Daily Current Affairs Quiz : November 11,2021

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, UNESCO has selected Srinagar as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the Crafts and Folk Arts category. Srinagar became one of 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

About the inclusion of Srinagar in UCCN

The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO had recommended Srinagar and Gwalior for inclusion in the list of UCCN. Only Srinagar got included in the list.

Note: Srinagar had applied in 2018 too, but that application got rejected.

About the Art & craft of Srinagar

Entire central Kashmir is known for its varied craft traditions. Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam districts of Kashmir are known for ages in making handicrafts products. Such as textiles, carpets and rugs, crewel embroidery, silverware, woodwork and papier-mâché (moulded a repulped paper that has been mixed with glue or paste).

Wooden Crafts: The wood comes from walnut trees, which grow at 7,000 feet above sea level. These woods are used to make tables, jewellery boxes and trays.

Pashmina shawl: It is one of the best-quality shawls in the world, made up of wild Asian mountain goats. Srinagar region is the epicentre of high-quality, intricately woven woollen material like shawls, carpets and rugs.

Papier-mâché:

It is said to have been brought to Kashmir by saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia in the 14th century. It is based primarily on creating colourful utility and decorative objects using paper pulp — vases, bowls, cups, boxes, trays and lamp bases. The art is concentrated mainly around downtown Srinagar and employs around 35,000 artisans.

Benefits of the UCCN tag to Srinagar

The crafts have been struggling ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 put artisans in an indefinite lockdown, followed by the Covid-19 lockdown. Besides, frequent Internet shutdowns have cut artisans off from the rest of the country.

The UCCN tag would not only give global recognition to Srinagar but also help it in getting international funding, making tie-ups with craft universities, and pitching crafts as products.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, the Ministry of Mines has notified the Minerals (other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Mineral) Concession (Fourth Amendment) Rules, 2021.

• It will amend the Minerals (other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Mineral) Concession Rules, 2016 [MCR, 2016].

Key Points

Amendments :

• Sale from Captive Leases:
  • New rules inserted to provide a manner of sale of 50% of minerals produced from the captive leases.
  • With this amendment, the way for releasing of additional minerals in the market by greater utilization of mining capacities of captive mines has been paved.
    • Captive mines are those that produce coal or mineral for exclusive use by the company that owns the mines, while non-captive ones are those that produce as well as sell the fuel.
  • Disposal of Overburden (OB):
    • Provision added to allow disposal of overburden/ waste rock/ mineral below the threshold value, which is generated during the course of mining or beneficiation of the mineral.
    • This will enable ease of doing business for the miners.
  • Area for Grant of Mining Lease:
    • Minimum area for grant of mining lease has been revised from 5 ha. to 4 ha. For certain specific deposits, minimum 2 ha. is provided.
  • Part Surrender for all Cases:
    • Part surrender of mining lease area allowed in all cases.
    • Earlier, part surrender was allowed only in case of non-grant of forest clearance.
  • Transfer of Composite Licence:
    • Rules amended to allow transfer of composite licence or mining lease of all types of mine.

Objective:

• To increase employment and investment in the mining sector, increasing revenue to the States, increasing the production and time bound operationalisation of mines, increasing the pace of exploration and auction of mineral resources, etc.

Mining Sector in India

About:

• India holds a fair advantage in production and conversion costs in steel and alumina. Its strategic location enables export opportunities to develop as well as fast-developing Asian markets.
• India is the world’s second-largest coal producer as of 2021.
• India is the world’s second-largest crude steel producer, as of 2020.
• India has the same mineral potential as South Africa and Australia. It produces 95 types of minerals but despite this huge mineral potential, the mining sector of India still remains underexplored.
• The mining sector contributes around 7 to 7.5% of the GDP of countries like South Africa and Australia whereas it is only 1.75% in India.
• 11 states account for 90% of the total number of operational mines (Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Karnataka).

Constitutional Provision Related to Mining:

• The entry at serial No. 23 of List II (State List) to the Constitution of India mandates the state government to own the minerals located within their boundaries.
• The entry at serial No. 54 of List I (Central List) mandates the central government to own the minerals within the Exclusive Economic Zone of India (EEZ).
• The central government has the ownership over all offshore minerals (ie, minerals extracted from the sea or ocean floor in the Indian maritime zones such as the territorial waters, continental shelf and exclusive economic zones).

