Daily Current Affairs MCQ - February 8, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The Bangladesh railways will procure 420 broad-gauge wagons from India.

• The agreement was signed in Dhaka between the project director of Bangladesh railways Mizanur Rahman and the Hindustan Engineering and Industries Limited.
• The agreement worth Tk. 231 crore will be implemented within 27 months of the signing of the contract.
• This project is being implemented with the joint funding of the Government of Bangladesh and Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Rolling Stock Operation Improvement Project.
• These are high speed bogies with automatic air brake systems so that the general and specialised products like various food grains, fertilisers, stones, wood etc. can reach the destination safely at low cost and in less time. The wagons are equipped with a stainless steel body.
• Hence both statements are correct.

For the first time, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine - National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NCISM-NEET, has conducted an entrance test to Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery (BSRMS) (Menpa Kachupa).

• Including Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, CIBS, and National Research Institute For Sowa Rigpa, NRISR, in Leh, the entrance is conducted in Dharamshala , Varanasi, Gangtok and Darjeeling.
• Sowa-Rigpa, the Science of Healing, is one of the seven Ayush systems, received UGC recognition in October last year. Sowa Rigpa is one of the oldest and well documented systems of traditional medicine in the world, and is popular in Himalayan region.
• The results of the entrance test will be declared on 8th of this month and academic sessions for first batch BSRMS will begin from March 14th this year.
• Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Drugs Controller General of India has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light COVID vaccine in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

• This comes following recommendations of an expert panel of India’s central drug authority to grant restricted emergency use authorisation to Sputnik Light subject to various regulatory provisions.
• Sputnik-Light is the same as component-1 of Sputnik V.
• The Sputnik Light vaccine, like Sputnik V, is based on a proven well-studied human adenovirus vector platform; these vectors cause the common cold and have peacefully coexisted with humanity for millenia.
• This is the ninth COVID-19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation’s collective fight against the pandemic.
• Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Nation is remembering Revolutionary Sachindra Nath Sanyal on his 80th death anniversary.

• He was the founder of the Hindustan Republican Association also known as Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. It was created to carry out armed resistance against the British Empire in India.
• Sachindra Nath Sanyal was a mentor for revolutionaries like Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh.
• He along with Rashbehari Bose attacked Viceroy Hardinge and injured him while he was entering new capital of Delhi.
• Sanyal was closely involved in the plans for the Ghadar Conspiracy. He was sentenced to life for his involvement in the conspiracy and was imprisoned at Cellular Jail.
• He was also jailed by the British for his involvement in Kakori Conspiracy.
• Sachindra Nath Sanyal passed away in Gorakhpur Jail on 7th February 1942.
• Hence both statements are correct.

• Recently, the Union Finance Minister in the Union Budget for 2022-23 announced National Ropeways Development Programme – “Parvatmala” to improve connectivity in hilly areas.
• The idea is to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters, besides promoting tourism. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• This may also cover congested urban areas, where conventional mass transit systems are not feasible.
• The scheme is being presently started in regions like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir and the other North Eastern states.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) will have responsibility for development of ropeway and alternative mobility solutions technology, as well as construction, research, and policy in this area. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG)

• It will be the first international network of global interconnected solar power grids which will combine large-scale solar power stations, wind farms and grids with rooftop solar and community grids to ensure a reliable, resilient and affordable supply of clean energy for all. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• India and the UK jointly launched One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) — on the sidelines of the UN climate conference (COP26). Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The vision behind the OSOWOG is ‘The Sun Never Sets’ and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time.
• This is by far one of the most ambitious schemes undertaken by any country and is of global significance in terms of sharing economic benefits.
• It has been taken up under the technical assistance program of the World Bank.
• OSOWOG plan may also leverage the International Solar Alliance (ISA), co-founded by India that has 67 countries as members.

• A green bond is a debt instrument with which capital is being raised to fund ‘green’ projects, which typically include those relating to renewable energy, clean transportation, sustainable water management etc. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • A bond is a fixed income instrument that represents a loan made by an investor to a borrower (typically corporate or governmental).
  • Bonds traditionally paid a fixed interest rate (coupon) to investors.
• Recently, the Finance Minister in the Budget 2022 announced that the government proposes to issue sovereign green bonds to mobilise resources for green infrastructure.
  • The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy.
  • The announcement is in sync with India’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
  • Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• Located in Kerala, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It was established in 1973. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first from India to be included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (designated in 2012). Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • Other wildlife parks within the Reserve are: Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley.
• Spread over 344.44 sq km, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous to the tiger reserves of Nagerhole and Bandipur of Karnataka and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu.
• Kabini river (a tributary of the Cauvery river) flows through the sanctuary. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
• The forest types include South Indian Moist Deciduous forests, West coast semi-evergreen forests and plantations of teak, eucalyptus and Grewelia.
• Elephant, Gaur, Tiger, Panther, Sambar, Spotted deer, Wild boar, Sloth bear, Nilgiri langur, Bonnet macaque, Common langur, Malabar giant squirrel etc are the major mammals.

On January 10, the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced that it had successfully transplanted a genetically-modified pig heart into a patient with life-threatening arrhythmia, a disorder that affects the rate or rhythm of heartbeats.

Cross-species transplant

• Xenotransplantation, or transplanting organs across different species, was first tried in humans in the 1980s. The experiment was abandoned after the famous case of the American Baby Fae who was born with a congenital heart defect and received a baboon heart in 1984.
• Xenotransplantation, if found compatible in the long run, could help provide an alternative supply of organs to those with life-threatening diseases.

Genetically engineered pig

• “GalSafe” pigs, or pigs that had undergone editing to knock out a gene that codes for Alpha-gal (a sugar molecule) were used. Alpha-gal can elicit a devastating immune response in humans.
• GalSafe pigs have been well studied, and are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in pharmacology.
• Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Supreme Court has observed that the suspension of 12 BJP MLAs from the Maharashtra Assembly for a full year is prima facie unconstitutional, and “worse than expulsion”.

• The 12 MLAs have said they were not given an opportunity to present their case, and that the suspension violated their fundamental right to equality before law under Article 14 of the Constitution. They have also submitted that they were not given access to video of the proceedings of the House, and it was not clear how they had been identified in the large crowd that had gathered in the chamber.
• The MLAs have also contended that under Rule 53 of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Rules, the power to suspend can only be exercised by the Speaker, and it cannot be put to vote in a resolution as was done in this case.
• Rule 53 states that the “Speaker may direct any member who refuses to obey his decision, or whose conduct is, in his opinion, grossly disorderly, to withdraw immediately from the Assembly”. The member must “absent himself during the remainder of the day’s meeting”.

What has Maharashtra said in its defence?

• Counsel for Maharashtra argued that the House had acted within its legislative competence, and that under Article 212, courts do not have jurisdiction to inquire into the proceedings of the legislature.
• Article 212 (1) states that “The validity of any proceedings in the Legislature of a State shall not be called in question on the ground of any alleged irregularity of procedure”.
• Hence both statements are correct.