Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC / IAS / 23-09-19

Table of Contents

MCQ 1

Nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA is a drug, recently developed to fight cancer
It is toxic for liver

Choose correct

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

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), also known as dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), is a semi-volatile organic chemical, produced as by-product of several industrial processes and present at very low levels in certain foodstuffs, especially those cooked, smoked, or cured. NDMA is water-soluble, yellow in color, and has little or no taste and odor. It is toxic to the liver and other organs and is a probable human carcinogen. It is also used to create cancer in rats for cancer research.

Properties

NDMA is a yellow, oily liquid with a faint, characteristic odor and a sweet taste. It is an industrial by-product or waste product of several industrial processes, such as manufacturing of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH), which is a component of rocket fuel that requires NDMA for its synthesis.
Of more general concern, water treatment by chlorination or chloramination of organic nitrogen-containing wastewater can lead to the production of NDMA at potentially harmful levels. Further, NDMA can form or be leached during treatment of water by anion exchange resins.
Finally, NDMA is found at low levels in numerous items of human consumption, including cured meat, fish, beer, tobacco smoke and as an impurity in pharmaceuticals. It is, however, unlikely to bioaccumulate

Toxicity

N-Nitrosodimethylamine is highly toxic, especially to the liver, and is a known carcinogen in lab animals. The EPA classifies NDMA as a probable human carcinogen. The US Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the maximal admissible concentration of NDMA in drinking water is 7 ng/L. The EPA has not yet set a regulatory maximal contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water. At high doses, it is a “potent hepatotoxin that can cause fibrosis of the liver” in rats.
The induction of liver tumors in rats after chronic exposure to low doses is well documented. Its toxic effects on humans are inferred from animal experiments but not wellestablished experimentally.
NDMA’s contamination of drinking water is of particular concern due to the minute concentrations at which it is harmful, the difficulty in detecting it at these concentrations, and to the difficulty in removing it from drinking water. It does not readily biodegrade, adsorb, or volatilize. As such, it cannot be removed by activated carbon and travels easily through soils. Relatively high levels of UV radiation in the 200 to 260 nm range breaks the N–N bond and can thus be used to degrade NDMA. Additionally, reverse osmosis is able to remove approximately 50% of NDMA.
It is classified as an extremely hazardous substance in the United States as defined in Section 302 of the U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (42 U.S.C. 11002) and is subject to strict reporting requirements by facilities that produce, store, or use it in significant quantities

MCQ 2

Panchakarma is a Sanskrit word that means “five actions” or “five treatments”. This is a process used to clean the body of toxic materials left by disease, poor nutrition and environmental toxins. Which of these are processes under it

Abhyanga
Shirodhara
Garshana
Gauvishtham
Vishharnam

(A) 1,2,3,4
(B) 3,4,5
(C) 1,2,3
(D) All

Panchakarma is a Sanskrit word that means “five actions” or “five treatments”. This is a process used to clean the body of toxic materials left by disease, poor nutrition and environmental toxins. Normally the body has the innate ability to efficiently process and remove these waste materials, including the vitiated doshas.
However, due to one’s repeated dietary indiscretions, poor exercise patterns, lifestyle, and genetic predisposition, the digestive enzymes, metabolic co-factors, hormones, and agnis which regulate the body’s internal homeostasis become disorganized.
This can lead to the accumulation and spread of toxins throughout the physiology resulting in disease. This waste matter is called ama in Ayurveda. Ama is a foul-smelling, sticky, harmful substance that needs to be completely evacuated from the body.
Panchakarma will remove the excess doshas and correct imbalances in them as well as eliminate the harmful ama out of your system through the body’s own organs and channels of elimination (colon, sweat glands, lungs, bladder, urinary tract, stomach, intestines, etc). Panchakarma purifies the tissues at a very deep level.

Abhyanga

An individually prepared herbal-oil massage designed to deeply penetrate the skin, relax the mind-body, break up impurities, and stimulate both arterial and lymphatic circulation.
It enhances the ability of nutrients to reach starved cells and allows for the removal of stagnant waste. The desired result is a heightened state of awareness that will direct the internal healing system of the body.

Shirodhara

A warm, gentle and methodic pouring of herbalized oil over the forehead, synchronizing brain waves and profoundly coordinating and calming the mind, body, and spirit.

Garshana

A dry lymphatic skin brushing with either a wool or silk glove. This enhances circulation and cleanses the skin so that subsequent oil and herbal treatments can penetrate deeply into freshly cleansed pores.

Swedana

An herbalized steam bath, during which the head and the heart are kept cool (an important difference in Ayurvedic steam treatments) while the body is heated to remove mental, emotional and physical toxins lodged deeply within the tissues. The cool head and heart provide a sense of calm and openness while the therapeutic steam over the entire body can penetrate and cleanse deeply, without overheating and causing stress to the body.

