Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 12th September 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2022

Q) Consider the following statements regarding causes of Urban Flooding

1. Over concretization resulting in reduced infiltration of rainwater into the soil.
2. Heavy rainfall during monsoons.
3. Sudden release or failure to release water from dams can also have severe impact.

Which of the above statements are natural factors?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 only
4. 2 only

Explanation:

Factors leading to Urban Flooding

• Natural Factors:
  • Heavy rainfall during monsoons. (Statement 2 is correct)
  • Storm surges affect coastal cities/ towns.
  • Sudden release or failure to release water from dams can also have severe impact. (Statement 3 is correct)
  • Urban heat island effect has resulted in an increase in rainfall over urban areas.
  • Global climate change is resulting in changed weather patterns and increased episodes of high intensity rainfall events occurring in shorter periods of time.
• Increasing Urbanization: Over concretization resulting in reduced infiltration of rainwater into the soil and changes to the topography of the city lead to urban flooding. (Statement 3 is incorrect)
• According to World Meteorological Organisation, both untreated sewage and toxic chemicals can pose significant threats to public health and the water supply.
• Unplanned Expansion: City master plans are focussed on protecting a small and fixed buffer area around identified water bodies and streams and fail to regulate the land market efficiently.
• Unplanned waste dumping and continuous disregard for natural recharge structures like ponds, wetlands, and tanks.

Q) Recently in news, the price cap system for oil and crude exports, has been proposed by which of the following?

1. OPEC
2. Russian Federation
3. G 7 Countries
4. ASEAN

Choose the correct option.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 3 only
4. 1 and 3 only

Explanation:

Context:  The G7 countries have agreed to implement a price cap system on oil exports from Russia.

Key details of the price cap system

• About:
• The G7 countries and the European Union have agreed to implement a comprehensive prohibition of services from Russia. These services are the ones that enable maritime transportation of Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum products globally. (Hence, only statement 3 is correct.)
• The prohibition will not apply if these services are purchased at or below a “price cap” fixed by the G7 and EU.
• The plan doesn’t include Russian gas, which Europe is still quite dependent on.
• Through this plan, the G7 countries aim to reduce the price of oil, but not the quantity of oil that Russia sells. This will help control inflation globally and simultaneously negatively affect the Russian economy and its ability to fund the war in Ukraine.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding G 7

1. It is an intergovernmental organization of seven countries that are the world’s most industrialized and developed economies.
2. Together the member countries represent 50% of global GDP and 20% of the world’s population.
3. G7 has no legal existence, permanent secretariat or official members.

Which of these statements are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 2 only

Explanation:

Group of 7 (G7)

• About: It is an intergovernmental organization of seven countries that are the world’s most industrialized and developed economies. (Statement 1 is correct)
• Members: France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, United States of America, Canada and Japan.
• Size: Together the member countries represent 40% of global GDP and 10% of the world’s population. (Statement 2 is incorrect)
• Unlike other bodies such as NATO, the G7 has no legal existence, permanent secretariat or official members.  (Statement 3 is correct)
• It also has no binding impact on policy and all decisions and commitments made at G7 meetings need to be ratified independently by governing bodies of member states.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding India’s rice exports

1. India is the world’s largest producer and second largest exporter of rice.
2. More than 75% of basmati exports went to Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
3. In non-basmati rice, almost 55% went to African countries.

Which of these statements are incorrect?

1. 2 and 3 only
2. 1 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 3 only

Explanation:

Stats on India’s rice exports

• India is the world’s largest rice exporter, accounting for 40 per cent of the global rice trade. (Statement 1 is not correct)
• According to the data from 2021-22:
  • More than 75% of basmati exports went to Iran and the Arabian Peninsula countries; the US, UK, Canada and Australia added up to another 10%. (Statement 2 is correct)
  • In non-basmati rice, almost 55% went to African countries. (Statement 3 is correct)
  • Much of exports to Africa and Bangladesh consist of parboiled non-basmati rice.
  • The largest importer of broken rice from India is China, followed by Senegal, Vietnam, and Djibouti.

