10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: July 4, 2020

Plastic pollution is the major and widespread problem affecting the environment. It also threatens ocean health, food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to the climate change.

-Plastic waste damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations, leading to decreased tourism-related incomes and major economic costs related to the cleaning and maintenance of the sites.

-Invisible plastic has been identified in tap water, beer, salt and are present in all samples collected in the world’s oceans, including the Arctic. Several chemicals used in the production of plastic materials are known to be carcinogenic and to interfere with the body’s endocrine system, causing developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune disorders in both humans and wildlife.

-Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fishes and turtles, mistake plastic waste for prey, and most die of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris. They also suffer from lacerations, infections, reduced ability to swim, and internal injuries. Floating plastics also contribute to the spread of invasive marine organisms and bacteria, which disrupt ecosystems.

Statement 1 is incorrect. As per World Health Organisation an ‘active pharmaceutical ingredient’ (API) is a substance used in a finished pharmaceutical product (FPP), intended to furnish pharmacological activity or to otherwise have direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, or to have direct effect in restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions in human beings.”

Statement 2 is incorrect. Indian pharmaceutical industry is critically dependent on imports for its raw materials.

As per the data submitted by ministry to the Lok Sabha; India imports various Bulk Drugs/Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for producing medicines. Two-thirds of the total imports of Bulk Drugs/ Drug Intermediates are from China. The imports from China are mainly due to economic considerations. The details of India’s imports of Bulk Drugs/ Drug Intermediates in 2018-19 are as under:

Statement 1 is incorrect. The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation release the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).

Statement 2 is correct. The objective of PLFS is primarily twofold:

-to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate) in the short time interval of three months for the urban areas only in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).

-to estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both usual status and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.

All are correctly matched.

The West Bank is a landlocked territory disputed between Israel and Palestine near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by the Green Line separating it and Israel on the south, west and north. Most of it was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.

Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia museum is 1,500-year-old structure, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is on European side of Turkey.

Scarborough Shoal is a rock in South China Sea, disputed between China, Taiwan and Phillipines. There are no structures built on Scarborough Shoal, but the feature is effectively controlled by China, which has maintains coast guard presence at the feature since 2012.

Statement 1 is correct. Active immunity is stimulation of the immune system to produce antigen-specific humoral (antibody) and cellular immunity. One way to acquire active immunity is to survive infection with the disease-causing form of the organism. Another way to produce active immunity is by vaccination. Vaccines interact with the immune system and often produce an immune response similar to that produced by the natural infection.

Statement 2 is correct. Live vaccines are derived from “wild,” or disease-causing, viruses or bacteria. These wild viruses or bacteria are attenuated, or weakened, in a laboratory, usually by repeated culturing. To produce an immune response, live attenuated vaccines must replicate (grow) in the vaccinated person. A relatively small dose of virus or bacteria is administered, which replicates in the body and creates enough of the organism to stimulate an immune response.

Statement 3 is correct. Inactivated vaccines are produced by growing the bacterium or virus in culture media, then inactivating it with heat and/ or chemicals (usually formalin). They are not alive and cannot replicate therefore entire dose of antigen is administered in the injection. These vaccines cannot cause disease from infection, even in an immune-deficient person.

Statement 1 is correct. Diksha portal enables, accelerates and amplifies solutions in realm of teacher education. It enables teachers to learn and train themselves for which assessment resources are available. It helps teachers to create training content, profile, in-class resources, assessment aids, news and announcement and connect with teacher community.

Statement 2 is incorrect. States, government bodies and even private organisations, can integrate DIKSHA into their respective teacher initiatives based on their goals, needs and capabilities.

LEAD (Learning through E-Resources Made Accessible for Delhi) — developed by the Delhi government that contains 10,000 instructional materials and course content for Classes I to XII will be available on DIKSHA platform.

Statement 1 is incorrect. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) was constituted by a Government of India Resolution in 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers as an independent Regulator for pricing of drugs and to ensure availability and accessibility of medicines at affordable prices.

Statement 2 is correct. Main functions of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority:

-To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order in accordance with the powers delegated to it.

-To monitor the availability of drugs, identify shortages, if any, and to take remedial steps.

-To collect/ maintain data on production, exports and imports, market share of individual companies, profitability of companies etc., for bulk drugs and formulations.

-To undertake and/ or sponsor relevant studies in respect of pricing of drugs/ pharmaceuticals.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Article 164(1) of the Constitution states that the ‘Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, and the Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor.’

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State.

Statement 3 is correct. Article 164(1A) states ‘the total number of Ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the Council of Ministers in a State shall not exceed fifteen percent of the total number of members of the Legislative Assembly of that State; provided that the number of Ministers, including the Chief Minister in a State shall not be less than twelve.’

All are correctly matched.

The Bibek Debroy Committee was set for “Mobilization of Resources for Major Railway Projects and Restructuring of Railway Ministry and Railway Board” in 2014. It recommended more private participation, establishment of Independent Regulator- Railways Regulatory Authority of India, restructuring of Railway Zones etc.

Dr Rakesh Mohan chaired the National Transport Development Policy Committee, it recommended a single unified transport ministry with a clear mandate to deliver a multi-modal transport system, focus on development of North East India and reforms in Railways sector.

The Ishaat Hussain Committee was set up by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2019 to recommend on norms for Social Stock Exchanges (SSE). The SSE was proposed in the budget speech in July 2019. The proposed exchange will be under the regulation of Securities and Board Exchange of India.

On every June 30 (Hul Diwas), people in Bhognadih village in Sahebgunj district, Jharkhand pay tributes to tribal heroes who were killed by the British forces.

The Hul Diwas marks the contributions made by Sido, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav. The place is treated as the epicenter of the Santhal Hul (rebellion) against the British Raj in 1855, two years before Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.