November 15 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

• The Department of Home Affairs of Australia gives Indian university graduates and early career professionals a chance to work in Australia for two years through the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES).
• The Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA), signed in 2023 between Australia and India to foster two-way migration and mobility while addressing illegal and irregular migration.

Option (b) is incorrect and option (a), (c), (d) are correct

• Eligibility Criteria for MATES:
  • Age Limit: Indian nationals aged 30 or younger at the time of application.
  • Language Proficiency: Proficient English, with an overall IELTS or equivalent score of at least six.
  • Educational Qualifications:
  • Graduates within two years from an eligible educational institution at the time of application.
  • A Bachelor’s degree or higher in renewable energy, mining, engineering, Information Communications Technology (ICT), AI, financial technology (FinTech), or agricultural technology (AgriTech).
  • Eligible Institutions: Graduates from the top 100 universities in India as per the NIRF 2024 ranking.
  • Visa Process: The visa will be granted through a ballot system that randomly selects applicants.

Answer: (b) Graduates from any Indian university; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

• A co-operative is a member-owned association aimed at meeting common economic, social, and cultural needs through democratically controlled enterprises (International Cooperative Alliance).

Option (d) is correct

• Government Initiatives to Strengthen Cooperatives:
  • RBI Umbrella Support: An RBI-approved Umbrella Organization (Registrar of Co-operative Societies in each state) aids urban cooperative banks (UCBs), enhancing their financial resilience.
  • Rural Storage Expansion: Under the Decentralized Grain Storage Plan, 2,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) now provide rural storage facilities.
  • PACS Digitization: A ₹2,516 crore project digitized over 15,000 PACS, improving transparency and functionality, supported by a National Cooperative Database for record-keeping.
  • PACS Retail Expansion: PACS are expanding into fuel and LPG distribution, further diversifying services available to rural areas.
  • NCDC Bonds and E-Services: The National Cooperative Development Corporation issued ₹2,000 crore in bonds, while PACS as Common Service Centers now offer 300+ e-services for rural communities.
  • Organic Agriculture Support: National Cooperative Organic Limited (NCOL) was set up to promote organic farming, reinforcing sustainable agriculture practices.
  • Multi-State Cooperative Societies Amendment Act, 2023.

Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Both Statements are correct

• A co-operative is a member-owned association aimed at meeting common economic, social, and cultural needs through democratically controlled enterprises (International Cooperative Alliance).
• Types of Cooperatives:
  • Consumers’ Cooperative Society: Offers goods at reasonable prices (e.g., Kendriya Bhandar).
  • Producers’ Cooperative Society: Supports production (e.g., Haryana Handloom).
  • Cooperative Marketing Society: Aids in marketing member products (e.g., AMUL).
  • Credit Cooperative Society: Provides fair-interest loans (e.g., Urban Cooperative Banks).
  • Farming Cooperative Society: Facilitates benefits of large-scale farming.
  • Housing Cooperative Society: Ensures affordable housing (Metropolitan Housing Cooperative Society).

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct and Statement 2 is incorrect

• Supreme Court’s Observations and Ruling:
  • SC judgment directed the Union government to enforce mandatory accessibility standards for public spaces and services, affirming accessibility as a fundamental right under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act.
  • Non-Compliance with RPwD Act Intent: The Supreme Court noted that the RPwD Act created a mandatory compliance mechanism, but the 2017 rules were implemented only as optional guidelines.
  • Mandatory Standards Directive: The Court declared Rule 15(1) of the RPwD Rules ultra vires (beyond the powers of) the Act, citing the lack of “non-negotiable” standards. It instructed the Centre to issue compulsory, enforceable rules within three months from the judgment.
  • Mandatory Rules: The SC directed the Union government to frame mandatory rules within three months and consult stakeholders and NALSAR’s Centre for Disability Studies.
  • Implementation and Penalties: Once enforced, non-compliance could result in penalties, including withholding completion certificates and imposing fines for inaccessible infrastructure.

Answer: (a) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System was developed by ARDE, a DRDO laboratory.
• It has a maximum range of 45 km for the Mark-I Enhanced version and 90 km for the Mark-II ER version.
• It can fire 12 rockets in 44 seconds and played a key role during the Kargil War, showcasing its effectiveness in high-altitude warfare.

Answer: (b) Pinaka; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (c) is incorrect

• The Ministry of Science and Technology launched Operation Dronagiri and Integrated Geospatial Data Sharing Interface (GDI).
• It was launched under the National Geospatial Policy 2022 and is a pilot project aimed at showcasing the potential of geospatial technologies to enhance quality of life and ease of doing business.
• Its objective is to demonstrate geospatial innovations in agriculture, livelihoods, logistics, and transport.
• It does not prioritize agriculture over other sectors.
• Phase 1: UP, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra on pilot basis.
• Technological Backbone: Integrated GDI for seamless spatial data access.
• Managed by: IIT Tirupati Navavishkar I-Hub Foundation (IITTNiF).
• Implementing Agency: Geospatial Innovation Cell, Department of Science and Technology.

Answer: (c) It demonstrate geospatial innovations majorly in agriculture, with limited application in logistics; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Scientists have discovered that “Kenyan lesser mealworm” larvae can consume polystyrene, a type of plastic commonly known as styrofoam.
• The lesser mealworm, the larval form of the Alphitobius darkling beetle, has a larval period of 8 to 10 weeks and thrives in warm environments such as poultry-rearing houses.
• Originating in Africa, these mealworms can be found globally, but the specific sub-species are identified in this region.
• Trials over a month showed that mealworms fed a combination of polystyrene and bran survived at higher rates and consumed polystyrene more efficiently than those on a polystyrene-only diet.
• A balanced diet is crucial for insects to efficiently degrade plastic, indicating that polystyrene provides an energy source due to its carbon and hydrogen composition.

Answer: (a) A natural solution for biodegrading polystyrene plastic waste; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• D-SIBs are banks whose potential failure could severely disrupt the financial system due to their size, cross-jurisdictional activities, complexity, lack of substitutability, and interconnectedness.
• These banks are considered ‘Too Big to Fail (TBTF)’, highlighting the critical impact their failure could have on the overall economy.
• The framework for handling D-SIBs was established by the RBI in 2014 and implemented in 2015.
• RBI assesses these banks based on their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs) and assigns them to specific buckets. Based on that, a D-SIB must adhere to additional common equity requirements.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• If a foreign bank with branches in India is designated as a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB), it must maintain an additional Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital surcharge in India.
• This surcharge is proportionate to India’s bank’s Risk-Weighted Assets (RWAs).

Answer: (a) 1and 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium