INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 5 March 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has released the final rankings of Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020.
• What is it?
• The Ease of Living Index (EoLI) is an assessment tool that evaluates the quality of life and the impact of various initiatives for urban development.
• It provides a comprehensive understanding of participating cities across India based on quality of life, economic-ability of a city, and its sustainability and resilience.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/05/ease-of-living-index-eoli/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Persian Gulf: The lands around the Persian Gulf are shared by eight countries namely, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/05/international-north-south-transport-corridor/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Ashgabat agreement is a multimodal transport agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, India and Oman for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. The agreement came into force in April 2016. Ashgabat in Turkmenistan is the depository state for the agreement.
• Pakistan has also joined the Agreement from November 2016. India formally joined in February 2018.
• The objective of this agreement is to enhance connectivity within Eurasian region and synchronize it with other transport corridors within that region including the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/05/international-north-south-transport-corridor/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S2: MARCOS (Marine Commandos), is a Special Forces unit that was raised by the Indian Navy in 1987 for direct action, special reconnaissance, amphibious warfare and counter-terrorism.
• S1: COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) is a specialised unit of the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) that was formed to counter Naxalism in India. It’s one of the few Indian Special Forces, that’s exclusively trained in guerrilla warfare.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/05/indian-special-forces-sf/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The main ethnic groups living in the seven ethnic minority states of Burma are the Karen, Shan, Mon, Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Karenni. Other main groups include the Nagas, who live in north Burma and are estimated to number more than 100,000, constituting another complex family of Tibetan-Burmese language subgroups.
• The Yezidis is one of many religious minorities in Iraq. They follow Yezidism, a religion combining elements from, among others, Christianity and Islam.
• Hazaras are considered to be one of the most oppressed groups in Afghanistan.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/05/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-5-march-2021/

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: (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: (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/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• NCDC is a major financial institution for cooperatives, and has started Mission Sahakar 22, which aims to double farmers’ income by 2022.
  • It also focusses on strengthening the farmers’ economic condition by augmenting their income and fast track the pace of development in the State.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/28/national-cooperative-development-corporation-ncdc/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD):

• The disease is caused by phytoplasma — bacterial parasites of plant tissues — which are transmitted by insect vectors.
• The disease was first reported in Kodagu in 1899.
• The disease is characterized by extreme reduction in leaf size accompanied by stiffening and reduction of internode length.
• In advanced stage, the entire shoot gives the appearance of a spike inflorescence.
• Context:
  • India’s sandalwood trees are facing a serious threat with the return of the destructive Sandalwood Spike Disease (SSD).
  • The infection has resurfaced in Karnataka and Kerala.
  • The present rapid spread of the infection is largely due to restrictions on green felling in forests, which has allowed vectors to spread the disease to healthy trees.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/09/28/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-28-september-2020/