Daily Current Affairs MCQ - November 8, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently published its ‘Statement of Commitment to Support Greening India’s Financial System - NGFS.

• In the Statement RBI said that, to benefit from the membership of NGFS by learning from and contributing to global efforts on Green Finance, RBI joined the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) as a Member on April 23, 2021.
• In this regard, on the occasion of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), NGFS has reiterated its willingness to contribute to the global response required to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and, to that end, NGFS will expand and strengthen the collective efforts towards greening the financial system.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Government has slashed the basic duty on crude palm oil, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil from 2.5 percent to nil in a bid to reign in continuous rise in the cooking oil prices since past one year.

• The Agri-cess on these Oils has been brought down from 20 percent to 7.5 percent for crude palm oil and 5 percent for crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil.
• Consequent upon the above cut, the total duty is reduced to 7.5 percent for crude palm oil and 5 percent for crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil.
• The basic duty on RBD Palmolein Oil, Refined Soyabean and Refined Sunflower Oil has been slashed to 17.5 percent from the current 32.5 percent. Before reduction, the agricultural infrastructure cess on all forms of crude edible oils was 20 percent.
• Post reduction, the effective duty on crude palm oil will be 8.25 percent, crude soyabean oil and crude sunflower oil will be 5.5 percent each.
• To control prices of edible oils the government has rationalised import duties on palm oil, sunflower oil and soyabean oil, futures trading in mustard oil on NCDEX has been suspended and stock limits have been imposed.

Hence both statements are incorrect.

Facebook is phasing out its ‘facial recognition tool’, the company announced.

• Facial recognition technology can identify a person by capturing his face from a photo or video.
• The technology can work in real-time as well and relies on advanced machine learning algorithms powered by deep neural networks to identify faces and map them to an existing data base.
• While Facebook’s facial recognition tool was only being used on the platform, the company is stopping the use of the tech given its controversial nature.
• There are several privacy concerns around the deployment of such tools, especially since Facebook is such a big social network with billions of users and many photos and videos being uploaded.
• Facebook’s step back comes at a time when there is growing scrutiny of the use of facial recognition technology, especially by the police in many countries.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The leopard (Panthera pardus) faces an 83% increased risk of extinction in North India due to roadkill, according to a new international study that quantifies the threat posed by roads to the survival of animal populations around the world.

• The leopard population of North India is at highest risk among four animal populations identified as being the most vulnerable to extinction in the next 50 years if observed roadkill levels persist.
• It is followed by the maned wolf and the little spotted cat, both of Brazil, and the brown hyena of southern Africa.
• At an 83% increased risk, the study estimates the time to the North Indian leopard population’s extinction at 33 years.
• Other populations found highly vulnerable include the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) and sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in South India.
• For the North Indian leopard population, the study site covered Uttarakhand’s Rajaji National Park and Haridwar Conservation area.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises roadkill as a threat to 10 mammalian species, but the study notes that these were not among those found most vulnerable by the researchers.

Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and included in Appendix I of CITES.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 12-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath, where the acharya is believed to have attained samadhi at the age of 32 in the ninth century.

• Adi Shankara is said to have been born in Kaladi village on the bank of the Periyar, the largest river in Kerala. He left home very early in search of learning and to become a sanyasin.
• In a lifespan of just 32 years, he is said to have visited all the important spiritual centres of the time — from Kanchi (Kancheepuram) to Kamrup (Assam), and Kashmir and the Kedar and Badri dhams, as well as Sringeri, Ujjain, Kashi, Puri, and Joshimath.
• He is believed to have established the ritual practices at the Badri and Kedar dhams, and to have debated with tantrics in Srinagar.
• He is believed to have attained samadhi at Kedarnath; however, Kanchi and Thrissur are also talked about as places where Adi Shankara spent his last days.
• Adi Shankara is generally identified as the author of 116 works — among them the celebrated commentaries (bhashyas) on 10 Upanishads, the Brahmasutra and the Gita, and poetic works including Vivekachudamani, Maneesha Panchakam, and Saundaryalahiri.
• But scholars such as Vidyavachaspathi V Panoli have argued that Saundaryalahiri and Maneesha Panchakam are not his works, but attributions.
• Shankara’s great standing is derived from his commentaries of the prasthanatrayi (Upanishads, Brahmasutra and Gita), where he explains his understanding of Advaita Vedanta.
• Hence both statements are correct.

