Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 20.04.22

Q1. Which of the following is part of India’s Panchamrit goals announced at

1. Achieving net-zero by 2070
2. Increasing renewable energy component to 50% of our total energy requirements by 2030
3. Reducing carbon intensity by 85% by 2030
4. Increasing non-fossil energy capacity to reach 500 GW by 2030

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 2, 3 and 4
c. 1, 2 and 4
d. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Q2. Which of the following is/are currently matched?

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 2, 3 and 4
c. 2 and 4
d. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Q3. Consider the following statements with regard to Higher education in India

1. New UGC regulations allow students to get ‘dual degrees’ from institutions in the country and those abroad
2. These collaborations will be permitted both for the conventional mode of learning as well as distance or online learning

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

Tie-up between Indian and foreign varsities simplified New UGC regulations allow students to get ‘dual degrees’ from institutions in the country and those abroad. These collaborations will be permitted only for the conventional mode of learning and not for distance or online learning. Tie-ups for Education:
1. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has simplified the procedure for an Indian higher education institution to offer programmes in collaboration with foreign universities by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with each other directly if they meet certain eligibility criteria.
2. Recently, the UGC decided that an Indian higher education institution that has a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading of 3.01 or above, or is among the top 1,000 QS World University or Times Higher Education rankings, or is among the top 100 universities under National Institution Ranking Framework, will be able to tie-up with a foreign education institution which also features among the top 1,000 QS or Times Higher Education rankings.
3. The previous regulations required two institutions to tie up with each other after obtaining the UGC’s approval.
4. The UGC said that under the new regulations to be made public soon, universities and colleges will no longer be required to seek its permission to do so if they met the ranking criteria.

Q4. Recently the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) has been set up in the state of

a. Kerala
b. TamilNadu
c. Gujarat
d. Madhya Pradesh

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

India leader in traditional medicine, says WHO chief

4. The centre is a truly global project as 107 WHO member countries have their country-specific governmental offices which mean the world will come to India for its leadership in the traditional medicines.
5. Traditional medicines products abound globally and the centre will go a long way in bringing their promise to fruition. For many regions of the world, traditional medicine is the first line of treatment.
The Fifth Veda:
1. Speaking about the rich legacy of Ayurveda, PM said it goes beyond just healing and treatment, as social health, mental health-happiness, environmental health, sympathy, compassion and productivity are all included.
2. Ayurveda is taken as the knowledge of life and is deemed as fifth Veda.

Q5. Consider the following statements with regard to the health star rating (HSR) system

1. Earlier, the health star rating (HSR) system was adopted in countries like Australia and New Zealand
2. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will enforce HSR in India

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

‘Star rating’ for packaged food unlikely to help, say experts
1. The “health star rating” system that the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to adopt in order to help consumers reduce their intake of unhealthy foods is “not evidence-based” and has failed to alter buyer behaviour, claim over 40 global experts.
2. These experts have said the health star rating (HSR) system adopted in countries like Australia and New Zealand has not resulted in any meaningful behaviour change and that eight years after their implementation there is “still no evidence of HSRs having a significant impact on the nutritional quality of people’s food and beverage purchases”.
3. They argue that “warning labels” instead have been most effective in various countries.
Health-star rating system
1. The FSSAI decided to adopt the “health-star rating system”, which gives a product 1/2 a star to 5 stars, in its draft regulations for front of package labelling (FOPL). The regulator decided that FOPL implementation could be made voluntary for a period of four years.
2. The decision was based on the recommendations of a study by the IIM-Ahmedabad.

Q6. China and Solomon Islands signed a landmark security agreement recently. The island nation is situated in

a. Pacific Ocean
b. Atlantic Ocean
c. East African Coast
d. Arctic Sea

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

China and Solomon Islands sign landmark security agreement

1. China had signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, a first-of-its-kind arrangement that could pave the way for further Chinese security deals overseas.
2. Under the agreement, the two sides “will conduct cooperation in such areas as maintenance of social order, protection of the safety of people’s lives and property, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response, in an effort to help the Solomon Islands strengthen capacity building in safeguarding its own security.”
Military facilities
1. Amid concern from Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., the Solomon Islands said there was no agreement for a Chinese military base.

2. However, in the wake of China putting into use its first overseas military base in Djibouti near the Horn of Africa in 2017, which went against a long-standing policy of not opening foreign bases, Chinese military experts have spoken of the need for further facilities to project power as well as service China’s fast-expanding navy.
3. Much remains unclear about the new agreement, including how China plans to support the Solomon Islands in “maintaining social order” and whether Chinese security forces will be deployed.
4. Australia was “deeply disappointed” and “concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed, noting its potential to undermine stability in our region”.