Daily Current Affairs MCQ- May 3, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Saint Thiruvalluvar on Thiruvalluvar Day.

• Thiruvalluvar Day was first celebrated on May 17 and 18 in 1935.
• In the present time, it is usually observed either on January 15 or 16 in Tamil Nadu and is a part of Pongal celebrations.
• The occasion is named after and honours the poet, Thiruvalluvar.

Who is Thiruvalluvar?

• He was a poet and philosopher, is regarded as a cultural icon by Tamils.
• He is fondly referred to as Valluvar by Tamils.
• His most popular work is Thirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, politics, economy and love.
• Thiruvalluvar’s primary work Thirukkural contains 1330 couplets (kurals) that are divided into 133 sections of 10 couplets each.
• The text is divided into three parts with teachings on dharma, artha, and kama (virtue, wealth and love).
• Each section covers a wide range of topics and imparts moral, ethical, and practical guidance to the readers.
• The couplets are composed in a concise and poetic form, making them easily memorable and quotable.

Hence both statements are correct.

First in many years, a vulture was spotted in the skyline of Thane which has not been spotted over two decades in the city.

• The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) is an Old World vulture native to Asia.
• They are also known as Indian long-billed vultures due to their comparatively longer beak. 
• It is a medium-sized and bulky scavengers feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead animals.
• Females of this species are smaller than males.
• Distribution: These are native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
• Habitat: They are usually found in savannas and other open habitats around villages, cities, and near cultivated areas.
• Threats: The Indian vulture has suffered a 97-99% population decrease due to poisoning caused by the veterinary drug diclofenac. This drug is toxic for vultures; it was given to working animals as it reduced joint pain and so kept them working for longer. 
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

Hence both statements are correct.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has begun the process of revising the current National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) and invited relevant stakeholders to offer suggestions on adding or deleting diagnostic tests to the current list by the end of February. 

• The NEDL lists the essential and most basic tests that should be available at various levels of healthcare facilities in the country, including at the village level, in sub-health centres, health and wellness centres, and primary health centres.
• The ICMR had released the first NEDL in 2019 to make the availability of diagnostics an essential component of the healthcare system.
• The list includes general laboratory tests for a broad range of common conditions for the diagnosis of communicable and non-communicable diseases, disease-specific tests for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, dengue, malaria, and area-endemic diseases.
• India is the first country to release the NEDL.
• Since 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the development and implementation of a National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) to facilitate the availability of In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs) across the various tiers of the healthcare pyramid, facilities with or without a laboratory onsite.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Indian Vice President recently inaugurated the 12th General Assembly of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace in New Delhi.

About Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP):

• It was founded in 1970 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as a voluntary movement of followers of Buddhism with both monastic (monks) and lay members. 
• Its aim is to bring together the efforts of Buddhists in support of consolidating universal peace, harmony, and cooperation among people in Asia.
• It is currently headquartered at the Gandanthegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and the Supreme Head of Mongolian Buddhists is the ABCP President.
• The aims of ABCP: Striving to disseminate and implement the teachings of the Lord Buddha, ABCP aims to:
• Bring together the efforts of Buddhists in support of consolidating universal peace, harmony, and cooperation among the peoples of Asia.
• Furthering their economic and social advancement and promoting respect for justice and human dignity.
• Disseminating the Buddhist culture, tradition, and heritage.
• History:
• The roots of founding of ABCP lay in the Cold War politics of peace movements, and consolidation of allies, and building popular outreach among the masses through various organizations. 
• Most Venerable Gabji Samaagiin Gombojav, Khambo Lama of Mongolia, Venerable J. Gomboyev from Buriat, Khambo Lama of the former Soviet Union, Venerable Kushok Bakula Rinpoche from India, and Buddhist leaders from Sri Lanka and Nepal came together and officially founded the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) in 1970 with a permanent headquarters in Ulaanbaatar.
• It drew active participation from Mongolia, Japan, India, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bhutan, Russian Far East, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other regional countries.
• ABCP was registered as an observer to the UN’s Economic and Social Council in 1988 in recognition of its contribution to the well-being of humanity.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to the Food Waste Index Report 2024, households across the globe wasted over one billion meals a day in 2022.

• It a study jointly authored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a U.K.-based non-profit.
• The Food Waste Index tracks the global and national generation of food and inedible parts wasted at the retail and consumer (household and food service) levels.
• Highlights of the report
• It noted that in 2022, there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated (including inedible parts), amounting to 132 kilograms per capita and almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers.
• It stressed the importance of expanding and strengthening data infrastructure to enable the tracking and monitoring of food waste.
• Many low- and middle-income countries continue to lack adequate systems for tracking progress to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030, particularly in retail and food services.”
• At present, only four G-20 countries (Australia, Japan, U.K., U.S.) and the European Union have food waste estimates suitable for tracking progress to 2030.
• Hotter countries appear to generate more food waste per capita in households, potentially due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts and a lack of robust cold chains.
• As compared to urban areas, rural ones generally wasted less food, due to “greater diversion of food scraps to pets, livestock, and home composting”.
• As of 2022, only 21 countries had included food loss and/or waste reduction in their climate plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• The report defines “food waste” as “food and the associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain”.
• Food loss” is defined as “all the crop and livestock human-edible commodity quantities that, directly or indirectly, completely exit the post-harvest/slaughter production/supply chain up to, and excluding, the retail level”.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

As per the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 4,500 Rohingya refugees set off on dangerous journeys across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea IN 2023.