India recorded a power supply shortage of 1,201 million units in October 2021 — the highest in 5.5 years — due to a crunch in coal stocks availability at thermal plants.

• The shortage was mostly restricted to Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab and Rajasthan.
• In October, Gujarat recorded a power shortage of 215 million units, the highest for any month in more than a decade. With a shortage of 77 million units, Jharkhand too recorded its highest deficit in more than a decade.
• Supply shortage was also observed in Uttar Pradesh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in October, however, they were not an anomaly but were similar to the general trend observed in the regions.
• The power shortage was primarily due to a supply crunch of coal to 135 thermal plants. As on November 5, the average coal inventory held by the plants would last only seven days.
• Historical data were compiled from the Central Electricity Authority, and October 2021 data were compiled from day-wise reports available with the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) under the Ministry of Power.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Haryana government has notified the State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020, which will come into force from January 15, next year.

• The Act was passed on March 2 this year to provide 75 per cent reservation to the local youth in employment in the private sector.
• The upper limit of gross monthly salary under the Act has been reduced from 50,000 rupees to 30,000 rupees.
• The Act will be applicable to employers of private sector companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms and any person who employs 10 or more persons on salary, wages, or other remuneration for the purpose of manufacturing, carrying on business, or rendering any service in Haryana.
• It will be mandatory for all these employers to register all their employees drawing a gross monthly salary or wages not more than 30,000 rupees on the designated portal available on the official website of the Labour Department, Haryana.
• They have to hire 75 percent of local candidates in all-new recruitments for posts where the gross monthly salary or wages does not exceed 30,000 rupees.
• The employer may claim exemption where the adequate number of local candidates of the desired skill, qualification, or proficiency is not available by applying to the Designated Officer.
• The violation of any provision of this Act will be a punishable offence.
• Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Researchers at the Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, have identified the gene responsible for doubling the risk of respiratory failures from COVID-19.

• This gene — called LZTFL1 — can be found in 60 percent of people with South Asian ancestry and the researchers say that it may be able to explain the excess deaths seen in some of the UK communities and the impact of pandemic during the second wave in India.
• The researchers found that the higher risk version of the gene possibly prevents the cells lining the airways and the lungs from responding to the virus properly.
• This means that the presence of this gene changes how an individual’s lungs respond to the virus, thereby increasing risk of developing respiratory failure from COVID-19.
• But while the gene impacts the response of the lungs, it does not impact the immune system, therefore, researchers believe that people carrying this version of the gene should respond normally to the vaccines.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Commerce Secretary Level meeting was held between India and Bhutan on trade and transit issues.

• The two sides held extensive discussions on the current trade and transit issues including measures to further strengthen bilateral trade relations and issues of mutual interest, on ways to increase trade connectivity between the two countries.
• Through Letters of Exchange (LOE), the following seven additional entry/exit points for trade between India and Bhutan were formalized:-
  • Nagarkata Land Customs Station without commodity restriction.
  • Agartala Land Customs Station as an entry /exit point.
  • Pandu port (Guwahati Steamerghat) as an entry /exit point, subject to cross border control at Dhubri.
  • Jogighopa port as an entry/exit point, subject to cross border control at Dhubri.
  • Asian Highway 48 connecting Torsha Tea Garden in India and Ahllay in Bhutan as an additional route corresponding to the Land Custom Station at Jaigaon.
  • Kamardwisa as an entry/exit point.
  • Birpara as an entry/exit point.
• This will form an addendum to the Protocol of 2016 India-Bhutan Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit. This will facilitate India-Bhutan bilateral trade to our mutual advantage.
• Since 2014, trade between India and Bhutan has more than doubled from USD 484 million in 2014-15 to USD 1083 million in 2020-21.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

The 3rd edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) – 2021 is being held from 07 to 09 November 2021 under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa.

• The GMC is Indian Navy’s Outreach Initiative providing a multinational platform to harness the collective wisdom of practitioners of maritime security and the academia towards garnering outcome oriented maritime thought.
• GMC-21 would build upon the working level deliberations of the Goa Maritime Symposium-21 held earlier in May this year, as the Sherpa event for the Conclave.
• The theme for this year’s edition of GMC is “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies”, which has been derived keeping in mind that necessity of ‘winning everyday peace’ in the maritime domain.
• Hence both statements are correct.