This is the current affairs of 3 & 4 September 2023. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
PDF Download: Click here
1. Under whose chairmanship did the Central Government constitute an 8-member committee on the issue of ‘One Nation One Election’?
a. Ram Nath Kovind
b. Pratibha Patil
c. Lal Krishna Advani
d. Amit Shah
Answer: a. Ram Nath Kovind
Who formed the committee?
– Central Ministry of Law
Chairperson of the Committee:
– Former President Ram Nath Kovind
Members of the Committee:
– Home Minister Amit Shah
– Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
– Former Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad
– Former Chairman of the Finance Commission, N.K. Singh
– Senior Advocate Harish Salve
– Former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Subhash C. Kashyap
– Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari
Special Invitee Member
– Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal
– Legal Affairs Secretary Niten Chandra will serve as the secretary of the panel.
– However, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary refused to become a member.
The Committee’s Tasks:
– Examining how Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly elections can be held simultaneously in the country, as was the case until 1967.
– Investigating the issues related to conducting elections for Lok Sabha, Legislative Assemblies, Municipalities, and Panchayats simultaneously.
– Compiling reports on the Indian Constitution, Representation of the People Act, and any other laws and regulations.
– Making recommendations for specific amendments, including discussing the need for amendments aimed at facilitating simultaneous elections.
Several Commissions have considered the matter:
– The Election Commission, Planning Commission, Law Commission, and Constitution Review Commission have all deliberated on this issue.
– Additionally, the Law Commission organized a three-day conference to gather input from various political parties, regional parties, and administrative officials regarding their viewpoints.
– Some political parties expressed agreement with the idea.
– However, the majority of parties opposed it.
– It is argued that this proposal goes against democratic processes.
– It will not be possible to implement it until there is a consensus on this issue and public opinion is not formed.
What are the benefits of one country, one election?
– Almost every year, elections are held in one state or another in the country.
– This affects administrative functions alongside policy decisions.
– It also places a significant economic burden on the country.
– It can help in curbing black money and corruption.
– To avoid all these issues, there is a proposal to hold Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly elections simultaneously.
– Some experts suggest that with the country’s growing population, the use of technology might make one country, one election possible.
– Some experts believe that one country, one election is development-oriented thinking.
– Conducting elections simultaneously eliminates the need to frequently enforce the Model Code of Conduct.
– Frequent enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct hinders the government’s ability to implement necessary policy decisions and plans.
What are the potential drawbacks of one country, one election?
– Some experts believe that the Constitution has provided for a parliamentary model, where Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies are elected for a term of 5 years.
– There are several provisions in the Constitution that appear contrary to the concept of ‘one country, one election.’
– Under Article 2, Parliament can admit a new state into the Indian Union without the need for a separate election.
– Under Article 3, Parliament can create a new state without requiring a separate election.
– It may necessitate conducting separate elections.
– Under Article 85(2)(k), the President can dissolve the Lok Sabha before the completion of a 5-year term, and under Article 174(2)(k), Governors can dissolve Legislative Assemblies before their 5-year term.
– Under Article 352, in cases of war, external aggression, or rebellion, a National Emergency can extend the term of the Lok Sabha.
– Under Article 356, President’s rule can be imposed in states.
– If the terms of some Legislative Assemblies are altered against their wishes, it could affect the autonomy of states.
– Additionally, it could lead to greater centralization of power.
One country, one election has happened four times before.
– In the country, simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies were held in 1952, 1957, 1962, and 1967.
– However, in 1968-69, the legislative assemblies of some states were dissolved prematurely for various reasons.
– After that, elections for legislative assemblies and Lok Sabha in the country started happening at different times.
—————-
2. Why was the lunar rover ‘Pragyan’ set in sleep mode, which is expected to wake up on September 22?
a. Due to daylight on the moon.
b. Due to night on the moon.
c. For charging the battery.
d. Due to lunar vibrations.
Answer: b. Due to night on the moon.
– ISRO announced on September 2, 2023, that the Pragyan rover has completed its mission.
– It has now been safely parked and placed in sleep mode.
– Both the payloads, APXS and LIBS, on it are now turned off.
– Data from these payloads has been transmitted back to Earth through the lander.
The rover ‘Pragyan’ will awaken on September 22nd:
– The battery is also fully charged.
– The rover has been positioned in such a way that when the next sunrise occurs on the Moon on September 22, 2023, the sunlight will fall on its solar panels.
– Its receiver has also been kept active. It is expected to resume operations on September 22nd.
Why was the ‘Pragyan’ rover placed in sleep mode?
– The Chandrayaan-3 mission is only 14 days long.
– This is because the Moon has 14 days of night followed by 14 days of daylight.
– During the night, the temperature on the Moon drops below minus 200 degrees Celsius.
– While the rover-lander can generate power in the sunlight, the power generation process stops during the night.
– Without power generation, the electronics cannot withstand the extreme cold and could get damaged.
– Therefore, the ‘Pragyan’ rover has been placed in sleep mode.
Will the ‘Pragyan’ rover wake up? What did the ISRO chief say?
– ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said, “There, the temperature goes down to minus 200 degrees Celsius. In such an environment, there is no guarantee that the battery and electronics will survive. But we have conducted some tests, and we believe that the rover and its equipment will function even in such harsh conditions.”
– If the Pragyan rover does not wake up, it will remain stationed on the Moon as India’s ambassador forever.
