Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 4, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

GST revenue collected in March, 2022 stood at more than Rs 1.42 lakh crore - the highest recorded in a month since the introduction of GST.

• Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax (or consumption tax) imposed in India on the supply of goods and services.
• It is a comprehensive, multistage, destination based tax.
• Goods and services are divided into different tax slabs for collection of tax - 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% etc. These slabs, as well as goods and services under these slabs, are subject to change by the GST Council.
• Petroleum products, alcoholic drinks, and electricity are not under the purview of GST and instead are taxed separately by the individual state governments, as per the previous tax regime.

Hence both statements are correct.

The balance of payments (BOP), also known as the balance of international payments, is a statement of all transactions made between entities in one country and the rest of the world over a defined period, such as a quarter or a year. It summarizes all transactions that a country's individuals, companies, and government bodies complete with individuals, companies, and government bodies outside the country. The BoP has two parts.

• One is the capital account. This includes all types of trading in capital. In other words, all investments inside and outside the country are recorded here — for example, if an Indian firm invests money in the US to build a new company there, or if an Indian buys stocks on an American exchange.
• The second part of the BoP is called the Current Account. Here, all the trade in goods and services is noted down — for example, if an Indian imports an American gadget or software made by an American company or if an American entity imports Indian steel or engages an Indian IT company to create a software.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

The Olive ridley turtle is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles, named for the generally greenish color of its skin and shell, or carapace.

• Olive ridleys are found only in warmer waters, including the southern Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
• It is best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, which is a mass-nesting event when thousands of female turtles come together on the same beach each year to lay eggs.
• The olive ridley is mostly carnivorous, feeding on such creatures as jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp.
• Olive Ridley turtles are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as a Schedule I species and are categorised as Vulnerable as per the IUCN Red List. 

Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Chief Justice of India recently talked about the ‘falling credibility’ of CBI.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI):

• The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962–1964).
• It is not a statutory body as it was set up by a resolution (1963)of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
• The CBI is the main investigating agency of the Central Government.
• The CBI is headed by a Director. He is assisted by a special/additional director.
• The Central Government appoints the Director on the recommendation of a high-powered three-member committee, comprising of:
  • Prime Minister as Chairman
  • Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
  • Chief Justice of India

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

The government of India recently introduced the ‘Antarctica Bill’ in the Lok Sabha that envisages regulating visits and activities to Antarctica as well potential disputes that may arise among those present on the continent. The Bill also prescribes penal provisions for certain serious violations.

India is a signatory to the Antarctica Treaty since 1983 and that encumbered India to specify a set of laws governing portions of the continent where it had its research bases.

India is also signatory to treaties such as the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, both of which enjoin India to help preserve the pristine nature of the continent.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022, was recently introduced in the Indian Parliament.

• The bill seeks to authorise police to take physical measurements and biological samples of prisoners and accused persons for the purposes of identification and investigation of criminal cases.
• The Bill has broadened the definition of “measurements”, to include -
  • Finger impressions, palm-print impressions, footprint impressions, photographs, iris and retina scans, etc.
  • Measurements under the 1920 Act involved only finger impressions and footprint impressions.
• The record of measurements shall be retained in digital or electronic form for a period of 75 years from the date of collection.
• The NCRB shall be entrusted with the biological data collected.
• The NCRB can collect the record of measurements from the concerned state government or UT as well as any other law-enforcement agency.
• The NCRB will store, preserve and destroy such records at the national level, as well as share such records with any law-enforcement agency.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Prime Minister of Nepal recently visited India and held summit meeting with the Prime Minister of India.

• At the summit meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Nepal, various bilateral issues were discussed, including management of border dispute, connectivity, power sector cooperation and India's developmental projects in Nepal.
• The summit saw India and Nepal signing agreements to boost connectivity and energy cooperation and also inaugurating several other projects, including introduction of Rupay card in Nepal for financial connectivity.
• India is also involved in various developmental projects in Nepal, including National Police Academy at Kavrepalanchowk, the Integrated Check Posts at Nepalgunj and Bhairahawa and the projects under the ‘Ramayana Circuit’.
• In 2018 Indian and Nepal jointly started a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya, the two sacred cities for Hindus, as part of a “Ramayan Circuit” to promote religious tourism in Nepal and India.
• The Ramayana Circuit is a religious tourism development project between India and Nepal.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has flagged the emergence of a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the XE recombinant, in the United Kingdom, and with a possibly higher rate of transmission.

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) analysed three recombinants, known as XF, XE and XD. It explained that, of these, XD and XF are recombinants of Delta and Omicron BA.1, while XE is a recombinant of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2.

A recombinant variant occurs when an individual becomes infected with two or more variants at the same time, leading to a mixing of genetic material in the human body. Several such recombinants have emerged in the past during the pandemic.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

• A genome refers to all of the genetic material in an organism, and the human genome is mostly the same in all people, but a very small part of the Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA) does vary between one individual and another. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Every organism’s genetic code is contained in its Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA), the building blocks of life. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The discovery that DNA is structured as a “double helix” by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, started the quest for understanding how genes dictate life, its traits, and what causes diseases.

Agristack

• It is a collection of technologies and digital databases that focuses on farmers and the agricultural sector. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• AgriStack will create a unified platform for farmers to provide them end to end services across the agriculture food value chain. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• It is in line with the Centre’s Digital India programme, aimed at providing a broader push to digitise data in India, from land titles to medical records.
• The government is also implementing the National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NRLMP).
• Under the programme, each farmer will have a unique digital identification (farmers’ ID) that contains personal details, information about the land they farm, as well as production and financial details.
  • Each ID will be linked to the individual's digital national ID Aadhaar.