JAN 7 CURRENT AFFAIRS (MCQ)

Q1. Atanu Chakraborty task force recently in news is concerned with recommendation on a) Non-personal data
b) National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)
c) Assess the progress of fiscal stimulus to boost the economy amid pandemic. d) None of the above

Solution : b)
Explanation :- About NIP:
• NIP is based on the recommendation of the Atanu Chakraborty Task Force, with projected infrastructure investment of Rs 111 Lakh Crore during FY 2020-25.
• Background: Union Finance Minister in her Budget speech 2019-20 announced that Rs. 100 lakh crore would be invested on infrastructure over the next five years.
• NIP is a first-of-its-kind, whole-of-government exercise to provide world-class infrastructure across the country, and improve the quality of life for all citizens.
• It aims to improve project preparation, attract investments (both domestic and foreign) into infrastructure, and will be crucial for the target of becoming a $5 trillion economy by FY 2025.
• Aggregate the information provided by various stakeholders across infrastructure subsectors identified in the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure.
• A bottom-up approach was adopted wherein all projects (Greenfield or Brownfield, Under Implementation or under conceptualisation) costing greater than Rs 100 crore per project were sought to be captured.
• The NIP project database is on India Investment Grid (IIG), providing visibility to the NIP and helping in its financing with prospective investors; domestic and foreign, being able to access updated project level information.
• Each line Ministry/State would further add new projects and update their respective project details at predefined time intervals so that updated data is available to prospective investors.

Q2. Consider the following statements with regard to Basavanna, a 12th century social reformer

1. He was a philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet during the reign of the Kalachuridynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India.
2. He established Kalyan Rajya in Karnataka, same in meaning to today’s welfare state.
3. Basavanna developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva. Which of the above statement/s is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 and 3 only
   c) 3 only
   d) All of the above

Solution : d)
Explanation :-
About Lord Basaveshwara:
• Early life: Born in 1131 AD, Lord Basaveshwara was himself a Brahmin.
o Also known as Basavanna, he was a 12th-century philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet and a social reformer during the reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India.
• As a leader: Basavanna developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva.
o This movement shared its roots in the ongoing Tamil Bhakti movement, particularly the Shiva Nayanars traditions, over the 7th- to 11th-century.
• Sharana movement: Preaching egalitarianism, the movement was presided over by Basavanna.
o The movement, which was too radical for its time, attracted people from all castes, and like most strands of the Bhakti movement.
o The movement produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, that unveiled the spiritual universe of the Virashaiva saints.
• Social reformer: From socio-economic prejudices and untouchability to gender discrimination, he waged war against all ills.
o Basava championed devotional worship that rejected temple worship and rituals led by Brahmins.
o Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas.
• Anubhava Mantapa: Often referred to as the “first Parliament of the world” established by him in Basavakalyan where philosophers and social reformers held debates.
• Laid the foundations of democracy: Which prioritises and promotes the rights of a person, standing on the last rungs of the society.
o Kalyana Rajya: He established Kalyan Rajya in Karnataka, same in meaning to today’s welfare state.

Q3. Consider the following statements:

1. The reservations under Article 16(4) are called vertical reservations.
2. Special reservations under Articles 16(1) or 15(3) are called “horizontal reservations”. Which of the above statements is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 Only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution : c)
Explanation :-
Vertical and horizontal reservations
• There are two types of reservations, which are referred to as ‘vertical reservations’ and ‘horizontal reservations’.
o The reservation in favour of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes [under Article 16(4)] may be called vertical reservation.
o It applies separately for each of the groups specified under the law.
• Horizontal reservation refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries such as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals with disabilities, cutting through the vertical categories.
o Special reservations in favour of physically handicapped, women, etc., under Articles 16(1) or 15(3) are “horizontal reservations”. o Horizontal reservations cut across the vertical reservations – what is called interlocking reservations.
Combined application of the two categories of quotas
• The horizontal quota is applied separately to each vertical category, and not across the board.
• For example, if women have 50% horizontal quota, then half of the selected candidates will necessarily have to be women in each vertical quota category.
o It means half of all selected SC candidates will have to be women, half of the unreserved or general category will have to be women, and so on.

Q4. Consider the following statements:

1. The right to privacy does not include the right to make intimate decisions relating to one’s personal life including the right to marry.
2. Article 21 guarantees an adult’s right to love and marry.
   Which of the above statements is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 Only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution : b)
Explanation :-
• The right to privacy includes the right to make intimate decisions relating to one’s personal life including the right to marry, the right to have relationships, the right to have children and the right to one’s faith, without interference from the state.
• The freedom to marry a person of one’s choice is a fundamental right is enshrined under the Constitution under Article 21 which guarantees the right to life and liberty.

