Daily Quiz 13 September 2023

Explanation: 

The persistence of Western disturbances well into the summer and the amplification of El Niño events due to climate change are creating hurdles for India’s food security and the durability of its agricultural practices.

• Option (3) is the correct answer: Western Disturbances are extratropical storms that originates in the Mediterranean region which brings sudden winter rain to the north-western parts of the Indian sub-continent. They are a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern which is driven by the westerlies. These extratropical storms are a global phenomenon. They may happen during any season, not necessarily in monsoon. This phenomenon usually carries moisture in the upper layer of the atmosphere, unlike their tropical counterparts where the moisture is carried in the lower layer of atmosphere. They gradually travel across the middle-east from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to enter the Indian sub-continent.

Explanation:

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will be holding a festival of democracy in Nalanda University, Bihar showcasing India’s rich democratic traditions.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous body under Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It is not a statutory body as it is created from executive decision.
• Statement 2 is correct: ICCR was founded in the year 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister.
• Statement 3 is correct: The ICCR has 38 Cultural Centres in different parts of the world to promote awareness of India’s composite cultural heritage abroad. The objectives of ICCR are:
  • to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programme pertaining to India’s external cultural relations.
  • to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries and
  • to promote cultural exchange with other countries and people.

Explanation:

Two people have died and four others are under treatment after contracting Nipah virus in Kerala’s Kozhikode district.

• Option (1) is incorrect but Option (2) is correct: Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. Nipah Virus is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals, particularly fruit bats. Fruit bats are known to transmit this virus to other animals like pigs, and dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep. The transmission from animals happens mainly through consumption of contaminated food.
• Option (3) is correct: Human-to-human transmission of NiV can also occur, mainly through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals. Human infections range from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory infection (mild, severe), and fatal encephalitis. Infected people initially develop symptoms including fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat.
• Option (4) is correct: There are currently no specific vaccines or effective antiviral drugs available for the treatment of NiV infection. WHO has identified Nipah as a priority disease for the WHO Research and Development Blueprint. Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications.

Explanation:

A petition from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has sought 100% counting of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.

• Statement 1 is correct: Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), machine from the Election Commission of India prints a paper slip of the candidate a person votes for with the name, serial number and symbol of the party. The machine has a transparent window through which the printed slip is displayed to the voter for seven seconds. The machine is meant to be used as a verification for the voter to make sure that the person’s vote has indeed been considered for the right candidate. After the printed slip is displayed to the voter, it falls into a sealed ballot compartment within the machine.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Election Commission (EC) does not count and verify each VVPAT with the EVM vote but carries out the process based on a random sample. As of now, the ECI mandates the counting of all VVPAT slips in five randomly selected polling stations per Assembly constituency or segment. The EC said that pressing for 100% verification was a “regressive thought and tantamount to going back to the days of manual voting using ballot system”. It said manual counting of all VVPAT slips would take time and introduce the potential of human error.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) is India’s largest financial market. It was the first exchange in India to provide modern, fully automated electronic trading.
• Statements 2 and 3 are correct: In India, NSE was established in the year 1992. The NSE has developed into a sophisticated, electronic market. The trading commenced in 1994 with the launch of the wholesale debt market and a cash market segment which ranked fourth in the world by equity trading volume. Recently, the NSE Nifty 50 recently crossed a new milestone of 20,000 points during intraday trade owing to gains in Adani Port, Adani Enterprises and Axis Bank stocks.