The Jan 2nd Current Affairs Quiz 2021

Ans;- b) Only 2

Explanation;-

• As question is asked to choose incorrect statement the 2nd statement is incorrect that’s y asnwer is B.

About National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)

• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is a government regulatory agency that controls the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in India.
• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) was constituted vide Government of India Resolution dated 29th August, 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
• As an independent Regulator for pricing of drugs and to ensure availability and accessibility of medicines at affordable prices.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Functions of NPPA

• To implement and enforce the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order in accordance with the powers delegated to it.
• To deal with all legal matters arising out of the decisions of the Authority.
• 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.
• To recruit/ appoint the officers and other staff members of the Authority, as per rules and procedures laid down by the Government.
• To render advice to the Central Government on changes/ revisions in the drug policy.
• To render assistance to the Central Government in the parliamentary matters relating to the drug pricing

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Ans;- d) Manipur

Explanation;-

• Recently fire in Dzukou Valley along the Manipur and Nagaland razing, Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed the Mi-17V5 helicopter to tame the wildfire. The valley is located around 30 KM from Nagaland’s capital Kohima.
• It is a famed sanctuary endangered Blyth’s tragopan – Nagaland’s State Bird.
• Blyth’s tragopan is a Schedule – I bird, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 and classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.
• Size of adult male is between 65 to 70 cm, and the size of female is between 55 to 60 cm.

• The Dzüko Valley is a valley located at the borders of the states of Nagaland and Manipur in Northeast India.
• This valley is well known for its natural environment, seasonal flowers and flora and fauna.
• It is situated at an altitude of 2452 m above sea level.
• The valley is famous for its wide range of flowers in every season but the most famous one is the Dzüko Lily and it is found only in this valley.

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Ans;- d) None of the above

Explanation;-
• All the state and their butterfly names are incorrectly matched that’s y answer is D.
• Recently Butterfly trackers help lift the mystery surrounding rare butterflies in the Nilgiris.

• Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight.
• Tamil Nadu has a total of 32 species of butterflies endemic to the state.

• With the latest policy initiative, it has become the fifth India state after Maharashtra (Blue Mormon), Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern birdwings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock) to bestow a state emblem status to one of its colorful insects. 
• Incidentally, both southern birdwings, which is the largest butterfly species found in India, and Malabar banded peacocks are, like the Tamil Yeoman, endemic to the Western Ghats as well.
• Butterflies are great bio-indicators of an ecosystem as they are highly sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, sunlight, humidity and rainfall patterns.
• Their presence, patterns and migration assist in mapping the climatic health of a region and are they are perhaps the most studied insect group across the world.

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Source regarding Winged Wonders (3 contenders for national butterfly status)

Ans;- b) Only 2 and 3

Explanation;-
• The Aranmula Kannadi is from Kerala not Tamilnadu, that’s y 1st is wrong.

• Recently TRIFED to Collaborate with Various Ministries and Departments for GI Tagging of tribal Products.
• In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic that has thrown unprecedented challenges, the focus has shifted towards “Vocal for Local” and building an “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.
• India has a rich legacy of indigenous products, be it handicrafts, handlooms, and other produce.
• As the national nodal agency, TRIFED has been working extensively to help market and promote the indigenous products that tribal groups across the country have been producing since centuries.

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Ans;- c) Air Droppable Container

Explanation;-

• Recently Indian Navy, DRDO Conduct Maiden Trial Of 1st Indigenous Air-Droppable Container SAHAYAK-NG

About SAHAYAK-NG

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa.
• SAHAYAK-NG is an advanced version of SAHAYAK Mk I.
• The newly developed GPS aided air dropped container is having the capability to carry a payload that weighs upto 50 kg and can be dropped from heavy aircraft. 
• The trial was conducted by Indian Navy to enhance its operational logistics capabilities and provide critical engineering stores to ships which are deployed more than 2000 km from the coast.
• It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores. 
• Two DRDO laboratories i.e. NSTL, Visakhapatnam and ADRDE, Agra were involved in the development of SAHAYAK-NG container along the industry partner M/s Avantel for GPS integration. 

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Ans;- c) Only 1 and 3

Explanation;-
• The 2nd statement is incorrect beacsue still the GI Tag validation is for 10 Years only not 15 Yrs.

About GI Tag
• A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.
• Geographical Indications are covered as a component of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• GI is also governed by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September 2003.
• The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling tea in the year 2004-05.
• The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
• It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.
• The Geographical Indications Registry would be located at Chennai.

• Any association of persons, producers, organisation or authority established by or under the law can be a registered proprietor.
• Their name should be entered in the Register of Geographical Indication as registered proprietor for the Geographical Indication applied for.

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Ans;- a) Only 1

Explanation;-

• As question asked to choose incorrect statement i.e. 1st only because it is developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) not IISC.

About Ruthenium 106

• Ruthenium-106 is a radioactive form of the rare heavy metal ruthenium, which is a “platinum group” metal similar to platinum.
• Radioactive isotopes or forms of elements naturally decay into other elements, giving off radiation in the process.
• Ruthenium-106 is produced from the fission or splitting of uranium-235, the type of uranium used in nuclear fission reactors, so it’s found in spent nuclear fuel.
• It is used in medicine for cancer radiation therapy, especially for eye and skin Tumours.
• It’s also used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators that power satellites.

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Ans;- c) Ladkah

Explanation;-

• The Union Minister of Earth Sciences inaugurated Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh (Ladakh).
• Located at a height of 3500 m, Meteorological Centre Leh will be the highest meteorological centre in India.
• The Centre will be a world class facility for high altitude meteorology and will cater to the various kinds of weather and climate needs of the people and the administration of Ladakh.
• It will provide forecast for important tourist places like Nubra, Changthang, Pangong Lake, Zanskar, Kargil, Drass, Dha-Baima (Aryan valley), Khalsi among others.
• The Ladakh region has lofty mountains with high slopes and no vegetation and lot of loose soil and debris making the region vulnerable to various kinds of natural hazards like Cloud burst (of 2010), Flash Floods, Avalanches and Glacial Lake Outbursts, etc.
• To avert losses due to such weather events in future, the Government felt the need to establish a State of the Art Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh in 2020 to strengthen weather related Early Warning System in Ladakh.

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Ans;- b) Only 2 and 3

Explanation;-
• Except Kannur (minor port in Kerala) all are major ports in India.
• In financial year 2019, the total number of ports across India stood at 224.
• There was an increase in the number of ports across the south Asian country after five years. Seven new non-major ports were added to the list. In 2019, the country had 12 major and 212 non-major ports.
• Major Ports are under the Union list of the Indian Constitution and are administered under the Indian Ports Act 1908 and the Major Port Trust Act, 1963.
• Each major port is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Government of India.

• Minor ports are regulated by the respective state governments and State Maritime Boards.
• India has about 200 minor ports dotting its 4,600 miles of coastline.

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Ans;- b) Star

Explanation;-

• Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light-years away from the Sun – considered a close distance in cosmic terms.
• Proxima Centauri is a small, low-mass star located 4.2465 light-years away from the Sun in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its Latin name means the “nearest [star] of Centaurus”. This object was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes and is the nearest-known star to the Sun.
• Its mass is about an eighth of the Sun’s, and it is too dim to be seen with the naked eye from Earth.
• Astronomers running the world’s largest initiative to look for alien life have recently picked up an “intriguing” radio wave emission from the direction of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Sun.

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