Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC 2020 / IAS / 11-12-19

Table of Contents

MCQ 1

“Gandhi Encyclopedia” is being developed by GoI, its aim is to promote Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms
The project is to be implemented by IGNCA.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

The Ministry of Culture on December 10, 2019 approved Rs 2.95 crores financial assistance for the development of Gandhi Paedia.
The project is to be implemented by National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata.

Highlights

The GoI is developing “Gandhi Encyclopedia” in order to spread awareness in the country.
The aim is to promote Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms.
The GoI sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 5.25 crores rupees for the commemoration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. A part of the amount allocated is being used for the project.

National Council of Science Museums

The council is an autonomous organization that is operating under Ministry of Culture. There are around 24 such museum all over India. The purpose of establishing these councils is to coordinate all informal science communication activities in the country.
The first science museum called the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum was built in May 2, 1959. The Council is now developing science centres in collaboration with State Governments.

Science Centres

To create the best infrastructure and manpower to conceptualize, develop, design and organize science exhibits.
So far, the council has constructed 5 science centres in Mumbai, Nagpur, Calicut, Bhopal and Goa. Every year, more than 750,000 people visit these centres.

MCQ 2

The first edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ is scheduled to be held at Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA)
It is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in India.

Choose correct
(A)Only 1
(B)Only 2
(C) Both
(D)None

The fourth edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ is scheduled to be held on 12-13 December 2019 at Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), Development Enclave, New Delhi.
The theme for 2019 edition is: “Make in India – Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives” .
will provide opportunity for exchange of ideas, create awareness and identify emerging prospects for Indian and International defence industry in domain of Naval Weapon Systems

About NAVARMS

It is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in India.
It invites all the stakeholders in life cycle management of Naval Weapons and provide a common platform to share their views and concerns.
The past three editions of NAVARMS were organised in 2007, 2010 and 2013. Previous editions aroused much enthusiasm and active participation by Industry, Union Ministry of Defence, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the users.

MCQ 3

After an amendment in Section 79 of Information Technology Act of 2000, Internet intermediary are liable for any third party information, data or communication link made available or hosted by them.
The legal action will be taken under Section 499/500 (criminal defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

Google and Defamation Cases

Supreme Court has ruled that Internet intermediaries cannot be protected from criminal defamation cases registered against them prior to October 27, 2009.
It was only on October 27, 2009 that Parliament amended the Section 79 of Information Technology Act of 2000.
By this amendment, it makes intermediary not liable for any third party information, data or communication link made available or hosted by them.
It aims to protect online intermediaries from liability for criminally defamatory content published in them by third parties.
It gave almost blanket protection to intermediaries from legal action under Section 499/500 (criminal defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The recent judgement was issued on the basis of an appeal filed by Google India Pvt Ltd against a criminal defamation case filed by M/s Vishaka Industries, a manufacturer of asbestos cement sheets.
Vishaka accused the Co-Ordinator of a Google group called ‘Ban Asbestos India’ and Google India for authoring/hosting defamatory articles against their products in 2008.
The accused were asked to appear in court in September 2009, that is before the amendment in Section 79 came into existence.
Google India argued that its role is passive and not a publisher of third-party content.
The government too agreed with Google India. The government had said that its powers to block online information does not expand to blocking any case of defamation, contempt of court, etc.

MCQ 4

The World Anti-Doping Agency is a UN Specialized body
It monitors World Anti-Doping Code, whose provisions are enforced by the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports.
The agency’s key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code, whose provisions are enforced by the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport.
The aims of the Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention and the United States Anti-Doping Agency are also closely aligned with those of WADA. Headquarters Montreal, Quebec, Canada
National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), India’s anti-doping body has selected Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty has been selected as its brand ambassador. NADA hopes that his celebrity status would help its efforts to clean up sports in the country from the menace.

