.


4)   How many types of beta cells which control insulin in human body have been identified recently?

a. 8
b. 2
c. 4
d. 6
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: 4

Explanation:

  • Researchers have identified at least four separate subtypes of human insulin producing beta cells that may be important in the understanding and treatment of diabetes.
  • Some of the cells are better at releasing insulin than others, whereas others may regenerate quicker.
  • Diabetes is caused by the dysfunction or loss of insulin producing beta cells, which help the body to achieve normal blood sugar levels. Previously, only a single variety of beta cell was known to exist.
  • However, using human pancreatic islets, or clusters of up to 4,000 cells, Grompe and colleagues discovered a method to identify and isolate four distinct types of beta cells.
  • They also found that hundreds of genes were differently expressed between cell subtypes and that they produced different amounts of insulin.


5)   Recently verdict on the South China Sea row came out. It was given by

a. UNCLOS
b. International Court of Justice
c. Permanent Court of Arbitration
d. UNSC
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Permanent Court of Arbitration

Explanation:

  • The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization located at The Hague in the Netherlands. The PCA is not a court, but rather an organiser of arbitral tribunals to resolve conflicts between member states.
  • The International Court of Justice is a separate institution.
  • The court was established in 1899 by the first Hague Peace Conference. The Peace Palace was built for the Court in 1913. Since 1922, the building has also housed the separate Permanent Court of International Justice, which was replaced by the International Court of Justice in 1946.
  • A five-member tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague, the Netherlands, rejected China's claims to economic rights across large swathes of South China Sea, a case brought by the Philippines.
  • In the ruling, judges said that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas.


6)   The ‘Nine-dash line’ is in news recently. It is

a. Related to South China Sea dispute
b. Related Indo-Pak border
c. Line passing through the Chabahar Port, Iran
d. None of the above
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Related to South China Sea dispute

Explanation:

  • The nine-dash line, previously the "11-dash line", is the demarcation line used initially by the government of the Republic of China (ROC / Taiwan) and subsequently also by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), for their claims of the major part of the South China Sea.
  • The contested area in the South China Sea includes the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and various other areas including the Pratas Islands, the Macclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal.
  • The claim encompasses the area of Chinese land reclamation known as the "great wall of sand".


7)   Which of the following is/are true regarding Cooperative Societies?

1) In case of cooperative banks, other than multi-state cooperative banks board shall be superseded or kept under suspension for a period exceeding six months.
2) The state legislature may provide for access to every member of a co-operative society to the information, accounts, etc. of the co-operative society.


a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer  Explanation  Related Ques

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

  • In case of cooperative banks, other than multi-state cooperative banks, this period cannot exceed one year.
  • The state legislature may make provisions to ensure the participation of members in the management of the cooperative society.
  • Further, it may provide for co-operative education and training for its members.


8)   What is the status of the Steppe Eagle as per the latest IUCN Red List?

a. Critically Endangered
b. Vulnerable
c. Least Concerned
d. Endangered
Answer  Explanation 

ANSWER: Endangered

Explanation:

  • Steppe Eagle (a raptor from grasslands), which is a regular winter visitor to the Indian subcontinent, has been up listed from Least Concerned to Endangered.
  • Apart from habitat destruction the other reason for decline of birds like Steppe Eagle, which mostly scavenges on animal carcasses, is the use of veterinary drug diclofenac used to treat livestock. This drug causes renal failure in these birds. Three vulture species, namely White-backed, Slender-billed and Long-billed have also been severely affected by diclofenac.