Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 26, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The disbursal of small business loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) logged a record 30 per cent growth in the first half of the current fiscal ended September compared to the same period last year.

• It is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, launched on 8th April, 2015.
• It is a Financial Inclusion (FI) programme in the country based on three pillars - Banking the Unbanked, Securing the Unsecured and Funding the Unfunded.

Types of loans:

• Shishu - Covering loans up to Rs 50,000; 
• Kishor - Covering loans above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh; 
• Tarun - Covering loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh.

Eligibility:

• Any Indian Citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm sector income generating activities such as manufacturing, processing, trading or service sector.
• They can avail from all Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) up to Rs 10 lakhs Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) loans under PMMY.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

According to the government data, 69% houses under PMAY in rural India are owned by women.

• Over 69% of houses constructed under the Prime Minister’s special housing scheme are either wholly or jointly owned by women in rural areas.
• As on September 29, 2022, a total of two crore houses had been constructed out of the 2.46 crore houses that were sanctioned.
• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) was launched by the Prime Minister in 2016 with the aim of constructing 2.95 crore houses.
• Beneficiaries are identified using parameters from Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data and verified by Gram Sabhas.
• Concerned Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Swedish scientist Svante Pääbo has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology for the year 2022 “for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution”.

• He has spearheaded the development of new techniques that allowed researchers to compare the genome of modern humans and that of other hominins — the Neanderthals and Denisovans.
• He spent decades trying to extract DNA from 40,000-year-old bones, culminating in the unveiling of the Neanderthal genome in 2010.
• The research helped establish that modern humans and Neanderthals share a common ancestor that lived some 600,000 years ago. Paabo and his team also found genetic evidence that, during periods of coexistence, modern humans and Neanderthals had children together.
• His seminal research gave rise to an entirely new scientific discipline; paleogenomics. 
• His research led to the understanding that archaic gene sequences from our extinct relatives influence the physiology of present-day humans.
  • One such example is the Denisovan version of the gene EPAS1, which confers an advantage for survival at high altitude and is common among present-day Tibetans.
  • Other examples are Neanderthal genes that affect our immune response to different types of infections.

Hence both statements are correct.

India's merchandise export grew by over 15 % from April to September, 2022.

• India’s merchandise export has grown by over 15 per cent to 229 billion US dollar from April to September this year in comparison to the same period last year.
• The country has achieved merchandise export of over 32 billion dollars in September this year with a decrease of 3.52 per cent in comparison to the same month last year. 
• The export of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery from April to September this year was over 158 billion dollars, an increase of 5.53 per cent over the same period last year.

Hence both statements are correct.

The proposed elevated stretch will be developed in four sections and will start inside the Chennai Port and end after the Maduravoyal interchange.

• According to the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, the project developed at an estimated cost of ₹5,800 crore will be completed by December 2024.
• It will serve as a dedicated freight corridor for Chennai bound port traffic and increase the handling capacity of Chennai Port by 48% and subsequently reduce the waiting time at the port by six hours.
• The project nearly doubles Chennai port’s container handling capacity to 2.64 million TEUs.
• In July, 2022, tenders were called for the construction of a double tier four-lane elevated corridor on Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) mode under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC):

• It is a type of Public funding Model.
• In such types of models, full freedom to plan, design and construction is given to the private contractor and core requirements are specified in schedules.
• Payments by the Government are linked to specified stages of construction.
• The Contract Price is subject to adjustment on account of variation in the cost and change in scope ordered by employer.

Hence both statements are correct.

The last date for submission of application for ‘National Means cum Merit Scholarship scheme for the year 2022-23 extended till 15th October, 2022’.

• It is a Central Sector Scheme that was launched in 2008.
• Objective: Award scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them to continue their education at secondary stage. 
• Features: One lakh fresh scholarships are awarded to selected students of class IX every year and their continuation / renewal in classes X to XII for study in State Government, Government-aided and Local body schools under the scheme. The amount of scholarship is Rs. 12000/- per annum from 1st April 2017 (earlier it was Rs. 6000/- per annum).
• The Cabinet has approved continuation of the Scheme from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 with total allocation of Rs.1827 crores.

Hence both statements are correct.

President Draupadi Murmu launches 'herSTART' - a start-up platform of Gujarat University for women entrepreneurs

• herSTART' is the initiative of Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council aims at supporting women-led startups.
• The platform has been launched with the aim that it will not only boost innovation and start-up efforts of women entrepreneurs but also help them connect with government as well as private enterprises.
• Through this platform, free resources and training modules free will be provided to aspiring women entrepreneurs. It will build a digital community and also a digital publication to spread their success stories.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Tamil Movie Ponniyin Selvan-1 puts focus on the Cholas

• The Chola kingdom stretched across present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. During the period of the Cholas’ rise and fall (around 9th to 12th century AD), other powerful dynasties of the region would also come and go, such as the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan who defeated the Cholas, and the Chalukyas of the Andhra Pradesh region whom the Cholas frequently battled.
• The dynasty was founded by the king Vijaylaya, described as a “feudatory” of the Pallavas by historian Satish Chandra in the book ‘The History of Medieval Era’.

Society under the Cholas

• One of the biggest achievements of the Chola dynasty was its naval power, allowing them to go as far as Malaysia and the Sumatra islands of Indonesia in their conquests.
• While the extent of this domination is disputed, the Cholas had strong ties with merchant groups and this allowed them to undertake impressive naval expeditions.
• Succession wars were natural which is set in the time after the Rashtrakutas defeated the Cholas.
• Another feature is how the practice of building grand temples. The grand Brihadeeswara temple of Thanjavur, built by the Cholas, was the largest building in India in that period.

Hence both statements are correct.

PM Modi talks to Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; conveys India's readiness to contribute to any peace efforts.

• Both the leaders discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Mr Modi reiterated his call for an early cessation of hostilities and the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
• The Prime Minister expressed his firm conviction that there can be no military solution to the conflict and conveyed India’s readiness to contribute to any peace efforts.
• He emphasized the importance India attaches to the safety and security of nuclear installations, including in Ukraine. Mr Modi underlined that endangerment of nuclear facilities could have far-reaching and catastrophic consequences on public health and the environment.

Political Relations- Background

• India was one of the first countries to recognize Ukraine. Government of India recognized the Republic of Ukraine as a sovereign country in December 1991 and established diplomatic relations in January 1992.
• The Embassy of India in Kyiv was opened in May 1992. Ukraine opened its Mission in Delhi in February 1993 – its first in Asia.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Union Minister of State Dr L Murugan delivers keynote address at Global News Forum 2022.

• Global News Forum 2022 is the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)’s flagship three days annual NEWS event hosting around 80 foreign participants from the field of Media & Journalism from different broadcasting organizations.
• The topic of the Global News Forum ‘Truth and Trust at times of Crisis’.

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)

• ABU was established in 1964 as a non-profit, non- governmental, non-political, professional association with mandate to assist the development of broadcasting organisations in the region currently Headquartered at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• ABU promotes the collective interests of television and radio broadcasters as well as key industry players and also facilitate regional and international media cooperation for members.
• It has over 253 members in over 67 countries in Pacific region, Asia (South east, North, South, Central), Middle East, Europe, North Africa and North America, reaching a potential audience of about 2 billion people.
• Doordarshan (DD) & All India Radio (AIR) both are Full Members of ABU. All India Radio was a founding member of the ABU in the year 1964 while Doordarshan joined ABU in the year 1976.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.