Daily Current Affairs MCQ - January 1, 2022 - CLAT MCQ

The Minister of Science & Technology and Health & Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan released the report Action Agenda for an AtmaNirbhar Bharat (AAAN) prepared by Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) in New Delhi.

• The aim of the Action Report is to create a sense of Scientific Social Responsibility and to lay down imperatives for future of technology in India. It looks at the challenges, possibilities and how to find solutions, he said.
• This comprehensive action plan(AAAN) has been structured with reference to timeline, highlighting short/medium and long term interventions in various identified sectors.
• The document also specifically defines policy recommendations in identified domains of Innovation and Technology development, Technology Adoption/Diffusion, Boosting up Manufacturing and Productivity, Trade and Globalization, Internet Policy and Data Management & Education and Training, AI among others.
• Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) was founded in 1988. It is an autonomous body under Department of Science & Technology.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The Government of India has launched the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG).

• The overall aim of the Consortium is to monitor the genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2 on a regular basis through a multi-laboratory network. This vital research consortium will also assist in developing potential vaccines in the future.
• It comprises 10 labs namely DBT-NIBMG Kalyani, DBT-ILS Bhubaneswar, ICMR-NIV Pune, DBT-NCCS Pune, CSIR-CCMB Hyderabad, DBT-CDFD Hyderabad, DBT-InSTEM/ NCBS Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, CSIR-IGIB Delhi, and NCDC Delhi.
• INSACOG will have a high level Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee which will provide guidance and oversight to the consortium specially for policy matters and it will have a Scientific Advisory Group for scientific and technical guidance.
• Coordinated by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) along with MoH&FW, ICMR, and CSIR, the strategy and roadmap of the National SARS CoV2 Genome Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG) has been prepared.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister of Education laid foundation stone of ‘TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad’, India’s first Test bed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial).

• The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has sanctioned Rs. 135 crores to IIT Hyderabad under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to set up a Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems (UAVs, RoVs, etc.).
• The Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles at IIT Hyderabad, known as 'TiHAN Foundation' has been incorporated as a Section-8 company by the institute in June 2020.
• TiHAN Foundation is a multi-departmental initiative, including researchers from Electrical, Computer Science, Mechanical and Aerospace, Civil, Mathematics, and Design at IIT Hyderabad with collaboration and support from reputed institutions and industry.
• Special Features of this Facility include Test Tracks, Emulation of Real-World Scenarios, State of the Art Simulation Technologies, Road Infrastructure, V2X Communication, Drone Runways and Landing Area, Mechanical Integration Facility, Centralized Control Room/Ground Control Station, Hangars and many more.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory for Quantum Technologies (DYSL-QT), a DRDO facility based in Mumbai, has developed a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) which has the ability to detect random quantum events and convert those into a stream of binary digits.

• The Laboratory has developed a fibre-optic branch path based QRNG.
• Branch path based QRNG is based on the principle that if a single photon is incident on a balanced beam splitter, it will take either of the beam-splitter output paths randomly.
• As the path chosen by photon is random, the randomness is translated to sequence of bits.

Significance:

• With this development India enters the club of countries who have the technology to achieve the generation of random numbers based on the Quantum Phenomenon.
• Random numbers have essential roles in various fields ranging from quantum communication, cryptography applications like key generation, key wrapping, authentication along with scientific simulations, lotteries and fundamental physics experiments.
• The generation of perfect randomness is generally considered impossible with classical methodologies.
• Quantum mechanics has the inherent potential of providing true random numbers and thus has become the preferred option for scientific applications requiring randomness.
• DYSL-QT is one of the five YSLs (Young Scientist Laboratories) of the DRDO which are working on five different technologies.
• The other facilities are Artificial Intelligence (DYSL-AI) Bengaluru, Cognitive Technologies (DYSL-CT) Chennai, Asymmetric Technologies (DYSL-AT) Kolkata, Smart Materials (DYSL-SM) Hyderabad.
• These five facilities were dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January this year.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Union Cabinet has approved modified scheme to enhance ethanol distillation capacity in the country.

