Daily Current Affairs MCQ - May 18, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

MyGov, the citizen engagement platform of the Government of India, in partnership with Department of Higher Education has launched an Innovation Challenge for creating an Indian Language Learning App.

• The objective of this challenge is to create an app that will promote regional language literacy, thereby creating greater cultural understanding within the country.
• The Innovation Challenge is open to Indian individuals, startups and companies.
• The Innovation Challenge closes on 27 May 2021. Upon evaluation of submission of prototypes, the top 10 teams will be invited to make presentations and top 3 will be selected by a jury. The top 3 will receive funding of INR 20, 10 and 5 lakhs to make the apps better.

After she allegedly hit two staff members at a boutique in Seoul last month, the wife of Belgium’s ambassador to South Korea will now be exercising her diplomatic immunity to avoid criminal charges.

• Diplomatic immunity is a privilege of exemption from certain laws and taxes granted to diplomats by the country in which they are posted.
• The custom was formed so that diplomats can function without fear, threat or intimidation from the host country.
• Diplomatic immunity is granted on the basis of two conventions, popularly called the Vienna Conventions — the Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, and the Convention on Consular Relations, 1963.
• They have been ratified by 187 countries, including South Korea, which means, it is a law under that country’s legal framework and cannot be violated.
• According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, the immunity enjoyed by a diplomat posted in the embassy is “inviolable”. The diplomat cannot be arrested or detained and his house will have the same inviolability and protection as the embassy.
• It is possible for the diplomat’s home country to waive immunity but this can happen only when the individual has committed a ‘serious crime’, unconnected with their diplomatic role or has witnessed such a crime. Alternatively, the home country may prosecute the individual.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Microsoft sign MoU on Joint initiative for Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) and Ashram Schools.

• Under affirmative action initiative, Microsoft will make AI curriculum available to tribal students in both English and Hindi at all EMRS schools under the Ministry to skill educators and students in next-generation technologies including Artificial Intelligence.
• Under this program in the first phase, 250 EMRS schools have been adopted by Microsoft out of which 50 EMRS schools will be given intensive training and 500 master trainers would be trained in the first phase.
• Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas in order to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors.
• In order to give further impetus to EMRS, it has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS.

With an objective of providing psychological first-aid and emotional support to children affected during COVID-19 Pandemic, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)is providing Tele-Counselling to children through SAMVEDNA.

• SAMVEDNA stands for Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance.
• It is a Toll-Free Helpline launched to provide psycho-social mental support for Children affected during COVID 19 Pandemic.
• This service is available on a toll-free No: 1800-121-2830 from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Tele counselling is provided to the children under three categories:
  • Children who are in Quarantine/isolation/COVID Care centers.
  • Children who have COVID positive parents or family members and near ones.
  • Children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19 Pandemic.
• NCPCR is a statutory body and works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash inaugurated an online course to train and certify Officers in Network Security on the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (May 17).

• The Course was organised by the National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), the premier training institute of Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.
• This is a 36-hour (12 week) Course to train and certify Officers in Network Security and is the first of its kind. While the Course is presently for DoT Officers, it is proposed to be expanded to cover other Officers of the Government and gradually those in the Private Sector also.
• Sound Telecom Network Security is a result of collaborative efforts of Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), various Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and DoT officers, including those in the field (LSAs).
• The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies.
• 17 May marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established in 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, making it among the oldest international organizations still in operation.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Toll Free Helpline for elderly persons ELDERLINE (14567) becomes operational in several states.

• In order to address the problems of elders in the context of the ongoingCOVID pandemic, the Ministry of Social Justice has started state wise call centres in major states under the ELDERLINE project. The facility is already made operational in 5 major States of UP, MP, Rajasthan, TN and Karnataka.In Telangana, this facility has been working for more than a year.
• These call centres can be reached by toll free number 14567. All elders may be advised to use this facility.
• The ELDERLINE is a facility operationalised with the assistance of Tata Trusts and NSE foundation.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Only statement 2 is correct. Statement 1: Since 1975, every year the Sikkim Statehood Day is celebrated on May 16. Sikkim is a state in northeastern India. Statement 2: On May 16, 1975, Sikkim joined the Union of India. After the monarchy was abolished, Sikkim became the 22nd state of the Indian Union. Sikkim became a protectorate of India in 1950 after the Indo-Sikkimese treaty was signed. Until 1975, the Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim.

Recently, Palaeontologists identified a new species of dinosaur called the Talkative Dinosaur in northern Mexico. The study is being done by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. Key Points: The fossil was found 10 years ago but the species was discovered now. The fossil is 70 million years old. Talkative Dinosaur: It is called “Tlatolophus galorum” and was a crested dinosaur. The crest of the Talkative Dinosaur was 1.32 m tall.

Zeolites are crystalline solid structures made of aluminium, silicon, and oxygen that form a framework with cavities and channels inside where cations, water and/or small molecules may reside. They are aluminosilicate minerals. They are microporous materials that are used as catalysts and adsorbents. Why in the news? Recently, Air India airlifted 35 tonnes of Zeolite used in Oxygen Production plants from Rome to Bengaluru.

The National History Museum, London will display a piece of the meteorite that touched down the town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire in the UK. The meteorite touched the UK in February 2021. Winchcombe Meteorite: It is 103 grams in weight. It is a fragment of black rock resembling coal found by a team from the University of Glasgow. The meteorite is 4.5 billion years old therefore it is believed to give clues about the beginning of the solar system.