INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 24 November 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Worldwide there are six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) mandated for issuing advisories and naming of tropical cyclones. The tropical cyclones forming over different Ocean basins are named by the concerned RSMCs & TCWCs.
• India Meteorological Department is one of the six RSMCs to provide tropical cyclone and storm surge advisories to 13 member countries under WMO/ESCAP Panel
• Link: Criteria for name selection
  • The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender Name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe
  • It should not be very rude and cruel in nature
  • S3: It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member
  • S2: The maximum length of the name will be eight letters
  • The proposed name should be provided along with its pronunciation and voice over
  • S1: the names are not rotated every few years. It is believed that since the cyclones cause so much death, destruction and devastation, names are considered for retirement and hence is not used repeatedly.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/mindmap-stubble-burning-and-air-pollution/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• About the Roshini Act:
• Enacted in 2001, the law sought to regularise unauthorised land.
• The Act envisaged the transfer of ownership rights of state land to its occupants, subject to the payment of a cost, as determined by the government.
• The government said the revenue generated would be spent on commissioning hydroelectric power projects, hence the name “Roshni”.
• Further, through amendments, the government also gave ownership rights of agricultural land to farmers occupying it for free, charging them only Rs 100 per kanal as documentation fee.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/what-is-jks-roshni-act/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: here the directive word is not correct!!

• S1: A surplus is not a good thing always, then?
  • A current account surplus implies a higher inflow of forex than outflow.
  • It helps with an increase in reserves which is critical for maintaining financial and external sector stability.
  • However, in the current situation, an improvement in our current account is coming from lower levels of imports which coincides with muted domestic demand. This makes it important to view such an uptick as a sign of potential weakness and undertake supportive policy measures.
• S2: India may record a current account surplus in FY21. This is because there is moderation in import due to under heating of the economy triggered by the Covid-19 crisis.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/current-account-surplus-likely/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The ‘Swiss Challenge Method‘ is a relatively new form of public procurement, wherein a government invites bids for a public project, and then publishes the bid, before inviting competing counter proposals to either match or improve the initial proposal.
• How different is it from the public-private partnership (PPP)?
  • This method can be applied to projects that are taken up on a PPP basis but can also be used to supplement PPP in sectors that are not covered under the PPP framework.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/what-are-desalination-plants/

Ans: (d)

Explanation: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has short-listed 20 space-based experiment proposals for its proposed Venus orbiter mission ‘Shukrayaan’.

• S1: Venus is the second planet from the Sun. As the second-brightest natural object in Earth’s night sky after the Moon, Venus can cast shadows and can be, on rare occasion, visible to the naked eye in broad daylight.
• S2: Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth’s “sister planet” because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun, and bulk composition.
• S3: Venus does not have any moons, a distinction it shares only with Mercury among the planets in the Solar System.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/isros-shukrayaan/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: About the Chang’e-5 probe:

• The probe is named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess.
• The rocket is comprised of four parts: an orbiter, a returner, an ascender and a lander.
• The objective of the mission is to bring back lunar rocks, the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the moon in four decades.
• If successful, China will be only the third country to have retrieved samples from the moon, following the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s.
• This will help scientists learn about the moon’s origins, formation and volcanic activity on its surface.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/change-5-probe/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• In July this year, Beijing said Sakteng Wildlife sanctuary, situated in eastern Bhutan, belonged to China.
• The claim was made at the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council where China tried to “oppose” funding to a project for the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary situated in Bhutan saying that it was “disputed” territory.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/pangda-village/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• National Crisis Management Committee(NCMC):
• For effective implementation of relief measures in the wake of natural calamities, the Government of India has set up a National Crisis Management Committee.
• Cabinet Secretary is it’s Chairman.
• Other members: Secretaries of all the concerned Ministries /Departments as well as organizations are the members of the Committee.
• The NCMC gives direction to the Crisis Management Group as deemed necessary.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-24-november-2020/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S3: The Hague Convention protects children and their families against the risks of illegal, irregular, premature or ill-prepared adoptions abroad.
• S2: It expressed the need for urgent action by all governments, all health and development workers, and the world community to protect and promote the health of all people. It was the first international declaration underlining the importance of primary health care.
• S1: The Osaka Track relates to finalizing international rules for trade-related aspects of electronic commerce at the WTO. It aims at drafting rules on data flows, removal of prohibitions on data localization, and cloud computing among others.
• 15th G20 Summit:
• Convened by Saudi Arabia in a virtual format.
• The Summit would culminate in the adoption of the Leaders’ Declaration and with Saudi Arabia passing on the Presidency to Italy.
• It was also announced that India will host the summit in 2023 — a year later than what was decided earlier.
• India was earlier slated to host the summit in 2022 with the Osaka declaration of the G20 stating last year that “we look forward to meeting again in Saudi Arabia in 2020, in Italy in 2021 and in India in 2022”.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-24-november-2020/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/24/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-24-november-2020/