Daily Current Affairs MCQ- July 15, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Union Minister for Ministry of Food Processing Industries and senior officials of NAFED today launched six, One District One Product (ODOP) brands under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme at Panchsheel Bhawan, New Delhi.

• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has signed an agreement with NAFED for developing 10 brands of selected ODOPs under the branding and marketing component of the PMFME scheme. Out of these, six brands namely Amrit Phal, Cori Gold, Kashmiri Mantra, Madhu Mantra, Somdana, and Whole Wheat Cookies of Dilli Bakes were launched recently.
• The brand Amrit Phal for amla juice has been exclusively developed under the ODOP concept for Gurugram, Haryana.
• Cori Gold brand has been developed for coriander powder which is the identified ODOP for Kota, Rajasthan.
• Brand Kashmiri Mantra brings out the essence of spices from Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Brand Madhu Mantra has been developed under the ODOP concept for honey from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
• Whole wheat cookies, is the second product developed under the brand Dilli Bakes.
• Brand Somdana has been developed under the ODOP concept of milletsfrom Thane, Maharashtra.

PMFME Scheme:

• Launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme.
• It aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and to promote formalization of the sector and provide support to Farmer Producer Organizations, Self Help Groups, and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain.
• With an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the scheme envisions to directly assist the 2,00,000 micro food processing units for providing financial, technical, and business support for up-gradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lake and wintering ground of birds in the Indian subcontinent, saw a million birds, including the uncommon Mongolian gull, visiting the waterbody this year.

• As per the Water Bird Status Survey-2022 conducted in the Chilika, 10,74,173 water birds (107 species) and 37,953 individuals (76 wetland dependent species) were counted in the entire lagoon.
• Last year, the count in the Chilika was over 12 lakh. Members who were part of the census also reported sighting the Mongolian gull.
• The census was undertaken jointly by the Odisha State Wildlife Organisation, the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) and the Bombay Natural History Society.
• A total of 106 personnel, including bird experts from government- and non-government organisations, were deployed. The lagoon was divided strategically into 21 segments for the census.
• A total of 3,58,889 birds (97 species) were counted in Nalabana Bird Sanctuary — a decrease by 65,899 from the previous year.
• Among the three pintail species of ducks, the northern pintail (1,72,285), gadwall (1,53,985), Eurasian wigeon (1,50,843) accounted for over one lakh in this year’s count.
• The increase in numbers for the greater flamingo at Nalabana mudflat indicates that the restoration at Nalabana is effective. This year’s greater flamingo count was the highest in the last decade. It is largely due to appropriate management of mudflats.
• Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2.
• It is the biggest lake of India. It is the largest salt water lake in India.
• Chilika Lake hosts birds migrating from thousands of miles away from the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, remote parts of Russia, Mongolia, Central and Southeast Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched “Smart cities and Academia Towards Action & Research (SAAR)” program.

• It is a joint initiative of MoHUA, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and leading Indian academic institutions of the country.
• Under the program, 15 premier architecture & planning institutes of the country will be working with Smart Cities to document landmark projects undertaken by the Smart Cities Mission.
• The documents will capture the learnings from best practices, provide opportunities for engagement on urban development projects to students, and enable real-time information flow between urban practitioners and academia.
• The Smart Cities Mission’s urban projects are lighthouse projects to other aspiring cities. Since the start of the Mission in 2015, the 100 Smart Cities have been developing a total of 5,151 projects with an investment of Rs. 2,05,018 crore.
• The first activity envisaged under SAAR is to prepare a compendium of 75 landmark urban projects in India under the Smart City Mission.

Hence both statements are correct.

Telecommunication Engineering Centre(TEC), under Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, has released a report “Code of Practice for Securing Consumer Internet of Things(IoT)” as a baseline requirement aligned with global standards and best practices.

• These guidelines will help in securing consumer IoT devices & ecosystem as well as managing vulnerabilities.
• This report is intended for use by IoT device manufacturers, Service providers/ system integrators and application developers etc.
• Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the fastest emerging technology across the globe, providing enormous beneficial opportunities for society, industry, and consumers.
• It is being used to create smart infrastructure in various verticals such as Power, Automotive, Safety & Surveillance, Remote Health Management, Agriculture, Smart Homes and Smart Cities etc, using connected devices.
• IoT is benefitted by recent advances in several technologies such as sensors, communication technologies (Cellular and non-cellular), AI/ ML, Cloud / Edge computing etc.
• As per the projections, there may be 26.4 billion IoT devices in service globally by 2026. Out of this approximately 20% will be on cellular technologies. Ratio of Consumer and Enterprise IoT devices may be 45%: 55%.
• As per the National Digital Communication Policy (NDCP) 2018 released by Department of Telecommunications (DoT), an eco-system is to be created for 5 billion connected devices by 2022. Therefore, it is expected that around 60% of 5 billion i.e. 3 billion connected devices may exist in India by 2022.

Hence both statements are correct.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA)sets a new record of 19000 flying hours in 2021.

