Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 16, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The India Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a multi stakeholder platform, is conducted a three-day hybrid event from December 9 to December 11, 2022.

About:

• The India Internet Government Forum is an initiative associated with the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN-IGF).
• The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder platform bringing representatives together from various groups, all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.
• The event's goal is to discuss the roadmap to digitization and to reaffirm India's place on the global stage by emphasising its role and importance in international policy development on internet governance.
• Theme of IIGF 2022: ‘Leveraging Techade for Empowering Bharat’.
• India Internet Governance Forum(IIGF) has been constituted in conformance to IGF-Paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda of the UN-based Internet Governance forum (IGF).

Hence both statements are correct.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has recently stated that the Union government is “somewhat casual” in its approach to complete District Disability Rehabilitation centres (DDRC).

About:

• It is an initiative by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, to facilitate comprehensive services to Persons with Disabilities in the rural areas. 
• It is a joint venture of Central and State Governments wherein Central Government will establish, initiate, implement the centre for three years involving funding for man power contingencies as well as required equipments and coordination. 
• State Government will provide provision for rent free, well connected building, basic infrastructure, furniture, monitoring and coordination of activities through District Management Team (DMT) Chaired by the District Collector and also identification of implementing agency.
• These centres are run jointly by District Management Team headed by DM/Collector and a reputed NGO (Usually Indian Red Cross Society).
• To upscale their services, a MODEL DDRC has been conceptualised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disability in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India.
• Nine such model DDRCs, namely- Badaun, Pilibhit, Barielly, Balaghat, Golaghat, Ahmedabad, Amravati , Kullu and Rampur have been upgraded to MODEL DDRC level in the first phase.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Car companies in India will have to cough up stiff penalties from April, 2023 with Parliament approving Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2022 that stipulates heavy fines on a company’s annual domestic sales numbers for violation of mandated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) score.

About Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE):

• Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy regulations are in force in many advanced as well as developing nations, including India.
• They aim at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by lowering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, thus serving the twin purposes of reducing dependence on oil for fuel and controlling pollution.
• Corporate Average refers to sales-volume weighted average for every auto manufacturer.
• The norms are applicable for petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG passenger vehicles.
• CAFE regulations in India came into force from April 1, 2017.
• Under this, average corporate CO2 emission must be less than 130 gm per km till 2022 and below 113 gm per km thereafter.

CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) and BS6:

• CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) regulations are similar norms to BS6 but with a different approach towards reducing the carbon footprint in the exhaust gasses of the vehicle.
• CAFE majorly focuses on COx emissions. BS6, on the other hand, focuses on overall emissions which include NOx (Nitrogen Oxides), SOx (Sulphur Oxides).
• The CAFE regulations aim to reduce the overall COx (Carbon Oxides) from the exhaust of the vehicle.
• The reduced carbon footprint leads to increased fuel economy.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

For the first time, a new gene editing technology called base editing was used to modify immune cells and successfully treat a teen with treatment-resistant leukemia.

About:

• Bases are the language of life.
• Just as letters in the alphabet spell out words that carry meaning, the billions of bases in one person’s DNA spell out the instruction manual for his/her body.
• Base Editing treatment is a modification of chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, T-cell therapy.
• But instead of using the CRISPR gene editing technique to modify the patient’s immune cells, the clinicians used the more precise base editing technique to alter donor immune cells.
• With advances in genetic technology, scientists have been able to zoom into a precise part of the genetic code to alter the molecular structure of just one base, effectively changing its genetic instructions.
• Those edited cells are given to the patient to “rapidly find and destroy T-cells in the body, including leukemic T-cells.
• Base editing is an even more precise gene editing technique than CRISPR and has fewer risks of unwanted effects on the chromosomes and thus less risk of side effects.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL):

• T-ALL affects the stem cells in the bone marrow that produce a particular kind of white blood cells (WBC) called T lymphocytes (T cells).
• These cells provide a person immunity by killing cells carrying infections, activating other immune cells, and regulating the immune response.
• At least 20% of these WBC are atypical– as they accumulate in the bone marrow, they crowd out “good” WBCs and hence weaken the immune system.
• These unhealthy cells can also accumulate in other parts of the body like the liver, spleen and lymph nodes.
• While found in both children and adults, T-ALL’s incidence decreases with age.
• Treatment:
  • Typical treatment for T-ALL is similar to that of any leukaemia– chemotherapy and stem cell/bone marrow transplant.

