12 MAY CURRENT AFFAIRS (MCQ)

Q1. Consider the following statements

1. Government of India in the event of struggle against Covid-19 had suspended Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme or MPLADS funds for the year 2020 and directed these funds to be transferred to the Consolidated Fund of India.
2. The Scheme is under the control of the Ministry of Rural Development and Planning.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: d)

Explanation:

MPLAD Scheme

● In 2020, the Government of India in the event of struggle against Covid-19 had suspended Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme or MPLADS funds for two years (2020 and 2021) and directed these funds to be transferred to the Consolidated Fund of India.

● The Government is seeking to garner around Rs 7,900 crores by suspending the MPLADS for two years.

About MPLAD Scheme

● The MPLAD scheme was formulated in 1993 to enable Members of Parliament (MPs) to recommend development works in their constituencies with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt need.

● Durable assets of national priorities and community needs viz. drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads, etc.

● Initially, the Scheme was under the control of the Ministry of Rural Development and Planning.

● In October, 1994, the scheme was transferred to the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.

● Under this scheme, every MP is entitled to spend Rs 5 crore annually.

● Similar to MPLADS, several states have enacted schemes called Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS) where funds are given to MLAs.

● According to the ‘Guidelines on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)’ published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in June 2016, the MPLAD funds can also be used for implementation of the schemes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan), conservation of water through rain water harvesting and Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana, etc.

Q2. Consider the following pairs

1. West Bank: Israel and Jordan
2. Gaza Strip: Israel and Egypt
3. Golan Heights: Israel and Syria

Select the correct code

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 1 and 3 only

c) 1, 2 and 3

d) None of the above

Solution: c)

Explanation:

• West Bank: The West Bank is sandwiched between Israel and Jordan. One of its major cities is Ramallah, the de facto administrative capital of Palestine. Israel took control of it in the 1967 war and has over the years established settlements there.
• Gaza: The Gaza Strip located between Israel and Egypt. Israel occupied the strip after 1967, but relinquished control of Gaza City and day-to-day administration in most of the territory during the Oslo peace process. In 2005, Israel unilaterally removed Jewish settlements from the territory, though it continues to control international access to it.
• Golan Heights: The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war. Israel effectively annexed the territory in 1981. Recently, the USA has officially recognized Jerusalem and Golan Heights a part of Israel.

Q3. Consider the following statements

1. The air circulates in a clockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the Southern hemisphere.
2. The World Meteorological Organisation uses the term ‘Tropical Cyclone’ to cover weather systems in which winds exceed ‘Gale Force’

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: b)

Explanation:

Cyclone

● Cyclones are rapid inward air circulation around a low-pressure area. The air circulates in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.

● Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather.

Classification

● There are two types of cyclones:

○ Tropical cyclones; and

○ Extra Tropical cyclones (also called Temperate cyclones or middle latitude cyclones or Frontal cyclones or Wave Cyclones).

● The World Meteorological Organisation uses the term ‘Tropical Cyclone’ to cover weather systems in which winds exceed ‘Gale Force’ (minimum of 63 km per hour).

○ Tropical cyclones develop in the region between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. They are large-scale weather systems developing over tropical or subtropical waters, where they get organized into surface wind circulation.

● Extra tropical cyclones occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are known to originate in the Polar Regions.

Q4. Oslo Accords relate to which of the following?

1. Israel
2. Palestine
3. Jerusalem

Select the correct code

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Solution: a)

Explanation:

Oslo Accords

• Oslo Accords are a series of agreements between Israel and the Palestinians signed in the 1990s.
• Oslo I (1993) is formally known as the Declaration of Principles (DOP). The pact established a timetable for the Middle East peace process. It planned for an interim Palestinian government in Gaza and Jericho in the West Bank.
• Oslo II is officially called the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza (1995), expanded on Oslo I.
  • It included provisions for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from six West Bank cities and about 450 towns.
  • Additionally, the pact set a timetable for elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
  • The interim pact was only supposed to last five years while a permanent agreement was finalised but it has tacitly been rolled over for more than two decades.
• The question of Jerusalem was left undecided under the Oslo Accords.

Q5. Mt. Sinabung is located in which country?

a) Japan

b) Indonesia

c) Mexico

d) Ethiopia

Solution: b)

Explanation:

Mt. Sinabung:

• Mt. Sinabung (2,600-metre) is located in Karo regency, North Sumatra.
  • Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
  • The volcano was dormant for 400 years before exploding in 2010.
    • It exploded again in 2014 ,2016 and 2020.

