Daily Current Affairs MCQ- July 4, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The government is planning to fast track the construction of over 50,000 Amrit Sarovars (ponds), each with a size of over one acre. This will address two concerns — catching the runoff rainwater and meeting the scarcity of soil for infrastructure projects. PM Modi has asked all agencies working in the infrastructure sector to map their projects with the water bodies being developed under the Amrit Sarovar scheme. It was instructed during the 40th PRAGATI meeting chaired by PM Modi.

• Launched in 2015, PRAGATI stands for PRo-Active Governance And Timely Implementation.
• It is an ICT based multi-purpose, multi-modal platform.
• It uniquely bundles three latest technologies - Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Home Ministry has amended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) giving certain relaxations such as allowing relatives to send more money to India freely.

• The amended rule now allows relatives to send 10 lakh rupees without informing the government. If the amount exceeds, the individuals will now have three months to inform the government against 30-days earlier.
• The amended rule also gives more time to the organisations to inform the government about opening of bank accounts for utilization of funds received under ‘registration’ or ‘prior permission’ category.
• A provision where an organisation/individual receiving foreign funds had to declare such contributions every quarter on its official website has also been done away with.

Hence both statements are correct.

The 2022 UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, took place on 27 June – 1 July 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal.

• The overall theme of the Conference was: “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions.”
• The UN Ocean Conference concluded, with governments and heads of state agreeing on a new political declaration to Save Our Ocean.
• Recognizing a “collective failure to achieve Ocean related targets” so far, leaders renewed their commitment to take urgent action and to cooperate at all levels, to fully achieve targets.
• The signatories emphasized the particular importance of implementing the Paris Agreement of 2015, and last November’s Glasgow Climate Pact to help ensure the health, productivity, sustainable use, and resilience of the ocean.
• India committed to a Coastal Clean Seas Campaign and will work toward a ban on single use plastics.
• The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) aims to achieve the science we need, for the ocean we want.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

World Sports Journalists Day – which is also known as International Sports Journalists Day – is celebrated every year on 2nd of July.

• World Sports Journalist Day was first observed in 1994 when the International Sports Press Association decided to commemorate it in honours of its 70th Anniversary.
• The day is observed to honour all sports journalists around the world and also brings awareness about the sports journalism to the common people.

Timeline of Sports journalism

• Sports journalism developed during the 19th century, but was centered on elitist sports and was more focused on reporting the social context of sports events. In the 1920s, the profession began to take shape as newspapers dedicated more time and space to sports journalism.
• The 20th century witnessed a massive boom in the popularity of sports journalism. In 1880, only 0.4 percent of space was dedicated to sports in newspapers. This figure rose to 20 percent by the 1920s, as newspapers began hiring reporters exclusively for sports coverage.
• Today, sports journalism utilizes not only print media but also radio and television along with social media and the Internet.

Hence both statements are correct.

• Recently, the first “China-Horn of Africa Peace, Governance and Development Conference.” was held. This is the first time China aims “to play a role in the area of security”.
  • The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in Northeast Africa.
• Located on the easternmost part of the African mainland, it is the fourth largest peninsula in the world.
• The Horn of Africa denotes the region containing the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
• Hence, option C is correct.

• Recently, the Ministry of Defense inaugurated PayRoll Automation for Disbursement of Monthly Allowances (PADMA), an automated Pay & Allowances module for the Indian Coast Guard. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• PADMA is an automated platform leveraging latest technology which will provide seamless and timely disbursal of Pay & Allowances to around 15,000 Indian Coast Guard personnel. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• This module has been developed under the aegis of the Defense Accounts Department and will be operated by Pay Accounts Office Coast Guard, Noida. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• Centralized Payment Systems in India both owned and operated by the Reserve Bank.
  • Real Time Gross Settlement: It enables real-time transfer of funds to a beneficiary’s account and is primarily meant for large-value transactions.
    • Real time means the processing of instructions at the time they are received and gross settlement implies that settlement of funds transfer instructions occurs individually. It is a centralised payment system.
  • National Electronic Funds Transfer: It is an electronic fund transfer system in which the transactions received up to a particular time are processed in batches.
    • It is generally used for fund transfers of up to Rs. 2 lakhs. It is a centralised payment system.
• Cheque Truncation System: It is the process of stopping the flow of the physical cheque issued by a drawer at some point by the presenting bank en-route to the paying bank branch. It is a decentralised payment system.
• Hence, option A is correct.

• The Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015) was signed at the second Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• India is a signatory to the Declaration. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The countries plan to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e. to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.

Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB)

• Recently, the Cabinet Appointments Committee (ACC) has passed a government resolution to establish the Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) in place of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB). Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • The new framework was proposed by the Department of Financial Service, Ministry of Finance.
  • The FSIB will select the chiefs of public sector banks and insurance companies.
• The FSIB will have the clear mandate to issue guidelines and select general managers and directors of state-run non-life insurers, general insurers and Financial Institutions.
  • FSIB will be the single entity for making recommendations for appointments of WTD (Whole-time Director) and NEC (Non-executive Chairman) in Public Sector Banks, India Private Limited company and Financial Institutions.
    • Juridiction of FSIB will be larger than BBB. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• The ACC has approved the appointment of Bhanu Pratap Sharma as Initial chairperson of FSIB for two years. He was the former Chairman of BBB.

• Leprosy is a chronic, progressive bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
  • It primarily affects the nerves of the extremities, the skin, the lining of the nose, and the upper respiratory tract. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease. Hence statement 2 is correct
  • It produces skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness. If it isn’t treated, it can cause severe disfigurement and significant disability.
  • It is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history.
  • It is common in many countries, especially those with tropical or subtropical climates including India.
• Clofazimine, along with Rifampicin and Dapsone, is one of the three essential drugs in the Multi-Drug Treatment of Multibacillary Leprosy (MB-MDT) cases. Hence statement 3 is correct.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that leprosy is endemic in several Indian states and union territories, with an annual case detection rate of 4.56 per 10,000 population.
  • India reports more than 1,25,000 new patients of leprosy every year.