Daily Current Affairs Quiz : November 17,2021

Answer: B

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara Corridor will be reopened on Wednesday. 

• The announcement comes ahead of the birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak on 19th November.

The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara Corridor

• The corridor, inaugurated in 2019, links two important shrines — Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. 
• The pilgrims can travel visa-free to the shrine.
• The corridor was built to commemorate 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.
• The operations at the corridor were suspended due to the pandemic.

Who is Guru Nanak? 

• Guru Nanak Dev is known as the founder of Sikh religion (1469-1539).
• He advocated the ‘Nirguna’ form of bhakti. 
• He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
• The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled Baba Guru Nanak’s hymns in the Adi Granth Sahib.
• Kartarpur gurudwara is the revered shrine about 4km across the border where Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.

Answer. C

The Navy’s plan for a 170 ship force is under way, and some changes in timelines are also being finalised.

About:

• The Navy shall include a second indigenous aircraft carrier in its Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP).
• The Navy will commission the first Project-15B class stealth-guided missile destroyer Visakhapatnam on November 21, and the fourth Scorpene class submarine Vela on November 25.
• Current status: The Navy currently has 130 ships and had earlier planned to achieve securing 200, which was revised to 170 ships by 2027.
• Revised timeline: The timeline is now being revised as the Navy is revising its MCPP for the next 15 years, which is expected to be ready by 2022. 
  • It will be in line with the 10-year Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP) being formulated by the Department of Military Affairs to bring in service integration

Navy’s Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP)

• The Navy’s Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP)’ emphasises on capability building rather than numbers.
• The MCPP lays down the plans for force development and modernisation over three plan periods from 2005-22. 

Aim: To build a three-dimensional force that is able to meet all future challenges

Answer: C

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette is participating in the 3rd edition of India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX – 21.

About:

• SITMEX is being conducted annually since 2019 with an aim to enhance mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices between the Indian Navy (IN), RSN and RTN.
• SITMEX-21 will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and further enhance the cooperation between the participating navies towards augmenting the overall maritime security in the region.

Answer: B

The performance of the World Bank aided project STARS was reviewed recently.

About:

STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program (STARS).

STARS project would be implemented as a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

It is a project to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states.

• Six states are- Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
• Some 250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the program.

Reform initiatives under the project include:

• Focusing more directly on the delivery of education services at the state, district and sub district levels by providing customized local-level solutions towards school improvement.
• Addressing demands from stakeholders, especially parents, for greater accountability and inclusion by producing better data to assess the quality of learning; giving special attention to students from vulnerable section.
• Equipping teachers to manage this transformation by recognizing that teachers are central to achieving better learning outcomes.
• Investing more in developing India’s human capital needs by strengthening foundational learning for children in classes 1 to 3 and preparing them with the cognitive, socio-behavioural and language skills to meet future labour market needs.

Unique components of the project:

Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC):

The project includes a Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) under the National Component which would enable it to be more responsive to any natural, man-made and health disasters.

• It will help the government respond to situations leading to loss of learning such as school closures/infrastructure damage, inadequate facilities and use of technology for facilitating remote learning etc.
• The CERC component would facilitate the rapid re-categorization of financing and the utilization of streamlined financing request procedures.

PARAKH:

A major component of the project is the establishment of PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) as a National Assessment Centre.

• Included in the National Education Policy 2020, this autonomous institution under the Union Education Ministry will set norms for student assessment and evaluation for all school boards across the country, most of which currently follow norms set by State governments.
• It will also guide standardised testing to monitor learning outcomes at the State and national levels, according to the NEP.

Answer: D

Recently, Pochampally village in Telangana was selected as one of the Best Tourism Villages byUnited Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

• The award will be given on the occasion of the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly in December 2021 in Madrid, Spain.
• The Union Ministry of Tourism has also drafted a Rural Tourism Policy which will not only promote tourism within our villages but also revitalise local arts and crafts and promote rural economy.
• Earlier, Rudreswara Temple, (also known as the Ramappa Temple) at Mulugu district, Telangana was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

About:

• Pochampally Village:

• • • Pochampally in Nalgonda district is often referred to as the silk city of India for the exquisite sarees that are woven through a unique style called Ikat.
      • This style, Pochampally Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004.
    • Pochampally’s unique weaving styles and patterns received special focus through the Prime Minister’s mantra of Vocal 4 Local as a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
      • In 2015, to recognise the diversity of weaving techniques and our rich handloom tradition, the Prime Minister inaugurated the first National Handloom Day on 7th August as a tribute to the formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement that was made in a meeting at the Calcutta Town hall on the same day in 1905.
    • Pochampally is also known as Bhoodan Pochampally to commemorate the Bhoodan Movement that was launched by Acharya Vinobha Bhave from this village on 18th April, 1951.
      • Vinoba Bhabe was the first international figure to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1958. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.
    • The Ministry of Tourism recommended three villages for the UNWTO Best Tourism Village entry from India. However Pochampally, was awarded as one of the best Tourism Villages by UNWTO.
      • These were Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas, Madhya Pradesh and Pochampally in Telangana.

• Best Tourism Villages Initiative:

• • It is a Pilot initiative by UNWTO to highlight those villages where tourism preserves cultures and traditions, celebrates diversity, provides opportunities and safeguards biodiversity.
  • It aims to award those villages which are outstanding examples of rural destinations and showcase good practises in line with its specified nine evaluation areas.
  • It also aims to support villages to enhance their rural tourism potential through training and access to opportunities for improvement.

Answer: D

Recently, the Prime Minister unveiled the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to mark the First Audit Diwas (16th November, 2021).

