Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 08-10-2022

Q1. India’s first Dark Sky Reserve is coming up in

1. Ladakh
2. Sikkim
3. Himachal Pradesh
4. Andaman Nicobar islands

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Dark Sky Reserve

• To be able to detect stars or traces of cosmic phenomena, such as supernovae or nebulae from light years away, astronomers must be able to catch the faintest slivers of their radiation that often lie outside the range of visible light.
• Such radiation is, however, easily absorbed by water vapour and so it helps to have a telescope high above the ground where the atmosphere is drier. A dry, high-altitude desert is in many ways the ideal location.

• The Hanle’s (Ladakh) seclusion, making it ideal for astronomy, is the weather and climate. The altitude means that atmospheric oxygen is low, making one prone to mountain sickness.

Q2. Consider the following statements

1. Twinkling stars imply starlight is being bounced around by atmospheric gases, dust and water vapour, and therefore obscuring to us on land its origins
2. In a dark sky reserve, the sky may be studded with unblinking lights

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

No twinkling in the night sky:

• Contrary to the thumb rule that ‘the lights that twinkle is stars, those that don’t are planets’, the sky is studded with unblinking lights.
• Twinkling stars imply starlight is being bounced around by atmospheric gases, dust and water vapour, and therefore obscuring to us on land its origins.
• At Hanle, the thinner air and the elevation mean starlight is relatively unimpeded until it descends into the lower, more polluted stretches below.
• To strike a balance, the Ladakh government along with the IIA and India’s Scientific Ministries is laying the groundwork to have Hanle declared as an International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association.
• Since 1988, the U.S.-based non-profit has been advocating the cause of minimising light pollution and certifies places where night skies are least polluted as International Dark Sky Reserves or sanctuaries.

Q3. Pusa Decomposer can hasten the rate of decomposition of various Agricultural waste. It is

1. A Fungi-based solution
2. A Bacteria-based solution
3. Alcohol catalyst
4. Metallic decomposer catalyst

Answer (a)

Explanation:

IARI: stubble burning in Punjab at a 3-year low

• Though early days, the number of crop fires reported out of Punjab is at a three-year low, suggests data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) that tracks such fires via satellite.
• While there is a 6% reduction in acreage under rice (in Punjab) this year due to erratic rains, it would be premature to assume that burning would be less.

Q4. Currently, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 provides Schedule Caste status only for

1. Hindu
2. Sikh
3. Christian
4. Buddhist
5. Muslim

Select the correct answer from the codes given below.

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 1, 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Answer (c)

Explanation:

 Panel to study SC status of Dalits post conversion

• The Union government has now formed a three-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of India, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, to examine whether the Scheduled Caste (SC) status can be accorded to Dalits who have over the years converted to religions other than Sikhism or Buddhism.
• The notification for the formation of the commission was issued days before the Supreme Court is expected to hear the Centre’s present position on a batch of petitions seeking the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims and the removal of religion as a criterion for inclusion as SCs.
• Currently, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 provides for only those belonging to Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist communities to be categorised as SCs.
• When enacted, the Order only allowed for Hindu communities to be classified as SCs based on the social disabilities and discrimination they faced due to untouchability.

• It was amended in 1956 to include Sikh communities and again in 1990 to include Buddhist communities as SCs.

Q5. The process of appointment of the Chief Justice of India, according to the ‘Memorandum of Procedure of Appointment of Supreme Court Judges’, begins with X seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI about the next appointment. Here X is

1. President of India
2. Prime Minster
3. Attorney General of India
4. The Union Law Minister

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Centre seeks CJI’s recommendation on the appointment of his successor

• The Ministry of Law and Justice sought Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit’s recommendation for the appointment of his successor.
• This kick-starts the appointment process for the 50th Chief Justice of Justice D.Y. Chandrachud is next in line to be Chief Justice of India in accordance with the seniority norm.
• The process of appointment, according to the ‘Memorandum of Procedure of Appointment of Supreme Court Judges’, begins with the Union Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI about the next appointment.
• The Minister has to seek the CJI’s recommendation “at the appropriate time”. The Memorandum does not elaborate on or specify a timeline. Usually, the Law Minister sends his request and the outgoing CJI makes his recommendation with a month to spare before his retirement.