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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the event marking the first Audit Diwas at CAG office premises, on 16th November,2021.

• Audit Diwasis being celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of CAG and the contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is the Constitutional Authority in India, established under Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
• He is empowered to Audit all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the State Governments, including those of autonomous bodies and corporations substantially financed by the Government.
• Articles 148 – 151 of the Constitution of India deal with the institution of the CAG of India.
• The former Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir G. C. Murmu is the current CAG of India. He assumed office on 8 August 2020. He is the 14th CAG of India.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has expressed deep sorrow on demise of writer, historian and theatre personality, Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare.

• Balwant Moreshwar Purandare (1922 - 2021), popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare is a writer and theatre personality from Maharashtra.
• His works are mostly based on the events related to the life of Shivaji, the 17th-century founder of the Maratha Empire; as a result he is termed as Shiv-Shahir ("Shivaji's bard").
• He is mostly known for his popular play on Shivaji Jaanta Raja.
• In 2015, he was awarded with Maharashtra Bhushan Award, Maharashtra's highest civilian award. He was awarded with Padma Vibhushan in 2019.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveiled a plaque at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi on November 15, 2021 to rename the institute after former Defence Minister late Manohar Parrikar.

• The renaming as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) by the Raksha Mantri, who is the President of the Institute, follows the unanimous decision by the general body earlier this year to effect the change in the memory of the former Defence Minister.
• The renaming coincided with the 57th Foundation Day of the Institute that is celebrated on 11th November every year.
• During his time as Defence Minister, late Manohar Parrikar had focussed on promoting the work of the institute. His leadership in the 2016 counter-terrorist strikes following the Uri incident and the decision of 'One Rank One Pension' taken in the interest of the Armed forces will be long remembered.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying will launch the “LINAC-NCDC Fisheries Business Incubation Centre” (LIFIC) on November 16, 2021 at LINAC-NCDC in Gurugram, Haryana.

• LIFIC is being started by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), which is the End Implementation Agency for Cooperatives under the flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) of the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.
• Services of the Centre will help augment the development of the fisheries business in India.

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of 82nd All India Presiding Officers’ Conference on 17 November, 2021.

• The All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC), the apex body of the Legislatures in India, is celebrating its hundred years in 2021.
• To commemorate the centennial year of AIPOC, the 82nd edition of the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference will be held in Shimla on 17-18 November 2021.
• The first Conference was also held in Shimla in 1921.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

About Guru Nanak

• Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed on the full-moon day in the month of Katak to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539).
• He advocated the 'Nirguna' form of bhakti. He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
• He set up rules for congregational worship (sangat) involving collective recitation.
• He appointed one of his disciples, Angad, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru), and this practice was followed for nearly 200 years.
• The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled Baba Guru Nanak’s hymns along with those of his four successors and also other religious poets, like Baba Farid, Ravidas (also known as Raidas) and Kabir, in the Adi Granth Sahib.
  • These hymns, called 'Gurbani', are composed in many languages.
• Kartarpur gurudwara is the revered shrine about 4km across the border where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.
• Hence, option A is correct.

Benefits Associated with Cryptocurrency

• Fast and Cheap Transactions: Cryptocurrencies are way cheaper to use to execute international transactions because the transactions don't have to be handled by a series of intermediaries before they reach their destinations. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Investment Destination: There is a limited supply of cryptocurrency – partially like gold. Moreover, the last few years have seen the price of cryptocurrencies rising faster than other financial instruments.
  • Due to this, cryptocurrencies can become a preferred investment destination. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Anti-Inflationary Currency: Due to high demand of cryptocurrency its prices have largely remained on a growing trajectory. In this scenario, people tend to hold more cryptocurrency than spending it.
  • This will cause a deflationary effect on the currency. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• Recently, the third edition of the trilateral naval exercise Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) has been conducted in the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean.
  • It is conducted annually, and was announced by India at Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2018.
    • The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia’s premier defence summit. It was launched in 2002.
• It aims to strengthen mutual confidence and develop common understanding and procedures towards enhancing the overall maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • The exercise is in line with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.
• Hence, option D is correct.

Union Health Ministry of India notifies new protocol for post-mortem procedure.

• The Government of India announced that it has made changes in post-mortem protocols to allow for the procedure to be conducted after sunset effective from November 15, 2021.
• The move, union health ministry said, is order to promote ease of living by reducing burden imposed due to compliance to government processes.
• Apart from friends and relatives of the deceased, this new procedure also promotes organ donation and transplant as organs can be harvested in the stipulated time window after the procedure, the union health ministry said in a statement.
• In view of the rapid advancement and improvement in technology, especially availability of required lighting and infrastructure required for post-mortem, performing night time post-mortem in hospitals is now feasible.
• The protocol stipulates that post-mortem for organ donation be taken up on priority and be conducted even after sunset at the hospitals which have the infrastructure for conducting such post-mortem on a regular basis.
• The government further said that fitness and adequacy of infrastructure etc., shall be assessed by the hospital-in-charge to ensure that there is no dilution of evidentiary value.
• It is also to be ensured by the facility that video recording of post-mortem shall be done for all post-mortem conducted in the night, to rule out any suspicion and preserved for future reference for Legal purposes.
• However, cases under categories such as homicide, suicide, rape, decomposed bodies, suspected foul play should not be subjected for post-mortem during night time unless there is a law and order situation, it said.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh today inaugurated “Tech NEEV/ नींव @75” as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and interacted with successful start-ups including those from the tribal communities on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

• The Government of India will be setting up 30 Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs in different parts of the country for Scheduled Tribes (STs) by end of 2022 to promote scientific talent among tribal communities and for their overall socio-economic development.
• Out of 75 proposed STI Hubs for SCs/STs, 20 have already been established by Department of Science and Technology which will directly benefit 20,000 people through various interventions spreading across farm, non-farm and other allied livelihood sectors.
• “Tech NEEV/ नीव @ 75” is a year-long celebration highlighting the impact of Science Technology Innovation (STI) in empowering community for creating equitable inclusive economic growth.
• The 75 hour programme includes experience sharing of beneficiaries, community change leaders, societal changemakers conclave and round table discussions by various stakeholders apart from compilation of 75 impactful stories on India’s progress towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
• Referring to the Prime Minister’s Slogan of New India “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it reverberates the importance of Science and Technology in transforming the life of the poorest of the poor and developing affordable technologies.
• Hence both statements are correct.