About:

• It is celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of the CAG. It aims to highlight the rich contributions of the CAG to boost transparency and good governance.
• Girish Chandra Murmu assumed office as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on 8th August 2020.

• •  Constitutional Body: Article 148 provides for an independent office of the CAG. It is the supreme audit institution of India.
    • Other Provisions Related to CAG include: Articles 149-151 (Duties & Powers, Form of Accounts of the Union and the States and Audit Reports), Article 279 (calculation of net proceeds, etc.) and Third Schedule (Oath or Affirmation) and Sixth Schedule (Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram).

• Profile in Brief:

• • CAG: Head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department – created in 1753.
  • Guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at both the levels–the Centre and the state.
  • One of the bulwarks of the democratic system of government in India.
    • The others being the Supreme Court, the Election Commission and the Union Public Service Commission.
  • The accountability of the executive (i.e. Council of Ministers) to the Parliament in the sphere of financial administration is secured through audit reports of the CAG.
• Appointment: Appointed by the President of India by a warrant under his hand and seal.
• Tenure: A period of six years or upto the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• Removal: CAG can be removed by the President on the same grounds and in the same manner as a judge of the Supreme Court. He does not hold his office till the pleasure of the President.
  • In other words, he can be removed by the President on the basis of a resolution passed to that effect by both the Houses of Parliament with special majority, either on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

Other Related Points:

• Not eligible for further office, either under the Government of India or of any state, after he ceases to hold his office.
• Salary and other service conditions are determined by the Parliament.
• The administrative expenses of the office of the CAG, including all salaries, allowances and pensions of persons serving in that office are charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India (thus are not subject to the vote of Parliament).
• No minister can represent the CAG in Parliament.

Duties & Powers as also under the CAG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971:

• Audits the accounts related to all expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India, consolidated fund of each state and consolidated fund of each union territory having a Legislative Assembly.
• Audits all expenditure from the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India as well as the contingency fund of each state and the public account of each state.
• Audits profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and other subsidiary accounts kept by any department of the Central Government and state governments.
• Audits the receipts and expenditure of the following:
  • Bodies and authorities substantially financed from the Central or state revenues,
  • Government companies, and
  • Other corporations and bodies, when so required by related laws.
• Audits the accounts of any other authority when requested by the President or Governor. For example, the audit of local bodies.
• Acts as a guide, friend and philosopher of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament.

Answer: A

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched a week-long awareness campaign on SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge (SSC) as part of the ‘World Toilet Day’ (19th November) celebrations, to run up to the ‘Swachh Amrit Diwas’.

• The Swachh Amrit Diwas is an award ceremony to recognize the role and efforts of the states, cities, ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) and Cantonment Board in Swachh Survekshan 2021, and Garbage Free Star Rating certification on 20th November 2021.

 About:

• A total of 246 cities are participating in SSC which is being conducted across the country. The state capitals, urban local bodies and smart cities will be eligible to participate.
• Cities will be awarded in three sub-categories – with a population of more than 10 lakhs, 3-10 lakhs and upto 3 lakhs, with a total prize money of Rs. 52 crore.
• It is one of the government efforts to combat manual scavenging.

SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge (SSC):

• SSC was launched on 19th November 2020 on the occasion of World Toilet Day.
• SSC is aimed to encourage cities to mechanise their sewer and septic tank cleaning operations in order to prevent deaths and fatalities of sanitation workers from ‘hazardous entry’.
  • The Government launched this “challenge” for all states to make sewer-cleaning mechanised by April 2021 — if any human needs to enter a sewer line in case of unavoidable emergency, proper gear and oxygen tanks, etc., are to be provided.

Initiatives Taken:

• Under SSC, National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, supported by MoHUA are organizing Loan Melas across the country.
  • The aim is to help Safaimitras avail loans under the Swachhata Udyami Yojana (SUY) for procurement of sewer/ septic tank cleaning machine/ equipment for mechanized cleaning.
• Skill development training of Safaimitras have also been conducted through the support of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment via NSKFDC in 115 cities.
• Call Centre and Helpline number have been operationalized in 345 cities for safe cleaning of septic tanks/sewers and registering complaints on hazardous cleaning.
• 31 states/UTs have established a Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA) and 210 cities are having the Sanitation Response Units (SRU).
• All 246 participating cities have already notified a ban on single-use plastic (SUP).

Answer. D

India successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, recently.

About:

• The first batch of Indian contingent arrived at the southern white continent.
• First batch comprises of 23 scientists and support staff. They reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri recently.
• Four more batches will land in Antarctica by air using DROMLAN facility. They will land by mid-January 2021, onboard chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin.

Major Programs of 41st expedition

41st expedition comprises of two major programs:

1. The first program is “geological exploration of Amery ice shelf” at Bharati station. This programme will help in exploring the link between India and Antarctica in past.
2. The second program is “reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work” to drill 500 meters of ice core near Maitri. This programme will help in improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, sea-ice, greenhouse gases from a single climate, and westerly winds.

Apart from accomplishing scientific programs, the 41st expedition will replenish annual supplies of fuel, food as well as provisions & spares for operation & maintenance of life support systems set up at Maitri & Bharti.

How ice core drilling will be done?

The ice core drilling will be done in association with British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The Indian Antarctic programs

Indian Antarctic programs started in 1981. It has completed 40 scientific expeditions. The programs helped in building three permanent research base stations in Antarctica:

1. Dakshin Gangotri in 1983,
2. Maitri in 1988 and
3. Bharati in 2012.

Base stations Maitri and Bharati are fully operational, as of now.

Who manages the Indian Antarctic program?

The entire Indian Antarctic program is managed by the “National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa”. NCPOR is an autonomous institute working under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.