Daily Current Affairs Quiz : January 17,2022

Answer: D

• The 74th Indian Army Day was celebrated in India on 15 January 2022

About the Indian Army Day

• This day is a matter of great pride for every Indian, as we pay our respects to the daredevils of our country and salute them for the sacrifices, they make each day for the country.
• The Indian Army Day is celebrated to honour each soldier in the armed forces of our country for their selfless service.
• Every year, it is celebrated at all army command offices across the country, and the Headquarters in New Delhi. However, in the light of COVID-19 pandemic and the surge due to Omicron variant, the 2022 celebrations shall be muted.

Indian Army Day 2022: History and Significance

• While the Indian Army was officially established on 1 April 1895 under the British rule, the first Indian to head the forces was Lieutenant General KM Cariappa, who was appointed to the post on 15 January 1949.
• Ever since then, 15 January has become an important day for the history of India as it was the first time an Indian soldier took the reigns of the armed forces of the nation.
• The Indian Army Day is a celebration of not only our brave soldiers, but also the transfer of power from the British rule to India. That is why each year, it is celebrated in all army command headquarters with great gusto and pride.

Answer: A

• Major earthquake events in last 30,000 years resulted in spectacular changes in landscape of the Katrol Hill Fault in the Kachchh region in Gujarat, a study conducted on sediment samples revealed.

About the landscape changes

• These surprising geological facts about the seismic history of the fault in the recent geological past necessitate a revised seismic hazard assessment and mitigation strategies in Kachchh Basin, owing to its close proximity to industrial corridor and major settlements, including Bhuj city.
• Earthquakes are one of the natural hazards that geologists are still grappling with its complex nature. The complexity is attributed to its widespread occurrence through space and time. Seismicity in Kachchh region is highly complex as it is characterized by multiple seismic sources in the form of several East-West trending fault lines, which release continuously accumulating tectonic stresses at intervals producing earthquakes. Real-time monitoring of earthquakes since the occurrence of devastating 2001 Bhuj earthquake indicate that most of the faults in the region, viz., Kachchh Mainland Fault (KMF), South Wagad Fault (SWF), Gedi Fault (GF), and Island Belt Fault (IBF) are seismically active. However, seismic activity along other faults like the Katrol Hill Fault (KHF) are not apparent, thus making the task of seismic hazard estimation and mitigation in the region a scientifically complex process.

Answer: B

• Raksha Pension Shikayat Nivaran Portal launched coinciding with Veterans’ Day to redress pension grievances of ESM

About the portal

• Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched three new initiatives for the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families on the occasion of Armed Forces Veterans’ Day which is celebrated on 14th January every year. In a series of tweets, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh announced that the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) has allotted Rs 320 crore to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF) to clear all backlog of pending applications for welfare schemes especially Education & Marriage grants for widows/dependent children of the veterans. This will benefit over 1,66,000 wards/widows of Ex-Servicemen (ESMs).
• The DESW also launched a dedicated Raksha Pension Shikayat Nivaran Portal designed to speedily redress pension, including family pension-related grievances of ESM and their dependents. The portal will enable processing of grievances quickly by the DESW.
• Through the portal, an SMS and e-mail will be forwarded to the applicants on their registered mobile number and e-mail, intimating confirmation of registration of grievance and for tracking its status. Applicants can also provide feedback for the purpose of improving quality of redressal of grievances.

Answer: A

• Recently, India got first BrahMos order worth $374 mn from Philippines

About the contract

• The contract is for purchase of shore-based anti-ship variant of the missile from India
• BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile system jointly made by India and Russia, has been selected by the Philippines under a $374.96 million deal, making it the first export order for the missile.
• The contract is for purchase of shore-based anti-ship variant of the missile from India. Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand are other South-East Asian countries that have shown interest in the system. BrahMos is capable of being launched from land, sea, undersea and air against surface and sea-based targets.
• The range of the missile was capped at 290 km as per Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) regulations. India entered the MTCR regime in June 2016 allowing extension in range beyond 300 km. India has already deployed a sizeable number of the BrahMos missiles in several strategic locations along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

Answer: B

• In a symbolic boost to India’s growing startup ecosystem, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that 16 January will be celebrated as National Startup Day.

About the National Start up day

• Interacting with over 150 startups during the Startup India Innovation Week organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the EV charging infrastructure, defence manufacturing, chip manufacturing offer and drone industry.
• The startups, categorised under six groups, gave presentations to the Prime Minister on six themes — ‘growing from roots, ‘nudging the DNA’, ‘from local to global’, ‘technology of future’, ‘building champions in manufacturing’ and ‘sustainable development’.
• They shared ideas and inputs on various sectors including data collection mechanism in agriculture, making India a preferred agri-business hub, boosting healthcare through use of technology, tackling issue of mental health, promoting travel and tourism through innovations like virtual tours, ed-tech and job identification, space sector, among others.
• During the meeting, Modi also outlined the measures taken by the government to support startups in the country, including programmes like Startup India, removing problems of ‘angel tax’, simplification of tax procedure, arranging for government funding, allowing self-certification of nine labour and three environment laws and removal of more than 25 thousand compliances.

Answer: A

• The World Health Organization (WH0) has recommended two drugs, baricitinib and sotrovimab, for treatment of Covid-19.

About the drugs

• Baricitinib, which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has been “strongly recommended” for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids. It is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors that suppress the overstimulation of the immune system. It is an oral drug, and provides an alternative to other arthritis drugs called Interleukin-6 receptor blockers, recommended by WHO in July 2021.
• Sotrovimab, developed by GlaxoSmithKline with US partner Vir Biotechnology Inc, is an investigational monoclonal antibody for use in treating conditions caused by coronavirus. The WHO has conditionally recommended its use for treating mild or moderate Covid-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalisation. These include patients who are older, are immunocompromised, and have underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and are unvaccinated. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) too has approved an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the therapy for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in patients above 12 years.

Answer: C

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will construct a tunnel beneath the Shinkula Pass to provide road connectivity to Leh from the Manali side. At present, there is only one route to Leh from Manali via the Baralacha Pass for the Army and civilians, which remains closed for months during the winter every year due to heavy snowfall.Due to a heavy flow of tourists on the Manali-Leh highway, the need for a bypass to ease traffic congestion between Manali and Keylong is being felt. To resolve the issue, the BRO will construct a double-lane bypass from Nehru Kund towards the tunnel beyond Manali.

All-weather connectivity the target

• Ever since the face-off with China in Galwan valley, the Centre is keen to explore the possibility of all-weather connectivity to Leh from Manali side, especially for military purpose.
• The Shinkula Pass receives heavy snowfall, blocking traffic movement on the under-construction Darcha-Padum highway.
• The highway will be connected at Nimmu from Padum ahead at the Kargil-Leh highway to provide connectivity to Leh via the Keylong-Darcha-Shinku La-Padum-Nimmu highway.

 Answer: C

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated the 9th Women National Ice Hockey Championship at Kaza today. It is for the first time that the competition is being held in the state. Ice hockey is one of the most popular winter sports.

About the tournament

• The government has announced a high-altitude sports centre in Kaza at a cost of Rs 16 crore. Skate Boots have been provided by the Department of Youth Services and Sports for training players at a cost of Rs 27 lakh and ice rinks have been developed by the administration on a small scale in Lidang, Sagnam, Losar, Tabo and Hikmi,