Question 21: Consider the following statements:
- ‘Millets’ were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization.
- In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop.
- Globally, jowar is the biggest millet crop.
- Jowar has more gross cropped area in India than bajra.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1, 2 and 3
B) 2, 3 and 4
C) 1, 2 and 4
D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Correct Answer: A
Explanation
- ‘Millets’ were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization.
- In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples.
- Globally, sorghum (jowar) is the biggest millet crop. The major producers of jowar are the United States, China, Australia, India, Argentina, Nigeria, and Sudan. Bajra is another major millet crop; India and some African countries are major producers.
- In India, millets are mainly a kharif crop. During 2018-19, three millet crops — bajra (3.67%), jowar (2.13%), and ragi (0.48%) — accounted for about 7 per cent of the gross cropped area in the country, Agriculture Ministry data show.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-story-of-millets-8290331/
Question 22: Consider the following statements:
- Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, eligible households are entitled to get rice, wheat, and coarse grain at Rs 3, Rs 2, and Re 1 per kg respectively.
- The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 does not mention millets.
- The government declares a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for jowar, bajra, and ragi only.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
- Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, eligible households are entitled to get rice, wheat, and coarse grain at Rs 3, Rs 2, and Re 1 per kg respectively. While the Act does not mention millets, coarse grains are included in the definition of “foodgrains” under Section 2(5) of the NFSA.
- However, the quantity of coarse grains procured for the Central Pool and distributed under the NFSA has been negligible.
- The latest data on stocks with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) show only 2.64 lakh metric Tonnes (LMT) of coarse grain was available in the Central Pool on November 1, 2022. In comparison, the stocks of rice, wheat, and unmilled paddy were 265.97 LMT, 210.46 LMT, and 263.70 LMT respectively.
- The government declares a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for jowar, bajra, and ragi only.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-story-of-millets-8290331/
Question 23: The Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles is between India and
A) China
B) Russia
C) Nepal
D) Sri-Lanka
Correct Answer: A
Explanation
- The Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question is an agreement between the India and China signed on 11 April 2005.
- The agreement is a direct outcome of the Special Representative (SR) mechanism that had been set up through a 2003 agreement.
Question 24: Consider the following statements:
- Each individual Minister is responsible for the decisions taken collectively by the Council of Ministers.
- A statement made by a minister, even if traceable to any affairs of the state or for protecting the government, cannot be attributed vicariously to the government by invoking the principle of collective responsibility.
- Collective responsibility is to the House of the People/Legislative Assembly of the State.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
- Collective responsibility is that of the Council of Ministers. Each individual Minister is responsible for the decisions taken collectively by the Council of Ministers. In other words, the flow of stream in collective responsibility is from the Council of Ministers to the individual Ministers. The flow is not on the reverse, namely, from the individual Ministers to the Council of Ministers.
- A statement made by a minister, even if traceable to any affairs of the state or for protecting the government, cannot be attributed vicariously to the government by invoking the principle of collective responsibility.
- The court, which went into previous case laws, said what follows is “(i) that the concept of collective responsibility is essentially a political concept; (ii) that the collective responsibility is that of the Council of Ministers; and (iii) that such collective responsibility is to the House of the People/Legislative Assembly of the State. Generally, such responsibility correlates to the decisions taken; and the acts of omission and commission done. It is not possible to extend this concept of collective responsibility to any and every statement orally made by a Minister outside the House of the People/Legislative Assembly”.
Question 25: Consider the following statements:
- Shatrunjay hill is home to Sammed Shikhar, considered among the most important Jain pilgrimage sites, where 20 of the 24 Jain Tirthankar’s are believed to have attained salvation.
- Parasnath hill is located in the state of Jharkhand.
- Shatrunjay hill is located in the state of Gujarat.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: B
Explanation
- Members of the Jain community have been staging protests in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and New Delhi for the past two weeks over demands related to two holy sites — Sammed Shikhar on Parasnath hill in Jharkhand and Shatrunjay hill in Palitana of Gujarat.
- Parasnath hill is home to Sammed Shikhar, considered among the most important Jain pilgrimage sites, where 20 of the 24 Jain Tirthankar’s are believed to have attained salvation.