Daily Current Affairs MCQ- May 31, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The Central government has extended the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) for students from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for another five years in the wake of the encouraging response it has received.

The Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) was introduced by the Central government

Objective:

• To promote employment opportunities for students from J&K and Ladakh.
• Under the scheme, funding is provided to 5,000 meritorious students each year to study in private and government educational institutions across the country.
• The scheme offers 4,500 seats for general education courses (Bachelor’s in Arts, Commerce and Science), and 250 each for engineering and medical degrees.
• Budget: Rs 180-190 crore annually.
• Implementing Agency: All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog organised 'National Outreach Meet' for the second edition of the Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) at International Centre Goa, hosted by AIC-GIM Foundation.

• ANIC is a flagship program of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
• The program aims to seek, select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and societal relevance.
• Each ANIC winner will be eligible for a funding of up to INR 1 crore.
• The sectors in which ANIC 2.0 launched the challenges include E-mobility, Road Transportation, Space Technology and Application, Sanitation, Medical Devices and Equipment, Waste Management and Agriculture.
• The first edition of the ANIC program received more than 1000 applications for 24 challenges and is currently supporting 30+ startups through grants, partnerships, networking, tech support, mentorship, infrastructure and access to investors.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Union government has extended a scholarship scheme from the United Progressive Alliance era for students from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for another five years in the wake of the encouraging response it has received.

• The Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) was introduced by the Congress-led UPA government in 2011 to provide funding to 5,000 meritorious students each year to study in private and government educational institutions across the country.
• Aimed at promoting employment opportunities for students from J&K and Ladakh, the scheme, with an annual budget of ₹180 crore to ₹190 crore, is implemented by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• The term of the scheme was due to end last year, but the Central government decided to extend it for another five years for the benefit of students.
• The scheme offers 4,500 seats for general education courses (Bachelor’s in Arts, Commerce and Science), and 250 each for engineering and medical degrees.
• While the scholarship offered for general education courses is ₹1.3 lakh, including a ₹1 lakh maintenance fee to cover hostel and mess charges, it is ₹2.25 lakh for engineering and ₹4 lakh for medical degrees.

Hence both statements are correct.

Posing a challenge for urban planners, UN-Habitat has identified multi-hazard vulnerabilities, urban sprawl, weak urban mobility and “green-blue disconnect” as the pressing issues for Jaipur city.

• The global body has based its findings on a sustainable cities integrated approach pilot project, as part of which the “sustainable urban planning and management” component was implemented in collaboration with the Jaipur Development Authority and Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation.
• Jaipur has received an overall sustainability rating of three on the Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF) on the basis of data collected for 87 of its 131 parameters.
• Experts have identified urban sectors where the city needs to pay maximum attention, and made recommendations to increase its green cover, strengthen urban biodiversity, and enhance the quality of life for citizens.
• The project has received funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF-6) to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of Indian cities.
• Mitigating urban sprawl remains a major challenge in the State capital, with the UN body emphasising the concept of a compact city with re-development and re-densification of the existing urban areas.
• As an indirect measure to curb development on the city’s outskirts, linking the distance from the main city to the development charges imposed on citizens could be considered.

Hence both statements are correct.

A renowned Punjabi singer was recently shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district, a day after the State police withdrew his security cover.

VIP security:

Eligibility:

• Protection is usually provided to those with high-ranking positions in government or civil society, hence the term "VIP security."
• Because of their official jobs, certain individuals (the Prime Minister and his immediate family, the Home Minister, the National Security Advisor, etc) are automatically eligible for security coverage.
• However, the Centre is rarely interested in protecting individuals (except above), state police forces protect a large number of "important people" whose lives are believed to be in danger based on state government assessments.
• There are no legal restrictions on the government providing security to a criminal whose life is believed to be in danger.
• In reality, it is the responsibility of the state to protect the lives of inmates and convicts.

The process of security cover:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) determines the level of security at the national level, while the state government determines the level of security at the state level.
• The evaluation is based on intelligence agency information, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) at the national level, and the state intelligence department at the state level.
• The state bears the cost of everyone to whom the government provides security. However, free cover is not a right.

Hence both statements are correct.

Addressing the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme's on All India Radio, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recounted how he received an interesting gift by a Self-Help Group from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

• The gift was a special Thanjavur Doll, which is scripting a new saga of women empowerment as Women's Self-Help Groups' stores and kiosks are opening up in Thanjavur.
• With the help of such kiosks and stores, women are now able to sell their products directly to the customers. The initiative has been named 'Tharagaigal Kaivinai Porutkal Virpanai Angadi'.
• The Thanjavur doll is a type of traditional Indian bobblehead or roly-poly toy made of terracotta material.
• The centre of gravity and total weight of the doll is concentrated at its bottom-most point, generating a dance-like continuous movement with slow oscillations.
• These toys are traditionally handmade, finished with detailed, painted exteriors.
• They have been recognized as a Geographical Indication by the Government of India as of 2008-09.

There are 43 geographical-coded unique objects from Tamil Nadu including Thanjavur paintings, Kovai Kora cotton sarees, Kovilpatti groundnut candy, Salem silk and Erode turmeric.

In addition to this, 24 unique products such as Salem sago, Udangudi panangarupatti, Manapparai murukku, Thoothukudi macaroni, Panruti cashew and jackfruit, and Marthandam honey have applied for GI and are under consideration.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has issued a draft National Data Governance Framework to mobilise non-personal data of citizens for use by both public and private entities to improve services.

• It proposes the launch of a non-personal data based India datasets programme and addresses the methods and rules to ensure that non-personal and anonymised data from both government and private entities are safely accessible by the research and innovation ecosystem.
• The Framework will be of interest to artificial intelligence (AI) start-ups, AI research entities, and government departments.
• it would also accelerate digital government and digitisation of government with common standards, rules and guidelines for data storage and management across all departments.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

• The e-Shram portal launched in 2021, is aimed at building a comprehensive National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW) in the country. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The basic motive of e-Shram portal is to register unorganized workers such as construction laborers, migrant workforce, street vendors, and domestic workers, among others.
• The workers will be issued an e-Shram card containing a 12-digit unique number. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• If a worker is registered on the e-SHRAM portal and meets with an accident, he will be eligible for Rs 2.0 Lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs 1.0 lakh on partial disability. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• A unicorn is any privately owned firm with a market capitalization of more than USD 1 billion.
  • It denotes new entities dedicated to offering creative solutions and new business models, among other things.
  • Mostly, all the unicorns have brought a disruption in the field they belong to, for example, Uber transformed commuting. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• One unicorn means a startup of at least Rs 7,500 crore turnover. The total valuation of these unicorns is USD 330 billion, that is over Rs 25 lakh crore.
• There are several categories like fintech, Edtechs, B2B (Business-to-Business) companies to which the Unicorns may belong (but they are not essentially Unicorns). Hence statement 2 is not correct.
  • A recent report suggests that 87% of the unicorns’ products are software, 7% are hardware and the remaining 6% are other products & services.
• The average annual growth rate of Indian unicorns is more than that of the U.S., the U.K. and many other countries.
• Most of the unicorns are privately owned, which gets their valuation bigger when an established company invests in it. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

• P-75 is one of two lines of submarines, the other being P75I, as part of a plan approved in 1999 for indigenous submarine construction with technology taken from overseas firms. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The contract for six submarines under P75 was given to Mazgaon dock in October 2005 and delivery was to start in 2012, but the project has faced delays.
• The programme has been undertaken with the transfer of technology from the French company Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS) at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL). Hence, statement 2 is not correct.