INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 2 March 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• It is a new report by LinkedIn.
• The survey, conducted in January, saw participation from more than 10,000 respondents across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. It covered 2,285 respondents in India.
• Key findings:
  • 9 in 10 or 89 per cent of women were negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
  • About 85%, or four in five working women in India believe they have missed out on a raise, promotion, or work offer because of their gender. This average stands at 60% for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
  • More women in India have experienced the impact of gender on career development when compared to the APAC region.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/02/the-opportunity-index-2021-report/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: About the Make in India campaign:

• Launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2014 to incentivise production in India.
• It seeks to encourage manufacturing in India and galvanize the economy with dedicated investments in manufacturing and services.
• “Make in India” had three stated objectives:
  • To increase the manufacturing sector’s growth rate to 12-14% per annum in order to increase the sector’s share in the economy.
  • To create 100 million additional manufacturing jobs in the economy by 2022.
  • To ensure that the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP is increased to 25% by 2022 (revised to 2025) from the current 15-16%.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/02/the-us-2021-presidents-trade-agenda-and-2020-annual-report/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is an office within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Government of India.
• It is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. It strengthens security-related defence of the Indian Internet domain.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/02/chinese-cyber-attack-foiled-power-ministry/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/02/whatsapps-new-policy-being-examined-govt/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• PMI or a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity — both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
• S1: Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) is released and compiled by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), USA
• The PMI is usually released at the start of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available
• It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.
• S2: The headline PMI is a number from 0 to 100. A PMI above 50 represents an expansion when compared to the previous month. A PMI reading under 50 represents a contraction, and a reading at 50 indicates no change.

Refer: Facts for Prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/02/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-2-march-2021/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Source: S1: ICMR is neither a statutory body nor a regulatory body. It is only the apex body in India for formulating, coordinating and promoting biomedical research. It doesn’t have the power to directly initiate punitive action.
• S2: According to the Clinical Trial Rules, only the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) can initiate action when investigators fail to comply with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act or the Rules. And in such cases, the DCGI may – after giving a show-cause notice – issue a warning, reject the trial’s results, suspend or permanently cancel the permission granted and/or debar the investigator or sponsor from conducting any trials in future.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/19/icmr-against-indiscriminate-use-of-plasma-therapy/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• On 20 July 2015, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2231 (2015) endorsing the the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• Resolution 2231 provides for the termination of the provisions of previous Security Council resolutions on the Iranian nuclear issue and establishes specific restrictions that apply to all States without exception.
• What was the iran nuclear deal?
  • Iran agreed to rein in its nuclear programme in a 2015 deal struck with the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany.
  • Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) Tehran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy-water, all key components for nuclear weapons.
  • The JCPOA established the Joint Commission, with the negotiating parties all represented, to monitor implementation of the agreement.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/19/will-return-to-nuclear-deal-if-u-s-sanctions-are-lifted-iran/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Nematodes, snails, birds, and wild and domestic animals often help dissemination of plant diseases.
• The spores of many parasitic fungi are disseminated by air currents from diseased to disease-free host Pathogens like, bacteria are often disseminated by splashing of raindrops, as in case of Citrus canker disease.
• Soil and field operation also disseminate the diseases as they result in dust blowing.

Refer: http://www.biologydiscussion.com/plants/plant-diseases/dissemination-of-plant-diseases-16-mechanismsbotany/58671

Ans: (a)

Explanation: The main points of the code of conduct (link) are:

• S1: The government may not lay any new ground for projects or public initiatives once the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.
• S2: Government bodies are not to participate in any recruitment process during the electoral process.
• The election campaign rallies and road shows must not hinder the road traffic.
• S3: Candidates are asked to refrain from distributing liquor to voters. It is a widely known fact in India that during election campaigning, liquor may be distributed to the voters.
• Rest you can find it here: https://eci.gov.in/mcc/

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/27/one-nation-one-election-2/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Hayabusa2 project:
  • It is an asteroid sample-return mission operated by the Japanese space agency, JAXA.
  • It was launched on 3 December 2014 and rendezvoused with Ryugu on 27 June 2018.
  • It carried multiple science payloads for remote sensing, sampling, and four small rovers that will investigate the asteroid surface to inform the environmental and geological context of the samples collected.
• Feluda is the acronym for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay.
  • It is an accurate and low-cost paper-based test strip to detect Covid-19 and can deliver a result in 45 minutes.
  • It has been approved for commercial launch by the Drugs Controller General of India.
  • Developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Tata Group.
  • How it works?
    • It uses indigenously developed CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify and target the genetic material of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
  • https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/10/12/what-is-the-feluda-test-for-covid-19/
• What is a Tokamak?
  • The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion.
  • Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel.
  • Just like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant will use this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators.
  • First developed by Soviet research in the late 1960s, the tokamak has been adopted around the world as the most promising configuration of magnetic fusion device. ITER will be the world’s largest tokamak—twice the size of the largest machine currently in operation, with ten times the plasma chamber volume.
  • https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/07/30/international-thermonuclear-experimental-reactor-iter/

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/11/30/japans-hayabusa2-spacecraft-carrying-asteroid-soil-samples-nears-earth/