Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC / IAS / 22-08-19 | Free PDF

MCQ 1

NISHTHA training program is launched by

1. MHRD
2. MSDE
3. Ministry of textile
4. Ministry of tribal affairs

Govt. launches programme to train teachers

• More than 42 lakh teachers and principals of primary and elementary-age government schools across the country will undergo a five-day training programme over the next few months to learn innovative teaching methods, the use of art and technology in the classroom and basic counselling techniques.
• On Wednesday, the Human Resource Development Ministry kicked off the National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA), calling it “the world’s largest teacher training programme”. “
• We need to support our teachers so they can encourage critical thinking among students rather than rote learning,” said School Education Secretary Rina Ray at the inauguration of NISHTHA.

MCQ 2

1. Tirur Vettila is unique for its significantly high content of total chlorophyll and protein in fresh leaves
2. It was recently added to the GI tag list from Tamilnadu

 Choose correct

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

• One more product from Kerala has obtained GI (Geographical Indication) tag. Tirur Vettila (betel leaf) is the latest entry to the status.
• Grown in Tirur and nearby areas of Malappuram district, Tirur Vettila is unique for its significantly high content of total chlorophyll and protein in fresh leaves.
• Eugenol is the major essential oil in Tirur betel leaf contributing to its pungency.

MCQ 3

What is Beresheet

1. A newly found Nano material
2. A communication network in Israel
3. NASA’s probe mission for moon
4. None

• Beresheet (Hebrew: ” ,יתִׁ אשֵ רְּ בBərēšīṯ”, “In the beginning”; Book of Genesis) was a demonstrator of a small robotic lunar lander and lunar probe operated by the Israel Aerospace Industries. Its aims included promoting careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and landing its magnetometer, digital time capsule, and laser retroreflector on the Moon. The lander’s gyroscopes failed on 11 April 2019 causing the main engine to shut off, which caused the lander to crash on the Moon.
• The lander was previously known as Sparrow and was officially named Beresheet in December 2018. Its net mass was 150 kg (330 lb); when fueled at launch, its mass was 585 kg (1,290 lb). It had been compared to a washing machine, as it stood about the height of one at 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and was similar in width to large household appliances. It used seven ground stations for earth–lander communication.
• Its mission control center was at Israel Aerospace Industries in Yehud, Israel
• It is a Israeli robotic lander for a lunar probe.
• It had carried human DNA samples, along with the ‘Tardigrades’ and 30 million small digitized pages of information about human society and culture.
• It crashed and spilled the tardigrades on the Moon.
• Beresheet was co-developed by SpaceIL – a non-profit organization headed by Morris Kahn, its major financier – and Israel Aerospace Industries.
• It represented the first privately initiated Moon mission and was stimulated by the Google Lunar X Prize.
• The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) participated in the construction and was supported by the Israel Space Agency.

MCQ 4

Chogyals rule was associated with the history of

1. Nagas
2. Meities
3. Sikkim
4. Assam

Sikkim – From Chogyal rule to Indian state

• Last week in Sikkim, 10 MLAs from the Opposition SDF defected to the BJP, adding to the political uncertainty..
• The current instability follows a unique event, the voting out of a government in power for the first time in Sikkim’s history.
• Since joining India in 1975, Sikkim has seen its government changed only twice.
• Sikkim became part of the Indian union in 1975 as its 22nd state.
• For 333 years before 1975, Sikkim was ruled by the ‘Chogyals’ (kings) of the ‘Namgyal dynasty’ of Tibetan descent.
• According to one account, the first ruler, Penchu Namgyal, was installed as king by Tibetan lamas in 1642.
• The Sikkim kingdom included the Chumbi valley and Darjeeling.
• Chumbi Valley is part of China now. After 1706, there were a series of conflicts between the powers of the region.
• It includes Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, resulting in a shrinking of Sikkim’s territorial boundaries.
• In 1814, Sikkim allied with the East India Company in the latter’s campaign against Nepal.
• After the Company won, it restored to Sikkim some of the territories that Nepal had wrested from it in 1780.
• In 1841, the Company purchased Darjeeling from the Namgyal rulers.
• A treaty in 1861 made Sikkim a de facto protectorate of British India.
• Subsequently, the ‘Calcutta Convention of 1890’ demarcated the border between Sikkim and Tibet. • The Lhasa Convention of 1904 affirmed the Calcutta Convention.
• After India became independent, in 1950, a treaty was signed between Maharaja Tashi Namgyal and India, It stated that, “Sikkim shall continue to be a Protectorate of India and, subject to the provisions of this Treaty, shall enjoy autonomy in regard to its internal affairs.”
• The gaping income inequality and feudal control over key resources led to popular discontent against the Chogyal rulers.
• In December 1947, diverse political groupings came together to form the Sikkim State Congress.
• In 1949, the Chogyal agreed to appoint a five-member Council of Ministers, with three Congress nominees, and two of his own.
• In 1953, the Chogyal introduced a new Constitution, and 4 general elections were held based on separate electorates.
• In 1973, the royal palace was besieged by thousands of protesters.
• The Chogyal was left with no choice but to ask India to send troops for his assistance.
• Finally, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Chogyal, the Indian government, and 3 major political parties.
• In 1974, elections were held, in which the Congress emerged victorious over pro-independence parties.
• In the same year, a new constitution was adopted, which restricted the role of the Chogyal to a titular post.
• The Chogyal resented this and refused to deliver the customary address to the elected Assembly.
• In the same year, India upgraded Sikkim’s status from protectorate to “associated state”, allotting to it one seat each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• The Chogyal was unhappy with this move and sought to internationalise the issue.
• This did not go down well with Sikkim’s elected leaders, and a referendum was held in 1975.
• A majority voted in favour of abolishing the monarchy and joining India, with only few voting against.
• Subsequently, India’s Parliament approved an amendment to make Sikkim a full state.

