Daily Current Affairs MCQ- July 26, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The Ministry of Defence recently announced that it has signed a contract with the Hyderabad-based public-sector Bharat Dynamics Ltd. for supply of the Astra Mark-1, air-to-air missile.

• The Astra Mk-1 is a beyond visual range (BVR), air-to-air missile (AAM).
• BVM missiles are capable of engaging beyond the range of 20 nautical miles or 37 kilometres.
• AAMs are fired from an airborne asset to destroy an airborne target.
• Astra project was officially launched in the early 2000s and around 2017, the development phase of Mk-1 version was complete.
• The missile is fully integrated on the Sukhoi 30 MKI I and will be integrated with other fighter aircraft in a phased manner, including Tejas and the Mig-29K of the Navy.
• Designed and developed by: Defence Research and Development Organisation
• Range: 110 Km.
• Speed: In excess of Mach 4.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

India’s manufacturing sector expanded in the month of May and sustained strong growth despite historically high inflation, according to a survey.

• Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an economic indicator, which is derived after monthly surveys of different companies.
• It measures activity at the purchasing or input stage.
• In this sense, it is very different from industrial production which is indicative of actual production.
  • E.g., the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) measures output.
• There are two types of PMI — Manufacturing PMI and Services PMI.
• The index shows trends in both the manufacturing and services sector.
• PMI does not capture informal sector activity.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

During his recent visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol.

• Urea is a chemical nitrogen fertiliser, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
• Liquid nano urea is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
• The product has been developed at IFFCO’s Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) at Kalol.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) extended the “Use and File” procedure to all health insurance products, facilitating faster customer access to health policies.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI):

• It was set up as autonomous body under the IRDA Act, 1999.
• Objective: To protect the interests of policyholders, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• IRDA is the apex body that supervises and regulates the insurance sector in India.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Finance

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Astronomers now have an explanation for why Neptune and Uranus appear in different colours.

• Neptune and Uranus have much in common — they have similar masses, sizes, and atmospheric compositions — yet their appearances are in different shades of blue.
• At visible wavelengths, Neptune is a rich, deep azure hue, while Uranus is a distinctly pale shade of cyan.
• The reason is that the haze around Uranus is thicker than that around Neptune.
• Uranus’s stagnant, sluggish atmosphere makes it appear a lighter tone than Neptune.
• If there was no haze in the atmospheres of Neptune and Uranus, both would appear almost equally blue as a result of blue light being scattered in their atmospheres,

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

United States would send four HIMAR systems to Ukraine.

• The M142 HIMARS, a light multiple rocket launcher, was developed for the US Army in the late 1990s. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is mounted on a truck, and can carry a container with six rockets.
• The HIMARS can launch a medium-range rocket, but is also capable of firing a longer-range missile, the Army Tactical Missile System, which has a range of about 300 km.

Hence both statements are correct.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, (HAL) will convert six Boeing-767 civilian aircraft into mid-air refuellers for the Indian Air Force (IAF), for which it had entered into an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in April.

• The IAI has expertise in undertaking such conversion. The overall process is expected to take at least three or four years. The IAF has been looking to procure mid-air refuellers for some time.
• Mid-air refuelling significantly enhances the range and payload of fighter jets.
• It also allows aircraft to stay in the air much beyond their normal limits allowing better exploitation of the platform’s capabilities.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal allowing cooperatives to sell products on the Government-e-Marketplace (GeM) platform in a transparent manner.

• The move will benefit 27 crore people associated with 8.5 lakh cooperatives. The micro and medium small industries will get buyers and it will boost the prospects of “Vocal for local” and Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
• The cooperatives may, however, be charged a transaction fee to cover the incremental costs.
• The validated list of cooperatives to be onboarded on the GeM — for pilot as well as subsequent scale-up — will be decided by the Ministry of Cooperation in consultation with the GeM SPV [Special Purpose Vehicle].
• The GeM started in 2017 is a one-stop portal to facilitate online procurement of commonly used goods and services. The portal is open for all government buyers — Union and State Ministries, departments, public sector enterprises, autonomous institutions, local bodies and so on.
• Private buyers cannot buy on the platform but private people can sell products to government bodies through the portal.

Hence both statements are correct.

The U.S. recently witnessed two episodes of mass shootings in a span of 11 days that killed more than 30 people including elementary school children.

• In 2020, U.S. had witnessed 24,576 homicides, of which approximately 79%, or 19,384 incidents, involved the use of a firearm.
• The Second Amendment of the U.S. constitution, which states that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed”, is often attributed as the root cause of all firearm-related violence.
• The U.S. Supreme Court previously held that the amendment protects the right to “keep and bear arms” for self-defence.
• Gun licence applicants in India must be at least 21 years and not convicted of any offence involving violence, of ‘unsound mind’ or a threat to public safety and peace.
• Upon receiving an application, the licensing authority (i.e., the Home Ministry), asks the officer in-charge of the nearest police station to submit a report about the applicant after thorough vetting.
• The Arms Act amended in 2019 reduces the number of firearms that an individual can procure from three to two.

Hence both statements are correct.

Involving the community has helped devise strategies to break psychological barriers in the battle against Tuberculosis (TB) in Assam and three other States, an initiative by a Karnataka-based trust has revealed.

• Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that spreads through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.
• It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous system.
• TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it's treated with the right antibiotics.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.