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1. Consider the following statements regarding the Institutes of Eminence (IOEs) scheme.
1. This scheme has been launched in order to implement the commitment of the Government to empower the Higher Educational Institutions and to help them become world class teaching and research institutions.
2. It comprises 10 public and 10 private educational institutions which will be selected based on the recommendations of Empowered committee.
3. Under the scheme, Public Institutions of Eminence are eligible for a grant of ₹10,000 crore from the government and no funds will be given to Private Institutions of Eminence.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer-b
Explanation-
Institutions of Eminence scheme
• Implemented under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry.
• Aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.
• The selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
• They will receive special funding.
• The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.
• Eligibility: Only higher education institutions currently placed in the top 500 of global rankings or top 50 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) are eligible to apply for the eminence tag.
• The private Institutions of Eminence can also come up as greenfield ventures provided the sponsoring organisation submits a convincing perspective plan for 15 years.
• Under the scheme, Public Institutions of Eminence are eligible for a grant of ₹1,000 crore from the government and no funds will be given to Private Institutions of Eminence.
• The IoEs will enjoy complete academic and administrative freedom.
Other benefits include the freedom to
• To recruit faculty from outside India (limit of 25% of its faculty strength for public institution).
• To enter into academic collaborations with other Institutions within the country.
• To admit additionally foreign students on merit subject to a maximum of 30% of the strength of admitted domestic students.
• To fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction.
• To fix curriculum and syllabus, with no UGC mandated curriculum structure.
• To offer online courses as part of their programmes with a restriction that not more than 20% of the programme should be in online mode.
• UGC Inspection shall not apply to Institutions of Eminence.
https://www.ugc.ac.in/ioe/about.aspx
https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=193016
2. Consider the following statements with respect to the Global Migration Report-2020.
1. This report has been released by the World Bank Group.
2. India accounts for the highest share with 17.5 million Indians living outside the country.
3. The UAE is the country with the highest proportion of international migrants.
4. The top migration corridors for Indians are the United Arab Emirates, the US and Saudi Arabia.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) All of the above
Answer-b
Explanation-
Global Migration Report 2020
Global Migration Report 2020 has been released by International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM).
India specific
India accounts for the highest share with 17.5 million Indians living outside the country.
India is the leading recipient of remittances. International remittances in 2018 (2020 report) reached $689 billion, out of which India received $78.6 billion from the 17.5 million living abroad.
Remittances received by India have consistently increased between the 2005 and 2020.
The top migration corridors for Indians are the United Arab Emirates, the US and Saudi Arabia.
Highest number of migrants entering India comes from Bangladesh.
Global scenario
As compared to the 2000 Global Migration Report, the number of international migrants has nearly doubled in the 2020 report, from 150 million to 272 million.
India is followed by Mexico (11.8 million) and China (10.7 million).
Roughly two-thirds of international migrants are labour migrants.
The United States was the top remittance-issuer, at $68 billion, followed by the United Arab Emirates ($44.4 billion) and Saudi Arabia ($36.1 billion).
The top destinations for international migrants are the US where, as of September 2019, there were 50.7 million international migrants.
The US is followed by Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russian Federation and the UK.
The proportion of female international migrants has only marginally changed between the two reports, from 47.5% in 2000 to 47.9%.
The share of international migrants who were children has dropped from 16% in 2000 to 13.9%.
Oceania is the region with the highest proportion of international migrants.
The UAE is the country with the highest proportion of international migrants.
More than half of all international migrants (141 million) live in Europe and North America.
Reasons for migration:
Economic conditions
Ongoing conflicts and violence
Impact of climate and weather disasters
https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/wmr_2020.pdf
3. Which of the following places in news and their country of location are correctly matched?
Places in news Country of location
1. City of Qom Iran
2. Tel Aviv Israel
3. Milan Italy
4. Qatif Qatar
Choose the correct option.
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Answer-b
Explanation-
City of Qom Iran
Tel Aviv Israel
Milan Italy
Qatif Saudi Arabia
4. Recently, the Geographical Survey of India (GSI) provided estimates for the amount of gold deposits at a site in Sonbhadra of Uttar Pradesh and this site is part of the Mahakoshal region that includes parts of
1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Jharkhand
4. Chhattisgarh
Choose the correct option.
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) All of the above
Answer-a
Explanation-
In a recent statement, the Geographical Survey of India (GSI) provided estimates for the amount of gold that can be extracted from a site in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. The site is part of the Mahakoshal region that includes parts of UP, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
What is this site with ore?
It is near a village called Mahuli, around 70 km from Sonbhadra district’s headquarters of Roberstganj, and just 10 km from Jharkhand. The land is mainly forest area and inhabited mostly by tribals and members of backward classes.
5. Consider the following statements with reference to the Vivad se Vishwas scheme.
1. It was aannounced during the Union Budget, 2020 to provide for dispute resolution in respect of pending income tax litigations.
2. Taxpayers whose cases appeals are pending at any level such as Supreme Court, the High Courts and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals can benefit from this scheme.
3. The scheme will not will not cover certain disputes where prosecution has been initiated before the declaration is filed.
4. A cap of Rs.5 crores in dues has been included in the scheme to prevent large-scale evasion or fraud-related cases trying to take advantage of the scheme.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) All of the above
Answer-d
Explanation-
RajyaSabha has approved the Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020.
Details:
The bill will give taxpayers a chance to settle tax disputes by paying their dues without any interest or penalty till March 31, 2020. The Vivad Se Vishwas scheme waives off interest and penalty on pending tax if paid by March 31. For payments made after March 31 and till June 30, a 10% penalty would be charged.
The scheme is not intended to give amnesty and those already being prosecuted under the Income Tax Act would be excluded from it.
The 75% tax on undisclosed cash deposited at the time of demonetization would still apply.
A cap of Rs.5 crores in dues has been included in the scheme to prevent large-scale evasion or fraud-related cases trying to take advantage of the scheme.