Q) Which of the following grouping is India a member of –

1. Minerals Security Partnership
2. RCEP
3. Nuclear Suppliers Group
4. Trans-Pacific Partnership

Choose the correct option.

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1 and 4 only
3. 1 only
4. None

Explanation:

• Multilateral trade partnerships: India’s Multi-lateral partnerships show a declining trend:
  • RCEP: India withdrew from pan-Asian RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), amid concerns of a surge in imports from China. (Statement 2 is incorrect)
  • Minerals Security Partnership (MSP): India was excluded from the new US-led 11-member partnership to secure supply chains of critical minerals. This exclusion is even though India is being included in grouping like I2U2 (India, Israel, the UAE and the US), Quad and the latest IPEF. (Statement 1 is incorrect)
  • India is not a member of NSG or proposed TPP (Statement 3 and 4 incorrect)

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Central Adoption Resource Authority

1. It is a body formed through an executive resolution, working under the aegis of Ministry of women and child development.
2. Its objective is to regulate and monitor inter-country and in-country adoptions.

Which of these statements are correct?

1. 2 only
2. Both
3. None
4. 1 only

Explanation:

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA):

• It is a statutory body under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, working under the aegis of Ministry of women and child development. (Statement 1 is not correct)
• Its objective is to regulate and monitor inter-country and in-country adoptions. (Statement 2 is correct)

Q) Which of these cities have been recently included in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities?

1. Warangal
2. Nilambur
3. Thrissur
4. All of the above

Explanation:

• Warangal of Telangana and Nilambur, Thrissur of Kerala have joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). (Hence, all are correct)

More on the news:

• These three Indian cities are among the 77 cities from 44 countries which have joined the GNLC.
• The 77 new members bring the total number of cities within the UNESCO GNLC to 294 in 76 countries.

About UNESCO GNLC

• It is an international network consisting of cities that successfully promote lifelong learning across their communities.
• It was launched in 2013 by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.
• The key objective of UNESCO GNLC was to promote social cohesion, economic development, and sustainability in urban areas.
• The Network supports the achievement of all seventeen SDGs SDG 4 and SDG 11.

Q) Recently, an international team of researchers have developed a system that can create cyborg cockroaches. Which of the following cockroach was used in the developing these cyborgs?

1. Madagascar Cockroaches
2. German Cockroaches
3. Oriental Cockroaches
4. Smokeybrown Cockroaches

Explanation:

About the Development

• Cyborg cockroaches are part insect and part machine. Their movements are controlled by tiny integrated circuits.
• Researchers used Madagascar cockroaches, which are the largest species Okayof cockroaches, for developing cyborgs.
• Scientists designed the system to be rechargeable, by powering it with a super thin 0.004 mm solar cell module that was installed on the cockroach’s abdomen.
  • The battery system on the insects ensured that the cockroach can be controlled for long periods of time.
• Working:
  • Pressing a button sends electrical impulses to the sensory organs attached to the abdomens of the insects.
  • The shock forces the insect to move left or right.

Applications:

• Conducting surveillance in procedures like urban search and rescue
• Environmental monitoring
• Inspection of areas dangerous to human.

Q) Which of the following is not a stealth frigate of Project 17A?

1. Himgiri,
2. Udaygiri
3. Taragiri
4. Ratnagiri

Explanation:

About Project 17A:

• The coveted ‘Project 17A’ was cleared by the government in 2015.
• It involves the building of seven stealth frigates at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 crore.
• These frigates will come armed with advanced state-of-the-art sensors and boast of top-notch stealth features.
• They will represent the most advanced class of major surface warships for the Indian Navy in a decade, also featuring BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface missiles.
• Stealth frigate launched so far under the Project 17A:
  • Himgiri,
  • Udaygiri
  • Taragiri

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