5.Udvartana

A deeply penetrating herbal paste lymphatic massage. This powerful exfoliating treatment will magically restore your natural radiance. It conditions the skin while releasing stagnant lymphatic toxins from the body.

MCQ 3

Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum(GTNF) is a forum created for ending use of tobacco and nicotine by all countries till 2030
It was established in 2008 in Brazil

Choose correct

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

Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum provides an open forum for diverse opinions that offer invaluable insights and the truth about modifiedrisk products.
Public health experts will join representatives from the government, the industry, and finance to discuss how we should advance the tobacco and nicotine industries’ successful transformation–and we hope you will be there too.
The Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) exists thanks to the vision and direction of its founder and president, Elise Rasmussen.
In January 2019, Elise became the executive director of the GTNF Trust, part of a new division under the auspices of the Tobacco Merchants Association (TMA).
From its launch in Rio de Janeiro in 2008 to the present day, the GTNF has become the global exchange for views and ideas among public health experts, government representatives, investors and members of the tobacco/nicotine industries.
The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 or COTPA, 2003 is an Act of Parliament of India enacted in 2003 to prohibit advertisement of, and to provide for the regulation of trade and commerce in, and production, supply and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products in India
The Act was enacted by the Parliament to give effect to the Resolution passed by the 39th World Health Assembly, urging the member states to implement measures to provide non-smokers protection from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke.

MCQ 4

The Indian Space Research Organization is planning to launch Aditya- L1 mission to study the sun early in 2020.
Lagrangian points are the locations in the core of sun which will be studied by Aditya 1

Choose correct

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

It is India’s first solar mission.
Objectives: It will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromospheres and collect data about coronal mass ejection, which will also yield information for space weather prediction.
Significance of the mission: The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth.
Position of the satellite: In order to get the best science from the sun, continuous viewing of the sun is preferred without any occultation/ eclipses and hence, Aditya- L1 satellite will be placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system. Lagrangian points are the locations in space where the combined gravitational pull of two large masses roughly balance each other. Any small mass placed at that location will remain at constant distances relative to the large masses. There are five such points in Sun-Earth system and they are denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5. A halo orbit is a periodic three-dimensional orbit near the L1, L2 or L3.
In celestial mechanics, the Lagrangian points (also Lagrange points, L-points, or libration points) are the points near two large bodies in orbit where a smaller object will maintain its position relative to the large orbiting bodies. At other locations, a small object would go into its own orbit around one of the large bodies, but at the Lagrangian points the gravitational forces of the two large bodies, the centripetal force of orbital motion, and (for certain points) the Coriolis acceleration all match up in a way that cause the small object to maintain a stable or nearly stable position relative to the large bodies.
There are five such points, labeled L1 to L5 , all in the orbital plane of the two large bodies, for each given combination of two orbital bodies. For instance, there are five Lagrangian points L1 to L5 for the Sun–Earth system, and in a similar way there are five different Lagrangian points for the Earth–Moon system. L1 , L2 , and L3 are on the line through the centers of the two large bodies. L4 and L5 each form an equilateral triangle with the centers of the large bodies. L4 and L5 are stable, which implies that objects can orbit around them in a rotating coordinate system tied to the two large bodies.
Several planets have trojan satellites near their L4 and L5 points with respect to the Sun. Jupiter has more than a million of these trojans. Artificial satellites have been placed at L1 and L2 with respect to the Sun and Earth, and with respect to the Earth and the Moon.
The Lagrangian points have been proposed for uses in space exploration.

MCQ 5

Global Goalkeeper Award is given by UN-DESA
The annual awards, in five categories, are presented to leaders and individuals for their efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Choose correct

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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is honoured with the prestigious ‘Global Goalkeeper Award’.
The award is conferred by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Annual award function
The Foundation will host the fourth annual Goalkeepers ‘Global Goals Awards’ on September 24.
The annual awards, in five categories, are presented to leaders and individuals for their efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The categories are Progress, Changemaker, Campaign, Goalkeepers Voice and the Global Goalkeeper.
“These Awards tell the extraordinary stories of remarkable individuals taking action to bring the Global Goals to life and help achieve them by 2030,” the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said adding that this year, Goalkeepers will focus on the challenge of fighting global inequality to ensure that no one is left behind.
In previous years, speakers at the Goalkeepers event have included former US president Barack Obama, French President Emmanuel Macron, Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Nobel Peace Prize winners like Malala Yousafzai and Nadia Murad.

MCQ 6

Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is locate din

HP
Arunachal Pradesh
Tibet
None

A statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at the historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, was recently unveiled by PM Modi.

