Daily Current Affairs MCQ - November 13, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the revamped war memorial at Rezang La in eastern Ladakh next week.

• The memorial, dedicated to those who laid down their lives in the Battle of Rezang La during the 1962 war, now includes the names of Army personnel who lost their lives in the violent clash at Galwan last year.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

The Union Government agreed to grant permanent commission (PC) to 11 women Army officers who met the eligibility criteria after the Supreme Court threatened to initiate contempt proceedings.

• Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers, who have not approached the court but nonetheless meet the various eligibility criteria, would be granted PC in three weeks, the Government informed the court.
• In October, the court similarly intervened in favour of granting PC to 39 other SSC women officers.
• In August, over 70 women officers approached the court, challenging the Army’s decision finding them ineligible for PC. They said they were disqualified despite satisfying the 60% assessment threshold for PC as prescribed by the court.
• The order had said PC should be given to women SSC officers who obtained 60% marks in their assessment, subject to their meeting the medical criteria prescribed by the Army’s August 1, 2020, order and receiving disciplinary and vigilance clearance.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The 2022 edition of the Conference of Parties, or the 27th COP, will take place at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and the 28th edition in 2023 will be held in the UAE, the Council decided even as a final agreement to conclude COP26 proved elusive until the time of going to press.

• For a final agreement, all countries have to agree to every word in the text agreement, drafted by the team of COP president Alok Sharma. This text is a synthesis of all the discussions since November 1 when the COP26 began.
• The COP26 will not unveil a treaty as in 2015 when the Paris Agreement came into being but is expected to guide implementation of the Paris Agreement, that exhorted countries to take steps to keep temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius by the turn of the century and “pursue efforts to keep it” to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Developing countries such as India and China are pushing for formal acknowledgement from the West that they have not delivered on past promises of providing $100 billion annually until 2020.
• Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Indian astronomers have developed an algorithm that can increase the accuracy of data from exoplanets by reducing the contamination by the Earth’s atmosphere and the disturbances due to instrumental effects and other factors.

• This algorithm, called the critical noise treatment algorithm, can help to study the environment of exoplanets with better precision.
• The understanding of physical properties of exoplanets with extreme accuracy can help to explore the ones that could be similar to planet Earth and hence might be habitable.
• With this purpose, a group of astronomers at Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore has been using the ground-based optical telescopes available in India and the data obtained by the space telescope “Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite” or TESS.
• Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has further simplified claim settlement process through rationalization of various requirements under Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016.

• Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) has been established under Section 125 of the Companies Act 2013 for administration of the IEPF fund as per section 125 (3) of Companies Act 2013.
• The main objective of the authority includes to promote Investor Education, Awareness & Protection, refund unclaimed shares, dividends and other amounts transferred to it under sections 124 and 125 of the Companies Act 2013 to the rightful claimants.
• IEPFA works under the administrative control of MCA.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The 6th Edition of the biennial training exercise “EX SHAKTI 2021” is being conducted from 15 to 26 November 2021 in Frejus, France.

• A platoon strength of a Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion is representing the Indian Army in this bilateral exercise and the French side is being represented by troops of 21st Marine Infantry Regiment of 6th Light Armoured Brigade.
• Exercise SHAKTI will focus on Counter Terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-urban terrain under United Nations Mandate with an aim to enhance military cooperation and inter-operability between the two Armies.
• The last edition of Exercise SHAKTI was conducted at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan from 31 Oct to 13 Nov 2019.
• India and France carry out three biennial training exercises namely, Exercise GARUDA with Indian Airforce, Exercise VARUNA with Indian Navy and Exercise SHAKTI with Indian Army.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Ministry of Culture will hold a ‘Vande Bharatam- Nritya Utsav’, an All-India dance competition as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• The objective of this competition is to select dancers who will perform during the cultural programme at the Republic Day Parade of 2022. The final performance will take place on January 26, 2022 at Rajpath, India Gate.
• Vande Bharatam group dance competition will start from 17th November 2021 at district level.
• On this, occasion Minister of State for Culture Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi also launched the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav App.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, has stressed the need for a national framework to thwart cyberattacks that have been on the rise in the country.

• While a national cybersecurity strategy is in the offing, the country is also in dire need of a data protection law, with cybercriminals increasingly weaponising data as a tool against national security in the post-pandemic era, he added.
• Gen. Rawat was delivering the inaugural address of the 14th edition of c0c0n, the annual cybersecurity and hacking conference organised by the Kerala Police.
• Cyber crimes have gone up by almost 500% in India during the global pandemic. We need to consider the emerging threats from new technologies such as drones, ransomware, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and also the role of nation states in such cyber attacks.
• The lockdown, which witnessed a deeper adoption of interconnected devices and hybrid work environment, has increased our dependence on technology. This renders us digitally more vulnerable than ever before.
• General Rawat said the Information Technology Act, 2000, that dealt with cybersecurity and cybercrimes is not equipped to consider new-age changes in the mode of functioning of businesses and modus operandi of crimes in cyberspace.
• The CDS also lamented the delay in passing the Personal Data Protection Bill that had been tabled in Parliament two years ago.

Information Technology Act, 2000 is the primary law in India dealing with cybercrime and electronic commerce. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Only 20% of school-age children in India had access to remote education during the pandemic, of whom only half participated in live online lessons, according to a new national sample survey by ICRIER and LIRNEAsia, a think tank focused on digital policy.

• In fact, 38% of households said at least one child had dropped out of school due to COVID-19.
• The survey found that although digital connectivity shot up 40% during the pandemic, low access to devices, poor signal and high costs prevented most children from reaping the benefits.
• Among children aged 5-18, it found that 80% of those who were enrolled in schools prior to the pandemic did not receive any educational services at all during school closure.
• The situation was significantly worse among those from lower socio-economic classes, where the head of the household had lower education levels, and among rural households.
• Among the 20% who received education, only 55% had access to live online classes, while 68% had access to recorded audio or video lessons.
• Three-fourths of the students had work sent to them over a smartphone, usually via WhatsApp, and 61% via text messages.
• Almost 70% had contact with their teachers via phone calls.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Kerala health minister issued guidelines after norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that causes a range of symptoms, was confirmed in the state’s Wayanad district.

• Norovirus is an animal-borne disease transmitted through contaminated water and food.
• Norovirus causes gastrointestinal illness, including inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines, severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
• Norovirus does not significantly affect healthy people but it can be serious in young children, the elderly and people with comorbidities.
• Norovirus is easily transmitted through close contact with people who have been infected, or by touching contaminated surfaces. It can also be spread by eating food that has been prepared or handled by someone with the stomach bug.
• The virus is spread through the excrement and vomit of an infected person.
• Hence both statements are correct.