Q5. With reference to the Double Stack Long Haul Container Train Operation, consider the following statements:

1. It has been designed for DFCCIL by RDSO’s wagon department.
2. It is the world’s first Double Stack Long Haul 1.5 Km long Container Train hauled by electric traction from New Ateli -New Kishangarh.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 Only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution : c)
Explanation :-
On 7th January 2021, Prime Minister Modi will flag off the world’s first Double Stack Long
Haul 1.5 Km long Container Train hauled by electric traction from New Ateli -New Kishangarh. • Double Stack Long Haul Container Train Operation will have an enhanced axle load of 25 tons.
• It has been designed for DFCCIL by RDSO’s wagon department. Trial runs of BLCS-A and BLCSB wagon prototypes have been completed.
• The design will maximize capacity utilization and uniform distributed and point loading.
• These wagons on a long-haul double stack container train on the WDFC can carry four times in terms of container units compared to the current traffic on Indian Railways.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Q6. With reference to the Udyog Manthan, consider the following statements:

1. Udyog Manthan is a marathon of focused sector-specific webinars for promoting Quality and Productivity in Indian Industry.
2. It is an initiative of NITI Aayog.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 Only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution : a)
Explanation :-
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India is organizing ‘Udyog Manthan’ in association with Quality Council of India, National Productivity Council, and Industry bodies.
• Udyog Manthan is a marathon of focused sector-specific webinars for promoting Quality and Productivity in Indian Industry.
• It is being held from January 4, 2021 to March 2, 2021.
• The webinar series comprising 45 sessions will cover various major sectors in manufacturing and services. Udyog Manthan will identify challenges, opportunities; draw upon solutions and best practices.
• Participants will include representatives from industry, testing and standardization bodies. The discussions will be live streamed on YouTube for all those interested in following the sessions.
Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Q7. The proposed Chattergala tunnel is located in:
a) Jammu & Kashmir
b) Punjab
c) Sikkim
d) Nagaland

Solution : a)
Explanation :-
The new Director General, Border Road Organisation (BRO), Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry briefed Government of India about the Chattergala tunnel.
• The proposed Chattergala tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir will connect district Kathua with district Doda enroute the new Highway via Basohli-Bani through Chattergalla to touch Bhaderwah and Doda.
• This is going to be a historic landmark project providing all-weather alternate road connectivity between the two distant regions and reducing the travel time from Doda to Lakhanpur on the Punjab border to just around four hours.
• It is going to be a 6.8 Km long tunnel. The tunnel is likely to take about 4 years for completion after the execution work starts and its construction cost is around Rs. 3,000 crore.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Q8. With reference to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), consider the following statements:

1. The CEPI centralized laboratory at DBT-THSTI Faridabad is first of its kind in India and one of the seven in the world
2. CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organizations, launched at Davos in 2017, to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 Only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution : c)
Explanation :-
Union Minister for Science & Technology inaugurated one of the seven labs of the world called as the centralized network lab of Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) established at Translational Health Science & Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.
• The CEPI centralized laboratory at DBT-THSTI Faridabad is first of its kind in India and one of the seven in the world
• THSTI is an institute of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). This is the only laboratory of such kind in India and is also accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) (ISO 17025:2017).
• CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organizations, launched at Davos in 2017, to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics.
• The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India is implementing the Ind-CEPI mission titled ‘India Centric Epidemic Preparedness through Rapid Vaccine Development: Supporting Indian Vaccine Development Aligned with the Global Initiative of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)’.
• Ind-CEPI Mission aims to strengthen the development of vaccines for the diseases of epidemic potential in India as well as build coordinated preparedness in the Indian public health system and vaccine industry to address existing and emergent infectious threats in India.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Q9. With reference to the Magneto-telluric (MT), consider the following statements:

1. Magneto-telluric (MT) is a geophysical method which uses natural time variation of the Earth’s magnetic and electric fields to understand geological (underground) structure and processes.
2. These measurements will not ascertain the presence of fluid, which generally enhances the possibility of triggering of earthquakes.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 Only
   b) 2 Only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution : a)
Explanation :
A geophysical survey, namely, Magneto-telluric (MT) is being conducted over the Delhi region.
• The National Capital Region of Delhi experienced 4 small earthquakes during April – August 2020. These earthquakes were followed by a dozen of micro-events (M<3.0) including, a few aftershocks.
• All these events were located by the National Seismological Network (NSN), being operated and maintained by National Seismological Centre (NCS), Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Subsequently, NCS initiated the Magneto-telluric (MT), a geophysical survey over the Delhi region. This survey is carried out in collaboration with Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun.
• Magneto-telluric (MT) is a geophysical method which uses natural time variation of the Earth’s magnetic and electric fields to understand geological (underground) structure and processes.
• These measurements are conducted across three major seismic sources, namely Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault (MDF), Sohna Fault (SF) and Mathura Fault (MF).
• These measurements will ascertain the presence of fluid, which generally enhances the possibility of triggering of earthquakes, Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Q10. Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on “Specified Skilled Worker” recently signed between India and which of the following country?
a) Japan
b) China
c) Vietnam
d) Mongolia

Solution : a)
Explanation :-
The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the Government of India and Government of Japan, on a Basic Framework for Partnership for Proper Operation of the System Pertaining to “Specified Skilled Worker”.
• The MOC would set an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Japan on sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the required skill and Japanese language test, to work in fourteen specified sectors in Japan.
• These Indian workers would be granted a new status of residence of “Specified Skilled Worker” by the Government of Japan.
• Implementation Strategy: Under this MOC, a Joint Working Group will be set up to follow up the implementation of this MOC.
• Major Impact: It would enhance people-to -people contacts, foster mobility of workers and skilled professionals from India to Japan.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

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