Current Affairs MCQ for UPSC Exams - 18 July 2020


Current Affairs MCQ for UPSC Exams - 18 July 2020


Q1 The Centre's fiscal deficit is expected to touch 7.6 per cent in 2020-21, more than double the Budget Estimate, as the country spends extra to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a recent study by India Ratings and Research.Which of the following statements regarding the same stands true ?

1) The government describes fiscal deficit of India as the excess of total disbursements from the Consolidated Fund of India, including repayment of the debt.
2) A recurring high fiscal deficit means that the government has been spending beyond its means.
3) A high fiscal deficit can also be good for the economy if the money spent goes into the creation of productive assets like highways, roads, ports and airports that boost economic growth and result in job creation.
Options :
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only 
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all the above

Q2 India had recently expressed concern over the recent reports of exchange of fire on Armenia-Azerbaijan border saying that the situation threatens regional peace and security. Which of the following countries shares boundary with Armenia ?

1) Iran
2) Iraq
3) Turkey
4) Israel
5) Georgia

Options :
a)1,2 & 3 only
b) 1,3 & 5 only
c) 2,4 & 5 only
d) 2 & 4 only 

Q3 The Delhi High Court has recently extended the window for public feedback to the draft Environment Impact Assessment Notification 2020. Which of the following statements regarding the statements stands true ?

1)While projects concerning national defence and security are naturally considered strategic, the government gets to decide on the “strategic” tag for other projects.
2) The 2020 EIA notification proposes to bolster the government’s discretionary power while expanding public engagement in safeguarding the environment.
3) The draft says that linear projects such as roads and pipelines in border areas will not require any public hearing. The ‘border area’ is defined as “area falling within 100 kilometres aerial distance from the Line of Actual Control with bordering countries of India.
Options :
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all the above

Q4 The worst flood struck Assam in 2004 when 497 people were killed. This made the centre set up a task force that came up with flood mitigation ideas involving States and countries in the upstream and downstream of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries. Which of the following statements with respect to river flooding stands true ?

1) At least once a year the plains around large rivers are flooded. This is due to the amount of water that rivers bring with them, because of heavy rainfall or melting snow in the mountainous regions
2) Low-lying countries are in permanent danger of being flooded. A large section of The Netherlands, for example, lie below sea level. In the past, ocean water from the North Sea flooded much of the country.
3) Trees and plants normally help absorb too much water. When forests are cut or burned down, water from rainfall flows down barren land and produces mudslides. Too much water pressure on dams can lead to cracks in the concrete or even cause a dam to break completely.
Options :
a) 1 & 2 only 

b) 2 & 3 only 
c) 1 & 3 only d) all the above

Q5 Railway Board Chairman has recently said that all capitals of North-Eastern states will be connected to the rail network by 2023.He said He said, these are very important projects which topped railway's agenda during the last five years.Which one of the following states is not amongst those states which are part of this dream project of the Indian railways ?

a) Manipur
b) Nagaland
c) Assam
d) Mizoram

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