Hence both statements are correct.

Scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, US have achieved a major breakthrough in recreating higher energy in a nuclear fusion experiment than is applied in doing the fusion.

About:

• Scientists have been able to generate higher energy in a fusion experiment than the energy applied for causing the fusion reaction.
• Nuclear fusion is described as the "holy grail" of energy production, as it is almost limitless, requires no fossil fuels, and leaves behind no hazardous waste.
• It is the process that powers the Sun and other stars.
• Nuclear fusion mimics the natural reactions occurring within the Sun, and has been a goal of scientists around the world since the 1950s.
• It works by taking pairs of light atoms and forcing them together - this "fusion" releases a lot of energy.
  • For example, the fusion of two nuclei of a heavier isotope of hydrogen, called tritium, produces at least four times as much energy as the fission of a uranium atom which is the normal process of generating electricity in a nuclear reactor.
• And importantly, the process produces no greenhouse gas emissions and therefore does not contribute to climate change.
• But one of the challenges is that forcing and keeping the elements together in fusion requires very high temperatures and pressures.
• Until now, no experiment has managed to produce more energy than the amount put in to make it work.

Experiment:

• The experiment which cost $3.5 billion, forced a minuscule amount of hydrogen into a peppercorn-sized capsule.
• For forcing the hydrogen into the capsule, scientists used a powerful 192-beam laser that could generate 100 million degree Celsius of heat.
  • It is also called ‘inertial fusion’.
  • At some other places, including the international collaborative project in southern France called ITER in which India is a partner; very strong magnetic fields are used for the same purpose.
• The laser beam was hotter than the Sun’s centre and helped to compress the hydrogen fuel to more than 100 billion times that of Earth’s atmosphere.
• Under the pressure of these forces, the capsule started imploding on itself and leading to the fusion of hydrogen atoms and the release of energy.

Difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion:

• Nuclear fusion is the opposite of nuclear fission, where heavy atoms are split apart.
• Fission is the technology currently used in nuclear power stations, but the process also produces a lot of waste that continues to give out radiation for a long time.
• It can be dangerous and must be stored safely.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, India can transform and become the global leader, exporter, producer of electrolyzer and global champion of green hydrogen.

About Green Hydrogen Electrolysers:

• Hydrogen electrolysers are devices that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• When electricity input to the electrolyser is obtained from renewable sources like wind and solar, then the hydrogen produced is called green hydrogen.
• Typically, electrolysers consume 50-55 kilowatt-hours or units of electricity to produce one kilogram of hydrogen.
• Electrolysers produce hydrogen at about 50-90 degree Celsius and at a pressure of 30-50 bar.
• Electrolysers are commercially available at a size of a few kilowatts (kW) to megawatts (MW).

What are the different electrolyser technologies?

• There are various electrolyser technologies available currently.
• Alkaline electrolysers and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysers are commercially available technologies.
• Alkaline electrolysers use liquid alkaline electrolyte solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide while PEM electrolysers are based on solid polymer membrane.
• In addition to these, there are other proprietary technologies like electrochemical, thermally-activated chemical (E-TAC) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) that claim to be more efficient than existing technology options.

Hence both statements are correct.

Two cities in United States’ state of Washington have taken steps to formally declare their support for legal rights for a group of endangered orcas. City of Port Townsend and City of Gig Harbor in the Pacific Northwest have signed proclamations to secure the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. 

