Daily Current Affairs MCQ - January 17, 2022 - CLAT MCQ

• Nari Shakti Award, initiated in the year 1999, it is the highest Civilian Honour for Women in India. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • The President of India confers the Nari Shakti Puraskar on the International Women's Day (8^th March), annually.
• The Nari Shakti Puraskar carries a cash award of Rs.2 Lakh and a certificate for individuals and institutions.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development announces these national level awards for individuals/ groups/ Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)/ institutions etc. The awards are given:
  • For encouraging women to participate in decision making roles.
  • Women’s skill development in traditional and non-traditional sectors.
  • Facilitating basic amenities for rural women.
  • Promoting women in non-traditional sectors like science and technology, sports, art, culture concretely.
  • For the significant work towards safety and security, health and wellness, education, life skills, respect and dignity of women etc.
• Eligibility: As per the Guidelines, any individual of at least 25 years of age and institutions having worked in the relevant field for at least 5 years are eligible to apply. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

• 5G is the 5^th generation mobile network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.
  • The 5G networks will operate in the mm Wave spectrum. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The mm-Wave spectrum is a particular segment of the radio frequency spectrum that ranges between 24 GHz and 100 GHz.
  • This spectrum, as the name suggests, has a short wavelength, and is appropriate to deliver greater speeds and lower latencies. This in turn makes data transfer efficient and seamless as the currently available networks work optimally only on lower frequency bandwidths.
• The mm- band had been the subject of controversy due to out-of-band emissions into the passive satellite band used for weather satellites at 23.6-24 GHz.
  • Out-of-band emission is emission on a frequency or frequencies immediately outside the necessary bandwidth which results from the modulation process.
  • The level of out-of-band emission can not be reduced without affecting the corresponding transmission of information.
  • Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The Galwan Valley refers to the land that sits between steep mountains that buffet the Galwan River.
  • The river has its source in Aksai Chin, on China’s side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and it flows from the east to Ladakh, where it meets the Shyok river on India’s side of the LAC.
  • The valley is strategically located between Ladakh in the west and Aksai Chin in the east, which is currently controlled by China as part of its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Karakoram Range is also known as Krishnagiri which is situated in the northernmost range of the Trans-Himalayan ranges. It forms India's frontiers with Afghanistan and China. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
  • It extends eastwards from the Pamir for about 800 km. It is a range with lofty peaks (elevation 5,500 m and above).
  • Some of the peaks are more than 8,000 metre above sea level. K2 (8,611 m)[Godwin Austen or Qogir] is the second highest peak in the world and the highest peak in the Indian Union.
• The Ladakh Plateau lies to the north-east of the Karakoram Range. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The Pacific country of Tonga experienced a large volcanic eruption followed by a tsunami that flooded parts of the capital, Nuku'alofa, which is lies just 65km north of the volcano.
• The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano sent shockwaves across the South Pacific.
• Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai is a volcanic island in Tonga, located about 30 km south of the submarine volcano of Fonuafoʻou and 65 km north of Tongatapu, the country's main island.
• The volcano is part of the highly active Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji.
• The island arc is formed at the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate.
• Hence only statement 1 is correct.

• Virat Kohli has stepped down as the Test captain of the Indian Men's cricket team. The decision comes after the series defeat against South Africa.
• Kohli replaced MS Dhoni as the captain of Indian team in 2015 and became the most successful Test captain with 40 wins in 68 matches.
• Virat Kohli is the most successful full-time Indian captain in Tests both in terms of number of matches won and in terms of win percentage.
• Kohli holds the record for most Test appearances as India Test captain (68) and he also holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40). Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh have won more matches than Kohli as captain in Test cricket.
• Under his dynamic captaincy India became a formidable force and dominated every team at home. He became the first-ever Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia.
• Under him, the team reclaimed the top spot in the ICC test rankings, and also qualified for the final of the first ever ICC World Test Championship.
• Kohli also holds the record for scoring most Test centuries (20) as India captain.
• Hence both statements are correct.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 16th January will be celebrated as National Start-Ups Day.
• PM Modi also put a spotlight on the importance of startups in India, and said that when we complete 100 years of Independence, startups will play a major role in shaping the future. He called them the backbone of new India.
• He said that this was a great "techade" for India, where innovation, entrepreneurship and a healthy startup ecosystem will help liberate innovation from government processes and bureaucratic silos.
• The Mahotsav which is scheduled from January 10-16, marks the 6th anniversary of India's start-up initiative. The event showcases start-up's across various sectors including Health, Agriculture, Space, Industry 4.0, Science and more.
• "More than 150 startups have been divided into six working groups based on themes including Growing from Roots; Nudging the DNA; From Local to Global; Technology of Future; Building Champions in Manufacturing; and Sustainable Development," read the Prime Minister Office (PMO) statement.
• Start-up India scheme facilitates bank loans between 1 lakh to 10 crores to at least one scheduled caste and scheduled tribe.
• The loan is repayable in 7 years with a maximum moratorium period of 18 months.
• Hence both statements are incorrect.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the use of chemical fertilisers will increase the cancer cases by 50 percent, in next 15 years.
• In a virtual interaction with farmers of Gujarat, he appealed farmers to adopt natural farming. Mr. Shah said, excess use of chemical fertilisers will lead to increased cancer cases.
• He also set a target to encourage 50 per cent of the farmers in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency to give up chemical fertilisers and take up natural farming.
• He said due to excess use of chemical fertilisers, the soil is slowly turning into barren. He said, the poison has started reaching underground sources of water due to excess use of chemicals.
• The natural farming with the use of dung and urine of Indian cow breeds is the only way to restore the productivity of the soil, Mr Shah added.