Key facts:

Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage.
It hosted the 11th General Assembly of Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) from 21-23 June 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of the Conference.

MCQ 7

Deaucha Panchami coal block is located in Jharkhand
Its world’s largest coal block

Choose correct

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

Poland to partner India for one of world’s biggest coal blocks
Poland is a world leader in the mining sector and can offer complex solutions and the most modern technologies in the field of underground coal mining.
The acceleration in the development of cooperation between India and Poland falls under the umbrella of the West Bengal Project, a program launched by the Government of Poland in 2018.
The West Bengal Project, brings together the most prominent companies and institutions from the Polish mining sector, state organizations and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Energyof the Republic of Poland. The aim of the project is to combine innovative technologies and technical know-how of itsconstituent members, thereby providing tailor-made and state-of-the-art solutions and offers for underground mining in India. The Polish Development Fund (PFR) is also an active member of the West Bengal Project, and has expressed its interest in providing financing for any programs to Polish companies under the framework of the Project.
The Deocha Pachami coal block, has estimated coal reserves of over 2 billion tons – being the largest coal block in Asia, and was recently awarded to the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) by the union government.
As India endeavors to fulfill its ambitious targets to increase domestic coal production to 1 billion tons annually, Poland stands committed to provide its global expertise and know-how to assist their Indian counterparts in meeting this goal.
Poland is a world leader in the mining sector and can offer complex solutions and the most modern technologies in the field of underground coal mining. Polish mining companies have a proven expertise in the extraction of coal from depths of up to 1,300 meters.
The Polish coal producing enterprise JSW S.A. is also the largest producer of coking coal in Europe.
In February 2019, Poland participated as a partner country at the West Bengal Global Business Summit for the third year in a row.
In 2018, the state government of Silesia in Poland and the government of West Bengal signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase bilateral cooperation in the mining and power sectors. It has to be stressed, that the majority of coal mining business, machinery and research institutes in this field are placed in Silesia. Poland and India have a long history of collaboration in coal mining. One of the first underground coal mines in India, situated in Moonidih in the present day state of Jharkhand, was developed and operationalized with assistance of Polish mining sector companies in the 1960s.
Deucha Panchami coal mine or Deaucha Panchami coal block is a coal mine situated in Deucha and Panchamati area under Mohamadbazar community Development Block of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India. This coal mine or block belongs to Birbhum coalfield area.
There are about 2102 million tonnes of coal reserves in Deucha Panchami coal block.
This coal mine is the largest coal mine or coal block in Asia, due to the amount of coal reserves. It is the newest coal mine in West Bengal.
The Panagarh–Morgram Highway runs through this coal mine or block.

MCQ 8

agencies which will be able to access NATGRID data on real time basis are

Intelligence Bureau (IB)
Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW)
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Enforcement Directorate (ED)

(A) 1 & 2
(B) 1,2,3
(C) All
(D) None

The work on National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) set up to track any terror suspect and prevent terrorist attacks with real time data, has been accelerated. This move comes after Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently reviewed the progress of NATGRID project. In all probability, NATGRID will start functioning by January 2020.

10 agencies which will be able to access NATGRID data on real time basis are:

Intelligence Bureau (IB)
Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW)
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Enforcement Directorate (ED)
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)
Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)
Directorate General of Central Excise and Intelligence (DGCEI)
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

What is National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)? It is a robust intelligence gathering mechanism related to banking, immigration, individual tax payers, air and train travels. The project is worth Rs.3400 crore and was conceptualized following 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. NATGRID will have data related to all immigration entry and exit, air flyers, credit card purchases, banking and financial transactions, individual tax payers, telecom, and train travelers among others to generate intelligence inputs. The data recovery centre of the NATGRID has been constructed in Bengaluru, Karnataka and its headquarters is nearing completion in Delhi. Phase I: In 1st phase, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected with NATGRID. In later stages 950 organisations and then another 1,000 organisations will be connected with it.
Initially, no state agencies will be given direct access to NATGRID data but in case any relevant information is required, they can approach NATGRID through any of 10 user agencies. NATGRID can also have readily available data on banking transactions and immigration as both sectors are equipped with real time mechanism.
In the wake of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the lack of real time data and information was considered to be one of the major hurdles in detecting U.S. terror suspect David Headley’s movement across India during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009. He was main individual who had provided key information and videos of terror targets to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out attacks that claimed 166 lives. Thereby on 8 April 2010, the Cabinet Committee on Security had given approval to NATGRID project but its work slowed down after 2012. On June 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a review meeting on the NATGRID and this is when the then Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi gave a detailed presentation on ambitious project and the project was again taken up to complete.