Daily Current Affairs MCQ- October 14, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Israel has reached a US-brokered agreement with Lebanon to settle their long-disputed maritime border, hailing a 'historic achievement' that potentially unlocks significant offshore gas production for both countries. 

• It resolves a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in an area that Lebanon wants to explore for natural gas.
• All of the Karish field would fall under Israeli control, while another potential gas field, Qana, would be divided but its exploitation would be under Lebanon’s control.
• It also sets a border between the maritime waters of Lebanon and Israel for the first time.
• The agreement does not touch on the shared land border between Israel and Lebanon, which is still disputed, but where both countries are committed to a ceasefire.
• This border is also called the Blue Line, a boundary that was drawn up by the UN after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister Smriti Irani recently released an operations manual of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

• The Central government recently announced the inclusion of skilling of girls in non-traditional livelihood (NTL) options in Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme.
• The scheme will now also focus on increasing the enrolment of girls in secondary education, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministries of Women and Child Development, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minority Affairs.
• It emphasises convergence between Ministries and Departments to ensure adolescents complete their education, build skills, and enter the workforce in a diverse range of professions, including in STEM fields.
• A national committee headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development will be the apex committee to review the implementation of the scheme at regular intervals with State governments and Union Territory administrations.

Hence both statements are correct.

53rd Capacity Building programme in Field Administration for Civil Servants of Bangladesh inaugurated at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) at Mussoorie.

• The National Centre for Good Governance was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apex institution in the country.
• Its head office is at New Delhi and registered office at Mussoorie. 
• It focuses on good governance, policy reforms, training and capacity building, and to also work as a think tank.
• It has taken up capacity building of civil servants of several foreign countries in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs.
• It has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia.

History: 

• The NCGG traces its origin to the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR).
• NIAR was set up in 1995 by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
• NIAR was subsequently rechristened with an expanded mandate, as NCGG, which was inaugurated in 2014.

Hence both statements are correct.

PM Narendra Modi recently addressed 2nd UN World Geospatial International Congress. It is being held in Hyderabad.

• The goal of this year's UNWGIC is to promote a broad dialogue on global geospatial information management with all relevant governments, non-governmental organisations, academia, and the private sector.
• Theme: The theme of UNWGIC 2022 is 'Geo-Enabling the Global Village: No one should be left behind'.
• It was hosted by the ministry of science and technology of the government of India.

United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC)

• The United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) convened the conference on UNWGIC 2022 and was organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
• It is conducted every four years with the objectives of enhancing international collaboration among the Member States and relevant stakeholders in Geospatial information management and capacities.
• The first UNWGIC was organized by China in October 2018.

Hence both statements are correct.

PM Modi recently lays the foundation stone of various healthcare facilities in Civil Hospital Asarwa, Ahmedabad. The new Civil Hospital Asarwa will be the first government hospital in the country where state-of-the-art technology like Cyber-Knife will be available.

• The CyberKnife System is a non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors and other conditions where radiation therapy is indicated.
• CyberKnife treatments are typically performed in 1 to 5 sessions. 
• It is used to treat conditions throughout the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, head and neck, liver, pancreas and kidney.
• It can be an alternative to surgery or for patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors.
• It offers several advantages to patients, including rapid relief from pain and other symptoms.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a 15-foot statue of Jayaprakash Narayan or JP on his 120th birth anniversary on October 11, at his birthplace, Sitab Diara village in Bihar’s Saran district.

• He was born on October 11, 1902, in Bihar’s Sitab Diara.
• He quit college to join the non-cooperation movement, before going to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx.
• He returned to India in 1929 and joined the freedom struggle and the Indian National Congress, upon the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru and drawn by a speech by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
• He is one of the founding members of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP).
• He is credited for galvanising popular opinion against Indira Gandhi government, through his call for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution). It led to the formation of the first non-Congress government (Janata Party government, 1977) in the country. 
• In 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in recognition of his social service.
• Other awards include the Magsaysay award for Public Service in 1965.

Hence both statements are correct.

According to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), retail inflation accelerated to a five-month high of 7.41% in September, 2022 from 7% in August, 2022 as food inflation surged sharply to 8.41% last month — the steepest level in 22 months.

• September’s retail inflation was the highest since April, when price rise quickened to an almost eight-year high of 7.79%.
• This is the ninth month in a row that inflation has exceeded the 6% upper tolerance threshold mandated for the RBI and would require it to send an explanation to the government on its inability to achieve the price stability target.
• Rural inflation picked up further steam, from 7.15% in August, to touch 7.56% in September, while urban consumers also experienced a resurgence in price rise at 7.27%, from 6.72% a month earlier.
• Inflation in cereals quickened to 11.5%, with rural India facing almost 12% price gains, up sharply from 9.6% in August and almost doubling from July’s 6.9% pace.
• Vegetables’ inflation almost virtually doubled over two months, from 10.9% in July to 18.1% in September, with urban consumers facing a sharper 20.1% rise.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Interpol has recently rejected India’s request to issue a Red Corner Notice against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

• Mandate: It is an international organization facilitating international police cooperation against cross-border terrorism, trafficking, and other crime.
• Governance: All decisions regarding the activities of INTERPOL are made by the General Assembly which is it’s supreme governing body which meets annually.
• Status: It is ‘NOT’ a unit or part of united nation system. It is an independent international organization.
• National Central Bureau (NCB):
  • It has a National Central Bureau (NCB) in each member country, which is the central point of contact for both the general secretariat and the other NCBs around the world.
  • Each NCB is run by police officials of that country, and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing. (Union Home Ministry in India.)
  • Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) represents Interpol in India as the country's national central bureau.
• HQ: Lyon in France.
• Founded in: 1923. 

Types of Notices:

• It issues 8 type of notices (7 of which are colour-coded) which are in the form of alert/requests allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.
• Red Notice
  • To seek the location and arrest of a person wanted by a judicial jurisdiction or an international tribunal with a view to his/her extradition.
  • It is the "closest instrument to an international arrest warrant”.
• Blue Notice
  • To locate, identify or obtain information on a person of interest in a criminal investigation.
• Green Notice
  • To warn about a person's criminal activities if that person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
• Yellow Notice
  • To locate a missing person or to identify a person unable to identify himself/herself.
• Black Notice
  • To seek information on unidentified bodies.
• Orange Notice
  • To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing an imminent threat and danger to persons or property.
• Purple Notice
  • To provide information on modus operandi, procedures, objects, devices or hiding places used by criminals.
• Interpol-UNSC Special Notice
  • To inform Interpol's members that an individual or an entity is subject to UN sanctions.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, more than 15 crore activities were conducted on various themes across the country during the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah from 1st to 30th of September contributing to the Prime Minister’s vision for a Suposhit Bharat.

• Through the Suposhit Bharat initiative, the government intend to conceptualize, develop, pilot and scale up food-based nutrition interventions through food services at institutional food services’ level, and street foods, school & college canteens.
• This will therapeutically address malnutrition and non-communicable diseases in the general population.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi-ministerial convergence mission with the vision to ensure attainment of malnutrition free India.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan provides a platform to converge the activities of various stakeholders towards attaining the goal of ‘Suposhit Bharat’.

Hence both statements are correct.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Vande Bharat Express from Una in Himachal Pradesh to New Delhi.

• This is the fourth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country.
• The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel. 
• The coaches of this train are indigenously manufactured at the Chennai Rail coach factory.
• Vande Bharat Express has been tested at 180 kmph and can run upto maximum speed of 160 kmph on passenger service.
• All Coaches are equipped with automatic doors; GPS based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot, wi-fi for entertainment purposes, and very comfortable seating.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.