Daily Current Affairs MCQ - December 23, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

• Foreign funding of persons in India is regulated under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 and is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA). Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.
• Individuals are permitted to accept foreign contributions without the permission of MHA.
  • However, the monetary limit for acceptance of such foreign contributions shall be less than Rs. 25,000. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• The item “Cooperative Societies” is a State Subject in the 7^th Schedule (entry 32) of the State List in the Constitution of India. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• There are many Cooperative Societies such as those for sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc whose members and areas of operation are spread across more than one state.
• The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 governs such cooperatives.
• According to MSCS Act, Administrative and financial control of these societies is with the central registrar, with the law making it clear that no state government official can wield any control on them. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The word ‘anti-national’ has not been defined in statutes, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha.

• Ministry of Home said this in response to a question by All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen member Asaduddin Owaisi on whether the government had defined the meaning of ‘anti-national’ under any legislation or 11 rules or any other legal enactment that is enforced in the country.
• It added that ‘anti-national activity’ was inserted in the Constitution during Emergency in 1976 but was removed later.
• The Constitution (Forty–Second Amendment) Act, 1976 inserted in the Constitution Article 31D (during Emergency) which defined ‘anti-national activity’ and this Article 31D was, subsequently, omitted by the Constitution (Forty-third Amendment) Act, 1977.
• The word ‘anti-national’ has not been defined in statutes. However, there are criminal legislation and various judicial pronouncements to sternly deal with unlawful and subversive activities which are detrimental to the unity and integrity of the country.

Value Addition:

• ‘Public Order’ and ‘Police’ were State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and the “data about number of people arrested for indulging in anti-national activities is not maintained centrally”.
• In 2019, when the National Crime Records Bureau released the annual ‘Crime in India’ report for 2017, it included for the first time a chapter on ‘Crime Committed by Anti National Elements’. The chapter listed “North East insurgents, Left Wing Extremists and Terrorists (including Jihadi terrorists)” as the three anti-national elements.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Taking the Prime Minister Modi’s unique school visit campaign ahead, Indian wrestler and Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medallist Bajrang Punia will visit Haryana’s Aarohi Model School in Panipat on December 23rd and meet the young students to talk about the importance of Santulit Aahaar (Balanced Diet), Fitness and Sports.

• The unique initiative is part of the government’s ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, and was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in Gujarat this month.
• The special school campaign is jointly being organized by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• The coming months will see our Olympic and Paralympic heroes visit as many schools across the country as possible.
• During their visit, the athletes will share their own experiences, life lessons, tips on how to be the next great sportsperson and also give an overall inspirational boost to the school children.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Union Agriculture Minister releases Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for use of Drone in Pesticide Application for Crop Protection and for spraying Soil and Crop Nutrients.

• The SOP for drone regulation for pesticide application covers important aspects like statutory provisions, flying permissions, area distance restrictions, weight classification, drone registration, safety insurance, piloting certification, operation plan, air flight zones, weather conditions, SOPs for pre, post and during operation etc.
• The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) commonly known as drones have great potential to revolutionize Indian agriculture and ensure country’s food security.
• The National drone policy has been notified and the Drone Rules 2021 have been made significantly easier for people and companies in the country to now own and operate drones.

Use of drones in Agriculture

• Drones are well-equipped with many features like multi-spectral and photo cameras and can be used in many areas of agriculture sector such as monitoring crop stress, plant growth, predict yields, deliver props like herbicides, fertilizer and water.
• Drones can be used for assessing the health of any vegetation or crop, field areas inflicted by weeds, infections and pests and based on this assessment, the exact amounts of chemicals needed to fight these infestations can be applied thereby optimizing the overall cost for the farmer.
• Drone planting systems have also been developed by many start-ups which allow drones to shoot pods, their seeds and spray vital nutrients into the soil. Thus, this technology increases consistency and efficiency of crop management, besides reducing the cost.
• The Minister informed that the drones were used for the first time in warding off the locust attacks in various states of the country.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

In continuation of its aggressive programme for exploration and adhering to the prescribed timelines, the Government has launched the Open Acreage Licensing Programme(OALP) Bid Round-VII for International Competitive Bidding.

