Test: March 2022 Weekly Current Affair- 4 - UPSC MCQ

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
Government has recently approved the PLI Scheme for Textiles for man-made fibre (MMF) Apparel, MMF Fabrics and Technical Textiles

Statement 2
Correct
Only manufacturing company registered in India will be eligible to participate under the scheme.

Statement 3
Incorrect
The scheme has a budgetary outlay of 10,683 crores with a duration of 5 years i.e. during FY 2025- 26 to FY 2029-30.

Context – Government has approved the PLI Scheme for Textiles

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
Dugongs, also known as Sea Cows, are the only herbivorous marine mammals and the only member of the family Dugongidae, making it one of the four surviving species in the Order Sirenia (other is Trichechidae, or the manatee family). It is  classified as Vulnerable by IUCN

Statement 2
Correct
Dugongs are protected in India and occur in Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Gulf of Kutch and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Context – Tamil Nadu government announced India’s first conservation reserve for Dugongs in Palk Bay

Over ground workers (OGWs) are people who help militants, or terrorists, with logistical support, cash, shelter, and other infrastructure with which armed groups and insurgency movements such as Hizbul Mujaheddin and Jaish-e-Muhammad in Jammu and Kashmir can operate.
Context – Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police recently arrested three overground workers (OGWs) for a grenade attack on a Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) camp.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The India Plastics Pact is a collaboration between WWF India and CII—anchored at the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD), and supported by WRAP, a global NGO based in the UK

Statement 2
Correct
The Pact aims to transform the current linear plastics system into a circular plastics economy

Context – India Plastic Pact was in news

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
The Pusa decomposer, is a bio-enzyme developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) to decompose crop residue.

Statement 2
Incorrect
It can turn crop residue into organic manure in just 15-20 days.

Context- Delhi Government employed this bio decomposer to discourage stubble burning.

It is an agricultural festival, observed to welcome the new rice of the season. It is observed on the fifth day of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhaadra (August–September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. It is celebrated in Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand.
Context – The festival was in news

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
According to the Reserve Bank of India, an Account Aggregator is a non-banking financial company engaged in the business of providing, under a contract, the service of retrieving or collecting financial information pertaining to its customer. It is also engaged in consolidating, organising and presenting such information to the customer or any other financial information user as may be specified by the bank

Statement 2
Correct
The AA framework was created through an inter-regulatory decision by RBI and other regulators including Securities and Exchange Board of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) through and initiative of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)

Context – A new framework was launched for Account Aggregators

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
Shoonya Campaign is lauched by Niti Aayog in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

Statement 2
Incorrect
It aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the urban deliveries segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution delivery. 

Context – NITI Aayog  launched ‘Shoonya’ Campaign.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The Nipah virus (NiV) is a type of RNA virus in the genus Henipavirus. The virus normally circulates among some fruit bats. It can both spread between people and from other animals to people.

Statement 2
Correct
There are currently no drugs or vaccines that specifically target Nipah virus infection. WHO has identified Nipah as a priority disease for the WHO Research and Development Blueprint. Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications.

Statement 3
Correct
Fruit bats are the main reservoir for Nipah and they can transmit the virus to humans through direct and indirect contact with their urine, feces, or saliva. Contact with fruit bats or their urine, feces or saliva should thus be strictly avoided in Nipah-affected areas.

Context – There was an outbreak of Nipah Virus in Kerala.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
Li-Fi technology can send data at up to 1GB per second, which is a hundred times faster than Wi-Fi technology available today.

Statement 2
Correct
Li-Fi has the advantage of being useful in electromagnetic sensitive areas such as in aircraft cabins, hospitals and nuclear power plants without causing electromagnetic interference unlike Wi-Fi.

Context – India’s highest altitude institute in Ladakh gets LiFi network for faster internet

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
Thungon Committee is related to Panchayat Raj Institutions. The Anti-Defection law was enacted by Rajiv Gandhi Government in the absence of recommendations by any committee regarding Anti-Defection Law.

Statement 2
Incorrect
The Anti-Defection Law does not specify a timeframe within which the presiding officer has to decide on a disqualification plea.

Statement 3
Correct
The decision of the presiding officer of the house is subject to Judicial Review. The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in Kihoto holohan Case, 1992, thereby allowing appeal against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and Supreme Court

Context – The Calcutta High Court gave West Bengal Assembly Speaker a deadline to pass an order in the defection case

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
Hypersonic speeds are those that exceed five times the speed of sound, that is, anything that can move at speeds of Mach 5 or above, which means at least at 1.6 km per second.

Statement 2
Correct
Hypersonic missile packs the manoeuvrability of much slower subsonic cruise missiles and the hypersonic speed greater than or equal to ICBMs, making it harder to track and defend against

Context – China reportedly tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe before speeding towards its target

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
While parole is granted to the prisoner to meet a specific exigency, furlough may be granted (after a stipulated number of years have been served) without any reason.

