Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC / IAS / 15-11-19

Table of Contents

MCQ 1

COCSSO is a Conference organized by MoC&I, Government of India every year.
COCSSO is a major national forum for coordination between the Central and State Statistical Agencies with the objectives of putting in coordinated efforts for making available reliable and timely statistics to planners and policy makers.

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Prof. Bimal K Roy, Chairman, National Statistical Commission inaugurated the 27th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) at Kolkata, West Bengal on 11th November, 2019 in the presence of Shri Pravin Srivastava, Chief Statistician of India-cum- Secretary, Ministry Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India. Dr. G. C. Manna, Member, National Statistical Commission, Shri Vijay Kumar, Director General (Surveys), National Statistical Office and Shri T. K. Sanyal, Director General (Economic Statistics), National Statistical Office were also present on the occasion. Representatives from Central Government Ministries, State Governments, international agencies, academic institutions, corporate sector, community organizations and other stakeholders participated in the conference.
In his inaugural address, Prof. B. K. Roy stated that COCSSO is an important platform to bring all stakeholders together to discuss statistical matters of interest. He also highlighted dynamically changing role of the professional statisticians in the context of the technological advancements and transformations which eventually lead to the well being of the society.
Shri Pravin Srivastava mentioned that the theme of this year’s conference has been aptly chosen at a time when MoSPI is taking several steps towards putting in place a robust monitoring mechanism for SDGs. He further stated that achieving SDGs is a commitment of the country following the spirit of leaving no one behind. He also emphasized the need for developing State Indicator Frameworks for SDGs at the State/UT level on the lines of National Indicator Framework developed by MoSPI for monitoring indicators at national level.
27th COCSSO is a Conference organized by MoSPI, Government of India every year. COCSSO is a major national forum for coordination between the Central and State Statistical Agencies with the objectives of putting in coordinated efforts for making available reliable and timely statistics to planners and policy makers.
A number of presentations and discussion relating to theme by Central Ministries/Departments as well as representatives from various national and international agencies namely, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, UNDP, ILO, NITI Aayog, Tata Trusts, PwC, etc. will be presented during the Conference. In addition, various States/UTs, Directorate of Economics and Statistics will also share their experiences in this area. The session will explore into several important statistical issues such as new initiatives of MoSPI, sharing of best practices in the area, role of technology in real time monitoring of SDGs, data challenges and alignment of National Indicator Framework (NIF) and State Indicator Framework (SIF) for SDGs, etc.

MCQ 2

Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) was established by World Bank
Recently APRACA co-hosted 6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance along with NABARD in New Delhi.

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APRACA

The Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) aims to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of rural finance and access to sustainable financial services for small farmers in its member countries.
Currently, APRACA has members in over 23 countries, and it acts to promote the exchange of information and expertise on rural finance between them.
It also provides rural finance-related training, consultancy, and research publications to assist them.
They were established to provide financial services to small farmers and rural people in general.
The two other regional agricultural credit associations are
NENARACA (Near East – North Africa Agricultural Credit Association).
AFRACA (African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association)
All the three credit associations were established, with the help of FAO, following the 1975 World Conference on Agricultural Credit.
Recently APRACA co-hosted 6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance along with NABARD in New Delhi.

MCQ 3

In Ancient world Karez System was related to

Taxation
Trade
Water engineering
Temple architecture

Karez is an indigenous method of irrigation in which groundwater is tapped by a tunnel. After running for some distance the tunnel comes out in the open and the water is conducted to the command area. Karez irrigation is practised in 22 countries from China to Chile including India.
Karez is an old and stable irrigation system of Iran. It is a community enterprise managed by tribal tradition and run by social control. Spacing of the karez, their types, life, length, discharge, land development and allocation, water distribution and management are important aspects of karez irrigation.

Differences in karez maintenance and management produced by differences in tradition and customs of various tribes inhabiting Balochistan are brought out. Furthermore recent changes in Karez irrigation caused by changes in the socio-economic conditions are also analysed.
Karez is a water harnessing technology in which groundwater is brought to the surface by a tunnel.
In this system, no mechanical pump or lift is used, Gravity alone brings the water from the underground source.
The technology originated in Persia/Iran and was widely used during the medieval period

MCQ 4

Suranga Bawadi which is situated in Bijapur Karnataka has entered the list of world heritage sites
It was built by Adil Shah-I of Adilshahi dynasty of Bijapur in the 16th century to supply water to Vijaypura in Karnataka.

