Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 5th September 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2022

Q) Consider the following statements regarding India’s GDP

1. India has become the world’s fifth-largest economy by GDP (PPP).
2. India is now behind only the US, China, Japan, and Germany in economic scale, according to IMF projections.
3. India will next surpass Japan and then Germany in the next decade.

Which of these statement are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1 and 2 only

Explanation

• About the news: India has become the world’s fifth-largest economy after it overtook the United Kingdom in end-March 2022. (GDP – Nominal) (Statement 1 is incorrect)

What it means?

• India is now behind only the US, China, Japan, and Germany in economic scale, according to IMF projections.
• Ten years ago, India was ranked 11th among the large economies while the UK was at the fifth position.
• In another latest report, SBI said India will surpass Germany in 2027 and most likely Japan by 2029 and become the 3rd largest economy at the current growth rate. (Statement 3 is incorrect)
• But, with population of India at 1.4 billion against that of UK at 0.068 billion, per capita GDP of India is much lower for India.
  • Per capita GDP of India: $2,500
  • Per capita GDP of UK: $47,000.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding the University Grants Commission (UGC)

1. UGC was set up by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education as a statutory body under the UGC Act 1970.
2. Functions: To coordinate, determine and maintain the standards of university education in India.
3. It channels public funds (grants) to higher education institutions in the country.

Which of these statements are incorrect?

1. 2 and 3 only
2. 3 only
3. 1 only
4. 1 and 3 only

Explanation

• UGC was set up by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education as a statutory body under the UGC Act 1956. (Statement 1 is incorrect)
• Functions: To coordinate, determine and maintain the standards of university education in India.
• It channels public funds (grants) to higher education institutions in the country.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding New Education Policy 2020

1. All higher education institutions (HEIs) have to become multi-disciplinary by 2030.
2. There is a goal is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 75% by 2035.

Which of these statements are correct?

1. 2 only
2. Both
3. 1 only
4. None

Explanation

• National Education Policy 2020: Clustering multi-disciplinary institutions in India is one of the recommendations for higher education in the National Education Policy 2020.
  • All higher education institutions (HEIs) have to become multi-disciplinary by 2030.
• Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): There is a goal is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035. (Statement 2 is incorrect)
  • A large number of new institutions will have to be developed to attain these goals.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding IAEA

1. It is an autonomous intergovernmental body to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies and is agency of the United Nations.
2. It was established on July 29, 1957, after the IAEA statute was approved by 81 countries in late 1956, at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
3. The IAEA is entrusted with the task of upholding the principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1970.

Which of these statements are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. All of the above

Explanation

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• About: It is an autonomous intergovernmental body to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies and has a relationship agreement with the United Nations. (Statement 1 is incorrect)
• Establishment: It was established on July 29, 1957, after the IAEA statute was approved by 81 countries in late 1956, at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Its creation was inspired by the “Atoms for Peace” speech made by former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower at the U.N. General Assembly in 1953 when he envisioned an organization to promote peaceful and unifying uses of nuclear energy.
• Objectives: The IAEA is entrusted with the task of upholding the principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1970.
• Members: The IAEA has 175 member states as of March 2022. Most UN members and the Holy See are Member States of the IAEA.
• As for India, while it is not a signatory to the NPT, it is a ‘designated Member’ of the IAEA.

Q) Recently in news, the term Zaporizhzhia refers to –

1. Zoonotic Parasite
2. Micro-algae
3. Province in Russia
4. None

Explanation

• Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in March 2022 as part of the undergoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• The power plant continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff.
• Concerns w.r.t. the plant has been arising due to shelling in the areas around the NPP and there is a danger of a possible Chernobyl-type radiation disaster

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Nano-Urea

1. Nano urea is a patented and indigenously made liquid that contains nanoparticles of urea, the most crucial chemical fertilizer for farmers in India.
2. Nano Urea has been provisionally notified under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), 1985.
3. The enforcement of said order is primarily entrusted to the Min. of Agriculture.