• The bids can be submitted through a dedicated online e-bidding portal till 1200 hrs. on February 15, 2022. Award of these blocks is likely be completed by the end of March 2022.
• Successful award of Round-VII Blocks would add further 15,766 sq. km of exploration acreage and cumulative acreage under OALP will be increased to 207,692 sq. km.
• The Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) was approved in March 2016.
• In continuation to its determination for reduction in import dependency of oil and gas and accelerating E&P activities, the Government notified the further policy reforms in Exploration and Licensing Policy in February, 2019. The focus was shifted from 'revenue' to 'production' maximization’.
• Since the launch of HELP on 30 March 2016, five rounds of OALP have been concluded for 105 E&P blocks; award of 21 blocks under sixth round of OALP is under progress. These 126 blocks comprise about 191,926 sq.km. of area spread across 18 sedimentary basins.
• The Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy (HELP), which adopts the Revenue Sharing Contract model, is a significant step towards improving the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the Indian Exploration and Production (E&P) sector.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa.

• The trial was conducted by Indian Navy to enhance its operational logistics capabilities and provide critical engineering stores to ships which are deployed more than 2000 km from the coast.
• It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores.
• Two DRDO laboratories i.e. Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam and ADRDE, Agra were involved in the development of SAHAYAK-NG container along the industry partner M/s Avantel for GPS integration.
• SAHAYAK-NG is an advanced version of SAHAYAK Mk I. The newly developed GPS aided air dropped container is having the capability to carry a payload that weighs upto 50 kg and can be dropped from heavy aircraft.
• Sahayak-NG has a Satellite-based Reporting Terminal (SBRT), which provides its precise GPS location enabling the ship in distress to pick up critical stores.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Union Cabinet has approved export of Akash Missile System and has created a Committee for faster Approval of Defence Exports.

• Akash is a Surface to Air Missile with a range of 25 Kms. The missile was inducted in 2014 in IAF and in 2015 in Indian Army. Akash is country’s important missile with over 96 percent indigenisation.
• After its induction in the Services, interest is shown in Akash missile by many friendly countries.
• The Cabinet approval will facilitate Indian manufactures to participate in RFI/RFP issued by various countries.
• So far, Indian defence exports included parts/components etc. The export of big platforms was minimal. This initiative of the Cabinet would help the country to improve its defence products and make them globally competitive.
• Besides Akash, there is interest coming in other major platforms like Coastal Surveillance System, Radars and Air platforms.
• To provide faster approvals for export of such platforms, a Committee comprising of Raksha Mantri, External Affairs Minister and National Security Advisor has been created.
• This Committee would authorise subsequent exports of major indigenous platforms to various countries. The Committee would also explore various available options including the Government-to-Government route.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) at six sites across six States on 1st January 2021.

• The Light House Projects (LHPs) showcase the best of new-age alternate global technologies, materials and processes in the construction sector for the first time in the country at such a large scale.
• They are being constructed under GHTC-India which envisages to provide an ecosystem for adoption of innovative technologies in the housing construction sector in a holistic manner.
• The LHPs are being constructed at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
• They comprise about 1000 houses at each location along with allied infrastructure facilities.
• These projects will demonstrate and deliver ready to live houses at an expedited pace within twelve months, as compared to conventional brick and mortar construction, and will be more economical, sustainable, of high quality and durability.
• During the event, the Prime Minister will also release a certificate course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing) and a compendium of 54 innovative housing construction technologies identified through GHTC-India.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Indian women and children are overwhelmingly anaemic, according to the National Family Health Survey 2019-20 released earlier this month, and the condition is the most prevalent in the Himalayan cold desert.

• Anaemia is the condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity of haemoglobin.
• It can make one feel tired, cold, dizzy, irritable and short of breath, among other symptoms.
• A diet which does not contain enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 is a common cause of anaemia.
• Some other conditions that may lead to anaemia include pregnancy, heavy periods, blood disorders or cancer, inherited disorders and infectious diseases.

Anaemia in our country:

• In 15 of these 22 states and UTs, more than half the children are anaemic. Similarly, more than 50 per cent women are anaemic in 14 of these states and UTs.
• The proportion of anaemic children and women is comparatively lower in Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, and higher in Ladakh, Gujarat, J&K, and West Bengal, among others.

Cold desert region of the western Himalaya:

• In the union territory of Ladakh, a whopping 92.5 per cent children, 92.8 per cent women and around 76 per cent men are anaemic in the given age groups, as per the survey.
• In the adjoining Lahaul and Spiti district which lies in Himachal Pradesh, 91 per cent children and 82 per cent women are anaemic, the survey said.
• Both these areas are part of the Himalayan cold desert. In J&K and in rest of Himachal, the prevalence of anaemia is comparatively lower.
• The high prevalence of anaemia in the cold desert region could be due to short supply of fresh vegetables and fruits during the long winter each year.
• Hence both statements are correct.