INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 30 January 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Patharughat peasant uprising took place on January 28, 1894 in Assam.
  • The unarmed peasants were protesting against the increase in land revenue levied by the colonial administration, when the military opened fire.
• What led to the Patharughat uprising?
  • After the British annexation of Assam in 1826, surveys of the vast lands of the state began. On the basis of such surveys, the British began to impose land taxes, much to the resentment of the farmers.
  • In 1893, the British government decided to increase agricultural land tax reportedly by 70- 80 per cent. Up until then the peasants would pay taxes in kind or provide a service in lieu of cash.
  • In Patharughat, despite these gatherings being democratic, the British perceived them as “breeding grounds for sedition” and opened fire.
• Why was the incident significant?
  • For the larger Assamese community, Patharughat comes second only to the Battle of Saraighat, when the Ahoms defeated the Mughals in 1671.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/patharughat-the-forgotten-peasant-uprising-of-assam-in-1894/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)– a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries – affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year. Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock are those worst affected. These include:
• Buruli ulcer
• Chagas disease
• Dengue and Chikungunya
• Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease)
• Echinococcosis
• Foodborne trematodiases
• Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
• Leishmaniasis
• Leprosy (Hansen’s disease)
• Lymphatic filariasis
• Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses
• Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
• Rabies
• Scabies and other ectoparasites
• Schistosomiasis
• Soil-transmitted helminthiases
• Snakebite envenoming
• Taeniasis/Cysticercosis
• Trachoma
• Yaws (Endemic treponematoses)

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/neglected-tropical-diseases-ntds/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: Key Features of PM-JAY

• PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the government.
• It provides a cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization across public and private empanelled hospitals in India.
• Over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable entitled families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) are eligible for these benefits.
• PM-JAY provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point of service, that is, the hospital.
• PM-JAY envisions to help mitigate catastrophic expenditure on medical treatment which pushes nearly 6 crore Indians into poverty each year.
• It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
• There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
• All pre–existing conditions are covered from day one.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country i.e. a beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
• Services include approximately 1,393 procedures covering all the costs related to treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’s fees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges etc.
• Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with the private hospitals.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/pm-jay/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• What is it?
  • Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services (NCAVES) India Forum-2021 is a part of NCAVES project of United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).
  • It aims to help five countries for addressing the concerns of sustainability and conserving the environment for future use while charting the course for economic development.
  • India is one of the five countries taking part in this project – the other countries being Brazil, China, South Africa and Mexico.
• NCAVES project:
  • The project seeks to advance the theory and practice of environmental and ecosystem accounting in Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
  • The project has been jointly implemented by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).
  • It aims to assist the five participating partner countries, to advance the knowledge agenda on environmental-economic accounting, in particular ecosystem accounting.
  • The project will have a duration until the end of 2021.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/ncaves-india-forum-2021-2/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• About GI tag:
  • A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.
  • Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.
• Security:
  • Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.
• Who is a registered proprietor of a geographical indication?
  • Any association of persons, producers, organisation or authority established by or under the law can be a registered proprietor.
  • Their name should be entered in the Register of Geographical Indication as registered proprietor for the Geographical Indication applied for.
• How long the registration of Geographical Indication is valid?
  • The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
  • It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.
  • In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September 2003. The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling tea in the year 2004-05.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/pakistan-gets-geographical-indicator-tag-for-basmati-rice/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• What are Cryptocurrencies?
• Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank.
• Examples: Bitcoin, Ethereum etc.
• https://www.investopedia.com/tech/most-important-cryptocurrencies-other-than-bitcoin/

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/cryptocurrency-and-regulation-of-official-digital-currency-bill-2021/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• National Marine Turtle Action Plan:
  • The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released ‘Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Guidelines’ and ‘National Marine Turtle Action Plan’.
  • The documents contain ways and means to promote inter-sectoral action for conservation.
• Stat3: Most land-based tortoises are herbivores while turtles can be both herbivores and carnivores. This is a video of a turtle eating a pigeon.
• Stat2: Turtles live some or most of the time in the water, while tortoises live on land. Both turtles and tortoises lay eggs on the ground. The mother will dig a burrow and lay two to twelve eggs there. The future hatchlings will stay inside the egg for 90 to 120 days, incubating on their own. Once the incubation process is complete, they dig their way to the surface. Tortoise mothers provide protection to the hatchlings for about 80 days, after which they survive on their own, but turtle hatchlings are on their own from birth.
• Stat1: Tortoises and turtles are both reptiles from the order of Testudines, but in different classification families. The major difference between the two is that tortoises dwell on land, while turtles live in the water some or nearly all of the time.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/30/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-30-january-2021/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Stat1: Between 2017-18 and 2019-20, KVIC has distributed 129,469 bee boxes across the country and trained 13,066 beekeepers.
• Under the Honey Mission, KVIC provides training and 10 bee boxes with live colonies to beneficiaries including farmers, beekeepers and unemployed youth. The mission aims to generate livelihood for the beneficiaries and increase honey production in the country.
• KVIC also runs beekeeping training programmes and courses.
• Stat2: The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is a statutory Corporation set up under an Act of Indian Parliament on 13 March 1963. The objectives of NCDC are planning and promoting programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock and certain other notified commodities and services on cooperative principles and for matters concerned therewith or incidental thereto.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/23/beekeeping-in-india/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Khudol is a crowdfunded initiative of Ya_All, an Imphal-based NGO that had created India’s first transgender football team. The initiative entails ensuring food, health and hygiene of the LGBTQI+ community, people living with HIV, daily-wage earners, children and adolescents.
• The United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth has listed Manipur’s Khudol (gift) among the top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/05/23/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-23-may-2020/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Chenab of Jammu and Kashmir State is known as the Chandrabhaga in Himachal Pradesh because it is formed by two streams, the Chandra and the Bhaga which join at Tandi near Kylong .
• Chandrabhaga flows north-westwards and runs parallel to the Pir Panjal Range for some distance.
• Near Kishtwar, it cuts a deep gorge in the Pir Panjal Range and turns southwards and flows in this direction for a short distance. Further down, it turns to the west and enters the plain area near Akhnur. The river flows for 1180 km and drains 26,755 sq. km area in India.

Refer: https://www.britannica.com/place/Chenab-River