Daily Current Affairs MCQ - November 24, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPP) on the Personal Data Protection Bill of 2019 is said to have adopted the final draft. The Bill is slated to be tabled in the Winter Session.

• One of the major changes that the final draft of the PDP Bill is believed to have pushed for is to include non-personal data within its ambit, which changes the nature of the Bill from personal data protection to just data protection.
• The final draft is also said to have sought additional compliance for companies that deal exclusively with children’s data, by asking them to register with the Data Protection Authority — a regulatory body that will have powers to decide on implementing the law’s various provisions.
• A third key aspect that the committee is said to have pushed for is to consider all social media companies as publishers, and to hold them accountable for the content on their platform if they are not acting as intermediaries.
• It is said to have recommended that no social media company be allowed to operate in India unless the parent company handling the technology sets up an office in India.
• Other aspects such as setting up of an indigenous architecture, which can be an alternative to the internationally accepted SWIFT payment system, are also said to have been suggested.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The unprecedented heavy rain and flooding in Bengaluru over the last few days have opened the Pandora’s box of unauthorised constructions on the city’s valleys and lake beds. Yelahanka lake, Singapura lake, Allasandra lake and Amanikere lake overflowed leading to flooding.

• The city’s topography is characterised by a series of well-defined valleys which radiate from a ridge and fall gradually in all directions.
• The four major valleys are Vrishabhavathi valley, Koramangala valley, Challaghatta valley and Hebbal valley. The lakes were built across these valleys and floodwater used to flow through these valleys.
• The lesser-known valleys are Marathalli in the east, Arkavathy and Kethamaranahalli in the northwest, Kathriguppe and Tavarekere in the south and they also play an important role in forming a natural drainage system where rainwater can flow through.
• However, due to rapid urbanisation, these natural canals have been blocked by construction layouts, residential apartments and academic institutions.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The UK government’s Department of Health and Social Care announced that an independent review will be carried out to find out if there is a potential bias in medical items such as pulse oximeters and how they impact patients from various ethnic groups.

• This move comes amid rising concerns that many medical devices are designed and calibrated for white patients.
• why is the device racist? The initial step in an oximeter is the light passing through your skin and most of these devices are calibrated for light skin and can give errors for nonwhite people.

Working

• A pulse oximeter is a small clip-like device used to calculate the amount of oxygen in your blood. It can be attached to the fingertip, earlobe or toes.
• The oximeter has a small electronic processor and a pair of LEDs – one emitting red light and another infrared. The oximeter shines these two lights which pass through your finger and the device senses what comes through the other side.
• Our blood contains haemoglobin and when it is saturated with oxygen it is called oxygenated haemoglobin and is bright red in colour. The hemoglobin without oxygen is called deoxygenated haemoglobin.
• Oxygenated haemoglobin and deoxygenated haemoglobin absorb red and infrared light differently. Oxygenated haemoglobin absorbs more infrared light and allows more red light to pass through than deoxygenated haemoglobin.
• The amount of light that is transmitted is measured by the processor and the device displays the oxygen saturation or the percentage of oxygenated haemoglobin in your blood.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a Bill to repeal two laws that were cleared last year as part of the YSRCP government’s contentious move to set up three different state capitals instead of proceeding with the previous TDP regime’s plan to develop the current capital of Amaravati, which is located between Vijayawada and Guntur.

• Of them, one of the laws that were repealed was the The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, passed in January 2020 to make way for three capitals for the state.
• This way, Amaravati was to be the Legislative capital, Visakhapatnam the Executive capital, and Kurnool the Judicial capital.
• It is not clear if the government will stick to Amaravati as the sole capital. Throughout his address, the Chief Minister stressed on the need for decentralization for equitable development of all regions.
• The CM also did not set any deadline for the introduction of the new Bill.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The United States and India committed to integrating their economies across sectors to harness the untapped potential of the bilateral relationship, at the Trade Policy Forum convened after a gap of four years on Tuesday.