Which of these statements are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. All of the above

Explanation

• The usual practice for recommending (or rejecting) a new fertilizer for commercial use required three seasons of independent assessment by the ICAR, but in the case of nano urea this was reduced to two.
• Nano Urea has been provisionally notified under Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), 1985 based on encouraging results and feedback received from ICAR and State Agricultural Universities.
• The Cooperative IFFCO had launched nano urea in liquid form as an alternative to conventional urea in June 2021. IFFCO has set up manufacturing plants to produce nano urea and is also selling in the market.

 What is Nano Urea?

• Nano urea is a patented and indigenously made liquid that contains nanoparticles of urea, the most crucial chemical fertilizer for farmers in India.
• Urea is a chemical nitrogen fertilizer, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants. Urea also forms 82 per cent of the total nitrogenous fertilizers consumed in India

Q) India’s first Dark Sky Reserve is being established at –

1. Adimali, Kerala
2. Nanded, Maharashtra
3. Hanle, Ladakh
4. None

Explanation

• Context: The Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced to set up India’s first Dark Sky Reserve in Hanle, Ladakh.
• The agreement:
• Memorandum of Understanding as been signed between the Union Territory administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru for setting up Dark Sky Reserve.

Dark Sky Reserve

• A Dark Sky Reserve is a designation given to a region/place that has policies in place to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificial light interference.
• International Dark Sky Association: It is a U.S.-based non-profit that designates places as International Dark Sky Places, Parks, Sanctuaries and Reserves, depending on the criteria they meet.

Why has Hanle valley been selected for Dark Sky Reserve?

• The Hanle Valley of Changthang is a dry, cold desert with sparse human population and is located close to the Hanle monastery.
• The cloudless skies and low atmospheric water vapour make it suitable for optical, infrared, sub-millimetre, and millimetre wavelengths observations.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

1. Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator or IAD in short is a technique used for an atmospheric entry payload.
2. An inflatable envelope and an inflatant (anything that inflates the envelope, like air or helium) make up the IAD. While entering the atmosphere, it inflates like a balloon and decelerates the lander.
3. In simpler words, IAD is designed to decrease drag upon entering the atmosphere of any planetary body, like Earth, Mars, or even Moon.

Which of these statements are incorrect?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. None

Explanation

• Context: An IAD, designed and developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has been successfully test flown by ISRO.

What is an IAD?

• Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator or IAD in short is a technique used for an atmospheric entry payload.
• An inflatable envelope and an inflatant (anything that inflates the envelope, like air or helium) make up the IAD. While entering the atmosphere, it inflates like a balloon and decelerates the lander.
• In simpler words, IAD is designed to increase drag upon entering the atmosphere of any planetary body, like Earth, Mars, or even Moon. (Statement 3 is incorrect)
• Its use was first proposed by NASA more than 50 years ago for planetary entries.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Pandou Laidan

1. Pandou Laidan is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu and built during the 8th century CE.
2. The temple is located five miles from Anantnag in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
3. It was built by the third ruler of the Karkota Dynasty, Lalitaditya Muktapida, who ruled Kashmir from 725 AD to 753 AD.

Which of these statements are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. All of the above

Explanation

• The Martand Sun Temple also known as Pandou Laidan is a Hindu temple dedicated to Surya (the chief solar deity in Hinduism) and built during the 8th century CE. Martand is another Sanskrit synonym for Surya. (Statement 1 is incorrect)
• Location: The temple is located five miles from Anantnag in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Who built it? It was built by the third ruler of the Karkota Dynasty, Lalitaditya Muktapida, who ruled Kashmir from 725 AD to 753 AD.
• Architecture: It was an excellent specimen of Kashmiri architecture, which had blended the Gandharan, Gupta and Chinese forms of architecture.
• It has three distinct chambers—the mandapa, the garbhagriha, and the antralaya—probably the only three-chambered temple in Kashmir.
• Current status: The temple appears in the list of centrally protected monuments as Kartanda (Sun Temple).

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