10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: January 11, 2021

A lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is an advanced battery technology that uses lithium ions as a key component of its electrochemistry. During a discharge cycle, lithium atoms in the anode are ionized and separated from their electrons. The lithium ions move from the anode and pass through the electrolyte until they reach the cathode, where they recombine with their electrons and electrically neutralize.
Statement 1 is correct. Lithium resources, in descending order, are: Bolivia, 21 million tons; Argentina, 17 million tons; Chile, 9 million tons; Australia, 6.3 million tons; China, 4.5 million tons.
Statement 2 is correct. One of the major disadvantages of the Lithium ion battery is it is expensive to manufacture – about 40 percent higher in cost than nickel-cadmium.
The cost of Li-ion battery packs fell by 85 percent in the last decade and will further fall by 35 percent by 2024
India has recently set up Khanij Bidhesh India Pvt. Ltd. to explore strategic mineral assets abroad. India and Australia recently signed a preliminary deal to supply India the critical minerals required for a new-energy economy.

Vanadium is a medium-hard, steel-blue metal. It is quite valuable in the manufacturing industry due to its malleable, ductile and corrosion-resistant qualities.
Around 80 percent of the vanadium produced is alloyed with iron to make a shock- and corrosion-resistant steel additive called ferrovanadium.
Vanadium-steel alloys are used to make extremely tough tools such as axles, armor plates, car gears, springs, cutting tools, piston rods and crankshafts.
High doses of vanadium are toxic to humans, but scientists think we may need the element in very small amounts for normal bone growth. Vanadium can be found in trace amounts in many types of food, including mushrooms, black pepper, parsley, dill weed, shellfish, beer, wine and grain.

: Statement 1 is correct. Covishield vaccine that had been in the works for several months has been approved in India. It is based on a weakened version of a common cold virus or the adenovirus that is found in chimpanzees.
This viral vector contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein present on the outer surface of the virus that helps it bind with the human cell.
Statement 2 is correct. COVISHIELD is yet to be granted emergency use approval from the the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO recently listed the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use, making the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine the first to receive emergency validation from WHO.

Statement 1 is correct. Article 145(3) states that the minimum number of Judges who are to sit for the purpose of deciding any case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of this Constitution or for the purpose of hearing any reference under article 143 (Presidential reference) shall be five.
Statement 2 is correct. Article 144 states that all authorities, civil and judicial, in the territory of India shall act in aid of the Supreme Court.

Education is listed under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule to Indian Constitution.
Through the 42nd Amendment Act, State List subjects like education, forest, protection of wild animals and birds, administration of justice, and weights and measurements were transferred to the Concurrent List.
The Union Education ministry has recommended relaxing detention norms to prevent drop-outs this year as well as a slew of measures to address learning loss due to the coronavirus-induced shutdown of schools.

A K-shaped recovery is a post-recession scenario in which one segment of the economy begins to climb back upward while another segment continues to suffer. If illustrated, the economic growth would roughly resemble the two diverging diagonal lines of the letter “K” – hence the name.
This is in contrast to an even, uniform recovery across sectors, industries, or groups of people. It is being predicted that economies across the world are experiencing a K-shaped recovery post lockdown due to COVID-19.

Expansionary monetary policy is when a central bank uses its tools to stimulate the economy. That increases the money supply, lowers interest rates, and increases demand. It boosts economic growth. It lowers the value of the currency, thereby decreasing the exchange rate. It is the opposite of contractionary monetary policy.
The central bank may lower the repo rate, lower statutory reserve requirements or purchase government securities through open market operations in order to increase the money supply in the market.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) aims to encourage the youth to engage with public issues, understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinions and express it in an articulate manner
The first NYPF 2019 was organised from 12 January to 27 February 2019 at District, State & National level with the theme “Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy”.
The 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival 2021 was launched on 23rd December 2020 through virtual mode which was witnessed by more than 23 Lac youth and stakeholders across the country at district, state and national level.
Statement 2 is correct. The youth selected by a Jury from the District Youth Parliament participate at the State level in SYP. Furtherm the youth selected by a Jury from the State Youth Parliament participate at the National level in NYP.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) recommends MSPs of 23 commodities, which comprise 7 cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, barley and ragi), 5 pulses (gram, tur, moong, urad, lentil), 7 oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soyabean, seasmum, sunflower, safflower, nigerseed), and 4 commercial crops (copra, sugarcane, cotton and raw jute).
Statement 2 is incorrect. Under the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987, the Government is required to consider and provide for the compulsory use of jute packaging material in the supply and distribution of certain commodities in the interest of production of raw jute and jute packaging material and of persons engaged in the production thereof.
The Government has decided that 100% of food grains and 20% of sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.

Government had approved Phase-II of FAME Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore for a period of 3 years commencing from 1st April 2019. Following categories of vehicles are eligible for demand incentives: Buses (only Electric Vehicle technology), Four Wheelers {Electric (EV), Plug in Hybrid (PHEV) and Strong Hybrid (SHEV)}, Three-wheeler (Electric) including Registered E-Rickshaws and Two Wheelers (Electric).
With greater emphasis on providing affordable & environment friendly public transportation options for the masses, scheme will be applicable mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W and e-bus segments. However, privately owned registered e-2Ws are also covered under the scheme as a mass segment.