Q6. Mount Sinabung, often mentioned in news, is located in-

a) Italy
b) Indonesia
c) United States of America
d) Philippines

Solution: b)

Explanation:
 Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung, located in the North Sumatra province,
erupted in May 2021 belching a massive column of volcanic ash and smoke
3,000 metres (3 km) into the sky. The volcano has been active since 2010
when it erupted after nearly 400 years of inactivity.
 Indonesia is home to many active volcanoes owing to its location in the “Ring
of Fire” or the Circum-Pacific Belt — an area along the Pacific Ocean
characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
 The Ring of Fire is home to about 75 per cent of the world’s volcanoes and
about 90 per cent of earthquakes also occur here

Q7. With reference to National Financial Reporting Authority, consider the

following statements-

1. It is constituted under Companies Act, 1956.
2. It comprises of Chairperson, who has expertise in accountancy and other 15
   members.
3. Its account is monitored by Ministry of Programme and Statistics
   Implementation.

Select the correct answer using the code below-
a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1, 2 and 3
d) 2 only

Solution: d)

Explanation:
National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) is in the process of creating a
verified and accurate database of companies (Public Interest Entities) and
auditors that come under the regulatory ambit of it.
 In this regard, the NFRA has been engaging with the Corporate Data
Management (CDM) division of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
(MCA) and three recognised exchanges in India.
 Constitution: NFRA was constituted in 2018 by the Government of
India under section 132 (1) of the Companies Act, 2013. It is an audit
regulator.
 Background: The decision to constitute the NFRA was taken after the role of
auditors and the ICAI came under the scanner for alleged lapses in various
corporate scams including that at the Punjab National Bank.
 Composition: It consists of a chairperson, who shall be a person of eminence
and having expertise in accountancy, auditing, finance or law, appointed by
the Central Government and such other members not exceeding 15.

Q8. “Chagos Archipelago” is a disputed territory between-
a) Britain and Spain

b) USA and Mexico
c) China and Philippines
d) United Kingdom and Mauritius

Solution: d)
Explanation:
Mauritius called the UK an “illegal colonial occupier”, after it ignored a UN
mandated deadline to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The United Nations
had given UK six months to process the transfer, a move the UK and the US have
bitterly resisted. The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls comprising more
than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean. It is officially part of the
British Indian Ocean Territory. Chagos Archipelago has been part of Mauritius
since at least the 18th century when France governed it. In 1810, Mauritius was
captured by the United Kingdom and France ceded the territory in the Treaty of
Paris. In 1965, three years before Mauritius got its independence, Britain separated
the Chagos islands to carve out a ‘British Indian Ocean Territory’. In 1966, the UK
leased Diego Garcia (the biggest island in the Chagos archipelago) to the US to
create an air & naval base. For constructing the defence installation, the
inhabitants of the island were forcibly removed. In 1968 Mauritius was granted
independence. In February 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an
advisory opinion that Britain has an obligation to end its administration of the
Chagos Archipelago — home to the U.S. military base of Diego Garcia — and
complete the process of decolonisation of Mauritius. In May 2019, the UN General
Assembly passed a resolution asking the U.K. to withdraw its “colonial
administration” from the Chagos Archipelago within six months. Mauritius wants
its sovereignty over the islands restored.

Q9. Consider the following statements:

1. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) aims to achieve the
   objective of “Housing for All” by 2022
2. The Ministry involved is the Ministry of Road and Transport.
   Which of the above statements is/are correct?
   a) 1 only
   b) 2 only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: a)

Explanation:
Only statement 1 is correct.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G):
 Aim: To provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all rural families, who
are homeless or living in kutcha or dilapidated houses by the end of March
2022.
o To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022
 Ministry Involved: Ministry of Rural development.

Q10. Consider the following statements:

1. Liquid oxygen is used as an oxidant for liquid fuels in the propellant systems
   of missiles and rockets.
2. Contact with liquid oxygen can cause severe skin and eye irritation and
   burns as well as frostbite.
   Which of the above statements is/are correct?
   a) 1 only
   b) 2 only
   c) Both 1 and 2
   d) Neither 1 nor 2

Solution: c)

Explanation:
Both statements are correct.
 In commerce, liquid oxygen is classified as an industrial gas and is widely
used for industrial and medical purposes.
 Usages: Liquid oxygen is used as an oxidant for liquid fuels in the
propellant systems of missiles and rockets.
o Oxygen is widely applied in the metal industries in conjunction with
acetylene and other fuel gases for metal cutting, welding, hardening,
cleaning and melting.
o The oxygen is fed the furnaces of the copper-melting plant.
o These facilities suck in air from the atmosphere, which is processed
so that the oxygen-rich fraction of the air is absorbed in the final
process.

Hazards
 However, liquid oxygen has to be used carefully.
 The low temperature of liquid oxygen and the vapours it releases pose a
serious burn hazard to human tissue.
o Materials that usually burn in ambient air, will burn more vigorously
in oxygen.

Contact with liquid oxygen can cause severe skin and eye irritation and burns
as well as frostbite.