NADA’s Concern

Earlier this year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had suspended NADA. This is another issue facing the country now that dope samples collected by NADA from the athletes will have to be tested outside India. Another raised concerns is about whether India would be able to test enough number of athletes in the coming months ahead of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

About National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)

It is formed by Government of India under societies Registration Act. It includes scientists and representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). It is the national organization responsible for monitoring, promoting and coordinating, doping control program in sports in all its forms in India. NADA deals with adopting and implementing anti-doping rules and policies which conform with World Anti-Doping Agency. It also promotes anti-doping research and education as well as cooperates with other anti-doping organisations besides WADA.

MCQ 5

Climate Change Performance Index is an annual publication by UNFCCC
Sweden leads the ranking on rank 1, followed by Denmark and Morocco.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

Climate Change Performance Index
It is an annual publication by Environment think tank German Watch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network since 2005.
The index tracks countries’ efforts to combat climate change.
It is an independent monitoring tool aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics.
It evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 57 countries and the EU, which are together responsible for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
80% of the evaluation is based on objective indicators of emissions trend and emissions level.
20% of the index results are built upon national and international climate policy assessments by more than 200 experts from the respective countries.
Country’s ranking is defined by 14 indicators within 4 categories – GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use and Climate Policy.
The CCPI ranking is qualified in relative terms (better–worse) rather than in absolute terms.
In CCPI 2020, no country performs well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating in the index, thus the first 3 ranks remain empty.
Sweden leads the ranking on rank 4, followed by Denmark and Morocco.
The bottom 3 countries are Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and United States.
India, for the first time, ranks at 9 among the top 10 in the index.
India ranked 9th in the ranking provided. The ranking was to the “high category”, where the countries have ambitious 2030 targets. The report noted that India received medium rating in the renewable energy category. Also, the 2030 target set by India was rated high for its well-below 2-degree Celsius compatibility.
The report also says that India is yet to develop a road map to phase-out fossil fuel subsidies in order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

MCQ 6
Who is/are not the members of GCC

Iran
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Oman

(A) 1 & 2
(B) 1 & 4
(C) 1 & 4
(D) All are members

It is a regional political and economic alliance of six Gulf States i.e
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
HQ – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

GCC Summit

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 40th summit was recently held in Riyadh, for second year in a row. • Its aim is to achieve ever closer union between the energy rich Gulf countries.
In the recent summit, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman called for regional unity to confront Iran and secure energy supplies and maritime channels.
There have been discussions regarding the future membership of Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen

Saudi–Qatari rift

Qatar and GCC – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and non-GCC member Egypt imposed a political and economic boycott of Qatar in June 2017 over allegations that Doha backs terrorism.
After 2 years of strained relationship, Qatar’s Prime Minister has attended the recent meeting which is the sign of thaw in a regional dispute.
PM is the most senior Qatari to attend the annual gathering since 2017, follows an intensification of efforts to resolve the Gulf dispute.
Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood across the Middle East-North Africa region, Hamas and radical Islamists in Libya has led to increasing tensions with other Arab states of the Persian Gulf. • Some financial economists have interpreted the Saudi– Qatari rift as a tangible political sign of a growing economic rivalry between oil and natural gas producers, which could “have deep and long-lasting consequences”
The Peninsula Shield Force is the military arm of the GCC formed in 1984.
In order to reduce their future dependence on oil, the GCC states are pursuing unprecedented economic structural reform

MCQ 7

The BioAsia 2020 is a comprehensive framework hosted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh
Switzerland will serve as India’s partner at the conference.

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

The BioAsia 2020 is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad in between February 17 and 19, 2020. On December 10, 2019, the Ministry of Industries and Commerce and IT informed that Switzerland will serve as India’s partner at the conference.
Why Switzerland?
India is Switzerland’s 8th largest trading partner. The trade between the countries amount to 19.7 billion USD. Also, India is one of the eight non-EU countries with which Switzerland intends to deepen its scientific relations.
Also, Switzerland generated over 15.8 billion Swiss Franc (CHF) revenue in the health technology alone. There are over 1,400 companies and 58,500 professionals involved in the health sector technology and its innovation. Apart from this there are more than 312 biotech companies that generate 1.5 billion CHF in research and development alone.