• It protects refugees worldwide and facilitates their return home or resettlement.
• History: It was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1950 in the aftermath of the Second World War to help the millions of people who had lost their homes.
• It is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.
• It was awarded Nobel Peace Prizes in 1954 and 1981.
• It has started Nansen Refugee Award in 1954 for recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced or stateless people.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, Skyroot Aerospace, the leading space-tech company, has successfully test-fired the Kalam-250 at the propulsion testbed of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), at its Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

• It is a stage-2 of Vikram-1 space launch vehicle.
• It is a high-strength carbon composite rocket motor, which uses solid fuel and a high-performance Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymers (EPDM) thermal protection system (TPS).
• The stage includes a carbon ablative flex nozzle along with high-precision electro-mechanical actuators for thrust vector control of the vehicle, aiding in achieving the desired trajectory. 
• The second stage of Vikram-1 will play a crucial role in the ascent of the launch vehicle, propelling it from the atmosphere to the deep vacuum of outer space.
• It is developed by the Skyroot Aerospace.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new network for coronaviruses, CoViNet.

• It is a network of global laboratories with expertise in human, animal and environmental coronavirus surveillance.
• It will identify and monitor potentially novel coronaviruses that could emerge shortly.
• The network will now have animal health and environmental surveillance and timely risk assessment to feed WHO policies and protective measures.
• In low- and middle-income countries, CoViNet will support the building of more laboratories to monitor MERS-CoV and novel coronaviruses of public health importance.
• Data generated through CoViNet's efforts will guide the work of WHO's Technical Advisory Groups on Viral Evolution (TAG-VE) and Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) and others, ensuring global health policies and tools are based on the latest scientific information.
• It currently comprises 36 laboratories from 21 countries in all six WHO regions.
• Three Indian laboratories namely; the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology in Pune, and the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute are part of this network.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has made it clear that courts can order release of an accused of money laundering under police custody without fulfilling twin conditions as mandated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

What is Money Laundering?

• PMLA defines money laundering as an act of directly or indirectly attempting to indulge or knowingly assisting or knowingly being a party or actually involved in concealing, possessing, acquiring, using, projecting as untainted property, or claiming as untainted property, in any manner whatsoever, the proceeds of crime.
• It is defined as the process through which an illegal fund, such as black money, is obtained from illegal activities and disguised as legal money, eventually portrayed as white money. 

About Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002: 

• It is an act to prevent money laundering and to provide for the confiscation of property derived from or involved in money laundering.
• The Act was formulated for the following objectives:
• Prevent money-laundering.
• Combat/prevent the channelising of money into illegal activities and economic crimes.
• Provide for the confiscation of property derived from, or involved/used in, money laundering.
• Penalise the offenders of money laundering offences. 
• Appointing an adjudicating authority and appellate tribunal for taking charge of money laundering matters.
• Provide for matters connected and incidental to the acts of money laundering.
• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, is responsible for investigating the offences of money laundering under the PMLA.
• Financial Intelligence Unit–India (FIU-IND), under the Department of Revenue, is the central national agency responsible for receiving, processing, analyzing, and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions.
• The scheduled offences are separately investigated by the agencies mentioned under respective acts, for example, the local police, CBI, customs departments, SEBI, or any other investigative agency, as the case may be.
• Actions that can be initiated against the person involved in money laundering:
• Seizure/freezing of property and records, and attachment of property obtained with the proceeds of crime.
• Any person who commits the offence of money laundering shall be punishable with:
• Rigorous imprisonment for a minimum term of three years, and this may extend up to seven years.
• Fine (without any limit).
• The PMLA and rules notified thereunder impose obligations on banking companies, financial institutions, and intermediaries and persons carrying on a designated business or profession, to verify identity of clients, maintain records and furnish information to FIU-IND. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A supreme court bench recently recorded observations on how courts should decide pre-trial injunctions against media organisations, and the growing use of SLAPP suits “to prevent the public from knowing about or participating in important affairs in the public interest”.

About SLAPP Suits: 

• The term ‘SLAPP’, stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation.
• The concept of a SLAPP lawsuit evolved in the US, where it was observed that certain lawsuits were filed targeting individual or group litigants who voiced their concern over important or considerable social issues in the public arena.
• The subject matter of the suit would target an act of public participation, such as engaging in an issue of societal or political significance, in the form of journalism, advocacy, whistleblowing, peaceful protests or boycotts, activism, or simply speaking out against abuse of power.
• As such, winning the lawsuit is not the focus. The plaintiff’s goal is typically accomplished if the defendant succumbs to fear, intimidation, mounting legal costs or simple exhaustion and abandons the criticism.
• The remedies sought are usually substantial amounts of damages, and generally aggressive or disproportionate to the subject matter of the dispute.
• SLAPP suits are routinely filed for libel, slander, defamation, abuse of process, malicious prosecution, conspiracy, invasion of privacy, and tortious interference with contract or business relationships.
• The most common SLAPP suits have often involved a powerful corporation suing local citizens for speaking against their company.

Hence option c is the correct answer.