Daily Current Affairs MCQ- May 18, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan pitched in with an idea of a “Malviya Mission” to develop enabling ecosystem across the country for teacher education/faculty development.

• Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861 – 1946) was an Indian educationist and a Freedom Fighter.
• Names: He was conferred the title of ‘Mahamana’ by Mahatma Gandhi. During his school days he started writing poems under the pen name ‘Makarand’ which were published in journals and magazines.
• Role in Freedom Movement: He was a moderate leader. He was elected as the president of Indian National Congress four times in 1909, 1918, 1932 and 1933, but owing to his arrest by the Government of India, he could not preside over the 1932 and 1933 sessions which had been banned.
• As an Educationist: He founded Banaras Hindu University (BHU) at Varanasi in 1916, which was created under the B.H.U. Act, 1915. He was Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University from 1919–1938.
• Journalism: He started the 'Abhyudaya' as a Hindi weekly in 1907 and made it a daily in 1915. He also started the 'Maryada' a Hindi monthly in 1910. He started the 'Leader' an English daily in 1909. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the 'Hindustan Times' from 1924 to 1946.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 has been challenged in the Supreme Court on the ground that it bars judicial review, which is a basic feature of the Constitution.

Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 Act

• Nature of place of worship: The Act declares that the religious character of a place of worship “shall continue to be the same as it existed” during independence from British rule. It signifies two things as follows:
• No Alteration: The Act prohibits conversion of any place of worship, in full or part of a place of worship of any religious denomination into a place of worship of a different religious denomination — or even a different segment of the same religious denomination.
• Specific Date: The Act specifies 15th day of August, 1947, as cutoff date to maintain status quo of any place of worship.
• Nullifies suit or appeal: The Act also mentions that any suit or legal proceeding with respect to the conversion of the religious character of any place of worship existing on August 15, 1947, pending before any court, shall abate — and no fresh suit or legal proceedings shall be instituted.

Hence both statements are correct.

Several parts of the country are reeling under heat wave conditions. Cities, especially, are a lot hotter than rural areas. This is due to a phenomenon called an “urban heat island”.

• An urban heat island is a local and temporary phenomenon experienced when certain pockets within a city experience higher heat load than surrounding or neighbouring areas on the same day.
• These are not the typical islands around water bodies, but urban heat islands that record higher day temperatures than other localities.
• The temperature variation can range between 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.
• For example, a greener locality like Pashan in Pune often records cooler temperatures than urban areas like Shivajinagar, Chinchwad or Magarpatta.

Causes

• The variations are mainly due to heat remaining trapped within locations that often resemble concrete jungles.
• Rural areas have relatively larger green cover in the form of plantations, farmlands, forests and trees as compared to urban spaces. This green cover plays a major role in regulating heat in its surroundings.
• Cities usually have buildings constructed with glass, bricks, cement and concrete — all of which are dark-coloured materials, meaning they attract and absorb higher heat content.

Hence both statements are correct.

• GAGAN is an acronym for GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation. It is a Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS). Hence statement 1 is correct.
• It is jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organization and AAI to provide the best possible navigational services over Indian FIR (Flight Information Region) with the capability of expanding to neighboring FIRs. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• GAGAN is a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections, giving you better position accuracy.
• GPS alone does not meet the ICAOs navigational requirements for accuracy, integrity, and availability. GAGAN corrects for GPS signal errors caused by Ionospheric disturbances, timing, and satellite orbit errors and it provides vital information regarding the health of each satellite.

MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme

• This Scheme is an extensive drive to enable and facilitate MSMEs adopt ZED practices and motivate and incentivize them for ZED (Zero Defect Zero Effect) Certification while also encouraging them to become MSME Champions. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification can be attained in Three Levels after registering and taking the ZED Pledge:
• Certification Level 1: BRONZE
• Certification Level 2: SILVER
• Certification Level 3: GOLD. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• After taking the ZED Pledge, the MSME can apply for any Certification Level if it feels that it can fulfil the requirements mentioned in each level.
• The intent of taking a ZED Pledge is to take a “pre-commitment” or a solemn promise by MSMEs to uphold the values of Zero Defect Zero Effect in their practices and to urge them to move ahead on the journey of ZED.

• Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a proposal to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
  • In 2012, Brazil became the first country in the world to ban menthol cigarettes. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • India has not banned the sale of menthol cigarettes. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
    • In 2019, the Centre banned electronic cigarettes and in addition, different states have their own rules in place banning hookah consumption, including flavored hookahs, in public places.
• Menthol, with its minty taste and aroma, “reduces the irritation and harshness of smoking.
  • This increases appeal and makes menthol cigarettes easier to use, particularly for youth and young adults.
  • Menthol also interacts with nicotine in the brain to enhance nicotine’s addictive effects, while making it more difficult for people to quit smoking.

• Article 366 (25) of the Constitution refers to Scheduled Tribes as those communities that are scheduled in accordance with Article 342 of the Constitution.
  • Article 342 says that only those communities who have been declared as such by the President through an initial public notification or through a subsequent amending Act of Parliament will be Scheduled Tribes.
• The list of Scheduled Tribes is State/UT specific, and a community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in one State need not be so in another State.
• The Constitution is silent about the criteria for specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe. Hence, statement 1 is NOT correct.
• In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, that are less developed among the tribal groups.
  • In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups.

• The Special Drawing Rights (SDR) is neither a currency nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of IMF members. SDRs can be exchanged for these currencies.
• The SDR basket of currencies includes the US dollar, Euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling and the Chinese renminbi. Chinese renminbi is the currency which is included in the SDR basket in 2016. Hence statement 1 is not correct
• The SDR currency value is calculated daily (except on IMF holidays or whenever the IMF is closed for business) and the valuation basket is reviewed and adjusted every five years. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly launched the first Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT). Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• The report assumes significance as 90% of those who need assistive technology do not have access to it globally.
• Assistive technology into health systems is critical for progress towards the targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) relating to Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Hence statement 2 is correct.

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• It was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25^th January 1950 (celebrated as national voters' day). The secretariat of the commission is in New Delhi.
• The Election Commission of India administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country. Hence Statement 2 is not correct.
• Election to the panchayati raj institution is conducted by the State Election Commission.