Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 2, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The Kerala health department is on alert after the death of a 47-year-old from Thrissur due to the West Nile Virus.

West Nile Virus (WNV)

• The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus.
• RNA virus is the virus that has single-stranded as well as double-stranded RNA as its genetic material.
• Noticeable disease caused by RNA virus is (severe acute respiratory syndrome) SARS, influenza, common cold, Hepatitis B and C.
• It is a flavivirus related to the viruses that cause St. Louis encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever.
• The Flaviviridae are a family of positive, single-stranded, enveloped RNA viruses. Members of this family belong to a single genus, Flavivirus.
• They are found in arthropods, (primarily ticks and mosquitoes), and can occasionally infect humans.

Hence both statements are correct.

Two days after issuing an advisory asking people to refrain from sharing photocopies of their Aadhaar Card, the Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI) opted to withdraw the notification.

• It stated that the action was to avert any possibility of ‘misinterpretation’ of the (withdrawn) press release, asking people to exercise “normal prudence” in using/sharing their Aadhaar numbers.
• The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 states that Aadhaar authentication is necessary for availing subsidies and services that are financed from the Consolidated Fund of India.
• However, confidentiality needs to be maintained and the authenticated information cannot be used for anything other than the specified purpose.
• The NPCI’s Aadhaar Payments Bridge (APB) and the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) facilitate direct benefit transfer (DBT) and allow individuals to use Aadhaar for payments. This requires bank accounts to be linked to Aadhaar.
• But more than 200 central and State government websites publicly displayed details of some Aadhaar beneficiaries such as their names and addresses.
• This means that this data could be potentially used to fraudulently link the rightful beneficiary’s Aadhaar with a distinct bank account, embezzling the beneficiary by impersonation.

Hence both statements are correct.

Fiscal deficit improved to 6.71% of the FY22 GDP over the revised budget estimate of 6.9% mainly on account of higher tax realisation.

• Unveiling the revenue-expenditure data of the Union government, the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) said that the fiscal deficit in absolute terms was ₹15,86,537 crore (provisional).
• Tax receipts during the fiscal were at ₹18.2 lakh crore as against the revised estimates (RE) of ₹17.65 lakh crore, the data showed.
• Total expenditure too was higher at ₹37.94 lakh crore against the RE of ₹37.7 lakh crore presented to Parliament on February 1, 2021. The CGA further said the revenue deficit at the end of the fiscal was 4.37% for fiscal year 2021-22.
• The fiscal deficit of the Centre was contained marginally below the FY22 revised estimate, benefitting from the higher tax and non-tax revenue receipts and lower capital spending, which absorbed the deficit in non-debt capital receipts and higher revenue expenditure.

Hence both statements are correct.

NTPC Ltd, India’s largest integrated energy producer has issued renewed Biodiversity Policy 2022 to establish a comprehensive vision and guiding principle for conservation, restoration, and enhancement of biodiversity.

• This Biodiversity Policy is an integral part of NTPC’s Environmental Policy.
• NTPC was the first PSU to issue Biodiversity Policy in 2018. In the same year, NTPC became a member of the India Business & Biodiversity Initiative (IBBI).
• The power major aims to mainstream the concept of biodiversity across NTPC’s value chain.
• The company will further strengthen its current efforts to achieve a ’no net loss’ of biodiversity at all of its currently operating sites.
• NTPC has also signed a five-year agreement with Andhra Pradesh Forest Department for conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles in the coastline of Andhra Pradesh.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, India and Pakistan began another round of the Permanent Indus Committee meeting.

• The Indus river basin has six rivers- Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej; originating from Tibet and flowing through the Himalayan ranges to enter Pakistan.
• In 1947, the line of partition, aside from delineating geographical boundaries for India and Pakistan, also cut the Indus river system into two.
• Both the sides were dependent on water from the Indus river basin to keep their irrigation infrastructure functional and therefore, equitable distribution was needed.
• Initially, the Inter-dominion Accord of May, 1948 was adopted, where both countries, after meeting for a conference, decided that India would supply water to Pakistan in exchange for an annual payment made by the latter.
• This agreement however, soon disintegrated as both the countries could not agree upon its common interpretations.
• In 1951, in the backdrop of the water-sharing dispute, both the countries applied to the World Bank for funding of their respective irrigation projects on ​​Indus and its tributaries, which is when the World Bank offered to mediate the conflict.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

The Supreme Court has upheld the National Medical Commission’s regulations that prescribe certain strictures before foreign medical graduates can practise in India.

• The regulations had in the recent past been a point of debate with relation to Indian students who were forced to return due to the Ukraine crisis.
• The Bench upheld the regulatory validity of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 and the National Medical Commission (Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship) Regulations, 2021.
• The first one requires the foreign medical graduates (FMGs)
  • to undergo a medical course for a minimum of 54 months and an internship for a minimum duration of 12 months in the same foreign medical institution;
  • to register with a professional regulatory body competent to grant licence in the same foreign country and further undergo a supervised 12-month internship in India after applying to the National Medical Commission.
• The second lists rigorous conditions for internship in India for the FMGs.

Hence both statements are correct.

In April 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India’s transition away from coal as a fuel for power would be hampered by the Russia-Ukraine war.

• Coal consumption needs to come down as the power sector in India accounts for 49% of total carbon dioxide emissions, compared with the global average of 41%.
• As of February 2022, the installed capacity for coal-based power generation across the country was 2.04 lakh MW. This accounts for about 51.5% of power from all sources. Natural gas has been dubbed as the transition fuel.
• As per a letter by the power Ministry, Coal India, the country’s largest supplier of the dry fuel is set to import coal for the first time since 2015. The aim of the exercise is to avoid a repeat of the power outage crisis that India faced in April.

Hence both statements are correct.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu embarked on a three-nation tour to Gabon, Senegal and Qatar. This is the first-ever visit from India at the level of Vice President to all the three countries.

• The Vice President's visit to Gabon and to Senegal will add momentum to India's engagement with Africa and also emphasise its commitment to the African continent.
• The visit to Qatar, as both sides prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, will further enhance the bilateral ties.
• Gabon is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, Gabon is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. Gabon's capital is Libreville.
• Senegal is a country in West Africa. Senegal is bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest. Senegal's capital is Dakar.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Pope Francis announced that he will create 21 new Cardinals, including two from India at a Consistory on, 27 August, 2022.

• The two Cardinals from India are Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião di Rosário Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and Damão and -Archbishop Anthony Poola, Archbishop of Hyderabad.
• These cardinals represent the Church worldwide, and reflect a wide variety of cultures, contexts and pastoral ministries.
• He also said that he will meet from August 29 and 30 with all the cardinals to reflect on the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium.
• A cardinal (literally "cardinal of the Holy Roman Church") is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church, immediately behind the pope in the order of precedence. Collectively, they constitute the College of Cardinals, and are appointed for life.

Hence both statements are correct.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations's (ICCR) ten days programme Gen Next Democracy Network concluded.

• Youth from democratic countries come to India under the Gen Next Democracy Network programme. During the programme, they get acquainted with India's heritage, culture and functioning of Indian democracy.
• In the closing ceremony, 27 delegates from six countries- Ghana, Bangladesh, Peru, Nepal, Brunei and Norway shared their experiences of visiting India.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)

• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India. The ICCR Headquarter is situated in New Delhi.
• It was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India. It is involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people.
• The council also operates missions internationally, with established cultural centres in various countries. It also administers the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, established by the Government of India in 1965, whose last award was in 2009.

Hence both statements are correct.