Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 17, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Prime Minister Modi will be attending this year's G7 Summit. This year’s G7 Summit will be held under the German Presidency on 26-27 June 2022.

• The origin of G7 lies in the oil shocks of 1973 and the corresponding financial crisis.
• In order to address the situation after oil shock, the heads of the world's six leading industrial nations decided to hold a meeting in 1975.
• These six nations were - the US, UK, France, Germany (West), Japan and Italy.
• These countries were joined by Canada in 1976 and G7 came into existence.

Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has extended the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom by one year, and has amended the scheme to raise the incentive rate by an additional 1 per cent, aimed towards incentivising design-led manufacturing in the sector.

• The guidelines for the PLI Scheme for Telecom & Networking Products have been amended to introduce design-led manufacturing with additional incentive rates.
• The design-led manufacturing scheme is open for both medium and small-scale enterprises (MSMEs) and non-MSMEs, including domestic and global companies.
• The DoT also said applications for design-led manufacturing will be prioritised over other manufacturers. The scheme requires an investment threshold of Rs 10 crore for MSMEs and Rs 100 crore for non-MSMEs, excluding land and building cost.
• The Centre will provide additional incentives of over Rs 4,000 crore under the amended scheme.
• The incentives will be based on incremental sales of the manufactured goods, and range between 4 per cent to 7 per cent for different categories over the years. MSMEs will get an additional 1 per cent incentive in the first, second, and third years.
• The DoT has also approved 11 new telecom and network products to the existing list of products that can be manufactured under the scheme.
• Investment made by successful applicants in India from 1st April 2022 onwards and up to Financial Year 2025-2026 shall be eligible, subject to qualifying incremental annual thresholds.

Hence both statements are correct.

Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Corporation under the Chairmanship of Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Labour & Employment, in its 188th meeting held has taken significant decisions to augment the medical care and service delivery mechanism across the country.

• It has been decided that ESI Scheme will be implemented in the entire country by the end of year 2022. Presently, ESI Scheme is fully implemented in 443 districts and partially implemented in 153 districts, whereas 148 districts are not covered under ESI Scheme.
• ESIC is going to start Certificate Courses in 10 disciplines in three of its Medical Colleges at Faridabad, Sanathnagar (Hyderabad) and K.K.Nagar (Chennai) for Health Care Link Workers, as a pilot project.
• It was decided that Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Departments at three ESIC Medical College & Hospitals at Sanathnagar, Faridabad and Chennai will be established. It will be the for the first time that such services will be made available at ESIC owned facility.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the historic torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad at Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi.

• This torch will be taken to 75 cities in a span of 40 days before the final culmination at Mahabalipuram near Chennai. It will then head over to the FIDE Headquarters, Switzerland.
• India is hosting the prestigious Chess Olympiad for the first time and in the process, Asia gets to host the event after a gap of 30 years. Philippines last hosted it from Asia in 1992.
• India, who made its debut at the event in 1956 Moscow (27th position), has a gold medal (joint winners with Russia in 2020) and two bronze medals (2021, 2014) from the Chess Olympiad.
• While the 2020 and 2021 editions were held virtually owing to the Covid 19 pandemic, the 2022 edition will be the first over-the-board Chess Olympiad being held since 2018 in Georgia.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

For the first time, microplastics have been found in freshly fallen snow in Antarctica.

• Researchers collected snow samples from 19 sites in the Ross Island region of Antarctica and found that all contained microplastics.
• While microplastics have been found across the world, from the world’s deepest ocean floors to the peak of Mount Everest, researchers say that this is the first time that they have been found in freshly fallen snow in Antarctica.
• How did they reach Antarctica? These particles, due to their light weight and low density, might have travelled through air from more than 6,000 km away. However, there is also a possibility that the human presence in Antarctica created a microplastic ‘footprint’.

Why is this discovery troubling?

• It shows that the spread of microplastics is so widespread, that even the remotest and least habitable places in the world are now infested by these particles.
• Microplastics are not biodegradable and can be toxic for plants and animals.
• The microplastics deposited in ice and snow can accelerate the melting of the cryosphere — regions where water is in solid form, like the planet’s North and South Poles. Dark-coloured microplastics are better at absorbing sunlight and retain more heat.

What are microplastics?

• Microplastics are tiny plastic debris that are smaller than 5 mm in length, tinier than even a grain of rice. There are two types of microplastics.
• Primary microplastics are tiny particles that are purposely designed as such for commercial use, like in cosmetics, nurdles-plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing and in fibres from synthetic textiles like nylon.
• Secondary microplastics are formed through the degradation of larger plastic items like bottles, fishing nets and plastic bags. This occurs through exposure to the environment, like radiation from the sun, wind and ocean waves.

Hence both statements are correct.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India is inviting applications under the various sub-schemes of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) to set up food processing related facilities / units.

These sub-schemes are:

• Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro Processing Clusters(APC)
• Scheme for Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities [Unit Scheme] (CEFPPC)
• Scheme for Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure (Cold Chain)
• Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure (FTL)
• Operation Greens- long Term Interventions (OG)

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Indian Navy’s stealth Frigate, INS Talwar is presently deployed for OPERATION Sankalp commemorating the 3rd continuous year of Indian Navy’s presence in the Gulf for protection of India’s Maritime Interests.

• In the milieu of the deteriorating security situation in the Gulf region, post attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman in June 2019, Indian Navy had commenced Maritime Security Operations, code named ‘Op SANKALP’, in the Gulf Region on 19 June 2019 to ensure safe passage of Indian Flag Vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
• This operation is being progressed in close coordination with all stakeholders including Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and DG, Shipping.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Indian Coast Guard Region (East) inducted the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mark-III, indigenously developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), in Chennai.

• The ALH will be the first aircraft of the newly created “840 Squadron” of The Indian Coast Guard that will be stationed in Chennai and will be the first ALH MK-III to be positioned in the Coast Guard Region East.
• Three more ALHs will be added to the “840 Squadron” shortly.
• The aircraft are having Beyond the Visual Range detection, using modern radars. It is equipped for target neutralisation operations, using its mounted Heavy Machine Gun.
• The squadron’s operations area will encompass the entire Eastern Region due to its strategic importance and geographical location.

Hence both statements are correct.

Jammu and Kashmir will host the 2023 meetings of the G20, an influential group of the world's major economies.

• The G20 countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom.
• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India's Sherpa for the G20 in September 2021. India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and convene the first G20 leaders' summit in 2023.
• The participation of the delegates from G-20 countries will be a major boost to the efforts of the Centre to project the situation in J&K as normal, after J&K’s special constitutional position was ended in 2019.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched communication satellite GSAT-24. The satellite was flown by Ariane-5 rocket from the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

• GSAT-24, built by ISRO for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was launched by French company Arianespace.
• GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4180 kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. It was the first demand driven communication satellite mission undertaken by NSIL post space sector reforms.
• NSIL, a Government of India company under the Department of Space, has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play.

Hence both statements are correct.