Test: Monthly Current Affairs November- 2 - UPSC MCQ

In News- Researchers from Germany have mapped the evolution of Gya glacial lake and have determined the cause of the flood using remote sensing data.
Option D is correct: The major depositional landforms made by glaciers are Esker, Outwash plains, Drumlins. Major erosional landforms by glaciers are Hanging valley, Cirque, Horns and Aretes. 

Option D is correct: Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education has been launched throughout the country as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with effect from the year 2018-19. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education. It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels.

Option C is correct: UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis. For this reason, UVC lamps are often called "germicidal" lamps.

In News- The government has brought video streaming over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, Hotstar, and others under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Option B is correct:  It is not a statutory body. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) represents the private television news & current affairs broadcasters. It is the collective voice of the news & current affairs broadcasters in India. It is an organization funded entirely by its members. The NBA has presently 26 leading news and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 70 news and current affairs channels) as its members. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India.

In News- The MHA notified new rules under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 thereby amending the FCRA Rules, 2011.
Option B is correct: Individuals are permitted to accept foreign contributions without permission of MHA. However, the monetary limit for acceptance of such foreign contributions shall be less than Rs. 25,000 and organisations are required to register themselves every five years. The act is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Option B is correct: IFAD works towards removing poverty and hunger in rural areas all over the world, especially in developing countries. It was set up in 1977 and is the 13th specialised agency of the United Nations. India is a founder member of IFAD and a key contributor among the member countries. Its goal is to empower poor rural men and women in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and improved food security. IFAD is managed by the two main governing bodies i.e. the Governing Council and the Executive Board. The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body of IFAD.

Option B is correct: Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses. PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs. It was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in November 2008 under the name Jan Aushadi Campaign. Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementation agency for PMBJP.

In News- The Jharkhand government convened a special Assembly session to pass a resolution to recognise Sarna religion and include it as a separate code in the Census of 2021.
Option A is correct: Tribal groups have long demanded that followers of their 'Sarna' religion be listed separately as they worship nature and have a distinct tradition and culture. Currently, the census classifies people under six religions - Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist -while those who do not subscribe to these are clubbed under the 'Other' category. Jharkhand has 32 tribal groups of which eight are from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.

In News- Recently, Prime Minister virtually inaugurated the Office-cum-Residential Complex of Cuttack Bench of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) in Odisha to provide modern tax services.
Option B is correct: Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) is a statutory body in the field of direct taxes and its orders are accepted as final. Statutory bodies are established by acts which Parliament and State Legislatures can pass. ITAT was the first Tribunal to be created on 25th January 1941 and is also known as ‘Mother Tribunal’.

Statement 1 is not correct: The Inter-State Council is a non-permanent constitutional body set up by a presidential order on the basis of provisions in Article 263 of the Constitution of India. The Council is formed to discuss or investigate policies, subjects of common interest, and disputes among states.
Statement 2 is correct: The Inter-State Council was set up in 1990 following the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. Article 263 empowers the President of India to set up an inter-state council to deal with federal issues.
Statement 3 is not correct: The council is chaired by the Prime Minister and includes six Union ministers and all chief ministers as members.

In News- Indian astronomers collaborated with Nobel laureate on Thirty Meter Telescope Project.
Option B is correct: The Thirty-meter telescope (TMT) project is an international partnership between CalTech, Universities of California, Canada, Japan, China, and India. This can help in the understanding of the universe and the enigmas in it. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project being installed at Maunakea in Hawaii. India, a partner in the construction of one of the largest telescopes in the world, TMT, has said it wants the project to be moved out of the proposed site at Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii.

Option D is correct: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is a Special Purpose Vehicle set up under the administrative control of Ministry of Railways to undertake planning & development, mobilization of financial resources and construction, maintenance and operation of the Dedicated Freight Corridors. DFCCIL has been set up with 100% equity by Ministry of Railways.  The Ministry of Railways, under the direction of the Indian Government, had taken up the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) project. The project involves the construction of six freight corridors traversing the entire country. The purpose of the project is to provide a safe and efficient freight transportation system.

In News- Recently, the Meteor lake at Lonar of Maharashtra and the Soor Sarovar at Agra have been declared Ramsar sites.
Option D is correct: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
It came into force for India on 1st February, 1982. Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world. The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. At present, two wetlands of India are in Montreux Recordthat are- Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur).

In News- Recently, UAE has approved a 'golden' visa grant allowing 10-year residency for certain professions including specialised degree-holders and others.
Option C is correct: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved the issuance of a 10-year golden card visa for more professionals, including PhD holders, physicians, engineers as well as graduates from certain universities. Golden Visa is citizenship by investment or residency by investment program. It is directed to wealthy foreign nationals who want to acquire residency in a certain country by investing a substantial amount of money or by purchasing a property. It is a long-term residency programme announced by the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in May 2019. 

Statement 1 is not correct: The “patient zero” is a term used to describe the first human infected by a viral or bacterial disease in an outbreak.
Statement 2 is correct: Herd immunity is when a large number of people are vaccinated against a disease, lowering the chances of others being infected by it. When a sufficient percentage of a population is vaccinated, it slows the spread of disease. It is also referred to as community immunity or herd protection.

In News- Recently, Environmentalists and tribal communities have come together to protest against the Anakkayam Small Hydro Electric Project in Kerala.
Option A is correct: In June 2020, the Kerala government approved the Athirapally Hydro Electric Project (AHEP) on the Chalakudy river in Thrissur district of Kerala. Chalakudy River originates in the Anamalai region of Tamil Nadu and is joined by its major tributaries Parambikulam, Kuriyarkutti, Sholayar, Karapara and Anakayam in Kerala. It flows through Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala.

In News- The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is making efforts to get recognition of a geopark for Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) consisting of Erra Matti Dibbalu (red sand dunes).
Option A is correct: On November 17 2015, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO approved a new label of Geoparks. UNESCO defines Geoparks as single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. Currently, India does not have any Geopark under the list of UNESCO Global Geoparks. According to reports, India has not formulated a law for the construction of Geoparks and to protect the sites sustainably. The US and countries like Spain, China, etc. already have such laws since the 1920s.

In News- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved monetisation of assets of POWERGRID through the Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) model.
Statement 1 is correct: An Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvITs) is like a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of small amounts of money from possible individual/institutional investors in infrastructure to earn a small portion of the income as a return. InvITs work like mutual funds or real estate investment trusts (REITs) in features. InvITs can be treated as the modified version of REITs designed to suit the specific circumstances of the infrastructure sector.
Statement 2 is not correct: They are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Their units are listed on different trading platforms like stock exchanges and are a wholesome combination of both equity and debt instruments. InvITs can be established as a trust and registered with Sebi. An InvIT consists of four elements: 1) Trustee, 2) Sponsor(s), 3) Investment Manager and 4) Project Manager.

In News- Param Siddhi bags 63rd rank in the list of most powerful supercomputers in the world.
Option C is correct: Param Siddhi, the supercomputer established under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), has achieved 63rd rank in the list of 500 most powerful supercomputers in the world. India has one of the largest supercomputer infrastructures in the world.

Option A is correct: Royal haemophilia is a sex-linked disease. Clotting of blood is abnormally delayed even small cut will result in non-stop bleeding in the affected individual. Queen Victoria was a carrier of this disease and produced haemophilic descendants.