Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 20, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The retirements in the topmost rung of the judiciary in 2022 would encompass changes in the powerful Supreme Court Collegium.

Article 124(2) of Indian Constitution deals with the appointment of Judges of Supreme Court. As per this article:

• Every judge of SC is to be appointed by the President.
• President will consult such judges of the SC and of the HCs in the States as the President may deem necessary.
• CJI shall always be consulted in case of the appointment of judge other than the Chief Justice of SC.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed a new law that will help international aircraft leasing companies to repossess and transfer planes out of India in case of a financial dispute with an Indian airline at a time many regional airlines have been refused planes on rent.

• The Ministry has sought stakeholders’ comments on the draft Protection and Enforcement of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill, 2022.
• The Bill will implement the provisions of the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and Protocol on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment which was adopted at a conference in Cape Town in 2001. India acceded to the two instruments in 2008.
• These provide default remedies for the creditor and create a legal regime for disputes.
• The draft legislation is necessary because several Indian laws such as the Companies Act, 2013 are in conflict with the Cape Town Convention and Protocol.

Hence both statements are correct.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on the 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji at the Red Fort in New Delhi on 21st of April, 2022.

• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Sikh Gurus and the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675.
• He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru. His 115 hymns are included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the main text of Sikhism.
• He was originally named Tyag Mal but was later renamed Tegh Bahadur after his gallantry and bravery in the wars against the Mughal forces.
• He built the city of Anandpur Sahib.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, in Delhi.
• Sikh holy premises Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of Guru Tegh Bahadur respectively.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The 2022 edition of the Invictus Games opened on April 16 night in The Hague, Netherlands, where Prince Harry paid tribute to the Ukrainian team. The Games are scheduled to run until April 22.

• The first edition of the Games was held in London in 2014, and subsequent competitions were organised in Orlando, US (2016), Toronto, Canada (2017), and Sydney, Australia (2018). The 2023 edition will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany.
• The Games are an international sporting competition similar to the Paralympics, but meant for wounded, injured, and sick military service personnel and war veterans.
• The word ‘invictus’ means ‘unconquered’. The Games draw inspiration from the British poet William Ernest Henley’s 1875 poem ‘Invictus’.
• The Invictus Games are the brainchild of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who attended the Warrior Games in the United States in 2013, and wanted to start something similar in London.

Hence both statements are correct.

Brief Profile: Jyotirao Phule

• Birth: Phule was born on 11^th April, 1827 in present-day Maharashtra and belonged to the Mali caste of gardeners and vegetable farmers.
• Education: In 1841, Phule was enrolled at the Scottish Missionary High School (Pune), where he completed education.
• Ideology: His Ideology was based on: Liberty; Egalitarianism; Socialism.
  • Phule was influenced by Thomas Paine’s book titled The Rights of Man and believed that the only solution to combat the social evils was the enlightenment of women and members of the lower castes.
• Major Publications: Tritiya Ratna (1855); Powada: Chatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosle Yancha (1869); Gulamgiri (1873), Shetkarayacha Aasud (1881).
• Related Association: Phule along with his followers formed Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 which meant ‘Seekers of Truth’ in order to attain equal social and economic benefits for the lower castes in Maharashtra.
• Municipal Council Member: He was appointed commissioner to the Poona municipality and served in the position until 1883.
• Title of Mahatma: He was bestowed with the title of Mahatma on 11^th May, 1888 by a Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.
• Hence, option A is correct.

• INCOIS is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• It is located in Hyderabad & was established in 1999. It is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO), New Delhi. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The ESSO operates as an executive arm of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for its policies and programmes.
• It is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvement through systematic and focused research.

Difference between PSLV and GSLV

• GSLV has the capability to put a heavier payload in orbit than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Hence statement 1 is correct.
• PSLV can carry satellites up to a total weight of 2000 kg into space and reach up to an altitude of 600-900 km. GSLV can carry weight up to 5,000 kg and reach up to 36,000 km.
• PSLV is designed mainly to deliver earth observation or remote sensing satellites, whereas GSLV has been designed for launching communication satellites. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
  • GSLV delivers satellites into a higher elliptical orbit, Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).

Micro Swimmers

• About: Recently, research has shown that it is possible to use light as a fuel to move microbots in real-body conditions with intelligent drug-delivery that is selectively sensitive to cancer cells. These microbots are referred to as microswimmers.
  • These microbots are made from the two-dimensional compound poly (heptazine imide) carbon nitride (i.e. PHI carbon nitride). Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Significance: Microswimmers could allow doctors to deliver drugs to targeted regions inside the human body. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • The microswimmers could also help to introduce specific substances in lakes or in the ocean.

• Recently, the NITI Aayog launched the State Energy and Climate Index (SECI). It is the first index that aims to track the efforts made by states and UTs in the climate and energy sector. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The State Energy and Climate Index (SECI) ranks states and UTs on six parameters:
  • Discoms' (Power distribution companies) Performance,
  • Access Affordability And Reliability Of Energy,
  • Clean Energy Initiatives,
  • Energy Efficiency,
  • Environmental Sustainability,
  • New Initiatives.
• Based on the outcome of SECI scores, states and union territories have been categorised into three groups -- front runners, achievers, and aspirants.
  • Top Performers: Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab have been adjudged as top three performer states in the NITI Aayog’s SECI. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The top three performers among smaller states are Goa, Tripura and Manipur.
  • Unsatisfactory Performance: States like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand were placed at the bottom.

President Ram Nath Kovind has signed into law the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

• The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha in March, 2022.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 passed by Parliament.
• The Act was amended in 2011 by Delhi Legislative Assembly to trifurcate the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi into:
  • North Delhi Municipal Corporation
  • South Delhi Municipal Corporation
  • East Delhi Municipal Corporation
• The Bill replaces the three municipal corporations under the Act with one Corporation named the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
• The Act provides that the number of seats in the three corporations taken together should not be more than 272. The Bill states that the total number of seats in the new Corporation should not be more than 250.

Hence both statements are correct.