Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 30, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Recently The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has called upon doctors to avoid using antibiotics for conditions such as low-grade fever and viral bronchitis among others.

• Recently, a multi-centre survey carried out by the ICMR to spot the trend in antibiotic resistance across the country showed Acinetobacter baumannii, a gram-negative bacteria known to cause infection in the blood, urinary tract and lungs among others, was resistant to high-end antibiotics.
  • Antimicrobial Resistance: It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread.
• The survey found 87.5% samples of Acinetobacter baumannii tested in 2021 were resistant to carbapenems, a high-end antibiotic.

What is Gram-negative bacteria?

• Gram-negative bacteria are classified by the color they turn after a chemical process called Gram staining is used on them.
  • Gram-negative bacteria stain red when this process is used.
  • Gram-positive bacteria stain blue.
• Gram-negative bacteria are enclosed in a protective capsule. This capsule helps prevent white blood cells (which fight infection) from ingesting the bacteria. Under the capsule, gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane that protects them against certain antibiotics, such as penicillin.
• When disrupted, this membrane releases toxic substances called endotoxins. Endotoxins contribute to the severity of symptoms during infections with gram-negative bacteria.
• Gram-negative bacteria cause infections including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis in healthcare settings.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, Indian Navy launched ‘Ikshak’, the third of the four survey vessels (Large) project at Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu

• The ship, named 'Ikshak' which means 'Guide', is being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and Larson and Toubro (L&T).
• The ship's name honours the role that Survey ships have played in ensuring the safety of mariners when at sea.
• The first of class ship 'Sandhayak' was launched on December 5, 2021 at GRSE, Kolkata. SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with new generation hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data.

About the ship

• The Survey Vessel (Large) ships are 110 m long, and 16 m wide with a deep displacement of 3400 tons and a complement of 231 personnel.
• The ship's propulsion system consists of two main engines with twin shafts, each capable of a maximum speed of 18 knots and a cruise speed of 14 knots.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched various initiatives under the e-court project.

Virtual Justice Clock

• It is an initiative to exhibit vital statistics of the justice delivery system at the Court level giving the details of the cases instituted, cases disposed and pendency of cases on day/week/month basis at the Court level.
• The effort is to make the functioning of the courts accountable and transparent by sharing with the public the status of case disposals by the court.
• Public can access the Virtual Justice Clock of any court establishment on the District Court's website.

JustIS Mobile App 2.0

• It is a tool available to judicial officers for effective court and case management by monitoring pendency and disposal of not only his court but also for individual judges working under them.
• This App is also made available to High Court and Supreme Court Judges who can now monitor pendency and disposal of all the States and Districts under their jurisdiction.

Digital Court

• It is an initiative to make the court records available to the judge in digitised form to enable the transition to Paperless Courts.

S3WaaS Websites

• It is a framework to generate, configure, deploy and manage websites for publishing specified information and services related to district judiciary.
• S3WaaS is a cloud service developed for government entities to generate Secure, Scalable & Sugamya (Accessible) websites. It is multilingual, citizen friendly and disability friendly.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Himalayan yak has recently earned the food animal tag from the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). The categorisation is expected to help check the decline in the population of the high-altitude bovine by making it a part of the conventional milk and meat industry.

• Yaks belong to the genus Bos and are therefore related to cattle (Bos primigenius species).
• Domestic Yak (Bos Grunniens) descended from the wild yak (Bos mutus).
• Distribution:
  • Yak is found throughout the Himalayan region -- Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, North Bengal, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir -- while wild Yak is found in Tibet.
  • It is also found as far north as Mongolia and Russia.
• National Research Centre on Yak:
  • The Government of India established the ICAR-National Research Centre on Yak, in 1989 at Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh as a dedicated centre for research into yak husbandry.
• Yak Census 2019:
  • According to a census carried out in 2019, India has some 58,000 yaks – a drop of about 25% from the livestock census of 2012.
  • The drastic decline could be attributed to less remuneration from the bovid and discouraging the younger generations from continuing with nomadic yak rearing.
  • The sale of yak milk and meat is limited to local consumers.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Union Health Ministry designated Padma Shri, Khel Ratna Arjuna Awardee and the President of the Paralympic Committee of India Deepa Malik as Nikshay Mitra ambassador.

• It is an initiative under Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
• It is an initiative launched by President Droupadi Murmu which strives to provide aid to TB-afflicted patients on three levels of nutritional, additional diagnostic, and vocational support.
• Objective:
  • It aims to eradicate the existing societal stigma and discrimination against TB patients and provide them with much-needed nutritional and social support, and help them lead a normal life.
  • It also aims to encourage elected representatives, corporates, NGOs, and individuals to come forward as donors/sponsors to help the patients complete their journey toward recovery.
• Ni-kshay 2.0 portal: The Ni-kshay 2.0 portal provides a digital platform for extending community support to persons with TB and leveraging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities.
• Timeframe: Support can be extended to persons with TB, for a minimum duration of one year and a maximum of three years, in any block or district across the country.

