MLC Daily Current Affairs – 12 Mar 2024

Today in History (Mar 12^th, 1930)

Mahatma Gandhi begins the Salt March, a 200-mile (320 km) march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt in India.

Let’s revise

A) India has signed a Free Trade Agreement with which of the following Countries?

1. Britain, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
2. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
3. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Britain
4. All of the above

Ans. (b)

B) The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries are_____

1. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
2. Britain, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
3. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Ukrain, and Switzerland.
4. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Spain.

Ans. (a)

C) Find the correct statement among the following

1. The European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association both are customs union
2. Reykjavík is the capita of Norway
3. Reykjavík is the capita of Spain
4. Oslo is the capita of Norway

Ans. (d)

D) Who is the Chief election Commissioner of India?

1. Arun Goel
2. Rajiv Kumar
3. Shaktikant Das
4. Rajiv Ranjan

Ans. (b)

E) The ECI controls supervise and direct the entire process of the election to the_____

1. Parliament, State Legislature, Panchayati Raj institutions
2. President, State Legislature, Municipal Council
3. Parliament, State Legislature, Vice President and President
4. All the democratic institutions from local government to national level government

Ans. (c)

F) The Election Commission of India was established on ____ 1950

1. 26 January
2. 25 January
3. 26 February
4. 25 March

Ans. (b)

G) In which year the age of voting was changed from 21 to 18?

1. 1980
2. 1990
3. 1989
4. 1999

Ans. (c)

H) Pritzker Prize is given in which field?

1. Science
2. Computer
3. Architecture
4. Sports

Ans. (c)

I) Who got the Pritzker Prize in 2024?

1. Riken Yamamoto
2. Balkrishna Doshi
3. Hyatt Foundation
4. Manoj Sudarshan

Ans. (a)

J) Which ministry has launched the Right to Repair Portal to control the wastes of electronics, machines, etc. in India?

1. Ministry of Electronics and Science
2. Ministry of Consumer Affairs
3. Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change
4. Ministry of heavy industries

Ans. (b)

K) The make, use and recycle are associated with which of the following models of economy?

1. Circular economy model
2. Linear Economy model
3. Capitalistic economy model
4. Socialistic economy model

Ans. (a)

L) Who is the only Indian to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize?

1. Sudarshan Das
2. Balkrishna Doshi
3. Nagendra Singh
4. Mohanlal Kaushal

Ans. (b)

Summary of Today’s News

Multiple re-entry vehicle technology successfully tested on Agni-5 missile

• On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that the DRDO successfully tested the Agni-5 ballistic missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology, as part of Mission Divyastra.
• The flight test took place at Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, marking a significant technological breakthrough.
• The MIRV technology means a single missile can carry multiple warheads. It will ensure that a single missile can deploy multiple warheads at different locations.
• Noting that with this test India has joined the select group of nations who have MIRV capability
• he United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China
• The Agni series of missiles constitute the backbone of India’s nuclear weapons delivery.

Union Home Ministry notifies CAA rules ahead of Lok Sabha election

• Shortly before the Lok Sabha election announcement the Union Home Ministry officially notified the Citizenship Amendment Rules, 2024, paving the way for the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed by Parliament in 2019.
• The law helps people without proper documents from
  • Hindu,
  • Sikh,
  • Buddhist,
  • Parsi,
  • Christian, and
  • Jain communities
• in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to get Indian citizenship.
• According to law those applying have to give six types of documents and mention the “date of entry” into India.
• These rules will help minorities facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to become citizens of India.
• The list of documents requires
  • birth certificate,
  • tenancy records,
  • identity papers,
  • any licence, or
  • educational certificate
• Issued by a government authority in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
• The applicants will have to register on the portal https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in and a mobile application CAA-2019 has also been readied. All documents along with photographs are to be uploaded online and the applications will be processed after a background check by security agencies.

Oppenheimer wins awards for best picture, director and actor at the Oscars

• Recently, for year, 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presentedthe 96th Academy Awards.
• The ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel in Los Angeles.
• Movie “Oppenheimer” became the as the standout winner.
• The movie (Oppenheimer) received 13 nominations and secured major awards such as Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Picture.
• Cillian Murphy’s for his title role of “Oppenheimer” got the Best Actor award.
• He (Cillian Murphy) has also won the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
• The Malayalam film “Everyone is a Hero” (2023), India’s official entry for the International Feature Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards did not make it to the final shortlist of nominations.

Category	Winner
Best Original Screenplay	“Anatomy of a Fall”
Best Film Editing	“Oppenheimer”
Best Cinematography	“Oppenheimer”
Best Score	“Oppenheimer”
Best Song	“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
Best Actor	Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Best Director	Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”
Best Actress	Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
Best Picture	“Oppenheimer”

G4 model for UNSC Reforms

• India presented the ‘G4 model’ on behalf of Brazil, Germany, Japan, and India for debate, dialogue, and negotiations.
• The proposals gained strong support from a broad spectrum of UN members.
• New Members: The model suggests increasing the Security Council’s membership from 15 to 25-26, with six permanent and four or five non-permanent members added.
• Regional Representation: Among the six new permanent members, the proposal includes two from African states and Asia Pacific states, one from Latin American and Caribbean states, and one from Western European and Other states.
• Flexibility in Veto: The G4 model allows flexibility on the veto, specifying that new permanent members won’t exercise the veto until a decision is made during a review.
• Unspecified Permanent Members: The G4 model doesn’t specify which member states will occupy the new permanent seats, leaving the decision to the General Assembly through a democratic and inclusive election.