EDEN IAS

Daily MCQ UPSC Current Affairs

Daily MCQs for UPSC Current Affairs | 2ND DECEMBER 2022

Question 26: Consider the following statements with respect to Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS):

  1. EMRS started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas.
  2. Every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS.
  3. Among enrolled students, female students outnumbered male students.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1 and 2
  2. 2 and 3
  3. 1 and 3
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS)

  • EMRS started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas in order to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors.
  • The schools focus not only on academic education but on the all-round development of the students. Each school has a capacity of 480 students, catering to students from Class VI to XII. Hitherto, grants were given for construction of schools and recurring expenses to the State Governments under Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.
  • In order to give further impetus to EMRS, it has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS.
  • Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalaya and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development.
  • Across the country, as per census 2011 figures, there are 564 such sub-districts out of which there is an EMRS in 102 sub-districts. Thus, 462 new schools have to be opened by the year 2022.

Daily MCQs for UPSC Current Affairs

 

Question 27: Consider the following statements:

  1. India is currently part of the G-20 Troika.
  2. The G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85 per cent of the global GDP.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 2 only
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: C

Explanation

  • India is currently part of the G-20 Troika (current, previous and incoming presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India.
  • The G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world’s population.

Question 28: Consider the following statements:

  1. Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram are an open-source platform.
  2. An open-source platform means that anyone can download, modify and install them.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 2 only
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: B

Explanation

What is Mastodon?

  • Mastodon was founded in 2016 by German software developer Eugen Rochko. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram, it is a decentralized, open source, ad-free platform that is essentially made up of thousands of different servers, or “instances”, run across the world.

What does it mean that Mastodon is “open source”?

  • It essentially means that anyone can download, modify and install Mastodon on their own server. The developers of the platform don’t own the copyright.
  • However, if someone creates a platform using Mastodon’s code, they will have to acknowledge the source of the code. Former President of the United States Donald Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, initially launched with Mastodon code and passed it off as if it were original software, until Mastodon called it out.

Question 29: Consider the following statements:

  1. Glyphosate is an herbicide, which is non-selective, killing most plants.
  2. Glyphosate inhibits the production of a protein ‘5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3- phosphate synthase (EPSPS)’.
  3. Glyphosate is approved for weed control in tea gardens.
  4. Glyphosate cannot be used in fields where the crops and weeds are at almost the same level.
  5. The spraying of glyphosate and its derivatives shall only be permitted through “Pest control operators”.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

  1. 1, 3 and 4
  2. 2, 3 and 5
  3. 1, 2 and 4
  4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

What is glyphosate?

  • It is a herbicide used to kill weeds — undesirable plants that compete with crops for nutrients, water and sunlight. Since weeds basically grow at the expense of crops, farmers remove them manually or spray herbicides.
  • Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that can control a wide range of weeds, whether broadleaf or grassy. It is also non-selective, killing most plants. When applied to their leaves, it inhibits the production of a protein ‘5- enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS)’. This enzyme, produced only by plants and microorganisms, synthesizes aromatic amino acids that are necessary for their growth
  • There are nine glyphosate-based formulations containing different concentrations of the chemical registered for use under the Insecticides Act, 1968. These are approved largely for weed control in tea gardens and non-crop areas such as railway tracks or playgrounds.
  • In general, though, the scope for glyphosate use is limited for the very reason that it is non-selective. Designed to kill all plants coming into contact with it, the chemical cannot ordinarily distinguish between crop and weed. Hence, it can be used in tea or rubber plantations, but not in fields where the crops and weeds are at almost the same level.
  • The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on October 21, issued a notification stating that “the use of glyphosate involves health hazards and risk to human beings and animals”. It has, however, not banned and only “restricted” its use. The spraying of glyphosate and its derivatives shall henceforth only be permitted through “pest control operators”.
  • Glyphosate application has increased only with the advent of genetic modification (GM) or transgenic technology.
  • In this case, it has involved incorporating a ‘cp4-epsps’ gene, isolated from a soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, into crop plants such as cotton, maize and This alien gene codes for a protein that does not allow glyphosate to bind with the EPSPS enzyme. The said GM crop can, therefore, “tolerate” the spraying of the herbicide, which then kills only the weeds.
  • GEAC is further set to take a call on approving glyphosate tolerant Bt cotton, whose illegal cultivation is an open secret.