27 AUGUST CURRENT AFFAIRS (MCQ)

Q1. With reference to National Monetization Plan, consider the following statements1. It aims to unlock the value of brown field investments by transferring them ownership and
revenue rights.

2. Assets of Central Government and State Governments have been included for monetization.
3. It will run co-terminus with National Infrastructure Pipeline.
   Select the correct answer using the code below
   a) 1 and 2 only
   b) 2 and 3 only
   c) 3 only
   d) 1, 2 and 3

Solution: c)

Explanation:
Statement 1 and 3 are not correct.
About the NMP:
 It aims to unlock value in brownfield projects by engaging the private sector, transferring to
them revenue rights and not ownership in the projects, and using the funds generated for
infrastructure creation across the country.
 The NMP has been announced to provide a clear framework for monetisation and give
potential investors a ready list of assets to generate investment interest.
 Union Budget 2021-22 has identified monetisation of operating public infrastructure assets
as a key means for sustainable infrastructure financing.
 Currently, only assets of central government line ministries and Central Public Sector
Enterprises (CPSEs) in infrastructure sectors have been included.
 The government has stressed that these are brownfield assets, which have been “de-risked”
from execution risks, and therefore should encourage private investment.
 Roads, railways and power sector assets will comprise over 66% of the total estimated value
of the assets to be monetised, with the remaining upcoming sectors including telecom,
mining, aviation, ports, natural gas and petroleum product pipelines, warehouses and
stadiums.
 In terms of annual phasing by value, 15% of assets with an indicative value of Rs 0.88 lakh
crore are envisaged for rollout in the current financial year.
 The NMP will run co-terminus with the Rs 100 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline
(NIP) announced in December 2019.

Q2. Consider the following statements about current accounts.

1. High interest is provided by most of the banks on the amount in a current account.
2. It does not promote the concept of saving money for future purposes.
   Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?
   a) 1 only
   b) 2 only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: a)

Explanation:
A current account is a bank account which provides services such as receiving benefits payment (like
salary, pension etc). The current account is provided by commercial banks.
 With the help of a current account, businessmen can do transactions more smoothly.
 Usually, interest is not provided by most of the banks on the amount in a current account. 1
is incorrect.
 If a certain minimum amount is not kept in a current account, a penalty is charged.
It does not promote the concept of saving money for future purposes, but it is preferred for those
who have to perform banking transactions frequently. 2 is correct.

Q3. With reference to Asian Development Bank, consider the following statements1. It is global bank established in 1966.

2. India is a founding member.
3. It has more than 50 members.
4. All members of this bank belong to Asia.
   Select the correct answer using the code below
   a) 1 and 2 only
   b) 2,3 and 4 only
   c) 2 and 3 only
   d) 1,2 and 4 only

Solution: c)

Explanation:

Statement 1 and 4 are not correct.
Asian Development Bank
 About:
o It is a regional development bank established in 1966. It has 68 members. India is a
founding member.
 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
o As of 31
st December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United
States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic
of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).
 Aim
o To promote social and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.
 Headquarters:
o Manila, Philippines.

Q4. Consider the following statements bout International North-South Transport Corridor1. It is a multi-modal transportation established in St.Petersburg in 2000.

2. It connects Indian Ocean with Persian Gulf to Atlantic Ocean.
3. Syria, Bulgaria, Belarus are few among the countries which are part of this corridor.
   Select the correct answer using the code below

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 2 only

Solution: c)

Explanation:
Statement 2 is not correct.
 International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):
o It is a multi-modal transportation established on 12
th September 2000 in St.
Petersburg, by Iran, Russia and India for the purpose of promoting transportation
cooperation among the Member States.
o The INSTC was expanded to include eleven new members, namely: the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic
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of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Ukraine, Republic of Belarus, Oman,
Syria, Bulgaria (Observer).
o It envisions a 7,200-kmlong multi-mode
network of ship, rail and
road route for
transporting freight,
aimed at reducing the
carriage cost between
India and Russia by
about 30% and bringing down the transit time from 40 days by more than half.
o This corridor connects India Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via the
Islamic Republic of Iran and then is connected to St. Petersburg and North Europe
via the Russian Federation.

Q5. Consider the following statements1. Chakmas and Hajongs fled from Bangladesh and settled in Myanmar.

2. Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists and Hajongs are Hindus.
3. Recently, India allowed them e-visa facility as they are persecuted in neighboring countries.
   Select the correct answer using the code below

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Solution: b)

Explanation:
Statement 1 and 3 are not correct.
The Chakma organisations have opposed the proposed deportation of 60,000 people belonging to
the Chakma and Hajong communities from Arunachal Pradesh.
 They are ethnic people who lived in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, most of which are located
in Bangladesh
Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists, while Hajongs are Hindus.
They are found in northeast India, West Bengal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
 They fled erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1964-65 and came to India and settled
in Arunachal Pradesh.
 Reasons:
o Chakmas lost their land to the development of the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli
River, Bangladesh.
o Hajongs faced religious persecution as they were non-Muslims and did not speak
Bengali.
 In 2015, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to grant citizenship to Chakma and
Hajongs who had migrated from Bangladesh in 1964-69.
They did not directly come into the ambit of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) because
Arunachal Pradesh is among the states exempted from the CAA since it has an Inner Line Permit to
regulate entry of outsiders.
The 2019 CAA amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 allowing Indian citizenship for Hindu, Sikh,
Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities who fled from the neighboring Muslim
majority countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014 due to “religious
persecution or fear of religious persecution”. However, the Act excludes Muslims.
Recently e-visa facility has been facilitated by Government for Afghan Refugees.

