Daily Current Affairs MCQ - September 16, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

In this month alone, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has removed over 20,000 kg of tarballs from Juhu and Versova beaches.

• Tarballs are dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. Tarballs are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments.
• They are transported from the open sea to the shores by sea currents and waves.
• Some of the balls are as big as a basketball while others are smaller globules.
• Tarballs stick to the cleaning machinery and are very difficult to wash off.
• It is suspected that the oil comes from the large cargo ships in the deep sea and gets pushed to the shore as tarballs during monsoon due to wind speed and direction.
• All the oil spilt in the Arabian sea eventually gets deposited on the western coast in the form of tarballs in the monsoon season when wind speed and circulation pattern favour transportation of these tarballs.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Indian researchers have developed transparent ceramics, reaching theoretical transparency through a technique called colloidal processing followed by simultaneous application of temperature and pressure, for the first time in India.

• The material can be used for thermal imaging applications, especially in harsh service conditions and personal protection systems such as, helmets, face shields, and goggles.
• Transparent ceramics is a new class of advanced materials with unique transparency and excellent mechanical properties.
• These materials can be designed not only for transparent to visible light but also for ultraviolet (UV), Infrared (IR), and Radiofrequency (RF), giving opportunity for diverse applications.
• Though produced by different countries globally, transparent ceramics are restricted in supply as they can be used for strategic applications in infantry personal protection systems involving thermal imaging such as helmets, face shields, and goggles.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has declared Kushinagar Airport in Uttar Pradesh as a Customs notified airport.

• This would also facilitate international passenger movements including that of Buddhist pilgrims.
• Kushinagar is a town in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana after his death.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Union Cabinet has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Automobile Industry.

• The PLI scheme for the auto sector will incentivize high value Advanced Automotive Technology vehicles and products. The incentive structure will encourage industry to make fresh investments for indigenous global supply chain of Advanced Automotive Technology products.
• It is estimated that over a period of five years, the PLI Scheme for Automobile and Auto Components Industry will lead to fresh investment of over ₹42,500 crore, incremental production of over ₹2.3 lakh crore and will create additional employment opportunities of over 7.5 lakh jobs.
• The PLI Scheme for auto sector is open to existing automotive companies as well as new investors who are currently not in automobile or auto component manufacturing business.
• The scheme has two components viz Champion OEM Incentive Scheme and Component Champion Incentive Scheme.
  • The Champion OEM Incentive scheme is a ‘sales value linked’ scheme, applicable on Battery Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles of all segments.
  • The Component Champion Incentive scheme is a ‘sales value linked’ scheme, applicable on Advanced Automotive Technology components of vehicles, Completely Knocked Down (CKD)/ Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kits, Vehicle aggregates of 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and tractors etc.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

To celebrate the birth anniversary of the great engineer Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, India celebrates Engineer’s Day on 15 Sept.

• M. Visvesvaraya (1861 – 1962) was an Indian engineer, scholar, statesman.
• He was the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya district. He was also the chief designer of the flood protection system for the city of Hyderabad.
• He also served as the Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. It was during his period as Dewan that the Mysore Soap Factory (which makes the iconic Mysore sandal soap), the Bangalore Agricultural University, the Bank of Mysore and the Bangalore Press were set up.
• He penned his autobiography, Memoirs of my Working Life, in 1951.
• “Industrialise or Perish” was Visvesvaraya’s mantra.
• In 1915, He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the British Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V for his contributions to the public good.
• He received Bharat Ratna, in 1955.
• He is held in high regard as a pre-eminent engineer of India. 15 September is celebrated as Engineer's Day in India in his memory.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

• About Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP):
  • To develop connectivity through water, ASEAN and India are working on KMMTTP.
  • Initiated by the Indian government in 2008 and is entirely funded by India.
  • To seek an alternative route through Myanmar for the transportation of goods to the northeast region of India.
  • Connects Kolkata in India to Sittwe and Paletwa in Myanmar by sea and river respectively.
  • Alongside this initiative, India has contributed to build a sea link via Sittwe port in Myanmar in order to enable an alternative transit route through Bangladesh.
  • Hence, option D is correct.

• Every year, 16^th September is observed as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer (World Ozone Day).
• Ozone is a special form of oxygen with the chemical formula O3. Most ozone resides high up in the atmosphere, between 10 and 40km above Earth's surface. This region is called the stratosphere and it contains about 90% of all the ozone in the atmosphere. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The ozone in stratosphere is destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• After the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the ozone layer signed by almost every country in 1987, the United Nation General Assembly, in 1994, proclaimed this day as the International Day for the Prevention of the Ozone Layer.
• In 2016 as a continuation of the global effort the Parties to the Montreal Protocol reached agreement at their 28^th Meeting of the Parties in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
  • Recently, the Indian Government approved the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

• Arsenic is an odourless and tasteless metalloid widely distributed in the earth’s crust. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • It is naturally present at high levels in the earth crust and groundwater of a number of countries. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form.
• Impacts of Arsenic:
  • It leads to adverse health effects through inhibition of essential enzymes, which ultimately leads to death from multi-system organ failure.
  • Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
  • In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults. Hence. Statement 2 is correct.

Union Cabinet has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Drone Industry.

• The PLI Scheme for the Drones and Drone components industry addresses the strategic, tactical and operational uses of this revolutionary technology.
• The total amount allocated for the PLI scheme for drones and drone components is INR 120 crore spread over three financial years.
• The incentive for a manufacturer of drones and drone components shall be as high as 20% of the value addition made by her.
• The Government, has agreed to keep the PLI rate constant at 20% for all three years, an exceptional treatment given only to the drone industry. In PLI schemes for other sectors, the PLI rate reduces every year.
• The Government has agreed to widen the coverage of the incentive scheme to include developers of drone-related IT products also. The PLI for Drones and Drone components industry, will over a period of three years, lead to investments worth ₹ 5,000 Crore, increase in eligible sales of ₹ 1500 crore and create additional employment of about 10,000 jobs.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is a Multilateral Exercise, which is conducted biennially as part of military diplomacy between Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.

• The 6th edition of Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is being hosted by Russia in the Orenburg Region of South West Russia from 13 to 25 September 2021.
• The aim of the exercise is to foster close relations between SCO member states and to enhance abilities of the military leaders to command multi-national military contingents.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001.
• The SCO currently comprises nine Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran) and four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarusand Mongolia).
• Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.