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

Involving the community has helped devise strategies to break psychological barriers in the battle against Tuberculosis (TB) in Assam and three other States, an initiative by a Karnataka-based trust has revealed.

• Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that spreads through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.
• It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous system.
• TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it's treated with the right antibiotics.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

India and Israel signed a ‘vision Statement’ to deepen the long-standing defence cooperation. This was adopted at a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his visiting Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz.

• The two Ministers presented a joint declaration marking 30 years of Israel-India relations and reiterated their commitment to deepening defence ties.
• They discussed partnerships within the government-to-government framework, military training, and technological cooperation with a focus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and defensive capabilities.
• A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of futuristic defence technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.
• The Ministers also discussed a cooperation agreement signed between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel’s Directorate for Defence R&D.

Hence both statements are correct.

“HarGharDastak campaign 2.0” to accelerate the pace and coverage of COVID19 vaccination across States and UTs has commenced across India by Union Health Ministry.

• Incorporating the experience & learning from “HarGharDastak campaign” launched in Nov 2021, ‘HarGharDastak 2.0’ will be implemented from 1st June 2022 to 31st July 2022.
• The objective of the ‘Har GharDastak2.0’ Abhiyan is to vaccinate and cover the eligible population groups for first, second and precaution doses through door-to-door campaigns.
• Major focus will also remain on improving sub-optimal coverage of persons aged ≥ 60years with precaution dose, along with considerably slower speed of coverage in the 12-14 years cohort.
• The ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ Teekakaran Abhiyaan has been inspired by the successful strategy of Mission Indradhanush.

Hence both statements are correct.

During his visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol.

• Liquid nano urea is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle. Urea is a chemical nitrogen fertiliser which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
• Liquid nano urea is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant. Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
• The product has been developed at Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative limited (IFFCO’s) Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) at Kalol. The liquid nano urea produced by IFFCO comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently.
• Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea, increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.

Hence both statements are correct.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission has collaborated with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to set up Centre of Excellence for Khadi (CoEK).

• The CoEK hub in New Delhi and its spokes in Gandhinagar, Shillong, Kolkata and Bengaluru were inaugurated by Union Minister of MSME, Shri Narayan Rane, at NIFT Campus in New Delhi .
• An MoU, for setting up of CoEK, was signed between KVIC and NIFT last year and the project will be implemented over a period of 3 years.
• The CoEK will work to introduce the latest designs and adopt processes of international standards to create new fabrics and clothing as per the needs of the domestic and global buyers.
• The CoEK will also contribute to branding and publicity, visual merchandising and packaging for new Khadi products and increasing the global reach of Khadi by organizing Khadi Fashion shows and exhibitions in India and abroad.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Oil Marketing Companies, OMCs - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited have entered into a long-term purchase agreement for upcoming dedicated ethanol plants across the country.

• The first set of Tripartite Agreement was signed among Oil Marketing Companies and Banks of the respective Ethanol Plant Projects.
• State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and Indian Bank are three banks involved in this agreement with Oil Marketing Companies.
• As per the agreement, ethanol produced by these dedicated ethanol plants shall be sold to Oil Marketing Companies for blending with Petrol as per government Ethanol-Blended Petrol Programme.
• In Ethanol Supply Year 2021-22, India has achieved 9.90 per cent ethanol blending, consuming 186 crore litre of ethanol and saving of over nine thousand crore rupees of foreign exchange.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister for Environment, Bhupender Yadav delivered National Statementat the 15th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Cote d'Ivoire.

• The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is being held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 9 to 20 May 2022.
• The COP15 theme, ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity', is a call to action to ensure land, the lifeline on this planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.
• Several global developments indicate support to the objectives of UNCCD, such as the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) that aims at halting and reversing ecosystem degradation and loss.
• The importance placed on increasing area, connectivity and integrity of natural ecosystems is visible in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
• For the first time, an Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) on effective policy and implementation measures for addressing drought under the United Nations Convention for Combating Desertification (UNCCD) was established by decision 23/COP.14. India held the 14th COP in Delhi in 2019.

Hence both statements are correct.

Two judges of the Delhi High Court gave a split verdict on the question of criminalising rape within marriage, leaving the law unchanged.

• Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who headed the Bench, struck down as unconstitutional the exception to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which says that sexual intercourse by a man with his wife aged 18 and above is not rape even if it is without her consent.
• The right to withdraw consent at any given point in time forms the core of the woman’s right to life and liberty which encompasses her right to protect her physical and mental being,” Justice Shakdher said, calling for a change in the 162-year-old law.
• However, Justice C. Hari Shankar rejected the plea to criminalise marital rape noting that any change in the law has to be carried out by the legislature since the issue requires consideration of social, cultural and legal aspects.
• In India, marital rape is not defined in law. The High Court’s verdict came on a bunch of petitions, including by NGO RIT Foundation, the AIDWA and a marital rape victim.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Tamil Nadu has ramped up surveillance at its borders in the wake of “tomato flu” cases being detected in Kerala.

• The flu gets its name because of the red blister it causes.
• The flu affects children below five years of age.
• The symptoms of this flu, also called Tomato fever, include rashes, skin irritation and dehydration. The flu can also cause tiredness, joint pain, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, high fever, and body ache. In some cases, it may also change the colour of the legs and the hands.
• This flu is a self-limiting one and there is no specific drug for this. This means that the symptoms will resolve overtime on their own if supportive care is given.
• Like other cases of flu, tomato fever is also contagious. If someone is infected with this flu, they need to be kept in isolation as this could spread rapidly from one person to another.
• It is essential to prevent children from scratching the blisters caused by the flu. Proper rest and hygiene is also advised. Utensils, clothes and other items used by the infected persons must be sanitised to prevent the flu from spreading.
• Fluid intake would also help counteract dehydration.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

With a view to conserve water for the future, the Prime Minister launched a new Mission on Amrit Sarovar on 24th April 2022.

• The Mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The Mission Amrit Sarovar is to be completed by 15th August 2023.
• In total, it would lead to creation of 50,000 water bodies of a size of about an Acre or more with a water holding capacity of 10,000 cubic meter.
• This Mission has been launched with a whole of Government Approach in which following Ministries/Department are involved: Dept of Rural Development , Department of land resources, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Department of Water resources, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Environment.
• Also Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics(BISAG-N) has been engaged as Technical partner for the Mission.
• The Mission works through the States and Districts, through refocusing of various schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, XV Finance Commission Grants, PMKSY sub schemes such as Watershed Development Component, Har Khet Ko Pani besides States’ own schemes.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.