BioAsia 2020

The BioAsia 2020 is a comprehensive framework hosted by the Government of Telangana. It is dedicated to investors, health care, pharma, biotechnology and startups.

Theme: Today for Tomorrow

The purpose of the event is to create business relations between life science sectors. It acts as a platform for the corporate and government agencies to interact with each other and provide valuable feedback that will aid in investments, policy making, reforms, etc.

MCQ 8

IUCN was previously called the International Union for the Protection of Nature (1948–1956)
Its headquarters are in Bern, Switzerland

Choose correct
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Both
(D) None

IUCN was established in 1948. It was previously called the International Union for the Protection of Nature (1948– 1956) and the World Conservation Union (1990–2008).
At the time of its founding IUPN was the only international organization focusing on the entire spectrum of nature conservation (an international organization for the protection of birds, now BirdLife International, had been established in 1922.)
IUCN has a membership of over 1400 governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Some 16,000 scientists and experts participate in the work of IUCN commissions on a voluntary basis. It employs approximately 1000 full-time staff in more than 50 countries.
Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland
IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations and plays a role in the implementation of several international conventions on nature conservation and biodiversity.
It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
In the past, IUCN has been criticized for placing the interests of nature over those of indigenous peoples. In recent years, its closer relations with the business sector have caused controversy.
IUCN was one of the few environmental organisations formally involved in the preparations of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972). The Stockholm Conference eventually led to three new international conventions, with IUCN involved in their drafting and implementation:
Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972). IUCN co-drafted the World Heritage Convention with UNESCO and has been involved as the official Advisory Body on nature from the onset.[8]
CITES- the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1974) IUCN is a signatory party and the CITES secretariat was originally lodged with IUCN.
Ramsar Convention – Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (1975). The secretariat is still administered from IUCN’s headquarters.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added about 1,840 new species to its updated “Red List of Threatened Species”, a catalogue of plants and animals that risk extinction.
The list now contains over 30,000 species under threat of disappearing.
The group released its Red List update in the middle of COP25 climate talks in Madrid, Spain.
The year 2020 will see two global IUCN gatherings, first in June in Marseille, France and another in Kunming, China, in October

MCQ 9
National Logistics Policy aims to reduce the logistics cost for India, to ____percent of the GDP.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

National Logistics Policy

The vision of the proposed policy is to drive economic growth and business competitiveness of the country through an integrated, seamless, efficient, reliable, green, sustainable and cost effective logistics network leveraging best in class technology, processes and skilled manpower.
Though, there is no official estimation of logistics cost for India, some private institutions have estimated the logistics cost to be 13 to 14 percent of the GDP. The proposed policy aims to reduce this to 9 -10 percent of the GDP.
In order to simplify documentation for exports and imports through digitization, Department of Revenue, CBIC have taken several initiatives like

(i) SWIFT ( Single Window Interface For Trade )
(ii) Adoption of Digital Signature
(iii) 24×7 Customs Clearance – for facilitated Bills of Entry and factory stuffed containers and goods exported under free Shipping Bills at select ports
(iv) Import Data Processing and Management System (IDPMS) – jointly launched with RBI to facilitate efficient data processing for payment of imports and effective monitoring
(v) E-Sanchit
(vi) Two new IT Modules ICEDASH (Ease of doing business monitoring dashboard) and ATITHI app for electronic filing by passengers for baggage
(vii) PCS 1X which is a platform for port related processes developed by Indian Ports Association.
MCQ 10
How many states will one travel through while travelling from Indravati national park to Pilibhit tiger reserve(in the shortest distance crossing minimum states)?
(A)4
(B)3
(C)2
(D)5