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

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that India looks forward to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by overcoming political impediments.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

• NSG is a voluntary, non-legally binding association of major countries that trade in nuclear material.
• It aims to prevent nuclear exports for commercial and peaceful purposes from being used to make nuclear weapons.
• It currently has 48 members, who work on accepted guidelines to prevent proliferation while indulging in nuclear commerce.
• It is not a formal organization, and its guidelines are not binding. Decisions, including on membership, are made by consensus.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) Dashboard during the Iconic Week Celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations of Ministry of Finance, in New Delhi.

• The Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ Iconic Week celebrations from 6th June to 12th June 2022 was launched by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
• The SNA Dashboard forms part of a major public financial management reform that was initiated in 2021 with regards to the manner in which funds for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) are released, disbursed and monitored.
• This revised procedure, now referred to as the SNA model, requires each State to identify and designate a SNA for every scheme.
• All funds for that State in a particular scheme will be credited in this bank account, and all expenses will be made by all other Implementing Agencies involved from this account.
• The SNA model, therefore, ensures that allocation of funds to States for the CSS are made in a timely manner and after meeting various stipulations.
• In order to give the stakeholders of SNA model the necessary feedback and monitoring tools in the operation of the schemes, Public Financial Management System (PFMS) has developed the SNA Dashboard.

Hence both statements are correct.

Calcium phosphate ceramics, the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) noted in a press release, are in principle an ideal alternative to conventional metals because bone can eventually replace the ceramic and regrow.

• When people need a bone replacement following a fracture, it is often based on a metal part. But metal parts are sometimes toxic over time, and will not help the original bone regrow.
• Calcium phosphate ceramics are substitutes for the bone mineral hydroxyapatite. However, applications of such ceramics in medical settings have been limited, because there is insufficient control over the rate of absorption and replacement by bone after implantation.
• Now, in a study recently published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, researchers from TMDU and collaborators have studied the transformation of a ceramic into the bone mineral.
• This work will help move bone regeneration research from laboratories to medical use.
• The releases said the results of this study are important for healing bone fractures after surgery. By using chemical insights to optimise the rate of bone reformation after implantation of calcium phosphate ceramics, patient outcomes will improve, and returns to the hospital years later for further repairs will be minimised.

Hence both statements are correct.

In her Budget 2021-22 speech, the Finance Minister had announced that the government intends to set up a bad bank.

• NARCL is set up in the mould of an asset reconstruction company incorporated to take over and dispose of the stressed assets of commercial banks.
• NARCL has been registered under the Companies Act, 2013. Public sector banks will have 51% ownership in it.
• IDRCL is a service company/operational entity which will manage the asset and engage market professionals and turnaround experts. 
• Public sector banks and Public financial institutions will hold a maximum of 49% stake in IDRCL, and the rest will be with private sector lenders.
• Bad banks are not involved in lending and taking deposits. Technically, it is an ARC or an AMC (Asset Management Company) that takes over the bad loans of commercial banks. 
• The takeover of bad loans is normally below the book value of the loan and the bad bank tries to recover as much as possible.
• Asset reconstruction is the purchase of title or rights of the banks or financial institutions in loans, bonds etc., for the sole purpose of its recovery.

Hence both statements are correct.

• The idea of LiFE was introduced by India during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilization’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’.
• With the launch of the Mission, the prevalent "use-and-dispose" economy-governed by mindless and destructive consumption-will be replaced by a circular economy, defined by conscious and deliberate consumption. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The movement aims to utilize the power of collective action and nudge individuals across the world to undertake simple climate-friendly actions in their daily lives.
  • It also seeks to leverage the strength of social networks to influence social norms surrounding climate.
• The Mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3).
  • P3 will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally friendly lifestyles.
  • Through the P3 community, the Mission seeks to create an ecosystem that will reinforce and enable environmentally friendly behaviors to be self-sustainable. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• World Environment Day has been celebrated on 5th June every year since 1972 to encourage awareness and environmental protection. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • The United Nations Assembly established World Environment Day in 1972, which was the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the human environment. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The celebration of world environment day every year is done according to a specific theme and slogan which addresses the major environmental concern of the time.
  • It is hosted by a different country each year.
• The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) challenges everyone to massively scale up restoration efforts that breathe new life into our degraded ecosystem. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Environment Programme are the UN agencies tasked with facilitating its delivery.

• Stagflation means a situation characterized by simultaneous increase in prices and stagnation of economic growth.
• It is described as a situation in the economy where the growth rate slows down, the level of unemployment remains steadily high and yet the inflation or price level remains high at the same time. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• Monetary policy refers to the policy of the Reserve Bank of India with regard to the use of monetary instruments under its control to achieve the specified goal of inflation/stagflation.
  • The primary objective of the RBI’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

• To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was restructured to Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) w.e.f 1st April 2016.
• Ministry Involved: Ministry of Rural development. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Aim: To provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all rural families, who are homeless or living in kutcha or dilapidated houses by the end of March 2022. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• To help rural people Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing assistance in the form of a full grant.
• Six States account for 70% of the target units — West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
  • Out of them only two States — Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal — have a completion rate above the national average. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
  • Bihar has one of the lowest completion rates.

• Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites. It is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• After entering the human body, parasites initially multiply within the liver cells and then attack the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) resulting in their rupture. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• Africa carries the world’s largest disease burden for Malaria.
• In Africa, 94% of global cases and 96% of global deaths have been recorded. It is alarming that children aged five or younger account for 80% of these deaths. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

A new study in pregnant women who received the Covid-19 vaccine found no evidence of injury in the placenta. The finding adds to growing literature that Covid-19 vaccines are safe in pregnancy.

• Placenta is a key organ in pregnancy. The placenta is the first organ that forms during pregnancy.
• It performs duties for most of the foetus’s organs while they are still forming, such as providing oxygen while the lungs develop and nutrition while the gut is forming.
• Additionally, the placenta manages hormones and the immune system, and tells the mother’s body to welcome and nurture the foetus rather than reject it as a foreign intruder.
• The safety of administering Covid-19 vaccines to women during pregnancy remains the subject of study. While India’s vaccination protocol recommends against pregnant and lactating women taking the vaccine, some countries such as the US and Brazil does not bar such women.

Hence both statements are correct.