INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 28 December 2020) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• About the Third Battle of Panipat, fought in 1761:
  • Fought between Maratha forces and invading armies of Afghan general Ahmed Shah Abdali of Durrani Empire in 1761.
  • Abdali was supported by two Indian allies— the Rohillas Najib-ud-daulah, Afghans of the Doab region and Shuja-ud-Daula- the Nawab of Awadh.
• How it started?
  • After the death of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, there was a sudden rise of the Marathas. The Marathas reversed all his territorial gains in the Deccan and conquered a considerable part of India.
  • The decline was hastened by the invasion of India by Nader Shah, who also took away Takht-i-Taus (the Peacock Throne) and the Kohinoor Diamond in 1739.
  • Abdali planned to attack the Marathas when his son was driven out of Lahore.
  • By the end of 1759, Abdali with his Afghan tribes reached Lahore as well as Delhi and defeated the smaller enemy garrisons.
  • The two armies fought at Karnal and Kunjpura where the entire Afghan garrison was killed or enslaved.
  • The massacre of the Kunjpura garrison infuriated Durrani to such an extent that he ordered for crossing the river at all costs to attack the Marathas.
  • Smaller battles continued through months and forces from both the sides amassed for the final assault. But food was running out for the Marathas.
• Outcomes:
  • The Marathas were defeated in the battle, with 40,000 of their troops killed, while Abdali’s army is estimated to have suffered around 20,000 casualties.
  • It marked a loss of prestige for the Marathas, who lost their preeminent position in north India after this war, paving the way for British colonial power to expand here.
  • The Marathas lost some of their most important generals and administrators, including Sadashivrao and heir-apparent Vishwasrao of the Peshwa household, Ibrahim Khan Gardi, Jankojirao Scindia, and Yashwantrao Puar.
• Who is Maharaja Surajmal?
  • Maharaja Surajmal was born in 1707 in the kingdom of Bharatpur, Rajasthan. He ruled in the 18th century and was the son of the Jat chieftain Badan Singh. He is described as “a strong leader who harried the Mughal empire in the anarchic period of its decline, consolidated the kingdom with its capital at Bharatpur and used the resources gained to build forts and palaces, the most famous being the palace at Deeg and the Bharatpur Fort”

