Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC / IAS / 20-10-19

Table of Contents

MCQ 1

Gale Crater is located in

Antarctica
Arctic ocean
Moon
Mars

MCQ 2

River Waghora is located in

Rajasthan
Gujrat
Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh

The Ajanta Caves are 30 (approximately) rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotion through gesture, pose and form.
According to UNESCO, these are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art that influenced the Indian art that followed. The caves were built in two phases, the first phase starting around the 2nd century BCE, while the second phase was built around 400–650 CE, according to older accounts, or in a brief period of 460–480 CE according to later scholarship. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Ajanta Caves are mentioned in the memoirs of several medievalera Chinese Buddhist travellers to India and by a Mughal-era official of Akbar era in the early 17th century. They were covered by jungle until accidentally “discovered” and brought to Western attention in 1819 by a colonial British officer Captain John Smith on a tigerhunting party. The caves are in the rocky northern wall of the Ushaped gorge of the river Waghur, in the Deccan plateau. Within the gorge are a number of waterfalls, audible from outside the caves when the river is high
The Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship-halls of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre (246 ft) wall of rock. The caves also present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura’s Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities. Textual records suggest that these caves served as a monsoon retreat for monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India. While vivid colours and mural wall-painting were abundant in Indian history as evidenced by historical records, Caves 16, 17, 1 and 2 of Ajanta form the largest corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-painting

MCQ 3

Aflatoxin-M1 is an newly found antibiotic
It is procured from a fungi

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(A) Only 1

(B) Only 2

(D) None

What are Aflatoxins?
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The main fungi that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing fungi can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and during storage.
How are people exposed to aflatoxins?
People can be exposed to aflatoxins by eating contaminated plant products (such as peanuts) or by consuming meat or dairy products from animals that ate contaminated feed. Farmers and other agricultural workers may be exposed by inhaling dust generated during the handling and processing of contaminated crops and feeds.
Which cancers are associated with exposure to aflatoxins?
Exposure to aflatoxins is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer.
How can aflatoxin exposure be reduced?
You can reduce your aflatoxin exposure by buying only major commercial brands of nuts and nut butters and by discarding nuts that look moldy, discolored, or shriveled. To help minimize risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests foods that may contain aflatoxins, such as peanuts and peanut butter. To date, no outbreak of human illness caused by aflatoxins has been reported in the United States, but such outbreaks have occurred in some developing countries.

Milk Adulteration

National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018 was conducted by a third party across all States and UTs and recently released by FSSAI.
According to the survey, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala accounted for the highest number of cases of adulteration.
37% of the total samples tested failed to meet the prescribed quality and 10% of the processed milk samples were non-complaint.
The adulterants like aflatoxin-M1, antibiotics and pesticides such as urea, hydrogen peroxide, detergent were found in the milk.
The adulteration was mainly on account of low fat or low SNF (Solid Non-Fat) or both.
Aflatoxin-M1 is more dominant in processed milk than raw milk, which is life threatening, usually through damage to liver.
It comes in the milk through feed and fodder that are currently not regulated in the country
Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala were top three States where Aflatoxin residue was found the most.
India is the world’s largest producer of milk with the total estimated milk production in the country was 176.35 million tonnes during 2017-18.

MCQ 4

UNHRC was established in 2006 as part of the UN’s reform process.
Members are elected by the UN General Assembly with 2-year terms, with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms.

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(A) Only 1

(B) Only 2

(D) None

UN Human Rights Council

Venezuela has won a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, despite widespread criticism of its poor human rights record.
It obtained one of the two seats allocated for Latin American countries and the other seat was won by Brazil.
Brazil’s far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro has frequently expressed contempt for the concept of human rights.
UNHRC – It was established in 2006 as part of the UN’s reform process.
It replaced the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
UNHRC is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States.
Members are elected by the UN General Assembly with 3-year terms, with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms.
They are responsible for promotion and protection of human rights.
It meets 3 times a year to examine human rights violations worldwide.
Its resolutions are not legally binding but carry moral authority.
Last year, US has withdrawn from the council during its half-way of a 3-year term. It was the first such member to withdraw from the council.
Recently, Venezuela and Brazil were elected among 14 members to the council for 3 years term.

MCQ 5

International Coffee Organisation is a London based body set up under the auspices of the United Nations
It organizes “The World Coffee Conference” in which its 5th edition will be held in India.

