Daily Current Affairs MCQ- August 9, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Union Minister for Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region informed Lok Sabha about the North East Venture Fund.

• It is registered as a Category I Venture Capital Fund under Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) Regulations, 2012.
• An independent committee (Investment Committee) comprising of experienced professionals from the field of venture funding, private equity, developmental banking etc takes the investment decision.
• As a regulatory requirement, periodic reporting on the operation/compliances of regulation is placed before the contributors of NEVF and other concerned bodies in a structured manner.
• In addition, fund operation is also monitored by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in the form of periodic audit.
• It was established as a close ended fund with a target corpus of Rs. 100 crore.
• It has already received its targeted corpus with contribution of Rs. 30 crore from North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi), Rs. 25 crore from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Rs. 45 crore from Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER).
• However, the contribution of MDoNER was given to NEDFi as interest free loan to be repayable in lump sum at the end of 15 years.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recognising the pivotal role of its sales force, the Postal Life Insurance (PLI) introduced the pilot program for “Direct Incentive Disbursement” in the Delhi and Uttarakhand Circles.

• This programme will recognize the role of PLI’s sales force which is the driving force behind the department’s accomplishments.
• It will impact around two lakh sales force members across the nation, including Gramin Dak Sevaks, Direct Agents, Field Officers, and Departmental Employees.
• Key benefits of pilot program:
• Swift and Secure Transactions: Salesforce receives incentives directly in their Post Office Savings Bank accounts.
• Convenience and Motivation: Salesforce can conveniently manage their funds, and immediate rewards drive optimal performance.
• Simplified Administration: Automated payouts reduce administrative costs, enabling a greater focus on delivering client service.

Key facts about Postal Life Insurance

• It is the oldest life insurer in this country which was introduced on 1st February 1884.
• It started as a welfare scheme for the benefit of postal employees and was later extended to the employees of the Telegraph Department in 1888.
• In 1894, PLI extended insurance cover to female employees of the erstwhile P & T Department at a time when no other insurance company covered female lives.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Member countries of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet to discuss their next steps, after Niger’s military junta defied their deadline to reinstate the country’s ousted president.

• It is the West African nation’s regional group which was established in 1975 through the Lagos Treaty.
• Mandate: Promoting economic integration among its members.
• Aim: To have a single common currency and create a single, large trading bloc in areas of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, financial issues, and social and cultural matters. 
• Member countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo. Around 400 million people live in this region.
• These countries have both cultural and geopolitical ties and shared common economic interest.
• Headquarters: Abuja, Nigeria.
• Beyond the goals of economic cooperation, ECOWAS has attempted to quell military conflicts in the region. 
• ECOWAS also operated a regional peacekeeping operation known as ECOMOG, led by Nigeria in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Defence Ministry recently decided to drop the Microsoft operating system and go for a local one named Maya operating system

About Maya OS:

• It is a new Operation System (OS) based on an open-source platform.
• It has the interface and all functionality like Windows and users will not feel much difference as they transition to it.
• Maya was developed by government development agencies within six months.
• Aim: To prevent malware attacks and other cyberattacks which had seen a steep increase.
• Currently, Maya is being installed only in Defence Ministry systems and not on computers connected to the networks of the three Services.

What is an Operating System (OS)?

• An OS is a software program that acts as an intermediary between computer hardware and the computer user.
• It provides a user-friendly interface and manages the hardware and software resources of a computer system.
• In essence, an operating system enables a user to interact with a computer and run applications efficiently.
• An OS, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all of the other application programs in a computer.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) recently fixed the retail prices of 44 new drug formulations.

About National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA):

• It is a government regulatory agency established with the aim of controlling and regulating the prices of pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices in the country to ensure their availability at affordable rates.
• It was constituted vide Government of India Resolution dated 29th August 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. 
• Functions
• To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order in accordance with the powers delegated to it.
• To deal with all legal matters arising out of the decisions of the Authority.
• To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps.
• To collect/ maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of individual companies, profitability of companies etc, for bulk drugs and formulations.
• To undertake and/ or sponsor relevant studies in respect of pricing of drugs/ pharmaceuticals.
• To recruit/ appoint the officers and other staff members of the Authority, as per rules and procedures laid down by the Government.
• To render advice to the Central Government on changes/ revisions in the drug policy.
• To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters relating to drug pricing.

