Day-704 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | GEOGRAPHY AND POLITY

Answer: C
Explanation:
Both the statements are correct
About Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL):
● KABIL is a Joint Venture Company among the three following Government Enterprises:
✔ National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO)
✔ Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL)
✔ Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Limited (MECL), in the ratio of 40:30:30, under the aegis of Ministry of Mines of Government of India.
● KABIL was incorporated on August 8th, 2019 under the companies Act 2013.
Statement 2 is correct:
● It was formed to ensure supply side assurance of critical and strategic minerals and mineral security of the nation.
● Mandate of KABIL: To identify, explore, acquire, develop, mine, process, procure strategic minerals outside India for supplying primarily to India, to meet domestic requirements due to its non or meager availability in the country and giving a big push to Make in India.
● KABIL is focusing on identifying and sourcing battery minerals like Lithium and Cobalt. Engagement with few companies/ projects is underway in Australia and Argentina.

Answer: C
Explanation:
Crop-wise area: Rice> Wheat> Oilseeds > Pulses
Crop area for different crops in India is as follows:
Cropped area for rice:
● About one-fourth of the total cropped area in the country is under rice cultivation.
● West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are the leading states in production of rice in India.
Cropped area for wheat:
● Wheat is the second most important cereal crop in India after rice.
● India produces about 12 percent of total wheat production of world.
● About 14 per cent of the total cropped area in the country is under wheat cultivation.
Cropped area for pulses:
● Pulses are a very important ingredient of vegetarian food as these are rich sources of proteins.
● India is a leading producer of pulses and accounts for about one-fifth of the total production of pulses in the world.
● The cultivation of pulses in the country is largely concentrated in the dry-lands of Deccan and central plateaus and northwestern parts of the country.
● Pulses occupy about 11 per cent of the total cropped area in the country.
Cropped area for oilseeds:
● The oilseeds are produced for extracting edible oils.
● Drylands of Malwa plateau, Marathwada, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka plateau are oilseeds growing regions of India.
● These crops together occupy about 14 percent of the total cropped area in the country.
● Groundnut, rapeseed and mustard, soyabean and sunflower are the main oilseed crops grown in India.
Therefore, Pulses occupy the least area among the given choices of crops.

Answer: A
Explanation: Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
Statement-I is correct:
● For the purpose of construction and maintenance, roads are classified as National Highways (NH), State Highways (SH), Major District Roads and Rural Roads.
● National Highways: The main roads which are constructed and maintained by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, are known as the National Highways.
⮚ Though, the National Highways constitute only about 2 percent of the total road length but carry 40 per cent of the road traffic.
Statement-II is the correct explanation of Statement-II
● NHAI looks after the maintenance of these Highways.
● These roads are meant for inter-state transport and movement of defence men and material in strategic areas.
● These also connect the state capitals, major cities, important ports, railway junctions, etc.
● The length of the National Highways has increased from 19,700 km in 1951 to 1,36,440 km in 2020.
● That’s why these National Highways carry about 40% of the road traffic of the country.

Answer: C
Explanation:
• Pair 1 is correctly matched: The Charter Act 1833 gave the legislative powers of Bombay and Madras, to Bengal and Governor-General of Bengal was made the Governor general of India, which marked a significant step in centralizing British administrative control in India.
• Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Charter Act, 1853 for the first time separated the legislative and executive functions of the Governor-General’s council. In other words, it established a separate Governor-General’s legislative council which came to be known as the Indian (Central) Legislative Council. This legislative wing of the council functioned as a mini-Parliament, as it adopted the process and procedure of the British parliament and because of that it resembled the parliament and hence considered as a mini parliament.
• Pair 3 is correctly matched: The Government of India Act 1858 abolished the Court of Directors and the Board of Control, transferring their powers directly to the British Crown, thus establishing direct British governmental control over the Indian territories. It also created a new office, Secretary of State for India, which had the authority and control over the Indian Administration.
• Pair 4 is incorrectly matched: The Indian Councils Act of 1861 focused on restructuring the Governor-General’s council. It separated the legislative and executive functions, creating a separate legislative council. However, it did not introduce any system of elections, direct or indirect, for provincial members. The Viceroy nominated all members. The Indian Councils Act of 1892 introduced the concept of indirect elections for some of the non-official members of the provincial legislative councils. Local bodies like district boards, universities, municipalities, and chambers of commerce didn’t directly elect council members. Instead, they nominated candidates. The Viceroy then selected members from this pool of nominees.

Answer: C
Explanation:
The question statement is about the powers that the Rajya Sabha does not enjoy, and we are asked to find the incorrect statements. So, in essence we need to find the powers enjoyed by the Rajya Sabha.
• Option 1: The Rajya Sabha does not have the power to reject a Finance Bill. These bills are considered Money Bills, and the Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations on Money Bills, which the Lok Sabha may accept or reject. The Finance Bill can only be delayed by the Rajya Sabha.
• Option 2: The Rajya Sabha can suggest amendments to a Money Bill, but it is ultimately up to the Lok Sabha to accept or reject these suggestions.
• Option 3: Members of the Rajya Sabha can hold ministers accountable, similar to the Lok Sabha, through various mechanisms like question hour, discussions, and calling attention notices.
• Option 4: The Rajya Sabha can reject a Constitutional Amendment Bill. Under the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha possesses equal authority and power with regard to the amendment to the Constitution-there being no provision for a joint sitting with regard to such a Bill if a deadlock were to arise between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. In other words, a Bill to amend the Constitution has to be passed by both the Houses of Parliament separately and in case one House fails to do so, the Bill fall through.