Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 30-10-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 30-10-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Environment and Ecology – Centre sets up commission to tackle NCR pollution – Dissolving the 22-year-old Environmental Pollution (Pr-evention and Control) Authority that has so far addressed air pollution in Delhi, the Centre has constituted a “permanent” body - Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas. Encompassing Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the all-powerful body assumes several powers to coordinate action among States, levy fines - ranging up to ₹1 crore or five years in prison - to address air pollution. Brought in via an ordinance on Thursday, the commission awaits a formal perusal by the Supreme Court before it can be brought into effect. The panel will have at least six permanent members and will be headed by a former or incumbent Secretary to the Central government, or a Chi-ef Secretary to a State government. It will have members from Ministries as well as representatives from States.
2. Covid-19 Updates – Maharashtra still has highest death toll – The Union Health Ministry said there had been 517 COVID-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, and of these, nearly 81% was concentrated in 10 States and Union Territories (UTs). Maharashtra reported 91 deaths, followed by West Bengal (60), Karnataka (55), Chhattisgarh (55) and Delhi (40). Maharashtra also contributed the highest number of recoveries. It had more than 8,000 single-day recoveries, followed by Kerala with over 7,000 recoveries. The Ministry said that 49,881 new confirmed cases were recorded in the past 24 hours. 79% of them was from 10 States and UTs. Kerala continued to report a very high number of new cases with more than 8,000 patients, followed by Maharashtra with over 6,000 cases.
3. International Relations – India upset by Kashmir depiction on Saudi note – India described the map of Kashmir in a new currency note of Saudi Arabia as a “gross misrepresentation” of sovereign territory. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during the weekly briefing that Delhi has taken up the issue at the diplomatic level with Riyadh. The 20 riyal note was printed by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority on October 24 to celebrate the Saudi presidency of the G20. The global outfit for international cooperation will convene its next summit meeting on November 21 and 22 in virtual mode and the controversy has cast a shadow on the preparatory days for the summit.
4. India and its neighbourhood – Pulwama attack ‘major Imran achievement’: Pak minister to Parliament – In what amounts to an admission - for the first time - of Pakistan’s role in the Feb 2019 Pulwama terror attack, federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said the jihadi strike was a “major achievement” under the leadership of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Chaudhry told the national assembly that the attack was a success of both the treasury and opposition benches. Though the statement was a response to a jibe from PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq that Pakistan’s military caved in to an Indian threat of retaliation if captured IAF pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan, was not returned, Chaudhry ended up admitting the terror strike was Pakistan’s doing. Sadiq had claimed a day earlier that the Imran government had released Abhinandan fearing an imminent attack by India. The IAF pilot was captured after an unsuccessful Pakistani attempt to bomb targets in India after the February 26 Balakot strike.
5. Education – With more NEET toppers, high cut-off likely for medical seats – The cut-off marks of NEET for admission to undergraduate medical courses is set to rise steeply this year with a huge increase in the number of top scorers as compared to 2019. Comparison of data on NEET-UG scores for the two years, revealed that 111 candidates scored 700 and above out of a total of 720 marks this year as compared to just 3 in 2019. The number of those in the 650-699 score range is 3903 this year as compared with 1022 last year. This year, there are 16,167 candidates scoring in the range of 600-649 while in 2019, the figure was 6892.