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Suranga Bawadi

Suranga Bawadi which is situated in Bijapur Karnataka has entered the World Monuments Watch List under “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” of the World Monument Funds.
It is an integral part of the ancient Karez System of supplying water through subterranean tunnels.
It was built by Adil Shah-I of Adilshahi dynasty of Bijapur in the 16th century to supply water to Vijaypura in Karnataka World Monument Watch
The World Monuments Watch is a biennial selection program of ‘at-risk cultural heritage sites’ that combine great historical significance with contemporary social impact.
It is a nomination-based program uses cultural heritage conservation to empower communities and improve human well-being.
It was launched in 1995 on the 30th anniversary of World Monuments Fund to identify imperiled cultural heritage sites and provide direct financial and technical support for their preservation.
The program also seeks to improve the resilience of communities, enhance social inclusion, and build new capacities in the heritage conservation field and beyond.
Anyone can nominate a site to the World Monuments Watch, including private individuals and representatives of civil society organizations, community groups, government agencies, educational institutions, or other entities.

World Monument Fund

World Monuments Fund is a private nonprofit organization.
It was founded in 1965 by individuals concerned about the accelerating destruction of important artistic treasures throughout the world.

MCQ 5

Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India is developed by CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).
These maps help in finding out future contamination caused by industries or other bodies, which cause pollution on the earth surface.

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Recently, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has released the first ‘Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India’ for environmental management.
The atlas aims to document the concentration and distribution of the chemical elements in the soils of India.
It consists of 44 maps of metals, oxides, and elements present in top and bottom soils across India
These maps help in finding out future contamination caused by industries or other bodies, which cause pollution on the earth surface.
For instance, tanneries release chromium, by going through the map of chromium, policymakers will get to know regions with a high concentration of it.
Earlier, there was no way to prove if polluters deny causing damage to the environment.
Significance
Both human activities and natural processes are continuously modifying the chemical composition of our environment. Hence, it will help to assess the chemical compositional changes on the Earth’s surface.
It will help the country to assess the presence of toxic chemicals in soil and how it varies from place to place. It also helps in identifying how soil pollution is contributing to groundwater contamination
Further, the map will also support in choosing the right soil that’s rich in certain micronutrient elements required for each plant growth.
The geochemical data presented in these maps will be a part of the global map to be prepared by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGC).
About CSIR-NGRI:
The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) is a geoscientific research organization established in 1961 under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGC)
It is a non-governmental scientific organization founded in 1961 which promotes and encourages the study of geological problems, and facilitates international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the earth sciences.
The Union consists of 121 members nations. India is the member.
At present IUGS gives considers issues related to:
Geoscience education,
Geoscience information,
Environmental management and hazards

MCQ 6

Arrokoth is a

Ancient civilization
Tribal tradition in northeast India
Cosmic Body
Aircraft

Ultima Thule, the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft, has been renamed Arrokoth, or “sky” in the Native American language.
Arrokoth is icy rock, which orbits in the dark and frigid Kuiper Belt about a billion miles beyond Pluto. • Arrokoth is an example of a “cold classical object” which has remained undisturbed since the solar system formed some 4.5 billion years ago.
It was surveyed by the NASA spaceship New Horizons in January 2019, with images showing it consisted of two spheres stuck together in the shape of a snowman.
The new official name, which was chosen by the New Horizons team and ratified by the International Astronomical Union.
New Horizons Spacecraft
New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe that was launched in 2006, as a part of NASA’s New Frontiers program.
The primary mission of the spacecraft is to study the Pluto system in 2015, and a secondary mission to study one or more other Kuiper belt (It is similar to the asteroid belt, which extends from Neptune) objects (KBOs) in the decade to follow.
It is the fifth space probe to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System.
The other four space probes are
Pioneer 10 – 1972
Pioneer 11 – 1973
Voyager 1 – 1977
Voyager 2 – 1977

MCQ 7

Gold Demand Trends Report is released by World Gold Council
Its headquarter is in Germany

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World Gold Council

The World Gold Council is the market development organization for the gold industry.
Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, they have offices in India, China, Singapore and the United States.
It works across all parts of the industry, from gold mining to investment, and their aim is to stimulate and sustain demand for gold.
They frequently publish research that demonstrates gold’s strength as a preserver of wealth both for investors and countries.
They have also launched various products such as SPDR GLD and gold accumulation plans in India and China.
WGC also helps to support its members to mine in a responsible way and developed the Conflict Free Gold Standard.
WGC recently released Gold Demand Trends Report, which highlights that Gold is the third most consistently bought investment, 46% of global retail investors have chosen gold products, behind savings accounts (78%) and life insurance (54%).

MCQ 8

National Education Day celebrated every year in India on November 11 to commemorate the birth anniversary of former president Abdul Kalam.
In 1992, he was awarded Bharat Ratna nation’s highest civilian honor, for his contributions toward education.

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National Education Day

National Education Day celebrated every year in India on November 11 to commemorate the birth anniversary of MaulanaAbul Kalam Azad.
From 2008, the Ministry of Human Resource Development had decided to celebrate November 11 as National Education Day.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was an Indian scholar and independence activist who served as the first Minister of Education of independent India.
During his tenure as education minister, he established a national education system and his primary focus was free primary education.
He was also a pioneer for the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the foundation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) – an institution to supervise and advance higher education across the country.
In 1992, posthumously he was awarded Bharat Ratna nation’s highest civilian honor, for his contributions toward education.