Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 17-05-2023

Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Endosulfan

1. Endosulfan is an organochlorine insecticide
2. It is sprayed on crops like cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc.
3. Endosulfan is listed under both the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?
a. 1 and 3 only
b. 1 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (d)

Explanation:
Apex court transfers endosulfan case to Kerala High Court
• The Supreme Court transferred to Kerala High Court the responsibility of monitoring the measures taken by the State to provide medical and palliative care for victims of endosulfan contamination.

• The court transferred the case to the High Court. It requested the Kerala Chief Justice to list the case before his Bench or assign any other Bench.

• In May last year, the Supreme Court had slammed the Kerala government for doing “virtually nothing” for Endosulfan pesticide exposure victims. The court had said the State’s inaction was “appalling” and amounted to a breach of the Supreme Court’s judgment in 2017, which had ordered the State to pay ₹5 lakh each to the victims in three months.

Endosulfan:
• Endosulfan is an organochlorine insecticide which was first introduced in the 1950s and is commonly known by its trade name Thiodan.

• It is linked to a slew of grave medical conditions, such as neurotoxicity, physical deformities, poisoning and more.

• It is sprayed on crops like cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc. for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.

• Endosulfan is listed under both the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Q2. Which of the following countries recently rejoined the Arab league?

a. Somalia
b. Sudan
c. Syria
d. United Arab Emirates

Answer (c)

Explanation:

The years after which Syria is back in the Arab League
• 11 The Arab League on Sunday agreed to reinstate Syria. The body suspended Syria in November 2011 over its violent crackdown on protests, spiraling into a conflict that killed more than 5,00,000 people.

• It currently has 22 member states; Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Q3. Consider the following statements
1. The Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
2. The Godavari river rises in the Sahyadris, near Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Maharashtra government constitutes SIT to probe Nashik temple incident

•The Maharashtra government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe a recent incident in which a group of people from the minority community allegedly attempted to ‘forcibly’ enter the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik.

• As per temple trust authorities, non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the temple, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.

• Origin of river godavari – The River rises in the Sahyadris, near Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. Godavari river originates from Bramhagiri mountains at Trimbakeshwar.

 
Q4. Consider the following statements
1. Attempt is made to give representation to various state HC judges in supreme court
2. A lawyer can not be elevated directly to the Supreme Court Bench

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (b)

Explanation:
Collegium recommends A.P. Chief Justice, senior advocate as SC judges
• The Supreme Court Collegium recommended that senior advocate
K.V. Viswanathan was appointed a judge of the top court, highlighting his vast experience and profound knowledge in law as a “significant value addition” to the court.

• The five-member collegium also proposed to the government the appointment of Andhra Pradesh Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra as a Supreme Court judge. The recommendations have been made to fill two vacancies after the retirement of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and M.R. Shah in May.

• Mr. Viswanathan would be in line to be the 58th Chief Justice of India in August 2030, succeeding Justice J.B. Pardiwala as top judge, if his name is cleared by the government.

• He would also be only the ninth lawyer to be elevated directly to the Supreme Court Bench and the fourth such lawyer to become the CJI.

From Bar to Bench
• The collegium said that its decision to recommend a name from the Bar was taken after considering the fact that there was presently only one such judge, Justice P.S. Narasimha, on the top court Bench.

• “The appointment of Shri KV Viswanathan will enhance the representation to the Bar in the composition of the Supreme Court. Shri Viswanathan is a distinguished member of the Bar of the Supreme Court,” the collegium noted.

• The collegium said that it had zeroed in on Justice Mishra after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne judges of the High Courts, and also accommodating a plurality of considerations. Justice Mishra’s parent High Court is Chhattisgarh. The collegium noted that there is no representation of the State among the current Supreme Court judges.

Q5. With regard to alcohol consumption for recreational purposes, consider the following statements
1. In the beverages consumed for recreational purposes, the alcohol in question is almost always ethanol.
2. The World Health Organization (WHO) has found that low level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
3. Spurious liquor is characterized by the liquid mixture containing methanol as well.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Why Spurious Liquor Kills
• As of May 16, as many as 22 people had died after consuming spurious liquor in the Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu, while more than 30 others were still being treated in hospitals.

What Is The Alcohol In Liquor?
• Liquor is differentiated by its alcohol content — from the 5% or so of beer to the 12% or so of wine to the 40% or so of distilled spirits (all by volume). In the beverages consumed for recreational purposes, the alcohol in question is almost always ethanol.

• Technically, in this context, ethanol is a psychoactive drug that, in low doses, reduces the level of neurotransmission in the body, leading to its typical intoxicating effects.

• Contrary to popular belief, the World Health Organization has found that “no level of [its] consumption is safe for our health”. Long-term use leads to dependence, heightens the risk of some cancers and heart disease, and may eventually cause death.

• Ethanol (C2H5OH) is one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms and one more carbon atom; the second carbon atom is also bonded to two hydrogen atoms and the hydroxyl group, also known as the ion OH–. Inside the body, it is metabolized in the liver and the stomach by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes to acetaldehyde. Then aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymes transform the acetaldehyde into acetate. The adverse effects of alcohol consumption, from the hangover to a cancer, are due to acetaldehyde.

What Is Spurious Liquor?
• Spurious liquor is characterized by the liquid mixture containing methanol as well.

• The police have thus far determined that the spurious liquor in both the Chengalpattu and Villupuram incidents arose from the same source, and that arrack sellers had purchased industrial-grade methanol from factories and sold it to the victims.

• (Arrack is distilled from the fermented sap of the palm tree.) In many older cases, such liquor is typically a home-made liquor, such as arrack, to which methanol was added to strengthen the intoxicating effects (in colloquial parlance, its kick) and/or to increase its bulk volume.

• The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 stipulate the maximum permissible quantity of methanol in different liquors. These values span a wide range, including “absent” in coconut fenny, 50 grams per 100 liters in country liquor, and 300 grams per 100 liters in pot-distilled spirits.