Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, the Supreme Court upheld the maintainability of the West Bengal government’s suit accusing the Union government of “constitutional overreach” by employing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register and investigate cases in the State despite its withdrawal of general consent on November 16, 2018.

Overview of General Consent:

• • General Consent: It allows the CBI to operate seamlessly within states. 
    • When a state gives a general consent to the CBI for probing a case, the agency is not required to seek fresh permission every time it enters that state in connection with investigation or for every case.
  • However, since 2015, several States such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Meghalaya and West Bengal have revoked their general consent alleging that the Union government is misusing the federal agency to unfairly target the Opposition.

• Statement 1 is correct: Under Section 6 of the The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, the CBI is required to obtain consent from the concerned State government before initiating an investigation within its jurisdiction. 

• Statement 2 is incorrect: This permission is crucial since “police” and “public order” are subjects that fall within the State List under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. 
• Statement 3 is correct: However, no such prior consent is necessary in Union territories or railway areas.

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, around three unidentified militants have been killed in an ongoing anti-militancy operation viz. Operation Dhanush near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara.

Operation Dhanush:

• Terrorist attacks and infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir have escalated in recent weeks. Recently, five Army soldiers were killed and five others injured in a sudden and fierce attack by heavily armed terrorists on an Army vehicle in the Kathua district of the Jammu region.
• A major terror attack occurred in the Reasi district of Jammu division, where terrorists fired at a pilgrim bus returning from Shiv-Khori temple, killing nine pilgrims and injuring nearly three dozen others.
• The Army had launched Operation ‘Dhanush’ in Jammu and Kashmir to thwart the infiltration attempt. Thus, option (d) is correct.

Ans: C

Exp:

Unlike typical malware, spyware, and ransomware, scareware masquerades as real security protection and then frightens you into paying to clean up the infections it pretends to detect. 

Scareware:

• Statement 1 is correct: Scareware is a type of malware (malicious software) that uses social engineering to trick users into downloading software or revealing sensitive information. 
• Statement 2 is correct: Scareware creates a sense of panic and urgency by bombarding users with alarming messages to trick users into revealing sensitive information. 
  • It leads users to take hasty steps without verifying the legitimacy of the alerts. 
  • These messages often claim to have detected viruses, system errors, or other critical issues on the victim’s device.

Ans: A

Exp:

The Union government’s moves, which reduce the aggregate financial transfers to States, are weakening cooperative federalism.

About Finance Commission:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Article 280 of the Constitution of India provides for a Finance Commission as a quasi judicial body. 
  • It is constituted by the president of India every fifth year or at such earlier time as he considers necessary.

• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Finance Commission consists of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the president. 
  • They hold office for such period as specified by the president in his order. They are eligible for reappointment.

• The Finance Commission is required to make recommendations to the president of India on the following matters:
  • The distribution of the net proceeds of taxes to be shared between the Centre and the states, and the allocation between the states of the respective shares of such proceeds. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • The principles that should govern the grants-in-aid to the states by the Centre (i.e., out of the consolidated fund of India).
  • The measures needed to augment the consolidated fund of a state to supplement the resources of the panchayats and the municipalities in the state on the basis of the recommendations made by the state finance commission.
  • Any other matter referred to it by the president in the interests of sound finance.

Ans: C

Exp:

Around a year ago in the avenue of Champs Elysee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi graced the Bastille Day celebrations in France on July 14, 2023. 

About Bastille Day:

• Bastille Day is celebrated in France as the beginning of the French Revolution in which the Ancien Regime of the absolutist Bourbon monarchy was overthrown in favour of Republicanism. 
• On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris broke the walls of Bastille Prison and freed the inmates. This was seen as the ultimate end of the power of monarchy. 
• The Sans-culottes of France along with the peasants and fishermen as well as the women of Paris shaped the momentous events of this day. 
• Later, a National Assembly was set up which declared the Rights of Man and Citizen in August. It was here that we hear and see for the first-time the ideals of the French Republic-“Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity). Hence, option (c) is correct.