MCQ 5

What is Sericin

1. A recently tested Vaccine for measles
2. An antibiotic
3. A silk protein
4. A compound given to chickens for growth

• Produced by silkworms, it is a silk protein which is known to possess anti-oxidant and other medicinal properties.
• These properties depend on amino acid composition and secondary metabolites (polyphenols and flavonoids) of sericin.
• They vary with source of silkworms and their availability depends on the length of sericin peptides obtained during extraction. Uses: It could be used for protection from oxidative damage, edema, erythema, sunburn, premature aging, wrinkling, and skin cancer.

MCQ 6

1. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a special force under Ministry of defence
2. It gives security to PSUs & Railways

Choose correct

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

• CISF sports personnel have won 10 medals, including five gold, at the recently-concluded ‘World Police and Fire Games’ in China’s southwestern Sichuan province. The ‘World Police and Fire Games-2019’, an Olympic-style competition with 10,000 athletes representing law enforcement, fire-fighters and officers from corrections, probation, border protection, immigration and customs from over 70 countries competing in more than 60 sports, were held from August 8 to 18 in Chengdu city. The CISF sports personnel represented India in different sporting events and won five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) (established in its present form: 15 June 1983) is a Central Armed Police Force in India.
• It was set up under an Act of the Parliament of India on 10 March 1969 with a strength of 2,800. CISF was subsequently made an armed force of the Republic of India by another Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983. Its current active strength is 148,371 personnel. In April 2017, the government raised the sanctioned strength from 145,000 to 180,000 personnel.
• Among its duties are guarding sensitive governmental buildings, the Delhi Metro, and providing airport security.
• It is directly under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and not the Ministry of defence, its headquarters are at New Delhi.
• It was set up under an act of the Parliament of India on 10 March 1969 with a strength of around 2,800 personnel and as the name suggests, it was created for the better protection and security of industrial undertakings in the country. There was a limitation though, that industries to be provided protection should be wholly owned by the central government, which has since been modified so that the industries can now be a joint venture with the central government. However the role of CISF has undergone a diversification and it now also protects airports, seaports, metro rail networks, government buildings, heritage monuments (including the Taj Mahal and Red Fort), opium and alkaloids extractions, nuclear power plants, and space installations. It also specialises in VIP security as well as disaster management.

MCQ 7

1. SARAL – ‘State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index’ is launched by Ministry of power
2. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175 GW of solar energy & 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops

Choose correct

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

• Shri RK Singh, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index– SARAL here, today.
• The State of Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in the Index that evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development. Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have got 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th rank respectively.
•  Launching the Index, Shri RK Singh said that it would incentivise rooftop solar by creating healthy competition among the States. He encouraged all States to adopt the best practices being followed by top ranking States.
• SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY). It was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. SARAL currently captures five key aspects –
• robustness of policy framework
• implementation environment
• investment climate
• consumer experience
• business ecosystem
• It encourages each state to assess the initiatives taken so far, and what it can do to improve its solar rooftop ecosystem. This will help states to channelize investments that can eventually help the sector grow. In addition, such an exercise is likely to create a more conducive environment for solar rooftop installations, encourage investment and lead to accelerated growth of the sector.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power is to be operational by March 2022, of which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops. The Indian Grid Connected Rooftop PV (GRPV) segment is slowly gaining momentum with substantial interest from entrepreneurs, developers, financial institutions, development banks, end users and government entities. On a very positive note, rooftop solar PV has already achieved grid parity for commercial and industrial consumers and is fast becoming attractive for residential consumers as well.
• To achieve our rooftop solar targets, it is important to develop an ecosystem that ensures information symmetry, access to financing and clear market signals. Thus, the MNRE has developed the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–SARAL that evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development. SARAL is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment.

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