Statement 2
Correct
Period of furlough granted to a prisoner is treated as remission of his sentence. Whereas parole is a system of releasing a prisoner with suspension of the sentence

Statement 3
Incorrect
Supreme Court stated that although furlough can be claimed without a reason, prisoner does not have an absolute legal right to claim furlough

Context – Supreme Court discussed differences between ‘furlough’ and ‘parole’ and the principles relating to grant of them.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
It will lead to a gradual shift from Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) based contract to market-based models. It also provides competitive price signals to reduce the cost of power

Statement 2
Incorrect
Union Minister of Power & New and Renewable Energy launched the Green Day Ahead Market

Context – Green Day Ahead Market was launched.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
The withdrawal of consent did not make the CBI defunct in a state — it retained the power to investigate cases that had been registered before consent was withdrawn.  Also, a case registered anywhere else in the country, which involved individuals stationed in these states, allowed the CBI’s jurisdiction to extend to these states

Statement 2
Correct
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is governed by The NIA Act, 2008, has jurisdiction across the country. But the CBI is governed by The Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, and must mandatorily obtain the consent of the state government concerned before beginning to investigate a crime in a state

Context – Central Government told the Supreme Court that states do not have any “absolute” power to keep the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from investigating crimes inside the State.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
Parks will be developed in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) based Master Developer (MD) model on Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) format. MD model is a model where private sector entity is responsible from first conception and planning, all the way through to the implementation of major projects

Statement 2
Correct
It is only available to those manufacturing companies who are not availing Textile PLI scheme benefits and will be available till the funds provided for the scheme are not exhausted.Provision of INR 300 Crore per park is being provided for incentivizing manufacturing units to setup early on first come first serve basis

Statement 3
Incorrect
State governments having ready availability of contiguous and dispute free land parcel of 1000+ acres will be eligible for application under the Scheme.

Statement 4
Correct
It comes under the Ministry of Textiles.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Incorrect
Build Back Better World or B3W is an initiative undertaken by G7 countries

Statement 2
Correct
The B3W efforts are in line with the standards and principles of the Blue Dot Network (BDN), relating to the environment and climate, labor and social safeguards, financing, construction, anticorruption, and other areas.

Statement 3
Correct
Led by the United States, the G7 countries will work to address the $40 trillion worth of infrastructure needed by developing countries by 2035. The initiative aims to catalyze funding for quality infrastructure from the private sector and will encourage private-sector investments that support “climate, health and health security, digital technology, and gender equity and equality”

Context – US President Biden Announced the Build Back Better Framework

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
“30 by 30” plan to give 30% of land and oceans protected status by 2030 through “area-based conservation measures” like protected national parks. — a measure supported by a broad coalition of nations, as well as a goal to halve the use of chemicals in agriculture and stop creating plastic waste

Statement 2
Correct
It will be done through “area-based conservation measures” like protected national parks

Statement 3
Correct
Kunming Declaration which calls for urgent and integrated action to reflect biodiversity considerations in all sectors of the global economy was adopted at the COP 15 in China

Context – 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held virtually in Kunming, China

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
Tokenization refers to replacement of card details with an alternative code called a ‘token’, which is unique for a combination of card, token requestor (the entity that accepts a request from the customer for tokenization of a card and passes it on to the card network to issue a token) and the device

Statement 2
Incorrect
With effect from January 1, 2022, no entity in the card transaction/payment chain, other than the card issuers and/or card networks, shall store the actual card data.

Statement 3
Correct
The guidelines extend the tokenization guidelines to every device that connects with the internet, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, wrist watches, bands, Internet of Things devices as well as payment aggregators.

Context – RBI recently announced new guidelines for card tokenization.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The Gupta style was influenced by Kushana, Mathura, and Gandhara and borrowed the common features of T-shaped doorways, decorated door jambs, sculpted panels with high-relief figures, and laurel-wreath and acanthus motifs

Statement 2
Correct
The temples were constructed using sandstone, granite, and brick.

Statement 3
Incorrect
Gupta temples were dedicated to a large number of Hindu gods rather than a single deity.

Context – The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found remains of an ancient temple dating back to the Gupta Period, 5th Century CE in Uttar Pradesh.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The Scheme enables the registered potters to get a direct loan from the banks under Pradhan Mantri Shishu Mudra Yojana. Under this Scheme, KVIC is acting as a facilitator for financial aid to potters through RBL bank and also providing training to the artisans, opting for this scheme

Statement 2
Incorrect
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched the scheme called SPIN (Strengthening the Potential of India).

Context – The scheme was launched by KVIC

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The objective of this scheme is to provide assistance for the international component of freight, to mitigate disadvantage of higher freight costs faced by the Indian exporters of agriculture products

Statement 2
Incorrect
Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products Scheme was launched in 2019 by the Department of Commerce under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Statement 3
Incorrect
Recently, the Department has notified ‘Revised Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products Scheme’ for exports effected on or after 01.04.2021 up to 31.03.2022. The existing scheme will remain in operation for exports effected up to 31.03.2021. Following major changes have been made in the revised scheme: 

• Dairy products, which were not covered under the earlier scheme, will be eligible for assistance under the revised scheme. 
  (i) Rates of assistance have been increased, by 50% for exports by sea and by 100% for exports by air

Context – The provisions of the scheme were revised

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has constituted a ten member Committee headed by Shri Ashok Kumar Tandon, renowned Journalist and Member, PrasarBharati. The committee was tasked to take a look at the existing guidelines of Journalists Welfare Scheme of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is an inter-governmental organization whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis.

Statement 2
Incorrect
The seats are distributed along the following lines:
13 for the African Group 
13 for the Asia-Pacific Group 
6 for the Eastern European Group 
8 for the Latin American and Caribbean Group 7 for the Western European and Others Group. So, Asia-Pacific states are the joint largest grouping within UNHRC.

Context – India was re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2022-24 term.

Statement Analysis:
Statement 1
Correct
ONDC is envisaged as a neutral platform that will set protocols for cataloguing, vendor match, and price discovery in open source on the lines of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It will enable buyers and sellers to be digitally visible and transact through an open network no matter what platform/application they use

Statement 2
Incorrect
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is building an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

Context- Quality Council of India set up team of experts to execute proposed ONDC project