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(A) Only 1

(B) Only 2

(C) Both

(D) None

International Coffee Organization

It is a London based body set up under the auspices of the United Nations in 1963 under the International Coffee agreement of 1962.
It was formed to highlight the economic importance of coffee.
It has 50 members which includes Exporting (44)and Importing (6) countries.
India is in major exporting countries and European Union in importing countries.
It represents 98% of world coffee production and 67% of world consumption.
It organises “The World Coffee Conference” in which its 5th edition was held in India.
The earlier conferences were held in London, Guatemala, Brazil and Ethiopia.
In its recent report, it highlighted that the next wave of growth in international coffee industry will come from Asia, and India is expected to play a lead role in driving this growth.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Farmers be Made Stakeholders in The Coffee Value Chain: Piyush Goyal
Crowd Source Ideas for Innovative WCC & Expo 2020: Commerce & Industry Minister
Make India Sustainable Destination for Coffee: Piyush Goyal
Commerce & Industry Minister Speaks at Curtain Raiser Event for 5th WCC & Expo 2020 This is the first time that the World Coffee Conference and Expo will be held in Asia.
During his address Commerce and Industry Minister urged the Coffee Board of India and the International Coffee Organization (ICO) to bring in innovation to the conference and expo by crowd sourcing ideas from citizens. He further urged ICO and Coffee Board of India to look at ways that will make Indian coffee a brand that is recognized worldwide and formulate ways to make India a sustainable destination for coffee.
Commerce and Industry Minister also said that methods may be explored to make coffee farmers stakeholders in the value chain as this will have a positive impact on the 25 million families who depend on coffee cultivation the world over. The Minister suggested that a rupee may be added to every cup of coffee that is bought all over the world by coffee lovers and this can be given to the coffee growers, to make a positive impact on the lives of coffee growers and their families.
Commerce and Industry Minister said that the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka will extend full co-operation for the success of the 5 thWorld Coffee Conference (WCC)& Expo to be held in Bengaluru from September 7-12, 2020. This is a great opportunity that India has got and the Coffee Board of India will welcome to India participants from more than 70 countries for the Expo and Conference, said the Minister.
India will be hosting the WCC 2020 as it is the 5th largest export and producer in the coffee in the world and is emerging as the major coffee consuming country.
The Government of India has also a strong focus on increasing coffee plantation. The global community also desires to connect with coffee growers in India and Asia and WCC 2020 offers an opportunity to explore India and Asia to the global coffee community.
Bengaluru is the coffee capital of India and produces nearly 70% of India’s coffee

MCQ 6

Merchant Discount Rate is given by banks to merchants for using Debit & credit cards
RBI specifies the maximum MDR charges that can be levied on every card transaction.

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(A) Only 1

(B) Only 2

(D) None

Merchant Discount Rate

MDR is the fee a merchant pays to Bank for providing debit and credit card services.
It compensates the bank issuing the card, the bank which puts up the swiping machine (Point-ofSale or PoS terminal) and network providers such as Mastercard or Visa for their services.
The charges are usually shared in a pre-agreed proportion between them.
RBI specifies the maximum MDR charges that can be levied on every card transaction.
As per RBI rules, the merchant must pay the MDR out of his earnings and cannot pass it on to the customer.
As per the recent RBI notification, with effect from January 2018, small merchants (Rs.20 lakh turnover) will pay a maximum MDR of 0.40 per cent of the bill value and others will pay 0.90 per cent.
Recent Developments – The government has recently announced that MDR will not be imposed on customers as well as merchants on digital payments made to establishments having turnover in excess of Rs 50 crore.
The order is directed to banks and other system providers and will be effective from November 1.
In line with this rule, amendments have been made in the income tax act as well as in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007.

MCQ 7

Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child.
IIT Delhi fabricates highly sensitive device to detect lead recently.

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(A) Only 1

(B) Only 2

(D) None

It does not matter if a person breathes-in, swallows, or absorbs lead particles, the health effects are the same; however, the body absorbs higher levels of lead when it is breathed-in.
Within our bodies, lead is absorbed and stored in our bones, blood, and tissues. It does not stay there permanently, rather it is stored there as a source of continual internal exposure. As we age, our bones demineralize and the internal exposures may increase as a result of larger releases of lead from the bone tissue. There is concern that lead may mobilize from the bone among women undergoing menopause.
Post-menopausal women have been found to have higher blood lead levels than premenopausal women

Health effects from short-term overexposure to lead

Lead poisoning can happen if a person is exposed to very high levels of lead over a short period of time. When this happens, a person may feel:
Abdominal pain
Constipated
Tired
Headachy
Irritable
Loss of appetite
Memory loss
Pain or tingling in the hands and/or feet
Weak
Because these symptoms may occur slowly or may be caused by other things, lead poisoning can be easily overlooked. Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death.
Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system. Even low-level lead exposures in developing babies have been found to affect behavior and intelligence. Lead exposure can cause miscarriage, stillbirths, and infertility (in both men and women).
Generally, lead affects children more than it does adults.
Children tend to show signs of severe lead toxicity at lower levels than adults. Lead poisoning has occurred in children whose parent(s) accidentally brought home lead dust on their clothing. Neurological effects and mental retardation have also occurred in children whose parent(s) may have job-related lead exposure

Health effects from prolonged exposure to lead

A person who is exposed to lead over time may feel:
Abdominal pain
Constipated
Depressed
Distracted
Forgetful
Irritable
Nauseous/Sick
People with prolonged exposure to lead may also be at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and reduced fertility.