Daily Current Affairs MCQ / UPSC / IAS / 26-11-19 | Free PDF

MCQ 1

1. Budapest Convention is the sole legally binding multilateral treaty that coordinates cybercrime investigations between nation-states and criminalizes certain cybercrime conduct.
2. Totally 64 nations are party to this convention including India.

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

 Budapest Convention

• It is the sole legally binding multilateral treaty that coordinates cybercrime investigations between nation-states and criminalises certain cybercrime conduct.
• The convention is led by Council of Europe, which is distinct from European Union.
• Both members and non-members of Council of Europe are parties to the convention.
• Totally 64 nations are party to this convention and 3 countries have signed but yet to ratify the convention.
• India, Russia and China are not members to this convention.
• The 2nd additional protocol to the convention is under preparation and the member countries recently met at Strasbourg.
• Russia recently passed a resolution in United Nation General Assembly (UNGA), to create a new treaty that can coordinate and share data to prevent cybercrime.
• India voted in favour of Russia’s resolution.

Council of Europe

• It aims to uphold human rights, democracy, and rule of law in Europe and promote European culture.
• HQ – Strasbourg, France.
• It has 47 member states and is distinct from the EU.
• Some of the members in Council of Europe who are outside EU are Russia, Iceland, Switzerland, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia. Japan, Canada, U.S, Mexico, Israel.
• No country has ever joined the EU without first belonging to the Council of Europe.
• Unlike the EU, the Council of Europe cannot make binding laws, but it does have the power to enforce select international agreements reached by European states on various topics.
• The best known body of the Council of Europe is the European Court of Human Rights, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights.
• The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote awareness of and respect for human rights in the member states.
• Turkey is also a member

MCQ 2

1. India to host Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of SCO Member States in 2020
2.  India will also host the SCO Forum of Young Scientists and Innovators in 2020.

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

India and SCO

• The 5th meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)’s Heads of Ministries and Department of Science and Technology was held in Russia.
• India will be the host of Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of SCO Member States in 2020, which will approve the Draft SCO Roadmap on cooperation between research institutions of SCO Member States for the period 2021-2023.
• The 5th Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States’ Heads of Ministries and Departments of Science and Technology and Permanent Working Group on S&T Cooperation concluded in Moscow, Russia. Secretary, DSIR & DG, CSIR, Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, led the Indian delegation.
• Eight SCO Member States’ Heads of Delegation signed the Protocol of 5th Meeting of Ministries and Departments of S&T at the end of the three-day meeting.
• The meeting agreed with India’s proposal to host the SCO Forum of Young Scientists and Innovators in 2020.
• The leaders also approved holding of joint competition for SCO Multilateral R& D projects by end of 2020. Rules for joint competition and funding as well as financial support mechanism will be prepared and worked out in due course.

MCQ 3

1. Constitution day which is also known as the Samvidhan Divas is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the day on which the Constitution of India came into effect
2. Earlier, this day was commemorated as National Law Day, after a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar Association, a lawyers’ body, in 1979.

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

• Constitution day which is also known as the Samvidhan Divas is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the day on which the Constitution of India was adopted. While the adoption of the Constitution took place on November 26, 1949, it came into effect on January 26, 1950.
• The draft of the constitution was prepared by the drafting committee under BR Ambedkar’s aegis. According to the government notification, the Constitution Day was also a tribute to Ambedkar.
• Earlier, this day was commemorated as National Law Day, after a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar Association, a lawyers’ body, in 1979.

MCQ 4

1. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India has conceptualized a Global Housing Technology Challenge – India (GHTC- India)
2. GHTC aims to fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target of constructing 1.2 crore houses by 2022.

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

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India has conceptualized a Global Housing Technology Challenge – India (GHTC- India) which aims to identify and mainstream a basket of innovative technologies from across the globe that are sustainable and disaster-resilient. Such technologies would be cost effective, speedier and ensure a higher quality of construction of houses, meeting diverse geo-climatic conditions and desired functional needs. The GHTC-India platform aspires to provide an eco-system for the adoption of innovative technologies in the housing construction sector in a holistic manner. Lighthouse projects are envisaged that will be built using these innovative technologies and further support will be provided to upcoming domestic technologies to foster an environment of research and development. Conceptualized through extensive consultations with various stakeholders, GHTCIndia leverages the scale and successes of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and its Technology Sub-Mission. It furthers the transformative vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and his belief in technological advances to rapidly deliver low-cost housing that meets stringent environmental, societal, quality and economic standards. To enable a technology transition, GHTC-India will encourage participation from across the affordable urban housing and construction sectors, such as technology providers, researchers, start-ups, developers, academia, public sector agencies, and civil society organizations. Details of participation will be progressively updated on the challenge website ghtc-india.gov.in

Component 1

• Grand Expo and Conference on Alternative and Innovative Construction Technologies A Grand Expo and Conference will be organized biennially (once every two years) in India to provide a platform to all stakeholders associated with housing construction. The event will have panel discussions, inspiring talks, exhibition of prototypes, the exchange of knowledge and business, provide networking opportunities and the signing of MoUs. The first Expo and conference is proposed to be held on 2nd and 3rd March 2019 and is expected to be attended by a wide range of stakeholders such as technology providers, researchers, builders, developers, entrepreneurs, academia, civil society organisations, and publicsector agencies such as housing boards and public works offices.

