Daily Current Affairs MCQ - October 26, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

The fourth general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), was held virtually between October 18th and October 21st, 2021.

• It was presided by Union Minister Shri R.K. Singh, Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy, Government of India and the President of the ISA Assembly.
• A total of 108 countries participated in the Assembly, including 74 Member Countries and 34 Observer & Prospective Countries, 23 Partner Organizations and 33 Special Invitee Organisations also participated.
• It was announced that ISA targets US$1 trillion of investment in solar by 2030, which would be significant in bringing the world closer to energy transitions needed.”
• Under the Modi-Johnson leadership, UK and India will together bring the ‘Green Girds Initiative’ and ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ at COP26. This is aimed at mobilizing the global technical, financial and research cooperation because it is only by working together that we will deliver the scale and pace of the clean power transition aim.”
• During the assembly, two new programmes were launched: Management of Solar PV panels & battery usage waste & Solar Hydrogen programme.
• The new Hydrogen initiative is aimed at enabling the use of solar electricity to produce hydrogen at a more affordable rate than what is available currently (USD 5 per KG), by bringing it down to USD 2 per KG.
• Aiming to synergize its efforts and actions with other similar initiatives globally, One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) has joined hands with GGI to form a unified GGI-OSOWOG initiative, which aims to contribute to the collaborative, rapid development of resilient grids globally – building on continental, regional and national grid infrastructure programs.
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) also announced a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to mobilize $1 trillion in global investments for solar energy across ISA’s member countries.
• The two organizations will work with World Resources Institute (WRI) to develop a Solar Investment Action Agenda and a Solar Investment Roadmap, which will be launched at COP26.
• Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

The defacing of Assamese slogans on hoardings of Jal Jeevan Mission in the Bengali-majority Barak Valley has led to a call for the bifurcation of Assam.

• Miscreants had over the past few days smeared some hoardings in black to protest the “imposition” of the Assamese language in Barak Valley, where Bengali is the official language.
• The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam.
• The region is named after the Barak river.
• The Barak valley mainly consists of three administrative districts of Assam - namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi.
• The main city of the valley is Silchar.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

M/s Andrew Yule & Co Ltd, a Central Public Sector Enterprise in Tea Sector under Ministry of Heavy Industries has come out with a series of Azadi Amrut Chai in Orthodox, Elaichi, Adrakh and Masala flavors to commemorate the 75th year of India’s Independence and to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• Azadi Amrut Chai was launched by the Union Heavy Industries Minister, Dr. Mahendra nath Pandey. It will be available for retail sale soon at an introductory price of Rs 75 per 100 gms pack, at Tea Board counter of Parliament, Trifed outlets, Udyog Bhawan and other Central Government offices.
• M/s Andrew Yule & Co Ltd, a 158 years old company, has 15 Tea Gardens spread over Assam and West Bengal having close to 14000 employees. All its gardens are more than 100 years old producing 110 Lac Kgs of high quality, CTC, Orthodox, Green and White Tea.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Ministry of Power notified rule for the sustainability of the electricity sector and promotion of clean energy to meet the India’s commitment towards Climate Change.

• The following Rules notified by the Ministry of Power under Electricity Act, 2003 are in the interest of the electricity consumers and the stakeholders:
  • Electricity (Timely recovery of costs due to Change in Law) Rules, 2021.
  • Electricity (Promotion of generation from renewable sources of energy by addressing Must Run and other matters) Rules, 2021.
• Timely recovery of the costs due to change in law is very important as the investment in the power sector largely depends upon the timely payments. At present the pass through under change of law takes time.
• This impacts the viability of the sector and the developers get financially stressed. The Rules would help in creating investment friendly environment in the country.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur has announced that Mr. Istevan Szabo and Mr. Martin Scorsese will be conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at 52nd International Film Festival of India in Goa.

• Istvan Szabo is one of the most critically acclaimed Hungarian film directors of the past few decades known for masterpieces like Mephisto (1981) Father (1966).
• Martin Scorsese is one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors in film history. The 52nd edition of India’s most prestigious film festival will be held from 20th to 28th November, 2021 in Goa.
• The Minister informed that for the first time ever, IFFI has invited major OTT players to participate at the Festival. In a first, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and Sony Liv will participate at the Film Festival through exclusive Masterclasses, content launches and previews, curated film package screenings, and various other on-ground and virtual events.
• BRICS Film Festival: Shri Thakur also announced that for the first time ever, films from five BRICS nations will be showcased through the BRICS Film Festival alongside IFFI. The five countries vizi.e. Brazil, Russia, South Africa, China and India are also the Focus Countries of the 52nd IFFI.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

