Daily Current Affairs MCQ - January 9, 2022 - CLAT MCQ

• ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ was launched by the Ministry of Tourism with the objective of holistic development of identified pilgrimage destinations Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• Objectives of the PRASHAD scheme are as follows:
  • Harness pilgrimage tourism for its multiplier and direct effect on employment generation and economic development.
  • Follow pro-poor tourism concept and community-based development in the development of the pilgrimage destinations.
  • Leveraging public expertise and capital.
  • Enhance tourist attractiveness sustainably by developing world-class infrastructure in religious destinations.
  • Create awareness amongst the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of improved living standards, increase in sources of income and overall development of the area.
  • Promote local culture, arts, cuisine, handicrafts, etc., to generate livelihood in the identified places. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The largest source of SO₂ in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Smaller sources of SO₂ emissions include: industrial processes such as extracting metal from ore, natural sources such as volcanoes, and locomotives, ships and other vehicles and heavy equipment that burn fuel with a high sulfur content. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• SO₂ can affect both health and the environment. Short-term exposures to SO₂ can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult. People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO_2. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Barely a week after it was approved for early-stage Covid-19 patients, molnupiravir, an anti-viral drug developed by US companies Merck and Ridgeback, has been kept out of the treatment protocol recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

• Dr Balram Bhargava, head of ICMR, said on Tuesday that the drug had “major safety concerns”.
• This has resulted in a awkward situation: The drug is approved for use, but not recommended.

The drug

• Molnupiravir is a repurposed Covid-19 drug, originally developed to treat influenza.
• It is meant for mild or moderately ill Covid-19 patients who are at risk of developing serious illness. The pill, if administered during the first five days after contracting the infection, has the potential to prevent serious illnesses.
• The pill is among the first few therapeutics now being deployed for treatment of Covid-19. Molnupiravir was first cleared for use in the UK in November, and more recently in the US.
• There have been concerns on two counts — low effectiveness, and some potential side-effects.
• Both were taken into account by drug regulating agencies while approving them.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Chairman KVIC Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena launched the country’s first Mobile Honey Processing Van at Village Sirora in Ghaziabad, UP.

• The Mobile Van has been designed in-house by KVIC at its Multi-disciplinary Training Centre, Panjokehra, at a cost of Rs 15 lakh.
• This mobile honey processing unit can process up to 300 KG of honey in 8 hours.
• The van is also equipped with a testing laboratory, that would instantly examine the quality of honey.
• The Mobile Honey Processing Van comes as a major development under KVIC’s Honey Mission which aims at training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes to farmers and helping rural, educated as well as unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities.
• In line with Prime Minister’s dream of “Sweet Kranti” (Sweet Revolution) though honey production, the KVIC has come up with this unique innovation to enable beekeepers and farmers to get fair price of their honey produce.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) completed 75 glorious years of its existence on 6th January 2022. BIS came into existence as Indian Standards Institution (ISI) in 1947.

• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India under Department of Consumer affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
• It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 which came into effect on 12 October 2017.
• The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.
• A new Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 which was notified on 22 March 2016, has been brought into force with effect from 12 October 2017. The Act establishes the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry is set to organize the Startup India Innovation Week from January 10th to 16th 2022.

• This week-long virtual innovation celebration aims to commemorate the 75th year of India’s independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and is designed to showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship across India.
• Startup India Innovation Week will have sessions ranging from topics such as Enhancing Market Access Opportunities, Discussions with Industry leaders, Best Practices by States, Capacity Building of Enablers, Reverse Pitching by Incubators, Technology Exhibitions, Corporate Connects and more.
• The programme is expected to bring together top policy makers, industry, academia, investors, startups, and all ecosystem enablers from across the globe. Stakeholders from all these segments are requested to register themselves on the portal.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) named ICGS Kanaklata Barua was commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard in Kolkata.

• It is the fifth and last in a series of FPVs built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd. The other four are ICGS Priyadarshini (named after Indira Gandhi), ICGS Annie Besant, ICGS Kamala Devi (after Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay), and ICGS Amrit Kaur.
• These FPVs are upgraded versions of the inshore patrol vessels with a modified form of the hull and can achieve a speed of 34 knots. Such vessels have also been delivered to Indian Navy by GRSE.
• These are suited for patrolling, maritime surveillance, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching operations and also for fishery protection, and rescue and search missions. These FPVs are medium-range surface vessels with a length of around 50 m, and a displacement of over 300 tonnes.
• It is named after a teenage freedom fighter who was shot dead in Assam during the Quit India Movement.
• One of the youngest martyrs of the Quit India Movement, Kanaklata Barua has iconic status in Assam. Barua, then 17, led the Mukti Bahini, a procession of freedom fighters to unfurl the Tricolour at Gohpur police station on September 20, 1942.
• When police did not let them move forward, an altercation led to firing, killing Barua at the head of the procession.
• The Coast Guard had named an earlier ship after her. The previous ICGS Kanaklata Barua was commissioned in 1997 and decommissioned in 2017. The ship was dismantled in 2018 and sold as scrap.
• Hence both statements are correct.

World Heart Day was observed on September 29, 2020.

• This initiative was launched in 2000 by the World Heart Federation as an annual event and gets celebrated on 29th day of September ever since.
• World Heart Day is commemorated to promote different preventive steps and changes in lifestyle to avoid any cardiovascular diseases, like heart attack, stroke, heart failure and any other condition related to the same.
• On an average, more than 17 million people die from heart-related illnesses every year.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports launched the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) new logo at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. The new logo signifies SAI's journey of metamorphosis from identifying and nurturing grassroot level sporting talent to creating sporting excellence in the country.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India for the development of sport in India. Established in 1984. Headquarters is at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi). Parent agency is Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Union Minister of Fisheries released the 2nd edition of the newsletter “Matsya Sampada” and a Beneficiary Booklet on Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) which provides a comprehensive outline of the different components/activities of the PMMSY scheme.

• PMMSY aims to enhance fish production to 220 lakh tons by 2024-25.
• This is a media outreach plan of the Department of Fisheries to reach out to fishermen and fish farmers of India.
• The ambitious scheme will result in doubling export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crores and generate about 55 lakhs direct and indirect employment opportunities in fisheries sector over a period of next five years.
• Hence both statements are correct.