Daily Current Affairs MCQ- July 23, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

The Supreme Court upheld amendments introducing restrictions in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) while holding that no one has a fundamental or absolute right to receive foreign contributions.

• In a judgment that may hit non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working at the grass-root level with no direct link to foreign donors, the court reasoned that unbridled inflow of foreign funds may destabilise the sovereignty of the nation.
• The restrictions involve a bar on using operational FCRA accounts to get foreign contributions and mandatory production of the Aadhaar card for registration under the FCRA.
• They require NGOs and recipients to open a new FCRA account at a specified branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi as a “one-point entry” for foreign donations.
• Free and uncontrolled inflow of foreign funds has the potential to impact the socio-economic structure and polity of the country.
• The court said charity could be found at home. NGOs could look within the country for donors.
• Unregulated inflow of foreign donations would only indicate that the government was incapable of looking after its own affairs and needs of its citizens.
• The amendments do not prohibit inflow of foreign contributions, but are a regulatory measure to permit acceptance by registered persons or persons having prior permission to do so with condition that they must themselves utilise the entire contribution.
• However, the court read down one of the provisions — Section 12 (A) — of the 2020 Amendment Act, which mandated the production of Aadhaar card for registration.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Union Cabinet has approved continuation of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), till March 2023.

• The AIM shall work on its intended target of creating an innovation culture and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. This will be done by AIM via its various programs.
• The intended targets that will be achieved by AIM are:
  • Establishing 10000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs),
  • Establishing 101 Atal Incubation Centers (AICs),
  • Establishing 50 Atal Community Innovation Centers (ACICs) and
  • Supporting 200 startups via the Atal New India Challenges.
• The total budgeted expenditure of Rs.2000+ crore shall be incurred in the process of the establishment and supporting the beneficiaries.
• The Mission has been set up under the NITI Aayog, in accordance with the Finance Minister's declaration in the 2015 Budget Speech.
• The objectives of the AIM are to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country via interventions at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has accorded its approval for supply of fortified rice throughout the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under various schemes by 2024 in a phased manner.

• These schemes of Government of India are the National Food Security Act (NFSA), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman-PM POSHAN [erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM)] and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) of Government of India.
• The entire cost of rice fortification (around Rs. 2,700 crore per annum) would be borne by the Govt. of India as part of food subsidy till its full implementation upto June, 2024.

The following three phases are envisaged for full implementation of the initiative:

• Phase-I: Covering ICDS and PM POSHAN in India all over by March, 2022 which is under implementation.
• Phase-II: Phase I above plus TPDS and OWS in all Aspirational and High Burden Districts on stunting (total 291 districts) by March 2023.
• Phase-Ill: Phase II above plus covering the remaining districts of the country by March 2024.

Background

• Prime Minister of India in his address on the 75th Independence Day (15th August, 2021) made an announcement on Fortification of Rice so as to provide nutrition to every poor person.
• Earlier, the Centrally Sponsored Pilot Scheme on "Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System" was implemented for a period of 3 years beginning from 2019-20.

Hence both statements are correct.

To encourage the talent of women, artisans and craftsmen and provide them with the right opportunities, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has taken an initiative to allocate space to Self Help Groups (SHGs) at its airports for selling/showcasing the self-made products of their region.

• Under “AVSAR” (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans Of The Region), which is an initiative of AAI, an opportunity to help the indigent to mobilize their households into functionally effective self-earned groups for self-reliance and self-dependence, has been provided.
• Under this scheme, an area of 100-200 square feet has been earmarked at each AAI operated airport.
• The space is being allotted to the self- help groups, turn on turn basis, for a duration of 15 days.
• Few outlets have already been commissioned at Chennai, Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur & Amritsar Airport wherein SHGs operated by local women, are showcasing and marketing their homemade local products like Puffed Rice, Packaged Papad, Pickles, traditional craft with contemporary design to the air travellers.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) booster at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on April 08, 2022.

• The test successfully demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system and met all the mission objectives.
• The SFDR-based propulsion enables the missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds.
• The SFDR has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories such as Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A MoU has been signed between the Unique Identification Authority Of India (UIDAI), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), New Delhi and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, Hyderabad, for technical collaboration.

• NRSC will be developing Bhuvan-Aadhar portal providing information and locations of the aadhaar centres across India.
• The portal also provides a facility to search the relevant Aadhaar centres by location based on residents requirements.
• Bhuvan will facilitate complete geographic information storage, retrieval, analysis and reporting for Aadhaar centres, with a high resolution backdrop of natural color satellite images.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

In pursuance of the announcement made in the Union Budget 2022-23, an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force has been constituted to promote the AVGC sector in the country under the aegis of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

• The AVGC Promotion Task Force shall be headed by Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
• It will have Secretaries of –
  • Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship;
  • Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education;
  • Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and
  • Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
• The AVGC Promotion Task Force also includes State Governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana;
• The Terms of Reference of the Task Force include the following:
  • Framing of a national AVGC policy,
  • Recommend national curriculum framework for Graduation, Post-Graduation and Doctoral courses in AVGC related sectors,

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

From the Himalayan highlands of Leh-Ladakh to the banks of River Ganges in Varanasi – the heritage handicraft of Pashmina has got a brand new identity.

• The premium Pashmina products prepared by the highly skilled Khadi weavers of Varanasi was launched by Chairman KVIC, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena in Varanasi.
• This is for the first time that Pashmina products are being produced outside the region of Leh-Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
• Pashmina is famed as an essential Kashmiri art form but rediscovery of Pashmina in Varanasi, the spiritual and cultural Capital of India, is unique in many ways.
• The production of Pashmina prepared in Varanasi liberates this heritage art from the regional confines and creates a fusion of diverse artistry from Leh-Ladakh, Delhi and Varanasi.

Hence both statements are correct.

In its bimonthly monetary policy statement in February, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the key policy rates unchanged.

Reserve Bank of India’s liquidity adjustment facility of LAF helps banks to adjust their daily liquidity mismatches.

LAF has two components: repo (repurchase agreement) and reverse repo.

• Repo Rate: It is the interest rate at which the RBI provides overnight liquidity to banks against the collateral of government and other approved securities under the LAF.
• Reverse Repo Rate: The interest rate at which the RBI absorbs liquidity, on an overnight basis, from banks against the collateral of eligible government securities under the LAF. Basically, banks can park their money with RBI while receiving interest on it.

Hence both statements are correct.

The National Health Authority has taken steps to rationalise the packages offered under the government’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY)

• Launched in September 2018, the scheme aimed to offer secondary and tertiary care services to the vulnerable population in the society.
• It was launched as a second component of the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme.
• This scheme also aimed to offer medical coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to poor and vulnerable families.
• The scheme covers over nearly 40% of the population targeted towards poorest and vulnerable.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.