• Genetically Modified (GM) crops are derived from plants whose genes are artificially modified, usually by inserting genetic material from another organism, in order to give it a new property, such as increased yield, tolerance to a herbicide, resistance to disease or drought, or to improve its nutritional value.
• Probably the best known variety of GM rice is golden rice.
  • Golden rice involves the insertion of genes from a plant -- both daffodils and maize have been used -- and a soil bacterium to create a grain that is enriched with Vitamin A.
• India has approved commercial cultivation of only one GM crop, Bt cotton.
  • No GM food crop has ever been approved for commercial cultivation in the country.
  • However, confined field trials have been allowed for at least 20 GM crops.
  • India has drafted policies to ban GM rice trials in the basmati belt.
  • Also, unauthorised HtBt Cotton and Bt Brinjal are already being grown commercially, with hundreds of growers blatantly defying the governmental ban.
• Hence, option C is correct.

• Recently, the fourth general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held.
  • A total of 108 countries participated in the assembly, including 74 member countries, 34 observer and prospective countries, 23 partner organisations and 33 special invitee organisations.
• The ISA is an intergovernmental treaty-based organisation with a global mandate to catalyse solar growth by helping to reduce the cost of financing and technology.
  • ISA, co-founded by India and France during the 2015 climate change conference in Paris has assumed centre-stage for India’ attempts at a global climate leadership role.
• ISA is the nodal agency for implementing One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG), which seeks to transfer solar power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of others. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• NISE is an autonomous institution of the Ministry of New and Renewable (MNRE) and is the apex National R&D institution in the field of Solar Energy.
• New ISA programmes launched on management of solar PV panels & battery usage waste and solar hydrogen programme.
• The new Hydrogen initiative is aimed at enabling the use of solar electricity to produce hydrogen at a more affordable rate than what is available currently (USD 5 per KG), by bringing it down to USD 2 per KG. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim minority Turkic ethnic group, whose origins can be traced to Central and East Asia.
  • The Uighurs are considered to be one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minority communities in China.
  • However, China recognises the community only as a regional minority and rejects that they are an indigenous group.
• Currently, the largest population of the Uighur ethnic community lives in the Xinjiang region of China. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • A significant population of Uighurs also lives in the neighbouring Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
• China’s Stand on Uighur Crisis: China has long denied accusations of ethnic cleansing. It also denounced the declaration and termed it as a plot to hurt China's image.
  • China claims its camps to be ‘educational centres’ where the Uighurs are being cured of “extremist thoughts” and radicalisation, and learning vocational skills. However, in actuality, they are brutal incarceration camps.
• India’s Stand: The Indian government has maintained near silence on the Uighur crisis. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

A pipeline ‘Right to Use (RoU)’ sharing agreement was inked between Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL), which is a joint venture of NRL with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Oil India Limited (OIL), on 21st October 2021.

• NRL is in the process of laying the 1,630 KM long Paradip Numaligarh Crude Pipeline (PNCPL), a crude pipeline originating from Paradip Port in Odisha and traversing through West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, before terminating at its refinery in Numaligarh (Assam).
• The pipeline project is a crucial part of NRL’s mega Integrated Refinery Expansion project for capacity expansion from 3MMTPA to 9 MMTPA, which is being executed with an investment of more than Rs. 28,000 crores.
• IGGL is executing the laying of a natural gas pipeline from Guwahati to Numaligarh as part of its marquee project for connecting India’s North-east Region (NER) with the National Gas Grid.
• IGGL’s natural gas pipelines will connect Guwahati to major cities of NER like Itanagar, Dimapur, Kohima, Imphal, Aizwal, Agartala, Shillong, Silchar, Gangtok and Numaligarh.
• NRL and IGGL’s pipeline sharing agreement leverages synergies between the PNCPL project and NER Gas Grid project as the pipelines share a common route from Baihata (North Guwahati) to Numaligarh for around 386 KM.
• This pact follows NRL’s earlier pipeline RoU sharing agreement with GAIL, signed on 14th October 2020, for a 550 KM stretch from Purnia in Bihar to Baihata, also a part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

India as the current BRICS Chair convened the 7th Meeting of BRICS Communications Ministers on 22nd October 2021.

• Ministers adopted the Terms of References of Digital BRICS Task Force and supported the advancement in work of the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) across several Working Groups meeting in 2021.
• Ministers also appreciated the discussion on the "360-degree approach on New Industrial Revolution" in a seminar during Working Group on ICTs Cooperation
• Ministers encouraged continuous cooperation in ICTs activities in international organizations and multilateral forums such as the International Telecommunications Union and other organizations.
• Ministers adopted the proposal to host the Digital BRICS Forum annually to facilitate sharing of information and knowledge, practices, initiatives, etc. on agreed cooperation areas.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.