Daily Current Affairs MCQ - March 2, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

Union Ministers for Agriculture celebrated the first anniversary of the Central Sector Scheme on "Formation & Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)".

• The scheme was launched by Prime Minister on 29.02.2020 at Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh) with a budgetary provision of Rs 6865 crore.

• FPOs will make farming more viable by aggregating land.

• More than 2200 FPOs produce clusters have been allocated for the formation of FPOs in the current year, of which 100 FPOs for specialized Organic produce, 100 FPOs from Oilseeds & 50 commodity-specific FPOs with value chain development will be formed.

• Implementing Agencies (IAs) are engaging Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) to aggregate, register & provide professional handholding support to each FPO for a period of 5 years.

• CBBOs will be the platform for an end to end knowledge for all issues related to FPO promotion.

• FPOs will be provided financial assistance up to Rs 18.00 lakh per FPO for a period of 03 years.

Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) on 02 Mar 2021.

• Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) is the head of the Integrated Defence Staff which acted as the point organisation for jointmanship in the Ministry of Defence.

• The CISC is a Three-star rank officer from the three Services in rotation.

• The CISC reports to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC) in New Delhi.

• He is assisted by the following five Principal Staff Officers (all three-star appointments) who headed the various branches within the IDS.

The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) celebrated its 9th Foundation Day today at its Headquarter in New Delhi.

• It is a statutory body (created through the Land Ports Authority of India Act, 2010).

• Founded in 2012.

• Parent ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs.

• Mandate: It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing border infrastructure in India. It manages several Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) all across Borders of India.

Jaideep Bhatnagar has taken over today as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau.

• It is one of the media units working under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.

• It is the nodal agency for public communication and media relations for the entire Union Government of India

• It is based in National Media Centre, New Delhi.

• It was established in 1919 as a small cell under Home Ministry under the British government.

• In 2019, the PIB set up a fact-checking unit to check government related news

Mobile Train Radio Communication (MTRC) System has been commissioned in Western Railway Trains in Mumbai.

• The Mobile Train Radio Communication system is an effective and a technologically advanced communication system which can play an intrinsic role in preventing train accidents and reducing delays through effective communication.

• MRTC acts in a similar way to that of Air traffic control (ARC) for aircrafts. The system will monitor, track and aid in communication between the trains and the control room thereby ensuring smooth movement of rakes as well as help in preventing adverse events.

• This is the first time that MTRC is commissioned in Indian Railways. It is a historic move of the Indian Railways.

• The new system has already been installed in 90 out of 100 rakes running between Churchgate and Virar.

Union Minister for Social justice and Empowerment will virtually launch “Sugamya Bharat App”

• The App has been developed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

• Sugamya Bharat APP — a Crowdsourcing Mobile Application is a means for sensitising and enhancing accessibility in the 3 pillars of the Accessible India Campaign i.e. built environment, transportation sector and ICT ecosystem in India.

• The app provides for five main features, 4 of which are directly related to enhancing accessibility, while the fifth is a special feature meant only for Divyangjan for COVID related issues.

• The accessibility related features are: the registration of complaints of inaccessibility across the 3 broad pillars of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan; positive feedback of examples and best practices worth emulating being shared by people as jan-bhagidhari; Departmental updates; and guidelines and circulars related to accessibility.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its “Waste to Wealth” Mission launched the “Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship”

• Aim of the fellowship to recognize students, community workers/self-help groups, and municipal/sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the enormous challenge of waste management, scientifically and sustainably.

• The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).

• The three categories of awards under the fellowships are as below:

  • Category-A – Open to School students from 9th to 12th standards engaged in waste management community work

  • Category-B – Open to College students (UG, PG, Research students) engaged in waste management community work

  • Category-C – Open to Citizens working in the community and through SHGs, municipal or sanitary workers working beyond specifications of their job requirement/descriptions

• The last date for applying to the fellowship is March 19th, 2021. Up to 500 fellows will be recognised under the fellowship.

Archaeologists working at Pompeii have announced the discovery of a large ceremonial chariot, found with four wheels, its iron components, bronze and tin decorations, mineralised wood remains, and imprints of organic materials.

• It is likely that the chariot was used as a transport vehicle by Roman elites during various ceremonies.

• This is an exceptional discovery, because it represents a unique find – which has no parallel in Italy thus far – in an excellent state of preservation.

• Pompeii was a Roman town in Southern Italy’s Campania region situated along the Bay of Naples. The town was completely buried by volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, over 2,000 years ago.

• Earlier, researchers unearthed a thermopolium, Latin for hot drinks counter, in Pompeii. The snack food counter was found complete with an image of a Nereid riding a sea-horse, decorative still-life frescoes, food residues etc.

• In November 2020, the Italian Culture Ministry announced the discovery of well-preserved remains of two men, who perished during the volcanic eruption.

The centuries-old St. George’s Orthodox Church at Cheppad in Kerala faced demolition for widening of National Highway 66, but is now set to become a Centrally-protected monument of national importance with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recognition.

• The church is one of the rarest in Kerala, having traditional Kerala church architectural pattern with rare and beautiful mural paintings on the walls of the altar.

• The church is thought to date back to AD 950, but some experts say it was built in AD 1050. Though rebuilt in 1952, the old apse at the eastern end preserves the murals.

• There are 47 murals and the paintings are of St. Paul with a sword, the birth of Jesus Christ, resurrection of Lazarus, the kiss of Judas, the Last Supper, Christ bearing the cross, Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, and Noah’s Ark.

• These paintings, blending Persian and Kerala mural art styles, draw enthusiasts from far and wide.

The NITI Aayog recently circulated a discussion paper on a proposed revision in the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

• The NFSA provides a legal right to persons belonging to “eligible households” to receive foodgrains at subsidised price– rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg and coarse grain at Rs 1/kg — under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

• These are called central issue prices (CIPs).

• Under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Act, the term “eligible households” comprises two categories — “priority households”, and families covered by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).

  • Priority households are entitled to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month.

  • AAY households are entitled to 35 kg per month at the same prices.

Proposed Changes

• The national rural and urban coverage ratio be reduced from the existing 75-50 to 60-40. if this reduction happens, the number of beneficiaries under the NFSA will drop to 71.62 crore (on the basis of the projected population in 2020).

• To make these changes in the law, the government will have to amend sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the NFSA. For this, it will require parliamentary approval.

• If the national coverage ratio is revised downward, the Centre can save up to Rs 47,229 crore (as estimated by the NITI Aayog paper). However, the move may be opposed by some of the states.