• This will increase income of farmers as other feed stocks such as cereals (rice, wheat, barley, corn & sorghum), sugarcane and sugar beet to be used for production of ethanol
• For benefiting a large population of farmers, Government is encouraging distilleries to produce ethanol from maize & rice available with FCI.
• India is well on the path of achieving a 10% blending target by 2022. This will help increase the income of our farmers and enhance their livelihoods
• Government has fixed a target of 10% blending of fuel grade ethanol with petrol by 2022, 15% blending by 2026 & 20% blending by 2030. Government also planning to prepone achievement of 20% blending target by year 2025
• Hence both statements are correct.

Centre has decided to extend Disability Compensation to all serving employees, if they get disabled in the line of duty while performing their service and are retained in service in spite of such disablement.

• This was announced by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• The move will particularly provide a huge relief to young Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel like CRPF, BSF and CISF since disability in performance of duties is generally reported in their case due to constraints of job requirement as well as hostile or difficult work-environment.
• In another employee-friendly decision, the Ministry of Personnel recently did away with minimum qualifying service of 10 years for pension, if a government servant is incapacitated due to bodily or medical infirmity and retired from government service.
• Accordingly, the rule was amended to provide Invalid Pension at 50 per cent of the last pay, even if the employee had not completed minimum qualifying service of 10 years.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the inaugural issue of the National Police K-9 Journal in New Delhi.

• It is the first such publication in the country on the subject of Police Service K9s, Police Dogs.
• This is a unique initiative that will further enrich the subjects related to Police Service Dog, K-9, PSK teams in the country.
• The journal comprises different sections in Hindi and English. It is a biannual journal which will be released in April and October every year.
• The police dog squad can act as a force multiplier to ensure the safety of society, much like the way drones or satellites are being used in the country.
• A special Police K9 Cell was established in November last year under the Police Modernization Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs with the mandate of Mainstreaming and Augmentation of Police Service K9s in the country.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Scientists at the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Pappanamcode in Kerala have come up with a new product, banana grit or granules, developed from raw Nendran bananas.

• The product resembles to ‘rava’ and broken wheat. Billed as an ideal ingredient for a healthy diet, banana grit can be used for making a wide range of dishes, according to the NIIST.
• The granules can be used for making upma, or it can be mixed with banana powder for porridge, with milk or coconut milk for use as a health drink.
• The concept was introduced to utilise the presence of resistant starch in bananas, which is reported to improve gut health.
• Hence, the dishes prepared with banana grit and its by-product, banana powder, incline to the new focus on gut health, which the scientific community is widely discussing now to maintain health and well-being.
• Changalikodan Nendran Banana or famously known as Changalikodan is a banana variety originated and cultivated in Chengazhikodu village of Thrissur District in Kerala
• Changalikodan, now are cultivated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river. Changalikodan got Geographical indication registration from the Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai.
• Generally consumed ripe, Nendran banana also finds use in typical Kerala dishes such as avial and thoran.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Indian Railways' South Western Railway zone will start operating train services from Bengaluru city station to the newly built KIA, Devanahalli Railway halt station from January 4, 2021.

• Kempegowda International Airport halt is an Indian Railways' Train station located near Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore (Karnataka).
• The station has been built by the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) and on its completion was handed over to the railways.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The Karnataka government has allowed all shops and commercial establishments to operate round the clock all days of the week for the next three years under provisions of the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act (1961).

• The revision of rules by the Labour Department is expected to help businesses recover from financial difficulties they faced during the coronavirus-induced lockdown which led to a decline in economic activity.
• The rules permits only shops and commercial establishments employing ten or more persons to operate 24×7. The period of this extension of timings will be in force till January 2, 2024.
• While the permitted time allowed for each employee to work in a week is fixed at 48 hours per week (eight hours a day), employers can ask them to work overtime.
• However, the period of work including overtime should not exceed 10 hours a day.
• The employees are also entitled to get overtime wages, which the employer is directed to credit to their savings bank account as prescribed under the Payments of Wages Act (1963).
• Hence both statements are correct.