Implications of overuse of Chemical fertilizers

• Increase of land and ocean surface temperatures: Excess nitrogen used in crop fertilization can contribute to the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. This effect is caused by using a greater amount of chemical fertilizer than the plants can readily absorb. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Lab, excess greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere may be contributing to the increase of land and ocean surface temperatures.
• Soil Acidification: The over-use of chemical fertilizers can lead to soil acidification because of a decrease in organic matter in the soil. Nitrogen applied to fields in large amounts over time damages topsoil, resulting in reduced crop yields. Sandy soils are much more prone to soil acidification than are clay soils. Clay soils have an ability to buffer the effects of excess chemical fertilization.
• Mineral Depletion: There is an increasing concern that continuous use of chemical fertilizers on soil depletes the soil of essential nutrients. As a result, the food produced in these soils have less vitamin and mineral content. According to data produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Laboratory, foods grown in soils that were chemically fertilized were found to have less magnesium, potassium and calcium content

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

India filed an appeal with the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) disputing a verdict by the WTO’s dispute settlement panel last month on sugar subsidies.

• The WTO’s dispute settlement panel had ruled that India, by subsidising sugar producers, was breaking rules framed under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which govern international trade.
• In 2019, Australia, Brazil, and Guatemala complained against India at the WTO arguing that subsidies offered by the Indian government to sugar producers were against the rules governing international trade.
• They argued that these subsidies, which include both domestic subsidies as well as export subsidies, exceed the limits imposed by WTO trade rules.
• According to WTO rules, subsidies cannot exceed 10% of the total value of sugar production. These countries believe that subsidies offered by India have led to increased production of sugar and caused the price of sugar to drop significantly in the global market.
• After two years, the WTO ruled in December that India’s sugar policy was favouring domestic producers through subsidies to the detriment of foreign producers.
• The panel recommended that India withdraws its alleged prohibited subsidies under the Production Assistance, the Buffer Stock, and the Marketing and Transportation Schemes within 120 days from the adoption of this report.
• India has stated that the WTO’s dispute panel ruling has made certain “erroneous” findings about domestic schemes to support sugarcane producers and exports and the findings of the panel are completely “unacceptable” to it.
• India is the second-largest sugar producer in the world after Brazil and it is estimated that more than 5 crore people depend on the cultivation of sugarcane alone for their livelihood.
• The WTO Appellate Body’s decision will be considered final on the dispute.
• In case India refuses to comply with the decision, it might have to face retaliatory action from other countries.
• This could be in the form of additional tariffs on Indian exports and other stringent measures.
• Incidentally, the appellate body of the WTO is not functioning because of differences among member countries to appoint members, and disputes are already pending with it. The U.S. had blocked the appointment of members.
• Hence both statements are correct.

China would begin implementing a strategic agreement with Iran, strengthening economic and political cooperation between the two countries as Beijing blasted Washington’s sanctions on Tehran.

• China and Iran signed the agreement last year after years of talks, with the wide-ranging partnership set to span areas including energy, security, infrastructure and communications.
• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced the start of the partnership’s implementation at a meeting in east China’s Wuxi.
• Few details of the secretive deal have been published, but the New York Times reported in 2020 that it would secure a regular supply of oil for China.
• China is Iran’s leading trade partner and was one of the biggest buyers of the country’s oil before then-U.S. president Donald Trump reimposed sweeping unilateral sanctions in 2018.
• China has officially stopped importing oil from Iran, but analysts say Iranian crude is continuing to enter the country disguised as imports from other countries.
• Beijing has long sought to boost ties with Tehran, with Chinese president Xi Jinping describing Iran as “China’s major partner in the Middle East” on a rare visit to the country in 2016.

Vienna talks

• Mr. Wang and Mr. Amir-Abdollahian’s meeting comes as talks continue in Vienna over a potential deal to halt Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons.
• A 2015 deal — agreed by Iran, the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany — offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
• But the U.S. withdrew from the agreement in 2018, reimposing biting sanctions and prompting Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments.
• Hence both statements are correct.

A controversy recently broke out after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recommended that the Delhi government suspend its flagship ‘Desh ke Mentor’ programme till “the time when all the loopholes pertaining to the safety of the children are overhauled”.

• The programme was launched in October 2021 and is aimed at connecting students in classes IX to XII with voluntary mentors.
• People between the ages of 18 and 35 can sign up to be mentors through an app created by a team at the Delhi Technological University and will be connected with students based on mutual interests.
• The mentorship entails regular phone calls for a minimum of two months, which can optionally be carried on for another four months.
• The idea is for the young mentors to guide students through higher education and career options, preparation for higher education entrance exams, and dealing with the pressure of it all.
• Hence both statements are correct.