Daily Current Affairs MCQ - April 2, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is India's third generation launch vehicle. It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.

• After its first successful launch in October 1994, PSLV emerged as the reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India with 39 consecutively successful missions by June 2017. During 1994-2017 period, the vehicle has launched 48 Indian satellites and 209 satellites for customers from abroad.

• The vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 – that later travelled to Moon and Mars respectively.

• Recently, the World Bank has published the World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives.

• The World Development Report 2021 provides a blueprint on how to harness the power of data for development, to ensure no one is left behind.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Rajinikanth after being conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019.

• Dadasaheb Phalke award is India's highest award in cinema.

• It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).

• The award prize consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of ₹10 lakh and a shawl.

• The award is given to people for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema".

• It was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, "the first lady of Indian cinema."

• Dadasaheb Phalke (1870–1944), was an Indian film-maker who directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).

• He is regarded as "the father of Indian cinema."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO and DMSRDE Kanpur for developing a Light Weight Bullet Proof Jacket.

• Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur, a DRDO laboratory has developed a Light Weight Bullet Proof Jacket weighing 9 kg meeting the qualitative requirements of Indian Army.

• The Front Hard Armour Panel jacket was tested successfully at TBRL Chandigarh and met relevant BIS standards.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat operationalised and dedicated to the Armed forces the 3rd Joint Logistics Node (JLN) in Mumbai.

• These JLNs will provide integrated logistics cover to the Armed Forces for their small arms ammunition, rations, fuel, general stores, civil hired transport, aviation clothing, spares and also engineering support in an effort to synergise their operational efforts.

• Establishment and operationalisation of JLNs is a very important first step in the direction of logistics integration of our three Services. The JLN would enhance joint inter-operability between the Services.

• The Joint Operations Division (JOD) under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (Hq IDS) enabled establishment of the JLNs

• Government Sanction Letter for establishment of JLNs in Mumbai, Guwahati and Port Blair was signed on October 12, 2020.

• The JLNs in Guwahati and Tri-Services, Andaman and Nicobar Command, Port Blair were operationalised on January 01, 2021.

• All power in a democracy ultimately belongs to the country's people. In India, one constitutionally mandated body that is designed to deliver on this promise, in a manner that balances revenue power with expenditure responsibilities, is the Finance Commission (FC). 

• The FC is constituted every five years and its scope is set out each time in a document called the Terms of Reference (ToR). It is received political tradition for the incumbent government to accept the FC's recommendations once they are tabled.

• The 15th FC devolves 41% of the Centre's divisible pool of revenues to states. This number is exactly the same as that recommended by the previous FC (with an adjustment for Jammu and Kashmir's new status as a Union Territory). 

• However, there is material shrinkage in the relative size of the divisible pool because surcharges and cesses, which are not counted in that pool, have increased materially from about 10% of the total pool in 2010 to about 20%.

• WHO gets its funding from two main sources: Member States paying their assessed contributions (countries’ membership dues), and voluntary contributions from Member States and other partners.

• Assessed contributions (AC) are a percentage of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (the UN General Assembly agrees the percentage). Member States approve them every two-years at the World Health Assembly. They cover less than 20% of the total budget.

• The WHO Foundation was launched on 27 May 2020. It is legally separate from WHO and it will facilitate contributions from the general public, individual major donors and corporate partners to WHO and trusted partners to deliver on high-impact programmes.

Haryana has amended several provisions under its Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the state's Legislative Assembly.

• Several new provisions have also been added to maintain the decorum of the House and ensure that prompt action is taken on recommendations made by the committees constituted by the Speaker.

• In Rule 76, a new provision has been added, according to which during every sitting of the House, presence of at least two ministers is a must, which was not maintained at times during discussion on certain Calling Attention Motions or other Business of the House.

• To maintain decorum of the House, another new provision has been added, according to which the members “shall not tear off documents in the House in protest”.

• The new Sub-Rule 46(11) reads: “The question shall not contain more than 150 words in any case either typed or handwritten on one side of the page.” Officials say it has been done to have better clarity for the Ministers to give a specific reply to the Member's query.

• As per the new definition, Leader of Opposition means Leader of a Legislative Party having the largest number of members other than the party/parties that has formed the government and having the strength at least equal to the strength of the quorum of the House

• There are two subspecies of African elephants, the Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

  • Savanna elephants are the larger of two.

  • The forest elephant has a more restricted natural distribution. Therefore, its decline is especially worrying.

  • While savanna elephant populations can bounce back given sufficient protection, the forest elephant is likely to recover much more slowly

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared African Forest and Savanna (or bush) elephants as ‘critically endangered’ and ‘endangered’ respectively. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

  • Earlier, African elephants were treated as a single species, listed as Vulnerable. This is the first time the two species have been assessed separately for the IUCN Red List.

• African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than Asian elephants.

  • They have two fingerlike features on the end of their trunk while Asian elephants have just one.

• Elephants are matriarchal, meaning they live in female-led groups.

• African elephants are keystone species, meaning they play a critical role in their ecosystem. Also known as “ecosystem engineers,” elephants shape their habitat in many ways. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• Elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other mammal—almost 22 months. This compounds the problem of conservation since there are simply not enough calves being born to make up for the losses from poaching.

Union Education Minister launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of NCTE Web Portal.

• The platform seeks to invite suggestions from the stakeholders for preparing draft for development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM).

• The “MyNEP2020” platform will be operational from 1st April 2021 to 15th May 2021.

• For preparing the documents on above two major recommendations of NEP 2020, NCTE will work in close consultation with individuals/organizations.