INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 7 September 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• What’s the issue?
  • In the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs’, published by the Union Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Indian Council of Historical Research, Variankunnath Kunhamad Haji and Ali Musliyar, the chief architects of the Moplah Massacre, were deemed to be martyrs. The book was published in 2019.
  • However, a report by the ICHR-constituted committee has sought the removal of names of 387 ‘Moplah rioters’ (Including leaders Ali Musliyar and Variamkunnath Ahmad Haji) from the list of martyrs.
• Why?
  • The report describes Haji as the “notorious Moplah Riot leader” and a “hardcore criminal,” who “killed innumerable innocent Hindu men, women, and children during the 1921 Moplah Riot, and deposited their bodies in a well, locally known as Thoovoor Kinar”.
  • It also noted that almost all the Moplah outrages were communal. They were against Hindu society and done out of sheer intolerance.
  • Thus, their names should be deleted.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/moplah-rioters-not-freedom-fighters-report/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Wagon Tragedy:
  • A noteworthy event of the British suppression was the wagon tragedy when approximately 60 Mappila prisoners on their way to prison, were suffocated to death in a closed railway goods wagon.
• What was Mapilla rebellion?
  • The Mapilla rebellion or Moplah Rebellion (Moplah Riots) of 1921 was the culmination of a series of riots by Moplahs (Muslims of Malabar) in the 19th and early 20th centuries against the British and the Hindu landlords in Malabar (Northern Kerala).
  • The year 2021 will mark the 100th year anniversary of the uprising.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/moplah-rioters-not-freedom-fighters-report/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• 4th edition of Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) ranking of states announced recently by the Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Ranking of States is based on the implementation of Business Reform Action Plan started in the year 2015.
• One “major change” in the current rankings is the government’s decision to link the state’s performance “exclusively” to user feedback.
• The five ten states under State Reform Action Plan 2019 are:
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Telangana
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Jharkhand
• What is BRAP?
  • The Business Reform Action Plan 2018-19 includes 180 reform points covering 12 business regulatory areas such as Access to Information, Single Window System, Labour, Environment, etc.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/business-reform-action-plan-brap-ranking-of-states/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• SCO comprises eight member states, namely the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
• SCO counts four observer states, namely the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Mongolia.
• SCO has six dialogue partners, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Republic of Turkey, and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/shanghai-cooperation-organisation-sco/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The G20 (or Group of Twenty) is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union (EU).
• Genesis of G20:
  • After the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-1998, it was acknowledged that the participation of major emerging market countries is needed on discussions on the international financial system, and G7 finance ministers agreed to establish the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in 1999.
• Presidency:
  • The group has no permanent staff of its own, so every year in December, a G20 country from a rotating region takes on the presidency.
  • That country is then responsible for organising the next summit, as well as smaller meetings for the coming year.
  • They can also choose to invite non-member countries along as guests.
  • The first G20 meeting took place in Berlin in 1999, after a financial crisis in East Asia affected many countries around the world.
• Full membership of the G20:
  • Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/g20-2/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Stat1: The Start up Village Entrepreneurship Program is a sub componenet of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development. SVEP aims to support entrepreneurs in rural areas to set up local enterprises.
• Stat2: Source: The long term vision of the SVEP is to provide support for start-up to 1 crore village enterprises and provide direct employment to 2 crore people. The SVEP shall help the rural poor come out of poverty by helping them set up enterprises and provide support till the enterprises stabilize. The programmatic intervention will address all three missing ecosystems – Knowledge, advisory and finance ecosystems.
• Stat3: SVEP promotes both individual and group enterprises, set-up and promote enterprises majorly on manufacturing, trading and service sectors.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/start-up-village-entrepreneurship-programme-svep/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Stat1: Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)?
  • It is a not-for-profit Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.
• Stat2: About National Biopharma Mission (NBM):
  • It is an industry-academia collaborative mission for accelerating biopharmaceutical development in the country.
  • It was launched in 2017 at a total cost of Rs 1500 crore and is 50% co-funded by World Bank loan.
