Answer (b)
Statement 1 is not correct. A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognized as a state party.
Statement 2 is correct. A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four States and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognized as a national party. According to this classification, there were seven recognized national parties in the country in 2018.
Answer (d)
The above-given passage is a part of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s presidential address to the Student’s Conference held at Lahore on 19 October 1929.
Answer (b)
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants.
Its global network currently includes over 120 state and non-state partners and hundreds of local actors carrying out activities across economic sectors.
The Coalition’s activities are financed through a multi-donor. The Climate and Clean Air Trust Fund, established in 2012, which is administered through UN Environment Programme
India formally joined the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), becoming the 65th country to join the partnership. India plans to work with Climate Clean and Coalition countries on best practices and experiences for the effective implementation of India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
Answer (b)
Friends of the Earth was founded in 1969 and it became an international network of organizations in 1971with a meeting of representatives from four countries: the U.S., Sweden, the UK, and France. There are now 75 Friends of the Earth member groups which are campaigning internationally, nationally, and locally to protect the environment and create sustainable societies.
They are united by the common conviction that environmentally sustainable development requires both strong grassroots activism and effective national and international campaigning.
Friends of the Earth International is made up of autonomous organizations, with a shared analysis of the root causes of today's most pressing environmental problems. Currently it has 75 member organizations. No organization from India is a member of this group.
Answer (b)
In the late 1990s, the gap between the growth of GDP and employment was widening in India.
This means that in the Indian economy, without generating employment, we have been able to produce more goods and services. Scholars refer to this phenomenon as jobless growth.
Answer (b)
Statement 1 is not correct. The scheme encourages MPs or Saansads to identify and develop one village from their respective constituency as a model village by 2016 and two more by 2019. According to the scheme, the village can have a population of 3,000-5,000 in the plains and 1,000-3,000 in the hills and should not be MPs' own or their spouse's village.
Statement 2 is correct. MPs are expected to facilitate a village development plan, motivate villagers to take up activities and built infrastructure in the areas of health, nutrition and education.
Answer (d)
All the statements are correct.
India launched the Pulse Polio immunization programme in 1995 after a resolution for a global initiative of polio eradication was adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1988.
Children in the age group of 0-5 years are administered polio drops during national and sub-national immunization rounds (in high-risk areas) every year.
The WHO on February 24, 2012, removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild poliovirus transmission.
Two years later, the South-East Asia Region of the WHO, of which India is a part, was certified as polio-free.
Answer (b)
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), is an economic group of 21 members, formed in 1989, with the primary goal of promoting free trade and sustainable development in the Pacific Rim economies.
The creation of APCE was primarily in response to the increasing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies.
The founding members of APEC were Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the U.S. Since its launch, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia, and Vietnam have joined its ranks.
Answer (a)
In line with the government policy contained in Montagu's statement (August 1917), the Government announced constitutional reforms in July 1918, known as Montagu-Chelmsford or Montford Reforms Based on these, the Government of India Act, 1919 was enacted.
The primary feature of Montford reforms at the central legislature was:
o A bicameral arrangement was introduced. The lower house or Central Legislative Assemblywouldconsist of 144 members and the upper house or Council of State would have 60 members.
o Allocation of seats for Central Legislature to provinces was based on 'importance' of provinces—for instance, Punjab's military importance, and Bombay's commercial importance.
o Central and provincial subjects were divided for administration, not for legislation. (Division of legislative powers between centres and provinces was done through GoI Act, 1935).
o The legislators could ask questions and supplementary, pass adjournment motions and vote a part of the budget, but 75% of the budget was still not votable.
o The Council of State had a tenure of 5 years and had only male members, while the Central Legislative Assembly had a tenure of 3 years.
Answer (a)
Statement 1 is correct. Ajivika’s central belief was that absolutely everything is predetermined by fate or niyati, and hence human action has no consequence one way or the other. According to them, each soul’s course was like a ball of thread that is unraveling. It will go as it has to go, and similarly, each cycle of life and death will have to be experienced, as will joy and sorrow. Once the ball of thread is fully unwound, its journey will end, and so the soul will be liberated through nirvana.
Statement 2 is correct. Like Jains, Ajivikas wore no clothes and lived as ascetic monks in organized groups. They were known to practice extremely severe austerities, such as lying on nails, going through the fire, exposing themselves to extreme weather, and even spending time in large earthen pots for penance.
Statement 3 is incorrect. It was open for all there was no caste discrimination and people from all walks of life joined them.