What are Bulk Drugs?

• A bulk drug, also called an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), is the key ingredient of a drug or medicine, which lends it the desired therapeutic effect or produces the intended pharmacological activity.
• For example, paracetamol is a bulk drug, which acts against pain.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has successfully orchestrated the export of the maiden trial shipment of fresh pomegranates to the United States via the air route.

About Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA):

• APEDA was established by the  Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act of 1985.
• It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Objective: To develop and promote the export of scheduled products.
• The products specified under the APEDA ACT are called scheduled products, and exporters of such scheduled products are required to register under APEDA.
• It provides financial assistance, information, and guidelines for the development of scheduled products.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Functions:
• Setting the standards and specifications for the scheduled products.
• Registration of exporters of the scheduled products on payment of required fees.
• Improving packaging and marketing of the Scheduled products.
• Carrying out an inspection of products to ensure the quality of such products.
• Training in various aspects of the industries connected with the scheduled products.
• Development of industries relating to the scheduled products and undertaking surveys, feasibility studies, etc.
• Collection of statistics from the owners of factories or establishments and publication of such statistics.
• Examples of scheduled products: Fruits, Vegetable, Meat, Poultry Dairy Products, Confectionery, Biscuits, Bakery Products, Honey, Jaggery, etc.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Indian eagle-owl was classified as a species only in recent years, thus distinguishing it from the Eurasian eagle-owl. 

• It is also called the rock eagle-owl or Bengal eagle-owl.
• It is a large horned owl species native to hilly and rocky scrub forests in the Indian Subcontinent.
• Appearance:
• It is splashed with brown and grey, and has a white throat patch with black small stripes.
• The slightly larger female can reach a total length of two and a half feet, with a wingspan of six feet.
• Prominent ear tufts that look like horns are seen to project from its head.
• It was earlier treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian eagle-owl.
• It is usually seen in pairs. It has a deep resonant booming call that may be heard at dawn and dusk.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN: Least Concern

Hence only statement 1 and 2 are correct.

Statemnet 1 is correct:

• Every year, 9 August is commemorated as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.

Statement 2 is correct:

• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032), to draw global attention on the critical situation of many indigenous languages and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization and promotion.
• In terms of special events related to indigenous peoples, in 1990, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples
  • (Later, the General Assembly established two International Decades of the World's Indigenous Peoples: the first 1995 - 2004 and the second 2005 - 2014 (resolution 59/174), with the goal of strengthening international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous peoples in areas such as human rights, the environment, development, education, health, economic and social development

• Statement 1 is Correct: The term ‘basic structure’ is not defined in the Indian Constitution, however, over the years, the Supreme Court through its various judgements has shaped the concept of ‘Basic structure of Constitution’.
• Statement 2 is Correct: In Kesavananda Bharati Case (1973), the Supreme Court judgment introduced the concept of the ‘Basic Structure Doctrine’ in the Indian Constitution.
• In the Kesavananda ruling, the Supreme Court cited several aspects of the Constitution that could be identified as “basic features” of the document but added that it was not an exhaustive list.
• Components of Basic structure:
  • Supremacy of the Constitution;
  • Republican and Democratic forms of Government.
  • Secular character of the Constitution;
  • Separation of powers between the Legislature, the executive and the judiciary;
  • Federal character of the Constitution.

• Recently, the Parliament has passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
• Statement 1 is correct: The Bill declassifies beryl and beryllium, (ii) lithium, (iii) niobium, (iv) titanium, (v) tantallium, and (vi) zirconium minerals from the category of atomic minerals.  
  • Upon removal of these minerals from the list of atomic minerals, exploration and mining of these minerals will be open to the private sector.
• The Bill adds that auction for composite licence and mining lease for specified critical and strategic minerals will be conducted by the central government. 
• Statement 2 is correct: The Bill allows activities under a single exploration license in an area up to 1,000 square kilometers.