6. World – Three killed in French church attack – A knife-wielding attacker shouting “Allahu Akbar” beheaded a woman and killed two other people at a church in the French city of Nice. Within hours of the Nice attack, the police killed a man who had threatened passer-by with a handgun in Montfavet, near the southern French city of Avignon. He was also shouting “Allahu Akbar”. Nice’s Mayor Christian Estrosi said the attack had happened in or near Notre Dame church and was similar to the beheading earlier this month near Paris of a teacher who had used cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a civics class. Present attacks, on the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, came at a time of growing Muslim anger at France’s defence of the right to publish the cartoons. Protesters have denounced France in several Muslim-majority countries.
7. USA – US proposes to scrap H-1B lottery system –  There are just a few days left for the US elections and the Trump administration has fired another bullet on the H-1B visa programme by seeking to replace the annual H-1B cap lottery process — a random selection method which leads to allotment of 85,000 visas — with a wage-based selection process. The proposed rule stems from the 2017 ‘Buy American, Hire American’ executive order of President Trump, which called for reforms to ensure that H-1B visas are awarded only to the most-skilled or highest paid beneficiaries.
8. World – Muslims have ‘right to punish’ French, says Malaysia’s Mahathir – Malaysia’s former PM Mahathir Mohamad said Muslims have a right to “kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past”. Mahathir posted his comments to his blog and Twitter as an attacker with a knife killed at least three people and wounded several others at a church in the French city of Nice in an incident the city’s mayor described as an act of “terrorism”. Mahathir, 95, a respected leader in the Muslim world, said he believed in freedom of expression but it should not be used to insult others.
9. Economy – Rupee slides as virus rattles EU, stocks fall – The rupee declined further by 23 paise to close at a two-month low of 74.10 against the U.S. currency, tracking weak domestic equities and a strong dollar amid global risk aversion. Investors flocked to safe-haven assets and cut riskier bets after the imposition of fresh lockdowns in Europe to control resurging COVID-19 cases, analysts said. The rupee breached the 74 level for the first time since August 26. The rupee had depreciated by 16 paise. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.09% to 93.49. Brent crude futures fell 0.87% to $38.78 per barrel.
10. Economy – Lowest core sector shrinking since March – India’s eight core industry sectors shrank just 0.8% in September on a year-on-year basis, recording their lowest contraction since March 2020, with electricity and steel output clocking positive growth for the first time since March, and coal production rising for the second month in a row. Cement output improved in September, recording a 3.5% year-on-year drop — the lowest since March when production had collapsed 25.1%. Surprisingly, fertilizer production which had grown consistently from May to August, marginally contracted in September by 0.3%. The final growth rate of Index of Eight Core Industries for June 2020 is revised to (-) 12.4%. Earlier, output was estimated to have declined by 15% in June. Similarly, August had recorded a 8.5% dip in the index as per earlier estimates, which has been moderated to a 7.3% decline.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	ECIL	Technical Officer	24	Degree (Engg)	NOV-3-2020	https://careers.ecil.co.in/app/Advt_30_2020.pdf
2	Sports Authority of India	Anthropometrist	25	PG (Phy. Anthro./ Human biology)	NOV-15-2020	http://www.sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in/tview3.asp?link_temp_id=10991
3	ONGC	Medical Officer & GDMO	13	Degree (Med)/ MBBS	NOV-5-2020	https://www.ongcindia.com/wps/wcm/connect/a929cf90-ae58-41b8-8d39-69f433200eef/approved_addvt_ahmedabad20.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-a929cf90-ae58-41b8-8d39-69f433200eef-nlBaWF4
4	Mahatma Gandhi Central University	Public Relation Officer, Security Officer, Statistical Asst	31	ITI, 10+2, Degree, PG, Typing	NOV-2-2020	http://mgcub.ac.in/pdf/20201013030504d51ab11577.pdf
5	Mahatma Gandhi Central Univ.	Laboratory Assistant, Laboratory Attendant	5	10+2, Degree or Diploma	NOV-2-2020	http://mgcub.ac.in/pdf/20201013032007b75fa066b6.pdf
6	Women & Child Dev. Dept, Sukma	Staff Nurse, Feeding Demo, Care Taker	28	GNM, B.Sc (Nursing, Home Sc.)	NOV-4-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s358d4d1e7b1e97b258c9ed0b37e02d087/uploads/2020/10/2020102666.pdf
7	ITI, Gariaband	Training Officer	10	ITI, (Relevant Trade), B. A.	NOV-13,2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3f033ab37c30201f73f142449d037028d/uploads/2020/10/2020102649.pdf

