[MISSION 2023] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS (14 July 2022 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The 74th Constitution Amendment Act was passed in 1992mandating the setting up and devolution of powers to urban local bodies (ULBs) as the lowest unit of governance in cities and towns.
• Constitutional provisions were made for ULBs’ fiscal empowerment.
  • Urban governance is part of the state list under the Constitution

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/07/14/the-scale-of-municipal-finances-is-inadequate/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• India ranks 135 among a total of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, 2022, released by the World Economic Forum.
• The country is the worst performer in the world in the “health and survival” sub-index in which it is ranked 146.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/07/14/india-ranks-135-out-of-146-on-gender-gap-index/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Juvenile Justice Boardis an institutional body constituted under Section 4 of the JJ Act, 2015. According to the division of powers, the subject of administration of criminal justice has been included in the State List (List II, Schedule VII) of the Indian Constitution. Therefore, one or more than one Juvenile Justice Board(s) are established by the State Government for each district. The Board exercises its powers and discharges functions relating to the ‘child in conflict with law’ as has been defined under Section 2(13) of this Act.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/07/14/assessing-juvenility-a-delicate-task-sc/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1 and S2:Selection of resistant microorganisms is exacerbated by inappropriate use of antimicrobials since a number of microbes are resistant to these anti-biotics. So, S1 is irrelevant to MDR.
• The practice of adding antibiotics to agricultural feed promotes drug resistance.
• S3:As per WHO, the high volume of antibiotics in food-producing animals contributes to the development of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, particularly in settings of intensive animal production. These bacteria can be transmitted from animals to humans via direct contact between animals and humans, or through the food chain and the environment. See https://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/antimicrobial-resistance/amrfoodchain/en/
• S4:This is a confusing option, nonetheless seems correct.
• Many medical advances are dependent on the ability to fight infections using antibiotics, such as for treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis (See https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html), and thus, multiple chronic diseases in some people may lead them to take more anti-biotics than others exacerbating the problem.
• Sometimes healthcare providers prescribe antimicrobials inappropriately, wishing to placate an insistent patient who has a viral infection or an as-yet undiagnosed condition. At times there could be a wrong identification of the disease. All these worsen the problem. Whether this is actually a reason or not is hard to testify unless we find a solid evidence, but based on reasoning alone this would be correct.
• Also, MDR provokes obstruction in disease control by intensifying the possibility of spreading of resistant pathogens, thus, declining efficacy of treatment and, hence, resulting in prolonged time of infection in patient. See https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ipid/2014/541340/

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/07/14/antimicrobial-resistance-vaccines/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: The Union Government subsidies the urea manufacturing units for the cost of transportation to facilitate the availability of urea at the same maximum retail price all over the country. Also, the Government is subsidising fertilizers for their availability at reasonable prices for agricultural purposes. See https://fert.nic.in/faq
• S2: Common knowledge.
• S3: Sulphur is a by-product of processing natural gas and refining high-sulphur crude oils. Even if they use low sulphur crude oil, there is still sulphur emission, so S3 is correct.
• The primary sources of sulfuric acid emissions are combustion of coal, and the industries that manufacture or use it in production, including metal smelters, phosphate fertilizer producers, oil refineries, the chemical industry, battery manufacturers, manufacturers of fabricated metal products, manufacturers of electronic components, and manufacturers of measuring and controlling devices. See https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/phosphate-fertilizerand https://ibm.gov.in/writereaddata/files/12152016105127IMYB2015_Sulphur_15122016_Adv.pdf

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/07/14/mission-2023-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-14-july-2022/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• It isa 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight.
• Regions involved:India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• This corridor connects India Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, Islamic Rep., and is then connected to Saint Petersburg and North European via Russia.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/07/14/mission-2023-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-14-july-2022/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• S1and S3: India on February 1, 2018 joined the Ashgabat agreement, which was instituted in April 2011 to establish an international multimodal transport and transit corridor between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
• The Agreement was first signed by Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and Qatar on 25 April 2011. While Qatar subsequently withdrew from the agreement in 2013, Kazakhstan and Pakistan joined the grouping in 2016. The Ashgabat Agreement came into force in April 2016.
• S2:Its objective is to enhance connectivity within the Eurasian region and synchronize it with other regional transport corridors, including the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Refer: link

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
• S2: It orbits around Earth. link

Refer: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Option A and D are examples of human capital and option B is physical capital.
• Straight from Wikipedia: “Social capital broadly refers to those factors of effectively functioning social groups that include such things as interpersonal relationships, a shared sense of identity, a shared understanding, shared norms, shared values, trust, cooperation, and reciprocity.” Option D is the correct answer.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2019

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• S1:There is some ambiguity in sand being a minor mineral. Sand can be a major mineral or a minor mineral depending on where it is used; same is the case for limestone. A brief discussion follows. See http://www.arthapedia.in/index.php?title=Minor_Minerals
• According to section 3(e) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 “Minor Minerals” means building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, ordinary sand other than sand used for prescribed purposes.
• The term ordinary sand used in clause (e) of Section-3 of the MMDR Act, 1957 has been further clarified in Rule 70 of the Mineral Concession Rule, 1960.
• It is stated that sand shall not be treated as minor mineralwhen used for any of the following purposes namely; (i) purpose of refractory and manufacturer of ceramic, (ii) metallurgical purposes, (iii)optical purposes, (iv) purposes of stowing in coal mines, (v) for manufacture of silvicrete cement, (vi) manufacture of sodium silicate and (vii) manufacture of pottery and glass.
• However, given the ambiguity, we need to assume that UPSC is perhaps referring to ordinary sand.S1 is provisionally correct.
• S2 and S3:The central government has the power to notify “minor minerals” under section 3 (e) of the MMDR Act, 1957. On the other hand, as per Section 15 of the MMDR Act, 1957 State Governments have complete powers for making Rules for grant of concessions in respect of extraction of minor minerals and levy and collection of royalty on minor minerals.
• The power to frame policy and legislation relating to minor minerals is entirely delegated to the State Governments while policy and legislation relating to the major minerals are dealt by the Ministry of Mines under Union /Central Government. So, S2 is incorrect and S3 is correct.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2019