Daily Current Affairs MCQ- October 18, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

US aims to control China's chip industry with its Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR).

• Recently US officials applied FDPR to China's advanced computing and supercomputer industry to stop it from obtaining advanced computing chips.
• The foreign direct product rule, or FDPR, was first introduced in 1959 to control trading of US technologies.
• It essentially says that if a product was made using American technology, the US government has the power to stop it from being sold – including products made in a foreign country.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Finance Minister attends the International Monetary and Financial Committee in Washington DC.

About

• The IMF Board of Governors is advised by two ministerial committees, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and the Development Committee.
• Composition: The IMFC has 24 members, drawn from the pool of 190 governors. Its structure mirrors that of the Executive Board and its 24 constituencies. As such, the IMFC represents all the member countries of the Fund.
• Working: The IMFC meets twice a year, during the Spring and Annual Meetings. The Committee discusses matters of common concern affecting the global economy and also advises the IMF on the direction its work.

The Development Committee

• It is a joint committee, tasked with advising the Boards of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank on issues related to economic development in emerging and developing countries.
• The committee has 24 members (usually ministers of finance or development).
• It represents the full membership of the IMF and the World Bank and mainly serves as a forum for building intergovernmental consensus on critical development issues.

Hence both statements are correct.

As the world fights climate change and the exploitation of nature, countries like Ecuador and New Zealand have taken some significant steps in bringing laws into the natural world

About:

• Ecuador, in 2008, approved a Constitution that grants tropical forests, islands, rivers and air, legal rights to “exist, flourish and evolve”. In April 2022 Ecuador became the first country to grant legal rights to individual wild animals.
• Bolivia granted all nature rights equal to that of humans in 2011.
• New Zealand in 2017, passed the Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill, which granted legal personhood to river Whanganui and its surrounding ecosystem.

Where does India stand?

• Article 51-A (g) of the Constitution of India lays down that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect wildlife and have compassion for all living creatures. However, such duties are not enforceable by law.
• The Uttarakhand High Court in 2017, granted the river Ganga and its longest tributary Yamuna the legal right to be protected and not be harmed.
• While other legal acts such as the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 exist, they do not recognize animals as individual living entities.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A court in Varanasi rejected a plea asking for a scientific investigation into the structure found inside the Gyanvapi Mosque that the Hindu side has claimed is a Shivling.

The scientific procedure of carbon dating

• Carbon dating is a widely-used method to establish the age of organic materials, things that were once living.
• Living things have carbon in them in various forms. The dating method is based on the fact that Carbon-14 (C-14), an isotope of carbon with an atomic mass of 14, is radioactive, and decays at a well-known rate.
• The most abundant isotope of carbon in the atmosphere is C-12. The ratio of C-12 to C-14 in the atmosphere is almost static, and is known.
• Plants and animals acquire C-12 and C-14 in roughly the same proportion as is available in the atmosphere. When they die, their interactions with the atmosphere stops. While C-12 is stable, the radioactive C-14 reduces to one half of itself in about 5,730 years — known as its ‘half-life’.
• The changing ratio of C-12 to C-14 in the remains of a plant or animal after it dies can be measured, and can be used to deduce the approximate time when the organism died.
• Carbon dating cannot be used to determine the age of non-living things like rocks. Also, the age of things that are more than 40,000-50,000 years old cannot be arrived at through carbon dating.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the head of Dera Sacha Sauda, was released from jail on a 40-day parole on October 15.

Parole

• Parole is a system of releasing a prisoner with suspension of the sentence.
• The release is conditional, usually subject to behaviour, and requires periodic reporting to the authorities for a set period of time.

Furlough

• A broadly similar but subtly different concept is furlough, which is given in case of long-term imprisonment.
• While furlough is seen as a matter of right, to be granted periodically irrespective of any reason and merely to enable the prisoner to retain family and social ties, parole is not a matter of right and may be denied to a prisoner even when he makes out a sufficient case.
• Temporary release under provisions for parole or furlough is given by the state, but its decision can be challenged before a court of law.

Hence only statements 1 is correct.

The Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre has recently detected the first case of the Omicron sub-variant BF.7 in India. 