Q6. Consider the following statements:

1. There are eight countries that have direct access to the Arctic Ocean.
2. The Arctic Council prohibits the commercial exploitation of resources in the Arctic.
   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: a)
   Explanation:
   There are eight countries that have direct access to the Arctic resources, i.e., Canada, Denmark,
   Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. 1 is correct.
    The Arctic Council is only an intergovernmental ‘forum’ to promote cooperation in
   regulating the activities in the Arctic region.
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    The Council was established by the eight Arctic States — the countries whose territories
   fall in the Arctic region — through the Ottawa Declaration of 1996.
    The Arctic Council does not prohibit the commercial exploitation of resources in the Arctic.
   It only seeks to ensure that it is done in a sustainable manner. 2 is incorrect.
   Q7. Which of the following countries are part of the coral triangle?
3. Philippines
4. Mauritius
5. Malaysia
6. Solomon Islands
   Select the correct answer using the code given belowa) 1 and 4 only
   b) 2,3 and 4 only
   c) 1,3 and 4 only
   d) 1,2,3 and 4
   Solution: c)
   Explanation:
   Coral Triangle is a vast marine area that
   geographically spreads across 6 countries
   in the Asia and the Pacific: Indonesia,
   Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea,
   Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste.
   It is considered as one of the 3 mega
   ecological complexes on Earth together
   with Congo Basin and the Amazon
   Rainforest. The region contains 76% of all known coral species, 37% of all known coral reef fish
   species and 53% of the world’s coral reefs.
   Mauritius is not part of Coral Triangle.
   Q8. Which of following are correctly matched?
   Monuments in News Country
7. Al-Aqsa Mosque Turkey
8. Hagia Sophia Palestine
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9. Bamiya Buddha Afghanistan
   Select the correct answer using the code belowa) 1 and 2 only
   b) 2 and 3 only
   c) 3 only
   d) 2 only
   Solution: c)
   Explanation:
   Item 1 and 2 are not correctly matched.
   Al-Aqsa Mosque- Jerusalem (Israel) It has been frequently seen in news because of conflict between
   Palestinians and Israeli’s. In year 2019, Donald Trump declared that Jerusalem is part of Israel and
   it want to show that to world by shifting its diplomatic avenues from Tel Aviv (Israel’s Capital) to
   Jerusalem.
   Hagia Sophia (literally ‘Holy Wisdom’) was built by the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I, in the first
   half of the sixth century. This was the third cathedral being built at the site. The first one, with a
   wooden roof, is believed to have been commissioned by Emperor Constantine I in AD 325 on the
   remains of a pagan temple. This was burned down by rioters in AD 404.
   After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the First World War, secularists, under the
   leadership of Mustafa Kemal (who was later called Ataturk, the father of Turks), came to power.
   Turning the monument back into a mosque has been a growing demand from the Islamist sections
   of Turkish society. Mr. Erdogan, whose Justice and Development Party has been in power for 18
   years, has supported the demand. On Friday, a Turkish administrative court cancelled the museum
   status of the monument. Mr. Erdogan moved fast, issuing a decree, transferring the management
   of Hagia Sophia from the Ministry of Culture to the Directorate of Religious Affairs. With this,
   Turkey’s Islamist politics has taken a new turn.
   Bamiyan Buddha is in Afghanistan. It was destroyed by Taliban in 2001-02.
   Q9. “Chagos Archipelago” is a disputed territory betweena) Britain and Spain
   b) USA and Mexico
   c) China and Philippines
   d) United Kingdom and Mauritius
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   Solution: d)
   Explanation:
   Mauritius called the UK an “illegal colonial occupier”, after it ignored a UN mandated deadline to
   return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The United Nations had given UK six months to process the
   transfer, a move the UK and the US have bitterly resisted. The Chagos Archipelago is a group of
   seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean. It is officially
   part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Chagos Archipelago has been part of Mauritius since at
   least the 18th century when France governed it. In 1810, Mauritius was captured by the United
   Kingdom and France ceded the territory in the Treaty of Paris. In 1965, three years before Mauritius
   got its independence, Britain separated the Chagos islands to carve out a ‘British Indian Ocean
   Territory’. In 1966, the UK leased Diego Garcia (the biggest island in the Chagos archipelago) to the
   US to create an air & naval base. For constructing the defence installation, the inhabitants of the
   island were forcibly removed. In 1968 Mauritius was granted independence. In February 2019, the
   International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion that Britain has an obligation to end
   its administration of the Chagos Archipelago — home to the U.S. military base of Diego Garcia —
   and complete the process of decolonisation of Mauritius. In May 2019, the UN General Assembly
   passed a resolution asking the U.K. to withdraw its “colonial administration” from the Chagos
   Archipelago within six months. Mauritius wants its sovereignty over the islands restored.
   Q10. Consider the following statements.
10. Regular milled rice serves primarily as a source of protein only.
11. Rice kernels can be fortified with several micronutrients, such as iron, folic acid and other Bcomplex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.
    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:
    Regular milled rice is low in micronutrients. It is primarily a source of carbohydrate only. 1 is
    incorrect.
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    The fortification of rice is a major opportunity to improve nutrition. Fortified rice contains Vitamin
    A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Iron and Zinc. 2 is correct