• During the year 2021, IGRUA piled up 19000 hours of flying as against an average yearly flying output of 15000 per year during the previous five years while it was 11641 hours in 2020.
• IGRUA achieved this milestone of 19000 hours despite continued effect of pandemic and inclement weather conditions due to Tauktae Cyclone in 2021.
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi(IGRUA) was established by the Government of India in the year 1986 at Fursatganj Airfield, presently in the district of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
• IGRUA is an Autonomous Body established under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and is administered by a Governing Council under the Ex-officio Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

In a historic decision, the Odisha state cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Sri Jagannath Temple Act of 1954, simplifying issues pertaining to land owned by the Jagannath Temple.

Jagannath Temple Act, 1954

• After India gained Independence, the state of Odisha formally introduced the Jagannath Temple Act in the year 1952, which came into effect in 1954.
• The Act contains provision on land rights of the temple, duties of the sevayat, administrative powers of the Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, rights and privileges of the Raja of Puri and other persons connected with the management and administration of the temple.

What does the recent amendment propose?

• The recent amendment approved by the state cabinet now decentralizes the power to settle land related issues of the temple. The cabinet has delegated power to temple administration and concerned officials for sale and lease of land in name of Jagannath temple.
• Unlike earlier, no approval will be required from the state government for the process. Through the sale of land, used and unused, the temple will also generate additional corpus funds.

Hence both statements are correct.

Ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP)-led Delhi Assembly on passed an amendment Bill to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971, recognising Takht Damdama Sahib as the fifth Takht of Sikhs.

• A Takht, which means a throne, is a seat of temporal authority for Sikhs.
• The Takhts are known to issue hukumnamas from time to time on issues that concern the Sikh community.

There are five Sikh Takhts, three in Punjab and one each in Maharashtra and Bihar.

• Akal Takht: Located in Amritsar, it is the oldest of the Takhts, and considered supreme among the five. It was set up in 1606 by Guru Hargobind. Akal Takht is supreme among them because it is the oldest and was created by a Sikh Guru himself
• The other four Takhts are linked to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.
• Takht Keshgarh Sahib: Located in Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh raised Khalsa, the initiated Sikh warriors, in 1699.
• Takht Patna Sahib: Guru Gobind Singh was born here in 1666.
• Takht Hazur Sahib: In Nanded, where Guru Gobin Singh spent time and where he was cremated in 1708.
• Takht Damdama Sahib: In Talwandi Sabo of Bathinda. Guru Gobind Singh spent several months here.

What does the amendment to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act mean?

• It adds one more ex officio member in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managament Committee (DSGMC) house.
• Earlier, there were four ex officio members in the house — the chiefs (jathedars) of the other four Sikh Takhts.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

With the Prime Minister’s cavalcade stranded on a flyover in Punjab’s Ferozepur district for over 15 minutes due to a protest, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a report from Punjab government on what it called “a major lapse in the security of the PM”.

• Planning of the PM’s security during any visit is an elaborate exercise that involves central agencies and state police forces. Broad guidelines are laid down in what is called the SPG’s Blue Book.
• Three days before any planned visit, the SPG (Special Protection Group), which is responsible for PM’s security, holds a mandatory Advance Security Liaison (ASL) with everyone involved in securing the event, including Intelligence Bureau officials in the concerned state, state police officials and the concerned district magistrate.
• Once the meeting is over, an ASL report is prepared, based on which all security arrangements are made.
• The meeting discusses how the PM would arrive (by air, road or rail) and, once he lands, how he would reach the venue of his programme (generally by helicopter or road).
• SPG only gives proximate security.
• When PM is travelling to any state, it is the responsibility of the state police to ensure overall security. They have the responsibility of intelligence gathering, route clearance, venue sanitisation and crowd management.

Hence both statements are correct.

A Moscow-led military alliance dispatched troops to help quell mounting unrest in Kazakhstan as the police said dozens were killed trying to storm government buildings.

• Long seen as one the most stable of the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia, energy-rich Kazakhstan is facing its biggest crisis in decades after days of protests over rising fuel prices escalated into widespread unrest.
• Under increasing pressure, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appealed overnight to the Russia-domina- ted Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which includes five other ex-Soviet states, to combat what he called “terrorist groups” that had “received extensive training abroad”.

Key facts

• The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia that consists of select post-Soviet states.
• Membership: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
• Headquarters: Moscow, Russia.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Union Minister of Science & Technology inaugurated India’s first unique “Rock” Museum in Hyderabad and later addressed the Hyderabad Scientists at the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).

• The Open Rock Museum, set up with the aim to educate and enlighten the masses about several lesser known facts, displays around 35 different types of rocks from different parts of India with ages ranging from 3.3 Billion years to around 55 Million years of the Earth’s history.
• These rocks also represent the deepest part of the earth up to 175 kms of distance from the surface of the earth.
• “Big Earth data” occupies the strategic high ground in the era of knowledge economies and India is fully exploiting this new frontier contributing to the advancement of Earth science.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.