Daily Current Affairs MCQ- October 29, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

• The Rs 100 lakh crore national master plan includes 11 industrial corridors, achieving a Rs 1.7 lakh crore turnover in defence production and having 38 electronics manufacturing clusters and 109 pharma clusters by 2024-25.
• It fixes targets up to 2024-25 for all infrastructure ministries.
• Implementing Agency: National Networking Group
  • National Networking Group will consist of experts or officials from all the stakeholder departments.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

India’s Engagement with Russia’s Far East

• India is the first country in the world to open a consulate in Vladivostok (Sangam’ of Eurasia and Pacific).
• Indian PM was the chief guest at 5th EEF (2019), first by an Indian Prime Minister.
• In 2019, India announced a commitment to an “Act Far-East” policy, with an aim to increase cooperation with this area.

International Trade and commerce:

• India and Russia agreed to open a maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok to give impetus to cooperation between India and Russian Far East.
• This connectivity project along with International North-South Corridor will bring India and Russia physically closer.

Hence both statements are correct.

Nano urea is a patented and indigenously made liquid that contains nanoparticles of urea (an inorganic compound), the most crucial chemical fertiliser for farmers in India.

• Plants require nitrogen to produce protein and they get practically all of it from soil bacteria that dwell in the roots.
• These bacteria break down atmospheric nitrogen or nitrogen from compounds like urea into a form that plants can use.
• Currently, conventional granular urea is one of the most important nitrogenous fertilisers in the country, with a high nitrogen content (46%).
• This new product is expected to replace the usage of urea granules.
• It was developed at IFFCO’s Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) in Kalol, Gujarat.
• IFFCO is a multi-state cooperative society (based in New Delhi).
• The society works in the fertiliser manufacturing and marketing sector.

Hence both statements are correct.

Queen Elizabeth II's death kicked off Operation London Bridge, a detailed plan, put in place in the 1960s, which meticulously lists the procedures that roll out moments after her death and culminate with her funeral 10 days later.

• Operation London Bridge (also known by its code phrase London Bridge is Down) is the name of a funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II.
• The plan includes the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning, and the details of her state funeral. The plan was first created in the 1960s and revised many times in the years before her death in 2022.
• As well as Operation London Bridge, there is an additional plan called Operation Unicorn, which details what would happen if the Queen were to die in Scotland.
• Running concurrently with Operation London Bridge is Operation Spring Tide, which addresses the accession of King Charles III to the throne and his first trip to the countries of the UK.

Hence both statements are correct.

The expert committee formed by the Uttarakhand government to examine ways for the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has launched a website, seeking public opinion on the plan.

• Headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (who is also the head of the Delimitation Commission), the committee has sought suggestions and recommendations from residents.
• The Committee will also prepare a report on implementing a UCC in Uttarakhand.
• Article 44 of the Constitution, lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the citizens throughout the territory of India. The code would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Supreme Court has said the problem of storing spent nuclear fuel from the Kudankulam nuclear power plant has to be “worked out”, possibly with the help of experts from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and officials at the highest level in the Tamil Nadu government.

• The Supreme Court asked Tamil Nadu government to come clear on the time schedule for the completion of public hearings by the State regarding the construction of an Away From Reactor (AFR) facility at the Kudankulam plant.
• The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) had sought an extension till July 2026 for the construction of the AFR facility. In 2018, the court had given the Corporation time till April 30, 2022.
• The AFR repository was supposed to be built in five years' time, but this has not been done. In 2013, the Supreme Court had granted five years’ time to the NPCIL, till July 2018. In 2018, the court gave an extension till 2022 and said this was the final extension of time to create the AFR storage. Now, they are again asking for an extension.
• Spent nuclear fuel, occasionally called used nuclear fuel, is nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in a nuclear reactor (usually at a nuclear power plant).
• It is no longer useful in sustaining a nuclear reaction in an ordinary thermal reactor and depending on its point along the nuclear fuel cycle, it may have considerably different isotopic constituents.

Hence both statements are correct.

India ranks 132 out of 191 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) 2021, after registering a decline in its score over two consecutive years for the first time in three decades.

• The drop is in line with the global trend since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic during which 90% of the countries have fallen backward in human development.
• The Index is part of the Human Development Report 2021-2022 released by the United Nations Development Programme.
• The HDI measures average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development — a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living.
• It is calculated using four indicators — life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
• India’s HDI score of 0.633 places it in the medium human development category, lower than its value of 0.645 in 2018, indicating a reversal in progress.
• Like global trends, in India’s case, the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2018 to 0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to falling life expectancy at birth — 70.7 years to 67.2 years.
• India’s expected years of schooling stand at 11.9 years, and the mean years of schooling are at 6.7 years. The GNI per capita level is $6,590.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated gender inequality, which increased 6.7% globally.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has passed away after reigning for 70 years.

• The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.
• Queen Elizabeth II's tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK's entry into - and withdrawal from - the European Union.
• Her reign spanned 15 Prime Ministers starting with Winston Churchill and including Ms Truss. She held weekly audiences with her Prime Minister throughout her reign.
• The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926.
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and served as the consort of the British monarch from her accession as queen on 6 February 1952 until his death in 2021.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Cheetah (a carnivore) is the world’s fastest land animal historically ranging throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa and extending eastward to India.

The Cheetah plays an important part in the ecosystem. They maintain prey species healthy (by killing the weak and old) and control the population of prey, helping plants-life by preventing overgrazing.

Today, Cheetahs are found in only 9% of their historic range, occurring in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain in Iran.

Namibia has the largest population of Cheetahs in the world, earning it the title "The Cheetah Capital of the World."

Currently, Cheetahs (African) are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, as there are fewer than 7,100 adult and adolescent Cheetahs in the wild.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The sixth edition of Japan India Maritime Exercise 2022 (JIMEX 22) hosted by Indian Navy commenced in the Bay of Bengal on 11 September 2022.

• The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) ships are being led by R Adm Hirata Toshiyuki, Commander Escort Flotilla Four, and Indian Naval ships by R Adm Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet.
• JIMEX 22 involves two Phases; exercises at sea and a harbour phase at Visakhapatnam.
• This edition marks the 10th anniversary of JIMEX, which began in Japan in 2012.
• It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of establishing of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
• JIMEX 22 seeks to consolidate the high degree of interoperability that exists between maritime forces of the two countries, through complex exercises in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.

Hence both statements are correct.