Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 20, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

With the objective of connecting with the youth of the nation, and to instil a deeper sense of patriotism among them, the Ministry of Culture, has decided to create a youth centric activation for greater outreach of Amrit Mahotsav named ‘Badhe Chalo’.

• It is designed to involve the youth of the country encouraging them to come forward and imbibe the true spirit of our democracy and celebrate 75 years of India’s independence with youthful fervour.
• Through this mass movement or ‘Jan Bhagidari’ initiative, the Ministry of Culture also intends to amplify and support the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ movement.
• This movement has been initiated by the Honourable Prime Minister and Home Minister and it calls upon every Indian to hoist a Tiranga in their homes between August 13th– 15th, 2022.
• To connect and to bring the youth and people together from across the country on one platform, Badhe Chalo will feature Flash Dances, where dancers will perform on a specially created ‘Youth Anthem’.
• Badhe Chalo is being held across 10 cities every day from 5th August to 11th August, 2022. These events will culminate with a Grand Finale on 12th August, 2022at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has said that the target of setting up 1.50 lakh Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres ( AB- HWC) will become functional by December this year.

• Replying to a debate over a private member legislation namely the Right to Health Bill 2021 in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, Dr Mandaviya said that out of the total target of setting up 1.50 lakh such Centres, one lakh 22 thousand are now functional.
• He said, at these Health and Wellness Centres, screening of 13 non-communicable diseases will conducted in addition to three types of cancers including breast and oral cancer.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has said, the government has set a target to increase the Health budget of the country to 2.5 percent of the GDP, which is currently at 1.9 percent.

• Giving details about the allocations made in the Health budget, he said, in 2014 the total health budget was to the tune of 33 thousand crore rupees which was increased continuously and now it has reached 83 thousand crore rupees in 2022-23.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The creation of a domestic carbon market is one of the most significant provisions of the proposed amendment The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

• Carbon markets allow the trade of carbon credits with the overall objective of bringing down emissions. These markets create incentives to reduce emissions or improve energy efficiency.
• For example, an industrial unit which outperforms the emission standards stands to gain credits. Another unit which is struggling to attain the prescribed standards can buy these credits and show compliance to these standards. The unit that did better on the standards earns money by selling credits, while the buying unit is able to fulfill its operating obligations.
• Under the Kyoto Protocol, the predecessor to the Paris Agreement, carbon markets have worked at the international level as well.
• Domestic or regional carbon markets are already functioning in several places, most notably in Europe, where an emission trading scheme (ETS) works on similar principles.
• A similar scheme for incentivising energy efficiency has been running in India for over a decade now. This BEE scheme, called PAT, (or perform, achieve and trade) allows units to earn efficiency certificates if they outperform the prescribed efficiency standards. The laggards can buy these certificates to continue operating.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 3, 2022.

• The Bill seeks to amend the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The Act promotes energy efficiency and conservation. It provides for the regulation of energy consumption by equipment, appliances, buildings, and industries.
• Obligation to use non-fossil sources of energy: The Act empowers the central government to specify energy consumption standards. The Bill adds that the government may require the designated consumers to meet a minimum share of energy consumption from non-fossil sources.
• Carbon trading: The Bill empowers the central government to specify a carbon credit trading scheme. Carbon credit implies a tradeable permit to produce a specified amount of carbon emissions.
• Energy conservation code for buildings: The Bill provides for an ‘energy conservation and sustainable building code’. This new code will provide norms for energy efficiency and conservation, use of renewable energy, and other requirements for green buildings.
• Applicability to residential buildings: Under the Bill, the new energy conservation and sustainable building code will also apply to the office and residential buildings meeting the above criteria. The Bill also empowers the state governments to lower the load thresholds.
• Standards for vehicles and vessels: Under the Act, the energy consumption standards may be specified for equipment and appliances which consume, generate, transmit, or supply energy. The Bill expands the scope to include vehicles (as defined under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988), and vessels (includes ships and boats).

Hence both statements are correct.

With inflation remaining at ‘elevated levels’, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India unanimously decided to raise the policy repo rate by 50 basis points (bps) to 5.4%.

• The MPC also said it would remain focused on “withdrawal of accommodation” to ensure that inflation remains within the target, while supporting growth.
• The RBI retained its inflation and GDP growth projections for the current fiscal year ending in March 2023 at 6.7% and 7.2%, respectively.
• Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate stands adjusted to 5.15%; and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 5.65%.
• The policy response to the unfolding economic situation would be ‘calibrated, measured and nimble’.
• On the external sector, Mr. Das said the Current Account Deficit (CAD) would remain within manageable limits and the RBI had the ability to finance the CAD.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

As the long-range, live-fire drills began with China’s Eastern Theatre Command firing several ballistic missiles, Taiwan said that it was “preparing for war without seeking war”. What is Taiwan’s strategy to fight back in case China attempts to occupy it by force?

• The “porcupine doctrine”, which was proposed in 2008 by US Naval War College research professor William S Murray, is a strategy of asymmetric warfare focused on fortifying a weak state’s defences to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses rather than taking on its strengths.
• It is about building defences that would ensure that Taiwan “could be attacked and damaged but not defeated, at least without unacceptably high costs and risks”, Murray wrote in the Naval War College Review.

Hence both statements are correct.

In a massive show of strength, China began its live-fire exercise near Taiwan on August 4, launching at least 11 ballistic missiles into the country’s coast, a day after US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

• Live-fire exercises are exercises primarily used by military personnel, in which live ammunition is used to create training conditions that are as close to real combat scenarios as possible.
• Live-fire exercises are also used by law enforcement and firefighters as a form of field training, to train them to act calmly in real-life emergency situations in the future.
• During live-fire training, soldiers are placed in simulated combat situations and are given the opportunity to use their weapons and equipment (like ships, aircraft, tanks and drones).
• Such exercises are invaluable in maintaining combat readiness of troops, the cohesiveness of units, and instilling confidence in their ability to use their weapons and equipment correctly.

Hence both statements are correct.

Projects and Infrastructure Monitoring by the MoSPI:

• The Infrastructure and Project Monitoring Division (IPMD) and Programme Implementation Wing in the MoSPI is the management arm of the Government of India.
• It provides management services by providing latest information in a global manner on implementation of projects or programmes costing Rs 150 crores and above and performance of infrastructure sectors.
• The Project Monitoring Division brings out periodic reports and assists ministries and project authorities in the timely implementation of projects and programs.
• It provides a control mechanism to prevent delays in implementation.
• It also assists the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) and others in the reviewing and decision-making process.

Hence both statements are correct.

With details of about one lakh plant specimens, the Indian Virtual Herbarium, the biggest virtual database of flora in the country, is generating a lot of interest and turning out to be an eye-catching endeavour.

• In the Mann Ki Baat episode on July 31, PM Modi spoke about the novel initiative, and said that the herbarium was an interesting collection of plants and preserved parts of plants.
• Developed by scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), the herbarium was inaugurated by Union Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in Kolkata on July 1. Since then, the portal ivh.bsi.gov.in has had nearly two lakh hits from 55 countries.
• Each record in the digital herbarium includes an image of the preserved plant specimen, scientific name, collection locality, and collection date, collector name, and barcode number.
• The digital herbarium includes features to extract the data State-wise, and users can search plants of their own States, which will help them identify regional plants and in building regional checklists.

Hence both statements are correct.