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/1761-battle-of-panipat/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The first Battle of Panipat in 1526 was between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi. The result of the battle laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire by ending the rule of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The Second Battle of Panipat in 1556 was between Akbar and Hemu; it decided in favour of the continuation of the Mughal rule.
• The Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali put an end to the Maratha ambition of ruling over India.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/1761-battle-of-panipat/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Context:
  • To avoid an adverse reaction to the cold wave, the IMD shared a list of recommendations, one of which was avoiding alcohol.
• Background:
  • According to the IMD, severe cold wave conditions are likely in parts of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan from December 29 onwards. Maximum temperature is also forecast to fall by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius after December 28.
• Why is alcohol bad in cold weather?
• Alcohol can decrease the core temperature of the body and increase the risk of hypothermia during cold exposure. A retrospective study in 2004 showed that alcohol consumption is associated with 68 per cent of accidental hypothermia cases.
• How it works?
  • Alcohol is a vasodilator, which means that it causes blood vessels to relax and dilate or open.
  • So after consuming alcohol, the volume of blood brought to the skin’s surface increases, making you feel warmer as a result.
  • This is also what causes an intoxicated person to look flushed.
  • As the body begins to believe that it is warm, you also start to sweat — a reaction that automatically reduces overall body temperature.
  • Drinking copious amounts of alcohol may affect your bodies ability to detect the cold properly, which is in place to protect you from frostbite and hypothermia.
  • However, experts say drinking moderately in temperate environments does not significantly affect the core temperature of the body.
• What is hypothermia?
  • Hypothermia is a severe medical condition where the body loses heat before it can generate it, resulting in a dangerously low body temperature.
  • While normal body temperature lies at around 37 degrees Celsius, the body temperature of a person suffering from hypothermia drops to below 35 degrees Celsius.
  • Common signs include shivering, slow rate of breathing, slurred speech, cold skin and fatigue.
  • Alcohol also has psychological and behavioural effects, which can impact a person’s ability to correctly perceive how cold it is.
• What is a coldwave?
  • A cold wave occurs when the minimum temperature dips to 10 degrees Celsius or less and the departure from normal temperature is 4.5 degrees Celsius or lower.
  • In severe cold wave conditions, departure from normal temperature is 6.5 degrees or lower.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/why-is-weather-dept-asking-people-in-north-india-not-to-drink-alcohol-during-the-cold-wave/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context:
  • The first indigenous vaccine against pneumonia, developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), will be launched.
  • In July, India’s drug regulator had granted market approval for the Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate vaccine.
• About pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23):
  • It protects against pneumococcal infections.
  • PPSV23 protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria.
• Helpful Terms:
  • Conjugate: A type of vaccine that joins a protein to an antigen in order to improve the protection the vaccine provides.
  • Polysaccharide: A type of vaccine that is composed of long chains of sugar molecules that resemble the surface of certain types of bacteria in order to help the immune system mount a response.
• S1: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) can prevent pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal disease refers to any illness caused by pneumococcal bacteria, including Pneumonia and sepsis (which is a bloodstream infection disease in children), So 1 is correct.
• S2: This is also correct, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6183139/
  • Vaccines as tools to reduce Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) have historically been under-recognized, yet the positive effect in reducing AMR has been well established. For example Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) as well as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal) conjugate vaccines have impressive track records in not only preventing life threatening diseases caused by these bacteria, but also reducing antibiotic use and AMR.
• S3: Mild side effects of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV), the version of the pneumococcal vaccine given to adults and children over the age of 2, include:
  • mild soreness or hardness at the site of the injection lasting 1 to 3 days
  • a slightly raised temperature
  • More serious side effects of the PPV vaccine, such as allergic reactions, are rare.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/pneumococcal-polysaccharide-conjugate-vaccine/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• What is the Rythu Bandhu?
  • Rythu Bandhu scheme also Farmer’s Investment Support Scheme (FISS) is a welfare program to support farmer’s investment for two crops a year by the Government of Telangana.
  • The scheme is meant to incentivise the state’s farmers for their day to day work.
  • Under the scheme, almost 58.33 lakh farmers of Telangana state are provided Rs 4000 per acre, per season (crop-sowing) – to support the farm investment twice a year (total Rs 8,000), for both – the Rabi and the Kharif seasons.
  • The purpose behind the scheme was to break the vicious cycle of rural indebtedness.
• Who qualifies under the Rythu Bandhu scheme?
  • To apply under the scheme and to make the cut, the farmer should have been a resident of Telangana state and must own farming land.
  • The scheme is applicable for small and marginal farmers; however, commercial farmers are excluded from the scheme.
  • Also, farmers who till rented land are excluded from under this scheme.
• Currently, more than 8 lakh farmers in Telangana enjoy the benefits of the Rythu Bandhu scheme.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/telangana-withdraws-regulated-farming/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has introduced Rule 86B in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rules which restricts use of input tax credit (ITC) for discharging GST liability to 99 per cent.
  • As per the new rule, Businesses with monthly turnover of over ₹50 lakh will have to mandatorily pay at least 1 per cent of their GST liability in cash.
• Exceptions under the new rule:
  • This restriction will not apply where the managing director or any partner have paid more than ₹1 lakh as income tax or the registered person has received a refund amount of more than ₹1 lakh in the preceding financial year on account of unutilised input tax credit.
• What is Input Tax Credit (ITC)?
  • It is the tax that a business pays on a purchase and that it can use to reduce its tax liability when it makes a sale.
  • In simple terms, input credit means at the time of paying tax on output, you can reduce the tax you have already paid on inputs and pay the balance amount.
  • Exceptions: A business under composition scheme cannot avail of input tax credit. ITC cannot be claimed for personal use or for goods that are exempt.
  • Concerns over its misuse:
    • There could be possibility of misuse of the provision by unscrupulous businesses by generating fake invoices just to claim tax credit.
    • As much as 80% of the total GST liability is being settled by ITC and only 20% is deposited as cash.
    • Under the present dispensation, there is no provision for real time matching of ITC claims with the taxes already paid by suppliers of inputs.
    • The matching is done on the basis of system generated GSTR-2A, after the credit has been claimed. Based on the mismatch highlighted by GSTR-2A and ITC claims, the revenue department sends notices to businesses.
    • Currently there is a time gap between ITC claim and matching them with the taxes paid by suppliers. Hence there is a possibility of ITC being claimed on the basis of fake invoices.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/businesses-with-monthly-turnover-of-over-%e2%82%b950-lakh-to-pay-at-least-1-gst-liability-in-cash/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context:
  • PM to inaugurate the New Bhaupur- New Khurja section and the Operation Control Centre of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
• About the eastern corridor:
  • Length: 1856 km.
• Consists of two distinct segments: an electrified double-track segment & an electrified single-track segment.
• Starts from Sahnewal near Ludhiana (Punjab) and will pass through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal.
• Constructed by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), that has been set up as a special purpose vehicle to build and operate Dedicated Freight Corridors.
• Solution: You need to cross Sahnewal, Punjab (origin), Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and then through either Jharkhand to West Bengal (Dankuni), or through Bihar to West Bengal (Dankuni: 5 states either way.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/eastern-dedicated-freight-corridor/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• What is an ILP?
  • It is a document required by non- natives to visit or stay in a state that is protected under the ILP system.
  • At present, four Northeastern states are covered, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.
  • Both the duration of stay and the areas allowed to be accessed for any non native are determined by the ILP.
  • The ILP is issued by the concerned state government and can be availed both by applying online or in person.
  • An ILP is only valid for domestic tourists.
• Rationale behind:
  • The Inner Line Permit is an extension of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873.
  • After the British occupied the Northeast, the colonisers started exploiting the region and its resources for economic benefits.
  • They first started tea plantations and oil industries in Brahmaputra Valley.
  • The indigenous tribes living in the hill areas would regularly conduct raids into the plains to loot and plunder, marauding the tea gardens, oil rigs and trading posts set up by the British East India Company.
  • It was in this context that the BEFR 1873 was promulgated.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/inner-line-permit/

Ans: (a)

Explanation: LAC hotspots turn brand buzzwords in Valley:

• For a Delhi-based shoe company, volatile locations between India and China across LAC have become money-spinners; a range of winter shoes named after them is flying off the shelves across the Kashmir Valley.
• Key Points include: ‘Galwan’, ‘Doklam’, ‘Kargil’, and ‘Point 5’ among others.
• (Note: try to locate the above mentioned points on map and have a brief idea about their surroundings).

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-28-december-2020/

Ans: (d)

Explanation: Portulaca laljii:

• It is a new species of the wild sun rose discovered recently from the Eastern Ghats in India.
• Discovered from Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.
• It has unique features such as a tuberous root, no hair in its leaf axils, a reddish-pink flower, prolate-shaped fruits, and copper brown seeds without lustre.
• The succulent nature of tuberous roots allow the plant to survive on rocky crevices.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/12/28/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-28-december-2020/