Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 28, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

India's unemployment rate dips to 7.2% in July-Sept 2022 according to National Statistical Office (NSO)’s Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).

About:

• Considering the importance of availability of labour force data at more frequent time intervals, National Statistical Office (NSO) launched Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in April 2017.
• The objective of PLFS:
  • to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of three months for the urban areas only in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS).
  • to estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ (ps+ss) and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.
• In the CWS approach, a person is considered unemployed if he/she did not work even for one hour on any day during the week but sought or was available for work at least for one hour on any day during the period.

Key highlights

• It showed that the unemployment rate among females (aged 15 years and above) in urban areas declined to 9.4 per cent in July-September, 2022 from 11.6 per cent a year ago. It was 9.5 per cent in April-June, 2022.
• Unemployment rate was high in July-September 2021 mainly due to the staggering impact of Covid-related restrictions in the country.
  • Unemployment rate or joblessness is defined as the percentage of unemployed persons among the labor force.
• Among males, the unemployment rate in urban areas declined to 6.6 per cent in July-September 2022 as against 9.3 per cent a year ago. It was 7.1 per cent in April-June 2022.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Indian Air Force is conducting the Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise 'Samanvay 2022' from 28 November 2022 to 30 November 2022 at Air Force Station Agra.

About

• It aims to assess the efficacy of institutional Disaster Management structures and contingency measures and involves static and flying displays of various HADR assets and a 'Table Top Exercise'.
• Samanvay 2022 will promote a synergistic approach towards HADR by various national and regional stakeholders involved in Disaster Management including the Civil Administration, the Armed Forces, NDMA, NIDM, NDRF, DRDO, BRO, IMD, NRS and INCOIS.
• It is expected to contribute in the evolution of institutional frameworks for effective communication, interoperability, cooperation and their application for successful conduct of HADR.
• The exercise also aims to provide a unique platform for exchange of domain knowledge, experience and best practices with the participating ASEAN member countries.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT),organised ‘National Workshop on Cryptology (NWC)’.

• The workshop was conducted as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with the theme ‘Advancements in Cryptology for enhancing security & privacy in communication networks’.
• NWC 2022 aimed to bring all the relevant stakeholders on a common platform to deliberate upon various contemporary themes in the field of Cryptology spanning Cyber Security, Quantum Computing, Post-Quantum Cryptography etc.
• Cryptography, or cryptology is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior.

Difference between Cryptography and Cryptology

• Cryptography
  • It is the study of conversion of plain text(readable format) to ciphertext(non-readable format) i.e. encryption. It is also called the study of encryption.
  • It takes place on the sender side.
  • In Cryptography, sender sends the message to receiver.
  • Cryptology is the parent of Cryptography.
• Cryptology:
  • It is the study of the conversion of plain text to ciphertext and vice versa. It is also called the study of encryption and decryption.
  • It takes place on the sender and receiver side.
  • In Cryptology, both sender and receiver send messages to each other.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

India’s proposal for transferring Leith’s Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia leithi) from Appendix II to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) has been adopted by the Conference of Parties (CoP) to CITES in its 19th Meeting at Panama.

• Leith’s Softshell Turtle is a large fresh water soft-shelled turtle which is endemic to peninsular India and it inhabits rivers and reservoirs.
• Distribution: Restricted to southern peninsular India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu) in the Cauvery, Thungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Bhavani, Godavari, and Moyar drainages.
• Threats:
  • The species has been subject to intensive exploitation over the past 30 years. It has been poached and illegally consumed within India. It has also been illegally traded abroad for meat and for its calipee.
  • The population of this turtle species is estimated to have declined by 90% over the past 30 years such that the species is now difficult to find.
• Conservation Status:
  • It is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN.
  • It is listed on Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Benefits of listing in The CITES Appendix I
  • The CITES Appendix I listing of this Turtle species would ensure that legal international trade in the species does not take place for commercial purposes.
  • It would also ensure that international trade in captive-bred specimens only takes place from registered facilities and further that higher and more proportionate penalties are provided for illegal trade of the species.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare stated that it is open to taking pro-farmer changes in PMFBY in response to the recent climate crisis and rapid technological advances.

• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is the government sponsored crop insurance scheme that integrates multiple stakeholders on a single platform.
• Highlights of the scheme
  • PMFBY is a replacement scheme of NAIS / MNAIS, there will be exemption from Service Tax liability of all the services involved in the implementation of the scheme
  • There is no upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90%, it will be borne by the Government.
  • The use of technology will be encouraged to a great extent. Smart phones will be used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to farmers. Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crop cutting experiments.
• Risks covered under the scheme: Risk of sowing, planting and germination failure, Risk of standing crop failure, Risk of post-harvest losses, Protection against calamities.
  • Exclusions – Loss or damage to notified insured crops due to war, nuclear risks, malicious damage and other preventable risks is excluded from the scope of coverage.
• Coverage of Crops: Food crops (Cereals, Millets and Pulses), Oilseeds, Annual Commercial / Annual Horticultural crops.
• Premiums Under the Scheme:
  • There will be a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops.
  • In case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Indian Railways plans to introduce 'tilting trains' by 2026.

What is it?