  • It is being implemented by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
  • Under this Mission, the Government has launched Innovate in India (i3) programme to create an enabling ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the biopharma sector.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/national-biopharma-mission-nbm-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Stat1: The upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo from the Tibetan language, originates on the Angsi Glacier, near Mount Kailash, located on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet
• Stat2: Feni river:
  • The Feni river forms part of the India-Bangladesh border.
  • It originates in the South Tripura district, passes through Sabroom town on the Indian side, and meets the Bay of Bengal after it flows into Bangladesh
  • Feni river and it’s significance : https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/11/08/feni-river-and-its-significance/
• Stat3: The Barak River flows through the states of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam in India and into the Bay of Bengal via Bangladesh. The upper part of its navigable part is in India — 121 km between Lakhipur and Bhanga, declared as National Waterway 6, (NW-6) since the year 2016

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/low-ozone-over-brahmaputra-river-valley/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Why in News?
  • suspends FCRA clearance of four Christian groups for various reasons.
• What is FCRA clearance? Why is it needed?
  • It is mandatory to have FCRA clearance from the Home Ministry for any organisation to receive foreign funds.
  • Foreign funding of voluntary organizations in India is regulated under FCRA act and is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Key provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010:
  • Under the Act, organisations require to register themselves every five years.
  • As per the amended FCRA rules, all NGOs registered or granted prior permission under FCRA are now required to upload details of foreign contributions received and utilized by them every three months on their website or the FCRA website.
  • NGOs now need to file their annual returns online, with the hard copy version dispensed with.
• Who cannot accept Foreign Contribution?
  • Election candidate
  • Member of any legislature (MP and MLAs)
  • Political party or office bearer thereof
  • Organization of a political nature
  • Correspondent, columnist, cartoonist, editor, owner, printer or publishers of a registered Newspaper.
  • Judge, government servant or employee of any corporation or any other body controlled on owned by the Government.
  • Association or company engaged in the production or broadcast of audio news, audio visual news or current affairs programmes through any electronic mode
  • Any other individuals or associations who have been specifically prohibited by the Central Government
• What is the eligibility criteria for grant of registration?
  • The Association:
  • must be registered (under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or Indian Trusts Act 1882 or section 8 of Companies Act, 2013 etc.)
  • normally be in existence for at least 3 years.
  • has undertaken reasonable activity in its field for the benefit of the society.
  • Has spent at least Rs.10,00,000/- (Rs. ten lakh) over the last three years on its activities.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/foreign-contribution-regulation-act-fcra-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: Moon may be rusting, shows ISRO’s Chandrayaan 1 images:

• We know rusting exists on Earth and Mars, but now scientists have found that there is on the moon as well. The images sent by ISRO’s Chandrayaan 1 orbiter – India’s first mission to the moon, show that the moon may be rusting along the poles.
• Why is this so surprising?
  • Rust, also known as iron oxide, is a reddish compound. It forms when the iron is exposed to water and oxygen. However, moon’s surface is not known for the presence of water and oxygen. Hence, this is surprising.
• Possible reason behind this? What is the role of earth’s atmosphere in this phenomenon?
  • Stat2: For iron to turn rusty red, it needs what’s called an oxidizer — a molecule such as oxygen that removes electrons from a material such as iron.
  • Stat1 and 3: But, the moon doesn’t have an atmosphere of its own to provide sufficient amounts of oxygen, but it has trace amounts donated by Earth’s atmosphere. This terrestrial oxygen travels to the moon along an elongated extension of the planet’s magnetic field called a “magnetotail.”
  • At every full moon, the magnetotail blocks 99% of solar wind from blasting the moon, drawing a temporary curtain over the lunar surface, allowing periods of time for rust to form.
• But, from where does the moon get water to form rust?
  • The moon is mostly devoid of water, save for frozen water found in lunar craters on the moon’s far side — far from where most of the hematite was found. But the researchers propose that fast-moving dust particles that bombard the moon might free water molecules locked into the moon’s surface layer, allowing the water to mix with the iron. These dust particles might even be carrying water molecules themselves, and their impact might create heat that could increase the oxidation rate.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/07/moon-may-be-rusting-shows-isros-chandrayaan-1-images/