Rover has determined a distance of 100 meters:
– ISRO had announced that the rover had determined a distance of 100 meters from the Vikram landing point.
– The graph of the distance between the lander and rover was also shared.
– Vikram lander had touched down on the Moon on August 23rd. It took 10 days for the rover to determine this distance.
– The six-wheeled Pragyan rover weighs 26 kilograms.
– Nearly 14 hours after the landing, ISRO confirmed the rover’s egress.
– The lander touched down on the Moon at 6:04 PM on August 23rd. It moves at a speed of 1 cm per second.
—————
3. Name the President of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune?
a. Rajkumar Hirani
b. R Madhavan
c. Pankaj Tripathi
d. Vicky Kaushal
Answer: b. R Madhavan
– Actor R. Madhavan has been appointed as the new chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
– In addition, he will also work as the chairman of FTII’s Governing Council.
– He takes over from actor and producer Shekhar Kapur, whose term as FTII chairman ended in March 2023.
– Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, congratulated R. Madhavan on the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
– Under R. Madhavan’s direction, the film “Rocketry: The Nambi Effect” received the Best Feature Film award at the 69th National Film Awards ceremony on August 24, 2023.
– R. Madhavan is known for his roles in hit films like “3 Idiots,” “Tanu Weds Manu,” and “Rang De Basanti.”
—————-
4. Who has been appointed as the Director General of News Services Division (NSD) of All India Radio?
a. Dr. Vasudha Gupta
b. Ruchi Chandel
c. Jaya Sinha
d. Sucheta Awasthi
Answer: a. Dr. Vasudha Gupta
– Dr. Vasudha assumed charge on August 31, 2023.
– She took over from N. Venudhar Reddy, who retired on August 30, 2023.
– Dr. Vasudha Gupta, aged 32, is a senior officer of the 1989 batch of the Indian Information Service.
– Prior to this role, she served as the Director-General in the Press Information Bureau.
—————
5. When is International Day of Charity celebrated?
a. 03 September
b. 04 September
c. 05 September
d. 06 September
Answer: c. 05 September
– This day is celebrated on the anniversary of Mother Teresa’s passing.
– The United Nations has declared this day.
Note: – Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work in the struggle to alleviate “poverty and distress.”
——————
6. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) allowed the merger of Vistara airline with which aviation company?
a. Air India
b. Jet Airways
c. Indigo
d. None of these
Answer: a. Air India
– The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has granted approval for the merger of Vistara Airlines into Air India.
– Tata SIA Airlines operates Vistara, a domestic airline service in India. It is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.
Tata Group’s Ownership of Airlines:
– Tata Group holds a 83.67% stake in AirAsia India.
– The remaining 16.33% stake is held by the Malaysian group AirAsia.
– In Vistara, Tata Sons holds a 51% stake, while the remaining 49% stake is owned by Singapore Airlines.
Air India:
Chairman – N. Chandrasekaran
CEO – Campbell Wilson
—————-
7. What rating did RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das get in the Global Finance Central Banker Report 2023?
a. A+
b. A
c. B+
d. B
Answer: a. A+
– Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has been ranked as the top central banker at the global level by the Global Finance magazine.
– Shaktikanta Das has been given an ‘A+’ rating in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Card 2023.
– Shaktikanta Das has been placed at the top of the list of three central bank governors who have been given an ‘A+’ rating.
Governors of Switzerland and Vietnam also received an ‘A+’ rating:
– Following Das, Switzerland’s Governor Thomas J. Jordan and Vietnam’s Central Bank Governor Nguyen Thi Hong were also awarded an ‘A+’ rating.
Global Finance Magazine has rated governors based on these criteria:
– According to a statement by Global Finance Magazine, the grades given by them are based on a scale from A to F for success in inflation control, economic development goals, currency stability, and interest rate management.
Shaktikanta Das was named ‘Governor of the Year’ in June:
– Shaktikanta Das was honored with the ‘Governor of the Year’ award at the Central Banking Awards 2023 in London in June.
Founder and Editorial Director of Global Finance: Joseph Giarraputo
—————
8. Which language films’ actor and comedian RS Shivaji passed away on 2 September 2023?
a. Bangla
b. Tamil
c. Kannada
d. Marathi
Answer: b. Tamil
– He was 66 years old.
– After acting in acclaimed films like Kamal Haasan’s ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan,’ ‘Vikram,’ ‘Satya,’ and ‘Anbe Sivam,’ Shivaji’s name became synonymous with comedy.
—————
9. Who became the new chief of Press Information Bureau (PIB)?
a. Rakesh Asthana
b. Mukesh Vajpayee
c. Manish Desai
d. Dr LF Rushbrook
Answer: c. Manish Desai
– He is an Indian Information Service (IIS) officer.
– Earlier he was the head of Central Bureau of Communications (CBC).
– PIB was established in 1919.
—————-
10. Under the Home Ministry’s ‘Operation Muskaan’, the police of which city rescued and rehabilitated more than 5000 minors?
a. Delhi
b. Kolkata
c. Agra
d. Mumbai
Answer: d. Mumbai
– Operation Muskaan, also known as Operation Smile, aims to find missing children, rescue them, and ensure their proper rehabilitation.
– This is a project of the Ministry of Home Affairs. – The ministry has trained state branch police officers to carefully handle this campaign and rescue children effectively.
