Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 16, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The UN-backed conclave will open in Thiruvananthapuram on November 16, featuring prominent voices against drug abuse from India and abroad.

• It is organised by Fourth Wave Foundation (FWF) in partnership with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD).
• Theme: ‘Children Matter-Right to a Drug-Free Childhood’ is the central theme of the meet.
• Fourth Wave Foundation’s initiative against substance abuse named ‘VENDA’ (No to Drugs), strongly advocates the ‘alternative pursuit’ model in Kerala on the lines of Icelandic Model (IM).
• Major activities of ‘VENDA’ include empowerment programmes for children, football training, summer camp, football tourney ‘Venda Cup’ and awareness classes for parents, teachers, counsellors, police and excise officers.
• ‘VENDA’ is active in districts that have a very high number of drug-addicted teens found by the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) survey conducted by the Narcotic Control Bureau.
• The increasing relevance of the Icelandic Model (IM) of intervention in bringing teenagers affected by drug use disorders back to normal life through alternative pursuits will be a key topic of deliberations at the International Forum on ‘Right to Drug-free Childhood’.
  • Around 30 years ago, Iceland was the hotspot of teenage drug consumption in Europe.
  • Today, the country stands first on the European list of de-addicted teenagers.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Tribal Affairs Ministry intends to go ahead with its plan to build new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) on 15 acres of land in all sub-districts which have Scheduled Tribe communities of more than 20,000 people, who make up at least 50% of their total population, despite a Parliamentary panel saying that this criteria is “impractical”.

• Implementing ministry: Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Background: The scheme of EMRSs was introduced in the year 1997-98 to ensure tribal students get access to quality education in the remote tribal areas.
• Features:
  • The schools would focus to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to ST Students in these areas.
  • Apart from school building including hostels and staff quarters, provision for a playground, students' computer lab, teacher resource room etc. are also included in the EMRSs.
• Revamp of scheme: In 2018, Union Cabinet revamped the scheme with following features.
  • EMRSs will be setup in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons.
  • There will be an Autonomous Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs similar to Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to run the EMRSs.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

3rd Ministerial Conference on Countering Financing of Terrorism - No Money for Terror to be held in New Delhi on November 18 and 19.

• It is organised by Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It aims to progress the discussions on combating terrorist financing held by the international community in the previous two Conferences in Paris (2018) and Melbourne (2019).
• It also intends to include discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperation aspects of all facets of terrorism financing.
• It attempts to also set the pace for other high level official and political deliberations, focused on countering terrorist financing.
• The Conference intends to bring together representatives of 75 countries and international bodies for extended deliberations over two days.

Focus areas:

• Discussions at the 3rd ‘No Money For Terror’ Conference will be focussed on global trends in terrorism and terrorist financing, use of formal and informal channels of funds for terrorism, emerging technologies and terrorist financing and requisite international co-operation to address related challenges.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A three-day National Workshop on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals in Gram Panchayats through Adopting Thematic Approaches: Theme 1: Poverty Free and Enhanced Livelihood Gram Panchayats is being organised during 14 – 16 November, 2022 at CIAL Convention Centre, Kochi, Kerala.

• The workshop aims to create awareness on the national level importance of addressing
  • marginalisation – inclusion and access to basic services, social safety nets and protection systems – leveraging National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) through Panchayats, and
  • livelihoods – the role of Panchayats in addressing income inequality & poverty, eradicating extreme poverty and improving employment opportunities for poor, vulnerable and marginalized sections and
  • building resilience of vulnerable communities against the sudden shocks brought about by disasters and extreme climate events.

Sustainable Development Goals:

• Sustainable Development Goals adopted by United Nations came into effect from January 1, 2016.
• Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India has adopted thematic approach to SDGs – It is approach to ensure ‘local action’ for achieving ‘global plan’.
• The approach aims to localise SDGs in rural areas through PRIs, especially Gram Panchayats by clubbing 17 ‘Goals’ into ‘9 Themes’.
• Appropriate policy decisions and revisions have followed resulting into revamping of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) and Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) Guidelines which smoothens the process of Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in Gram Panchayats. 

Hence both statements are correct.

International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is all set for its 53rd edition in 2022 in Goa.

• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is among Asia’s most prominent film festivals. 
• It is held annually, currently in the state of Goa.
• Since 2004, starting from the 35th edition, the International Film Festival of India, became globally competitive, and moved to its permanent venue Goa, and is being held during the months of November and December of each year.
• The festival is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.
• The idea of the International Film Festival of India is to celebrate films, the stories they tell and the people behind them. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to Indian Navy, as many as 392 reported incidents of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing were monitored in 2021 compared to 379 in 2020 in the Indian Ocean.

• Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to rise beyond India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• Chinese fishing vessels, fishing vessels from European Union countries and other countries from outside the region were observed to be fishing in the Indian Ocean.
• Chinese deep sea trawlers have been a matter of concern for countries in the region, including India, as they are operating far from the Chinese coast and impacting local marine ecology.
• Most of the illegal activity is found in the Northern Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

IUU fishing:

• IUU fishing depletes fish stocks, destroys marine habitats, puts fishermen at disadvantage and impacts coastal communities, especially in developing countries.

Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC):

• The presence of extra-regional distant water fishing fleets has been monitored by Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC).
• The Quad, comprising India, Australia, Japan and U.S., in May 2022 announced a major regional regional effort under the ambit of Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA).
• It aims to provide a more accurate maritime picture of “near-real-time” activities in the region.
• It is expected to catalyse joint efforts of India and other Quad partners towards addressing IUU in Indo-Pacific region.
• All vessel movements on the high seas are monitored by the Indian Navy’s IMAC in Gurugram and the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) which is co-located with it.
• IFC-IOR has been collaborating with other regional monitoring centres across the globe to enhance maritime safety and security, including efforts to monitor IUU.

Regional fisheries management organisations:

• As per United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal nations are responsible for addressing IUU fishing issues within their respective EEZ.
• There are regional fisheries management organisations such as the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement operating under the mandate of UNCLOS as regulatory bodies to monitor IUU fishing on the high seas.

Global Regulations:

• There are two main regulations globally on IUU fishing:
  • the Cape Town Agreement and
  • the Agreement on Ports State Measures.
• So far, India is not a signatory of either agreement.

Vehicle management systems:

• Fishing vessels across the world are supposed to have vehicle management systems installed which not only identify their position, but also requires them to record the volume and location of their catch, helping to tackle the issue of IUU fishing.
  • For instance, the European Union has made it mandatory to provide this information for all fish imports.
• In India, while larger vessels, over 20 metres in length, have such Automatic Identification Systems installed, similar efforts for sub-20 metre vessels have been delayed.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recently announced National Sports Awards 2022.

• India's Table Tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal has been conferred with the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award for 2022.
• Seema Punia and Lakshya Sen were amongst the Arjuna Award winners for this year.
• Eldhose Paul, Avinash Mukund Sable, and Nikhat Zareen were also conferred with Arjuna Awards.
• The Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games Regular category went to Jiwanjot Singh Teja (Archery), Mohammad Ali Qamar (Boxing), Suma Siddharth Shirur (Para Shooting) and Sujeet Maan (Wrestling).

Awards:

• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: It is the highest sporting honour of India. It was instituted in 1991–92. The recipient(s) is/are honoured for their outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years at international level.
• Dronacharya Awards: It was instituted in 1985 to honour eminent Coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious International sports events.
• Arjuna awards: It was instituted in 1961. To be eligible for the Award, a sportsperson should have had not only good performance over the previous four years at the International level but also should have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
• Dhyan Chand Award: It was instituted in 2002. It is an award for life-time achievements in sports.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award: It is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: It was instituted in 1956-57 to honour the top overall performing university in the Inter-University Tournaments.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar: It was instituted from 2009 to recognize the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

Hence both statements are not correct.

India’s National Grid Operator “Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO)” recently announced that POSOCO has changed its name to “Grid Controller of India Limited”.

• The change in name has been made to reflect the critical role of Grid Operators in ensuring integrity, reliability, economy, resilience and sustainable operation of the Indian Electricity Grid.
• “Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India)” operates the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) and five (5) Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs).
• Grid-India is also designated as the nodal agency for major reforms in the power sector such as implementation and operation of Green Energy Open Access Portal, Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Mechanism, transmission pricing, short term open access in transmission, Deviation Settlement Mechanism, Power System Development Fund (PSDF), etc.

Hence both statements are correct.

"In our LiFEtime" Campaign was recently launched by India at COP 27, Sharm El-Sheikh.

• National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), jointly launched “In Our LiFEtime” campaign.
• It aims to encourage youth between the ages of 18 to 23 years to become message bearers of sustainable lifestyles.
• This campaign envisions to recognize youth from around the world taking climate action initiatives that resonate with the concept of LiFE.
• The campaign will involve more youth in the conversation about climate change, adaptation and mitigation, and provide them a platform to share their concerns, issues and solutions with the leaders of the world.

Hence both statements are correct.

The third edition of the ‘Pan-India’ Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22’ will be conducted on 15-16 Nov 22.

• This National Level Coastal Defence Exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since ‘26/11’.
• The concept of ‘Sea Vigil’ is to activate the Coastal Security apparatus across India and assess the overarching Coastal Defence mechanism.
• The exercise will be undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and will involve all the Coastal States and Union territories along with other maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
• The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Coast Guard and other ministries entrusted with the task of maritime activities.
• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
• Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum Maritime Security challenges.

Hence both statements are correct.