Component 2

•  Identifying and Mainstreaming Proven Demonstrable Technologies for the Construction of Lighthouse Projects Proven Technologies that are innovative and established are to be identified and mainstreamed from around the world for use in the Indian context. Such technologies will be invited to apply through a global online Express of Interest (EoI), which in turn will be rigorously screened by an eminent Technical Evaluation Committee constituted at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Suitability for the different regions of India will be established, and these technologies will be further invited to design and build lighthouse projects of approximately 1,000 housing units each at six places in the country. These projects will demonstrate the merits of the selected technologies and serve as live laboratories for research, testing, technology transfer, increasing mass awareness and for mainstreaming them in the country.

Component 3

• Identifying Potential Future Technologies for Incubation and Acceleration Support through ASHA – India (Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators) Potential Future Technologies from India that are applicable to the housing sector will be supported and encouraged through the ASHA India program. It will invite applications from local researchers and technology developers whose products are not yet market ready or are market ready and are yet to achieve scale. Promising solutions will be identified by an eminent Technical Evaluation Committee for Incubation and Acceleration support. Four eminent IITs will provide incubational facilities and support such as product development, mentoring and monitoring, prototyping, company incorporation, patent guidance and business model assistance. Accelerator workshops will be organized by leading institutions to enable a better eco-system familiarity for start-ups through master classes with funders, industry leaders, and sector experts. At least one accelerator workshop will be organized each year.

• The Union Government has launched the Credit-linked Subsidy Services Awas Portal (CLAP) for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Housing for All (Urban).
• The portal was launched along with the signing of agreements between the Union Housing Affairs Ministry and state governments for the construction of Light House projects under GHTC-India.

Objectives:

• To enable adoption of construction techniques for housing that are affordable and takes minimum time as less as three months instead of the conventional three years for construction.
• Bring a paradigm shift in technology transition using large-scale construction under the PMAY-U as an opportunity to get the best available construction technologies across the globe.

 Why is it important?

• Today, while developers in India’s metropolitan cities are sitting on lakhs of unsold residences costing upwards of ₹50 lakh, the country is estimated to have a shortage of nearly 20 million housing units needed by the rural and urban poor, at far lower price points of ₹5-15 lakh.
• The PMAY aims to address this shortfall. With the increase in subsidised loan amount, the scheme is expected to cover a higher proportion of the urban poor.
• The PMAY will hopefully incentivise India’s construction and realty sector to reduce its traditional obsession with affluent home buyers in the cities.

MCQ 5

1. India has the second-largest coal reserves in the world after China
2. The Damodar Koel valley and Son valley are prospective areas for CBM development

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

 India

• India holds the fifth biggest coal reserves in the world. The country’s proved coal reserves as of December 2013 were estimated at 60.6Bt. India accounts for about seven percent of the world’s total proved coal reserves.
• The major hard coal deposits of the country are located in the eastern parts of the country. The eastern states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal account for more than 70% of the country’s coal reserves. Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are the other significant coal producing states in India. The southern state of Tamil Nadu hosts most of the country’s lignite deposits.
• India is the third biggest coal producer, after China and the US. India produced 595Mt of Coal (6% of the world’s total) in 2012. The country accounts for eight percent of world’s total coal consumption. It imported 160Mt of coal in 2012, becoming the world’s third biggest coal importer after China and Japan. About 68% of India’s electricity generation comes from coal.
• Ministry of Coal has asked the state-run coal miner Coal India Limited (CIL) to produce 2 MMSCB (million metric standard cubic metres) per day of coalbed methane (CBM) gas in the next 2 to 3 years.

CBM potential:

• India has the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world, and CBM has been looked at as a clean alternative fuel with significant prospects.
• India’s CBM resources are estimated at around 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF), or 2,600 billion cubic metres (BCM).
• The country’s coal and CBM reserves are found in 12 states of India, with the Gondwana sediments of eastern India holding the bulk.
• The Damodar Koel valley and Son valley are prospective areas for CBM development.

What is coalbed methane (CBM)?

• It is an unconventional form of natural gas found in coal deposits or coal seams.
• CMB is formed during the process of coalification, the transformation of plant material into coal.

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