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has spoken of the need to balance national security concerns with environmental issues in the context of the Army’s request to expand the CharDham Project (CDP) roads leading to the Indo-China border.

• The request came in the context of construction being carried out by China across the border. However, expansion of roads has been opposed by an NGO citing environmental concerns

About Chardham Project:

• Objective:CharDham Pariyojana aims to “improve the connectivity to the Chardham pilgrimage centres (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri) in the Himalayas, making journeys to these centres safer, faster and more convenient.
  • It will widen almost 900 km of highways connecting the pilgrimage sites and the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch of National Highway (NH) 125, a part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route.
• Role in National Security: This project can act as the strategic feeder roads which connect the India-China border with the Army camps in Dehradun and Meerut where missile bases and heavy machinery are located.
• Implementing Agencies: Uttarakhand State Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
  • NHIDCL is a fully owned company of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Environmental Concerns About the Project:

• The project may destroy about 690 hectares of forests with 55,000 trees and evacuate an estimated 20 million cubic metres of soil.
• Ruthless harvesting or uprooting of vegetation in the widening of roads can prove to be perilous for the biodiversity and regional ecology.
  • Birds like Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos,Schedule-I), Tragopans (Tragopan melanocephalus & Tragopan satyra, Schedule-I), and various species of Vultures (Schedule-I) along with endangered fish Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) are among the wonderful species found there.
• While there is no link between the CharDham project and the recent glacier broken tragedy of Chamoli, indiscriminate blasting during road construction makes cracks in soil and rocks that may enhance the possibility of flash-flood in the future.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

The Union Cabinet has approved the restoration of the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for the remaining part of Financial Year 2021-22 till 2025-26.

• It will be co-terminus with the period of the 15^thFinance Commission.
• The scheme was suspended for two financial years (2020-21 and 2021-22).

About:

• It is aCentral Sector Scheme which was announced in December 1993.

Objective:

• To enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets in the areas of drinking water, primary education, public health, sanitation and roads, etc. primarily in their Constituencies.
  • Since 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.

Implementation:

• The process under MPLADS starts with the Members of Parliament recommending works to the Nodal District Authority.
• The Nodal District concerned is responsible for implementing the eligible works recommended by the Members of Parliament and maintaining the details of individual works executed and amount spent under the Scheme.

Functioning:

• Each year, MPs receive Rs. 5 crore in two instalments of Rs. 2.5 crore each. Funds under MPLADS are non-lapsable.
• Lok Sabha MPs have to recommend the district authorities projects in their Lok Sabha constituencies, while Rajya Sabha MPs have to spend it in the state that has elected them to the House.
• Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.

Significance of Restoration of the Scheme:

• It will restart fulfilling the aspirations and developmental requirements of the local community and creation of durable assets, which is the primary objective of the MPLADS.
• It will also help in reviving the local economy.

Issues with MPLADS:

• Implementation Lapses: The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has flagged instances of financial mismanagement and artificial inflation of amounts spent.
• No Statutory Backing: The scheme is not governed by any statutory law and is subject to the whims and fancies of the government of the day.
• Monitoring and Regulation: The scheme was launched for promoting participatory development but there is no indicator available to measure level of participation.
• Breach of Federalism: MPLADS encroaches upon the domain of local self-governing institutions and thereby violates Part IX and IX-A of the Constitution.
• Conflict with Doctrine of Separation of Powers: MPs are getting involved in executive functions.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

A regional security summit was hosted by India on November 10, 2021. The summit was attended by eight nations including Iran and Russia.

About:

• Conference was represented by the national security advisors of each country.
• During the conference, it was announced that Afghanistan & its territories cannot be used to shelter or train terrorists, or to finance any act of terrorism.
• Countries issued a joint statement, dubbed as “Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan”. As per the statement, eight participating nations discussed the evolving Afghan situation including the global ramification in the aftermath Taliban’s takeover.
• They paid special attention to issues like Threats from terrorism, current political situation in Afghanistan, radicalisation & drug trafficking.

Who were the participating countries?

