October 24 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Option (b) is incorrect

• Any individual satisfying following conditions can register on the portal:
  • An unorganized worker (UW).
  • Age should be between 16-59 years.
  • Not a member of EPFO/ESIC or NPS (Govt. funded)

Option (a) is correct

• The e-Shram portal is the first-ever national database of unorganised workers including migrant workers, construction workers, gig and platform workers, etc.
• Developed by Ministry of Labour & Employment.

Option (c) and (d) are correct

• The government launched the “eShram – One Stop Solution,” which integrates the central Government’s various schemes in one place.
• It allows an unorganised worker to register himself or herself on the portal on self-declaration basis, under 400 occupations in 30 broad occupation sectors.
• Rs 2 Lakh Accidental Insurance cover for every registered (on eShram portal) unorganised worker.
• Registered unorganised worker shall be issued an eSHRAM card with a unique Universal Account Number (UAN).
• Registered workers will be able to access the benefits of the various social security schemes.

Answer: (b) Any workers aged between 16-59 years are eligible to register on the portal| Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Recently, the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index 2024, reveals that most countries have regressed on their commitments to reduce socio-economic inequalities.
• It is an annual report published by Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI).
• It assesses and ranks 164 countries based on their efforts to reduce inequality through three key pillars: Public Services, Progressive Taxation, Labour Rights.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Ranking:
  • Top performers: Norway, Canada, and Australia
  • Worst performers: South Sudan, Nigeria.
  • India’s Rank: 127
  • Belarus, Costa Rica & South Africa are best-performing among the low- and middle-income countries.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2 | Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Pair 1 is incorrect

• Age of Consent Act, 1891: Raised the age of consent from 10 to 12 years after the Phulmoni Dasi case, indirectly curbing child marriage by setting a minimum age for sexual relations.
• Rukhmabai Case (1884): Rukhmabai’s refusal to live with her husband at age 11 highlighted the injustice of child marriage and sparked early women’s rights discussions.

Pair 2 is correct

• Child Marriage Restraint Act (1929): The Sarda Act prohibited marriage below 14 for girls and 18 for boys, marking the first direct legal attempt to stop child marriage, but enforcement was weak.

Pair 3 is correct

• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006: Set the legal marriage age at 18 for girls and 21 for boys, making child marriages voidable.

Answer: (b) Only two | Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) recognised antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a global health and developmental threat.
• The misuse of antimicrobials in industrial food production, especially as “growth promoters”, has worsened the problem. In 2000, the WHO recommended phasing out antibiotics as growth promoters.
• Antimicrobials are an all-encompassing term that includes antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics administered to humans, animals, and plants.
• Impact of AMR includes:
  • AMR can reverse progress in treating infectious diseases and delay or hinder goals like eradicating TB or malaria due to multi-drug-resistant strains.
  • Standard medical procedures, including surgeries and cancer therapies, have become riskier.
  • Low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected by AMR.

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.| Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

• Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in southern Africa.
• It shares border on the south with the Republic of South Africa and is bounded on the southwest and west by Botswana, on the north by Zambia, and on the northeast and east by Mozambique.
• Namibia does not have a direct border with Zimbabwe.

Image Source: BBC

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only | Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

All statements are correct

• Zambezi River forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia.
• Lake Kariba (one of the world’s largest manmade lakes), constructed on the Zambezi River, forms the world’s largest reservoir by volume.
• Zimbabwe is home to the world’s largest waterfall – Victoria Falls (on Zambezi River), known locally as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ (the smoke that thunders).

Image Source: BBC

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3 | Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Option (c) is incorrect

• Bihar inaugurated the state’s first dry port at Bihta. It is being run in a PPP mode.
• It is connected by railway to the gateway ports of Kolkata and Haldia in West Bengal, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Nhava Sheva in Maharashtra, and Mundra in Gujarat.
• A dry port, or inland container depot (ICD), provides a logistics facility away from a seaport or airport for cargo handling, storage, and transportation, thus reducing congestion at seaports/airports.
• It acts as a bridge between sea/airports and inland regions, facilitating efficient movement of goods.

Answer: (c) A dry port is primarily located near coastal regions to facilitate easy access to sea routes | Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), BRICS countries account for around 47-50% of the world’s installed power capacity.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• While India and Russia are significant coal producers, China is the world’s largest coal producer, accounting for over 50% of global coal production.
• Including China, the three countries would account for a significant majority, but India and Russia alone do not account for 99%.

Answer: (b) 2 only | Difficulty Level: Medium