[MISSION 2022] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 12 January 2022 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Stockholm Convention, ratified by India on 13.01.2006, is a global treaty to protect human health and environment from Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to human beings and wildlife. POPs travel globally and can cause damage wherever they travel. The Convention that entered into force of 17th May, 2004, lays down that in its implementation, Governments will take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.
• The Stockholm Convention seeks the elimination or restriction of production and use of all intentionally produced POPs (industrial chemicals and pesticides). The Convention also seeks the continuing minimization and wherever feasible, ultimate elimination of the releases of unintentionally produced POPs such as dioxins and furans. The use of DDT is restricted in India. Use of DDT is banned for agricultural purposes; it is produced in a restricted manner for use in vector control only, as India has obtained exemption for use of DDT for vector control.
• A Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been set up as an interim financial mechanism, to assist the developing countries in implementation of the Convention.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/stockholm-convention-on-pops-2/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The GEF provides funding to assist developing countries in meeting the objectives of international environmental conventions. The GEF serves as “financial mechanism” to five conventions, which are Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/stockholm-convention-on-pops-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: Set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.
• S: It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• S3: The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/national-commission-for-protection-of-child-rights-ncpcr-3/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The government has brought the IITs, IIMs and other Institutions of National Importance (INIs) under the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) framework, which allows students to pursue up to 50 per cent of a course from institutions other than the one with which they are enrolled.
• Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) is proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/academic-bank-of-credit-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The quadrilateral security dialogue includes Japan, India, United States and Australia.
• All four nations find a common ground of being the democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security.
• The idea was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/quad-related-issues/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S1: OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey its surface and collect a sample from it.
• S2: It is the third planetary science mission selected in the New Frontiers program, after Juno and New Horizons.
• S3: Bennu was chosen as the target of study because it is a “time capsule” from the birth of the Solar System. Bennu has a very dark surface and is classified as a B-type asteroid, a sub-type of the carbonaceous C-type asteroids. Such asteroids are considered “primitive”, having undergone little geological change from their time of formation. In particular, Bennu was selected because of the availability of pristine carbonaceous material, a key element in organic molecules necessary for life as well as representative of matter from before the formation of Earth.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/osiris-rex-and-asteroid-bennu-2/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)?

• It is being implemented and steered jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).
• Implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• Focus of the mission:
  • The Mission envisages empowering national academic and R&D institutions spread over the country by installing a vast supercomputing grid comprising of more than 70 high-performance computing facilities.
  • These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high speed network.
  • The Mission includes development of highly professional High Performance Computing (HPC) aware human resource for meeting challenges of development of these applications.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/01/12/national-supercomputing-mission-nsm-3/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Recently, The United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Flagship State of World Population Report 2021 titled ‘My Body is My Own’ was launched.
• This is the first time a United Nations report has focused on bodily autonomy.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/16/unfpas-population-report/

Ans: (c)
Explanation: What is e-visa?

• The e-Visa enables the prospective visitor to apply for an Indian Visa from his/her home country online without visiting the Indian Mission and also pay the visa fee online. Once approved, the applicant receives an email authorizing him/her to travel to India and he/she can travel with a print out of this authorisation. On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then stamp the entry into the country.
• An e-visa is provided in five categories — tourist, business, conference, medical, and medical attendant.
• Under the arrangement, a foreigner can apply online four days prior to travel.
• After the details are verified, an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is generated, which has to be presented at the immigration checkpost on arrival.
• Entry through e-visas is allowed only at 28 designated international airports and five major seaports in India.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/16/india-restores-e-visa-for-156-countries/

Ans: (d)

Explanation: Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace:

• Microsoft president Brad Smith has urged India and the U.S. to join the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace that now has 75 countries on board to deal with new cybersecurity threats facing the world.
• The Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace is a nonbinding declaration.
• It calls for states, the private sector, and civil society organizations to work together to promote security in cyberspace, counter disinformation, and address new threats endangering citizens and infrastructure.
• The Paris Call was sent in 2018 by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, during the Internet Governance Forum held at UNESCO and the Paris Peace Forum.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/04/16/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-16-april-2021/