The eight nations, which attended the conference include India, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Commitments made by countries

• Participating countries highlighted the need to offer Afghanistan all possible humanitarian assistance.
• They reaffirmed their firm commitment to tackle terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They also seek to combat terror financing, dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and counter radicalisation in a bid to ensure that Afghanistan will never become a safe haven for terrorism.
• They further emphasised on the importance of ensuring fundamental rights of children, minorities and women.

Joint Declaration

The Joint Declaration (Delhi Declaration) emphasised on the need to provide urgent assistance to Afghan people. It expressed deep concerns over deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.  It also noted the need of helping Afghanistan to contain COVID-19.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

United States of America (USA) became the 101st member country to join International Solar Alliance (ISA).

About:

• USA joined ISA as member country to accelerate the global adoption of solar energy.
• This announcement was made at UNFCCC COP26 on November 10, 2021.
• Now, USA will catalyse global energy transition through solar-led approach.

International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework

The ISA framework was first circulated in 2016 for the support of countries. It emphasises on delivering global relevance and local benefit through collaborations for all countries.  Key interventions of ISA will focus on readiness and enabling activities, innovative financing instrument and risk mitigation in order to facilitate promotion and deployment of solar technologies.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

ISA is an alliance of 124 countries. It was initiated by India. Most of the member countries are sunshine countries, lying either partly or completely between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. This alliance was launched with the objective of working for efficient consumption of solar energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It was first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015. It is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization. It is the largest grouping of states across the world.

Who can join the alliance?

Countries that do not lie within the Tropics can also join ISA and enjoy all benefits as other members. However, they do not get voting rights.

Headquarter of ISA

ISA is headquartered in Gurugram, India. Its foundation stone was laid by Narendra Modi, and French President Francois Hollande in 2016.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS?

World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed on November 10, every year to highlight importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.

About:

• The day highlights the role of science in society and the need to engage public in debates & discussion on important scientific issues.
• It is observed with the aim of ensuring that citizens are kept informed of developments in science.
• It notes the role played by scientists in broadening our understanding of remarkable, fragile planet and in making our societies more sustainable.
• Primary objective of the day is to bring science closer to society by highlighting its key aspects.

Theme of the Day

The World Science Day 2021 was observed with the theme- ‘Building Climate-Ready Communities’.

History of the Day

UNESCO had proclaimed this day in 2001. Following this, the first World Science Day for Peace & Development was observed across the world on November 10, 2002, under UNESCO. Establishment of this day was the positive outcome of 1999 World Conference on Science in Budapest. This has generated many concrete projects, programs, and funding for science worldwide.

National Science Day

On the line of World Science Day, India observes National Science Day every year on February 28. It commemorates the discovery of Raman Effect by Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. For Raman Effect, he has been awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930. The first National science day was celebrated in 1987. In 2021, the day was observed under the theme: ‘Future of STI (Science, Technology and Innovations)- Impacts on Education, Skills and Work’.

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

On November 10, 2021, Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved declaration of November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

• The day was declared as a part of year-long celebration of 75 years of India’s independence, in a bid to commemorate brave tribal freedom fighters.
• November 15 also marks the birth anniversary date of Birsa Munda who is considered as God by tribal communities across India.
• Birsa Munda had made significant contributions in India’s Independence by fighting against exploitative system of British colonial system.
• He belonged to the Munda tribe and spearheaded an Indian tribal religious Millenarian movement in late 19th century across the tribal belt of present-day Bihar and Jharkhand.

The Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

The Janjatiya Gaurav Divas will be observed to commemorate tribal freedom fighters. It will make the coming generations aware of sacrifices made by tribal freedom fighters during India’s independence movement. The day will be celebrated every year to recognize the efforts made by tribals in preserving cultural heritage and promoting Indian values of national pride & hospitality.

Significance of the Day

The Janjatiya Gaurav Divas will acknowledge the cultural heritage and glorious history of tribal communities.

How this day will be celebrated?

• To mark this day, Indian government will launch a week-long celebration to commemorate 75 years of history of tribal people. It will start from November 15 and will conclude on November 22, 2021.
• Central and State government will organize several activities as a part of celebration.
• The theme of each activity will showcase achievements of tribals in Indian Freedom Struggle.
• Government will undertake several initiatives in health, education, skill development, livelihood, and infrastructure.