• Orcas are found across the world and are also known as “killer whales”.
• It is the largest member of the Delphinidae family, or dolphins.
• Members of this family include all dolphin species, as well as other larger species, such as long-finned pilot whales and short-finned pilot whales, whose common names also contain "whale" instead of "dolphin”.
• Killer whales are highly social, and most live in social groups called pods (groups of maternally related individuals seen together more than half the time).
• Killer whales rely on underwater sound to feed, communicate, and navigate.

Southern Resident killer whales:

• Southern Resident killer whales are the only endangered population of killer whales in the United States.
• Despite federal legal protections for nearly two decades, the population of the orcas continues to decline and is critically endangered.
• Only 73 Southern Resident Orcas now exist in the wild.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology recently informed that ISRO has taken initiatives for feasibility studies on missions to Venus as well as Aeronomy studies.

• The term “aeronomy,” coined and introduced about 60 years ago.
• It refers to the scientific study of the upper atmospheric regions of the Earth and other solar system bodies.
• It includes the distribution of temperature, density, and chemical constituents, and the chemical reactions that occur.
• It also includes the studies of aurora, airglow, the ionosphere, Van Allen radiation belts, cosmic rays, and radiative and photochemical phenomena.
• It covers the chemistry, dynamics and energy balance of both neutral and charged particles.

Hence both statements are correct.

Punjab Chief Minister called on Union Home Minister recently, seeking his intervention in getting the President’s assent on two sacrilege Bills passed by the Punjab government in 2018.

• The Punjab Assembly had unanimously passed The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill in 2018.
• It stipulates punishment upto life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagwat Gita, Holy Quran and Holy Bible with the intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people.
• The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, seeks to amend the IPC by inserting Section 295AA.
• Under the existing Section 295 A [Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs], a convict can be awarded a maximum of three years’ imprisonment with or without fine.

What is the Governor’s function in passing a Bill?

• Under Article 200, the Governor may
  • grant assent
  • withhold assent
  • return for reconsideration by the Legislature or
  • reserve for the consideration of the President any Bill passed by the State legislature and presented to him for assent.
• There is no timeframe fixed in the Constitution for any of these functions.
• The Constitution makes it mandatory that the Governor should reserve for the President’s consideration if, in his opinion a Bill that “so derogates from the powers of the High Court as to endanger the position which that Court is by this Constitution designed to fill”.
• In addition, the governor can also reserve the bill if it is of the following nature:
  • Ultra-vires, that is, against the provisions of the Constitution.
  • Opposed to the Directive Principles of State Policy.
  • Against the larger interest of the country.
  • Of grave national importance.
  • Dealing with compulsory acquisition of property under Article the Constitution.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The number of journalists jailed around the world for practising their profession has touched a record high, with 363 reporters deprived of their freedom as of December 1, 2022, according to the 2022 prison census released by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

• This figure is a new global high that overtakes last year’s record by 20%.
• New ‘fake news’ laws, criminal defamation, and abuse of judiciary are also tactics used to clamp down on press freedom.
• This year’s top five jailers of journalists were Iran, China, Myanmar, Turkey, and Belarus, respectively.
• The report stated that a key driver behind authoritarian governments’ increasingly oppressive efforts to stifle the media was the intent “to keep the lid on broiling discontent in a world disrupted by COVID-19 and the economic fallout from Russia’s war on Ukraine”.
• India draw criticism over its use of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, a preventive detention law, to keep few Kashmiri journalists behind bars after they were granted court-ordered bail in separate cases”.

Repression of minorities:

• The report noted that in Iran and Turkey – both classified as “worst offenders” – it was Kurdish journalists who bore the brunt of government crackdown.
• In China, too, another ‘worst offender’, many imprisoned journalists were Uighurs from Xinjiang.

The Committee to Protect Journalists:

• The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide.
• Its headquarters in New York City.

Hence both statements are correct.