• Co-chaired by Commerce and Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal and U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, the Forum resolved to take economic ties between the two countries to the ‘next high level’ and exchanged views on ‘potential targeted tariff reductions’.
• The two sides decided to activate working groups of the Trade Policy Forum (TPF) on agriculture, non-agriculture goods, services, investment, and intellectual property to meet frequently and address issues of mutual concern in a mutually beneficial manner.
• The Forum has decided to forge an agreement to facilitate U.S. market access for mangoes, grapes, and pomegranates, pomegranate arils from India, and reciprocate with similar access in the Indian market to cherries, pork/pork products and alfalfa hay for animal feed from the United States.
• Discussions will also be held on enhancing market access for products such as distillers’ dried grains with solubles from the U.S. and resolving market access concerns for water buffalo meat and wild caught shrimp from India.
• The Indian side has sought restoration of the GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) benefits by the U.S. and said this would help industries from both sides in integrating their supply chain efficiently. The United States noted it ‘for suitable consideration’.
• The Forum also agreed on the significance of negotiating a Social Security Totalization Agreement in the interest of workers from both sides, and pursuing further engagements for reaching such an agreement.
• Hence only statement 1 is correct.

• Recently, the Indian Railways has announced the new scheme ‘Bharat Gaurav’ to tap the huge potential of tourism. Hence, option A is correct.
• Under the scheme, now trains have a third segment for tourism. Till now, the Railways had passenger segments and goods segments.
• These trains are not regular trains that will run as per a timetable but will be more on the lines of the Ramayana Express being run by the IRCTC.

• White dwarfs are stars that have burned up all of the hydrogens they once used as nuclear fuel.
  • When the hydrogen, used as fuel, vanishes and fusion slows, gravity causes the star to collapse in on itself into white dwarfs.
  • The stars which are less massive than Chandrasekhar Limit will turn into white dwarfs. The stars are more massive than Chandrasekhar Limit, will turn into a thermonuclear supernova. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• In a nuclear fusion reaction, the nuclei of two atoms combine to create a new atom. Stars fuse hydrogen in their cores into helium through nuclear fusion reactions. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• After the Bhuria Committee recommendations in 1995, PESA Act 1996 came into existence for ensuring tribal self-rule for people living in scheduled areas of India. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• PESA empowers gram sabhas to play a key role in approving development plans and controlling all social sectors. This includes management of:
  • Resources over jal, jangal, zameen (water, forest and land)
  • Minor forest produce
  • Human resources: Processes and personnel who implement policies
  • Managing local markets
  • Preventing land alienation
  • Regulating intoxicants among other things
  • Hence, statement 2 is correct.

In a new survey, the Pew Research Center posed an open-ended question about the meaning of life to nearly 19,000 adults across 17 advanced economies.

• The key finding: In 14 of the 17 countries surveyed, more people mentioned their family as what gives meaning to their life than any other factor.
• In countries including Australia, New Zealand, Greece and the US, around half or more respondents said their family is what makes their life fulfilling. Work, material well-being and health also play a key role.
• All surveys were conducted over the phone with adults in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

The Pew Research Center is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A Bangladeshis scientist Farhana Sultana has successfully built a machine to produce sanitary pads using the jute cellulose for sustainable menstrual health.

• She developed the jute-cellulose based disposable sanitary pad as an alternative solution for the menstrual health and hygiene for women and girls in Bangladesh. Currently, there is no machine available to utilise the jute-cellulose to make sanitary pads.
• She works as an Assistant Scientist at the premier health research institute of Bangladesh.
• Farhana Sultana has been awarded the grand prize at the 4th Annual Innovations Pitch competition organised by the American Society for tropical medicine and Hygiene.
• She will now conduct an industrial trial for mass production of the sanitary pads and explore options to scale up the operations.
• Hence both statements are correct.