Hence both statements are correct.

Indian scientists recently received international award on behalf of snow leopard conservation alliance.

• Indian snow leopard experts received the Madrid-based BBVA Foundation’s Worldwide Biodiversity Conservation Award on behalf of a 12-nation intergovernmental alliance -The Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).

What is The Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP)?

• The GSLEP is a first-of-its-kind intergovernmental alliance for the conservation of the snow leopard and its unique ecosystem.
• It is led by the environment ministers of 12 countries in Asia that form the home range of the snow leopard. These are Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The total range spans two million square kilometres.
• The GSLEP Program’s secretariat is based in Bishkek, and is hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic.
• GSLEP was created in 2013 when officials, politicians and conservationists arrived at a common conservation strategy enshrined in the Bishkek Declaration (2013) to cooperate in the conservation of this species and its habitat.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) recently celebrated Constitution Day.

• IREDA is a Mini Ratna (Category – I) Government of India Enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• It is engaged in promoting, developing and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy.
• IREDA has been notified as a “Public Financial Institution” under the Companies Act, 1956 and registered as Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• IREDA’s Motto is “Energy for Ever.”

The main objectives of IREDA are :

• To give financial support to specific projects and schemes for generating electricity and / or energy through new and renewable sources and conserving energy through energy efficiency.
• To maintain its position as a leading organisation to provide efficient and effective financing in renewable energy and energy efficiency / conservation projects.
• To increase IREDA`s share in the renewable energy sector by way of innovative financing.
• Improvement in the efficiency of services provided to customers through continual improvement of systems, processes and resources.
• To strive to be competitive institution through customer satisfaction.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Union Minister of State of the Ministry of Science & Technology recently said, India is taking steps for development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR), with up to 300 MW capacity to fulfill its commitment to Clean Energy transition.

What are Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)?

• SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors. SMRs, which can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity, are:
  • Small – physically a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear power reactor.
  • Modular – making it possible for systems and components to be factory-assembled and transported as a unit to a location for installation.
  • Reactors – harnessing nuclear fission to generate heat to produce energy.

Advantages of SMRs

• SMR, with up to 300 MW capacity by nature are flexible in design and require smaller footprint. Given their smaller footprint, SMRs can be sited on locations not suitable for larger nuclear power plants.
• Being mobile and agile technology, SMR can be factory-built unlike the conventional nuclear reactors that are built on–site. Thus, SMRs offers significant savings in cost and construction time.
• SMR is a promising technology in industrial de-carbonization especially where there is a requirement of reliable and continuous supply of power. It is said that SMR is simpler and safer as compared to large nuclear plants.

Hence both statements are correct.

Cybersecurity experts recently noted that apps that let users connect smartphones or laptops to wireless earplugs can record conversations, and are vulnerable to hacks.

• It is a form of hacking that lets attackers access a device through its discoverable Bluetooth connection.
• Once a device or phone is bluebugged, a hacker can listen to the calls, read and send messages and steal and modify contacts.
• It started out as a threat for laptops with Bluetooth capability.
• Later hackers used the technique to target mobile phones and other devices.

Process:

• Bluebugging attacks work by exploiting Bluetooth-enabled devices.
• The device’s Bluetooth must be in discoverable mode, which is the default setting on most devices.
• The hacker then tries to pair with the device via Bluetooth.
• Once a connection is established, hackers can use brute force attacks to bypass authentication.
• They can install malware in the compromised device to gain unauthorised access to it.
• Bluebugging can happen whenever a Bluetooth enabled device is within a 10-metre radius of the hacker.
• However, according to a blog by VPN service provider NordVPN, hackers can use booster antennas to widen the attack range.

Which devices are most susceptible to such attacks?

• Any Bluetooth-enabled device can be bluebugged.
• Wireless earbuds are susceptible to such hacks.
• Apps that enable users to connect to their TWS (True Wireless Stereo) devices or earbuds can record conversations.
• The apps of these TWS devices can record conversations.
• Once hacked, the attacker can make and listen to calls, read and send messages, and modify or steal your contacts.

Hence both statements are correct.

PT Usha is set to become the first woman President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). She will also become the first Olympian and first international medallist to head the IOA in its 95-year-old history.

• The Indian Olympic Association is the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India.
• As an affiliated member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), the IOA administers various aspects of sports governance and athletes’ welfare in the country.
• In this regard, the IOA oversees the representation of athletes or teams participating in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and other international multi-sport competitions of IOC, CGF, OCA and ANOC.
• The Indian Olympic Association is recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

History:

• The IOA was established in the year 1927 with Sir Dorabji Tata and Dr. A.G. Noehren as the Founding President and Secretary General respectively. It is registered as a Non-Profit Organisation under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.

Governance:

• The Indian Olympic Association is currently governed by a 32-member Executive Council, headed by President.
• The election for the Executive Council is held once in every 4 years.

Hence both statements are correct.