• It is a technology that enables trains to maneuver curves at increased speed, that too on regular tracks, just like a motorcycle on a winding road.
  • Vande Bharat trains, manufactured in India, will be equipped with the technology by 2025 that will improve their speed.
• Such trains are now operational in 11 countries - Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russia, the Czech Republic, the UK, Switzerland, China, Germany and Romania.

How does a tilting train work?

• When a train rounds a curve at speed, objects (and people) inside experience centrifugal force, which pushes them outwards.
• The effect can cause luggage inside to slide, seated passengers to feel squashed and standing passengers to lose balance. These trains are designed to counteract the effect by tilting the carriages towards the inside of the curve, thus compensating the g-force.
• There can be various mechanisms to neutralise the tilt force and achieve a balance. It further explains how motion sickness can be essentially eliminated by adjusting the timing of when the cars tilt.

Hence both statements are correct.

A three-day celebration of the 400th birth anniversary of the legendary Assamese general and folk hero Lachit Borphukan began in New Delhi.

About

• Borphukan has always been revered in Assam as the warrior who defeated Mughal armies in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
• He was chosen as one of the five Borphukans of the Ahom kingdom by king Charadhwaj Singha, and given administrative, judicial, and military responsibilities.
• Unlike the Mughals who preferred battles in the open with their massive armies, Borphukan preferred guerrilla tactics which provided an edge to his smaller, but fast moving and capable forces.
• Lachit Borphukan died a year after the Battle of Saraighat from a long festering illness.

The Ahom kingdom

• The Ahom kingdom had been repeatedly attacked by the Turkic and Afghan rulers of the Delhi Sultanate and later by the Mughals.
• The Mughal-Ahom wars had been going on since 1615-16, with the first Mughal attack on Assam with a view to capturing the region. The Ahoms had ruled major parts of Assam for nearly 600 years, between 1228 and 1826.
• From 1615 to 1639, many battles would be fought between the two, and tired of war, both sides agreed to sign a treaty after the Mughals had advanced into Assam and captured Kamrup.

The Battle of Saraighat

• The Battle of Saraighat was a naval battle fought in 1671 between the Mughal Empire and the Ahom Kingdom on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati, Assam, India.
• Borphukan was commander of the Ahom armies during the battle of Saraighat –. The battle, which took place during the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s reign, was seen as a decisive Ahom victory.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Union Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change recently addressed the special meeting of UN Country Team (UNCT) on CoP 27.

• The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) exists in 132 countries, covering all of the 162 countries where there are United Nations programmes.
• The UNCT includes all the UN entities working on sustainable development, emergency, recovery and transition in programme countries.
• The UNCT is led by the UN Resident Coordinator, who is the representative of the UN Secretary-General in a given country.
• The UNCT ensures interagency coordination and decision-making at the country level. The goal is to plan and work together, as part of the Resident Coordinator system, to ensure the delivery of tangible results in support of the development agenda of the Government, including the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework—which guides the UN country team’s development programme cycle, in joint agreement with the host government.

The Resident Coordinator System

• It ensures the coordination of all organizations of the United Nations dealing with operational activities for development at the country level, regardless of the nature of their presence in the country.
• It encompasses the UN Resident Coordinator, the UN Country Team and Resident Coordinator’s Office and is served by the UN Development Coordination Office.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has asked Paytm Payments Services Limited to resubmit the application to operate as payment aggregator.

• A payment aggregator provides payment services to merchants and e-commerce sites by accepting payment instruments from customers. As a part of this, they pool the funds received from customers and transfer them to merchants after a certain time.
• The services include facilitating integrated payment options such as transactions of cash and cheque, and online and offline touch points, besides allowing bank transfers for merchants without the need to set up accounts directly with the bank.

Why a licence is needed?

• In a new set of guidelines issued in March 2020, the RBI mandated that all PAs shall be authorised by it. For this, the regulator instructed non-bank companies offering PA services to apply for authorisation by June 30, 2021, which was later pushed to September 30, 2021.
• The decision on granting the licence has come after a period of assessment of the applications. The norms made it important for all payment gateways to acquire a licence to continue. The few firms authorised to operate as payment aggregators in India will come under the direct purview of the RBI.

Hence both statements are correct.

PM to participate in Constitution Day celebrations in Supreme Court on 26th November.

• India observes Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas on November 26 every year in order to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India.
• On the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, the Union Cabinet decided to celebrate November 26 as Constitution Day.

History of the Constitution Day

• The Constituent Assembly adopted the present-day Constitution on November 26, 1949 but it was decided that it will come into effect after a gap of almost two months i.e. on January 26, 1950. During this two-month break, the members of the constituent assembly thoroughly read it in order to find any mistakes.
• The Constituent Assembly met for two years, eleven months and eighteen days, a total of 166 days, before adopting the Constitution.
• Initially, it had been written in both English and Hindi and had been signed by each member of the assembly.

Interesting facts about the Constitution of India

• The constitution is the largest written constitution in the world.
• The original copy had been written by hand.
• Each page of the constitution has a gold leaf frame while the opening page of each is adorned with some kind of artwork.
• Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Nandalal Bose, who were artists from Shantiniketan, had decorated the original version of the Constitution.
• Prem Behari Narain Raizada was a talented calligrapher who had prepared the original copies of the constitution.

Hence both statements are correct.