• Omicron BF. 7 is the latest sub-variant of the Omicron variant, first detected in Northwest China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
• It is also known as the 'Omicron spawn'.
• This new variant is fast spreading and has even infiltrated the walls of several other countries including the United States, UK, Australia and Belgium.
• Being a sub-variant of Omicron BA.5, BF.7 reportedly has enhanced immunity evasion in comparison to its parental strain.
• This means that people who have been infected before or have taken the COVID-19 vaccines can get infected with BF.7.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Union Environment ministry in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been implementing ‘Secure Himalaya’ project to conserve the habitats of snow leopards.

• The ‘Secure Himalaya’ project is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
• It supports the government’s efforts for conservation of snow leopard and its habitat by developing and implementing a landscape-based approach for Himalayan ecosystems, and addresses key issues of habitat degradation, threatened livelihoods and illegal trade in wildlife.
• It was launched in 2017.

Components:

• Conservation of key biodiversity areas and their effective management to secure long-term ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and conservation of snow leopard and other endangered species.
• Securing sustainable community livelihoods and natural resource management in high range Himalayan ecosystems.
• Enhancing enforcement, monitoring and cooperation to reduce wildlife crime and related threats.
• Gender Mainstreaming, Monitoring, evaluation and knowledge management.

Project Landscapes:

• Changthang, Ladakh Landscape, Jammu & Kashmir
• Lahaul-Pangi and Kinnaur Landscapes,
• Gangotri-Govind and Darma-Byans Landscapes,
• Khangchendzonga-upper Teesta Valley.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to EY- Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) report, India to attract FDI worth $475 billion in 5 years.

• The report titled ‘Vision—Developed India: Opportunities and Expectations of MNCs’, added that 71% of MNCs working in India consider the country an important destination for their global expansion. The optimism is driven by both short-term as well as long-term prospects.
• FDI in India has seen a consistent rise in the last decade, with FY 2021-22 receiving FDI inflow of $84.8 billion despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical developments on investment sentiment.
• India is seen as an emerging manufacturing hub in global value chains, as a growing consumer market and as a hub for ongoing digital transformation.
• Over 60% of MNCs in the report stated improvement in the business environment in the last three years. 
• According to the survey, top expectations from the government include enhanced effectiveness of the national single window for approval / clearances; greater tax certainty, and stronger contract enforcement mechanism, among other measures.

Foreign direct investment (FDI):

• Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment from a party in one country into a business or corporation in another country with the intention of establishing a lasting interest.
• With FDI, foreign companies are directly involved with day-to-day operations in the other country.
• FDI enters in India through either of the two routes:
  • Automatic route
    • The non-resident or Indian company does not require prior nod of the RBI or government of India for FDI.
  • Government-approval route
    • The government's approval is mandatory and the company will have to file an application through Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently meat and seafood retailer Licious forayed into the marketing of “mock” chicken and mutton under a new ‘UnCrave’ brand.

Plant-based meat & dairy

• “Plant-based” refers to products that bio-mimic or replicate meat, seafood, eggs, and milk derived from animals — by looking, smelling, and tasting like them.
• Plant-based dairy products include ice-cream that isn’t simply frozen dessert that replaces milk fat with vegetable oil.
• Even the proteins and other solids-not-fat ingredients are sourced from plants.
• As for plant-based dairy, the main products are milk from oats, almond, soyabean, coconut, and rice. Among these, oat milk is considered the closest to regular milk in taste and texture.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Indian Army has signed agreements with 11 banks including the private sector banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank etc for providing banking facilities to Agniveers on enrolment.

Agnipath scheme

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently announced the “Agnipath” scheme, for recruitment of youth in the armed forces for four years.
• Enrolment: Enrolment to all three services will be through a centralised online system, with special rallies and campus interviews at recognised technical institutes.
• Eligibility criteria: The new system is only for personnel below officer ranks
• Recruitment: It will be carried out on an ‘All India All Class’ basis with the eligibility age ranging from 17.5 to 21 years, with medical and physical fitness standards in accordance with existing norms.
• Salary package: Agniveers will receive Rs 33,000 in the second year, Rs 36,500 in the third year and Rs 40,000 in the fourth year. They will get Rs 11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi Package after four years.
• Qualification: The required educational qualification will be Class X-XII.
• Reselection: For those who are re-selected, the initial four-year period will not be considered for retirement benefits.
• Permanent Commission: Up to 25% of each batch will be enrolled as regular cadre as under permanent commission and would be required to serve for a further minimum period of 15 years.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.