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Not Available Today

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• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 Kerala becomes the first state in the country to fix floor price for vegetables

 

Key point –

• Kerala has become the first state in the country to set floor prices of 16 varieties of vegetables.
• The floor price will be 20 per cent above the production cost of the vegetable.
• Even whenf the market price goes below the floor price, the produce will be procured at the floor price from the farmers.
• The scheme would come into effect from November 01, 2020.
• The 16 varieties for which base prices (per kg) have been announced in the first phase are: tapioca (Rs 12), banana (Rs 30), Wayanadan banana (Rs 24), pineapple (Rs 15), ashgourd (Rs 9), cucumber (Rs 8), bitter gourd (Rs 30), snake gourd (Rs 16), tomato (Rs 8), beans nadan (vallipayar) (Rs 34), lady's finger (Rs 20), cabbage (Rs 11), carrot (Rs 21), potato (Rs 20), beans (Rs 28), beetroot (Rs 21), and garlic (Rs 139).
• Over the years, Kerala has been completely dependent on neighbouring states for its vegetable requirements and in recent times the state’s production has doubled to 14.72 lakh metric tonnes.
• With this new feature, the goal is to increase the production by an additional 1 lakh metric tonne each of vegetables and tuber crops in 2020.

How does the Base Price mechanism work –

• It functions like the MSP system.
• Under the new mechanism, the government will procure the commodity from the farmer at the base price if the market price of some vegetable or fruit falls below the stipulated base price, and the amount thereafter will be credited to the farmer's account.
• The scheme will give benefits to a farmer with a maximum of 15 acres of vegetable cultivation per season.
• The scheme also plans to set up the entire supply chain process like cold storage facilities and refrigerated vehicles for transporting the produce.
• Currently, the Centre declares Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 22 products, primarily grains, pulses and oilseeds, paddy and copra, ahead of the season.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

3.1 India’s Global Himalayan Expedition wins UN award for promoting solar energy

 

Key point – 

• An Indian organisation that leverages tourism and technology to help remote communities access solar energy has won a prestigious UN award for its efforts to combat climate change amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Important details –

• The Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) is among the winners of the 2020 UN Global Climate Action Award.
• GHE is one of the world’s first organisations using tourism and technology to bring solar energy to remote communities.
• The recipients of the 2020 United Nations Global Climate Action Awards highlight the best examples of what people across the globe are doing to combat climate change in a year that has cast darkness upon so many.
• In the Hindu Kush Region, there are more than 16 million people without access to basic energy mainly due to their geographic remoteness.
• GHE conducts Impact Expeditions to remote Himalayan villages and uses a portion of the expedition fee to fund the capital cost of the hardware, transportation, installation and training of village-scale solar micro-grids.
• The micro-grid infrastructure set up by GHE is owned and operated by the community.
• Till now, the GHE has solar electrified more than 131 villages in three regions of India, directly impacting the lives of more than 60,000 villagers. More than 1,300 travellers from 60 different countries have been a part of these expeditions.
• Enabling livelihood through homestay tourism has generated over USD 114,000 in income for the villages, which represents a 45 per cent increase in the annual household income.
• As per the reports, this year’s award-winning projects demonstrate leadership on climate change by nations, businesses, investors, cities, regions and civil societies as a whole. They range from the Caribbean’s only carbon-neutral hotel to the world’s first platform fully dedicated to green bonds to the first all-women solar team in Lebanon.

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

4.1 Not Available Today

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 Green Delhi app

 

  

Highlights –

• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has launched the 'Green Delhi' mobile application using which citizens can bring pollution causing activities to the government's notice.
• The government wants to involve everyone in the fight against pollution as no big change can take place without the support of people.
• Citizens can click pictures or make a video of pollution causing activities, such as burning of garbage, industrial pollution, dust etc. and upload them on the application.
• The application will identify the location and the complaint will be automatically forwarded to the concerned department for time-bound redressal.
• Redressal of complaints made through the app will be monitored in a ‘green war room’ set up by the government at the Delhi Secretariat.
• Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) entered the ‘severe’ category, with a reading of 402 as of 12 pm, on October 29, 2020.
• CM Kejriwal said that 70 ‘green marshals’ will also be deployed to help address the complaints made through the app.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Round-up – Economy 

• BARC suspends ratings of TV news channels for three months - Amid a controversy surrounding its viewership data for TV news channels, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has decided to suspend its weekly ratings of TV news channels for a period of three months. It was alleged that some families at whose houses metres for collecting data of viewership were installed were being bribed to tune into a particular channel.
• CII organizing India - International Food & Agri Week - CII in association with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Fisheries & Animal Husbandry & Ministry of Food Processing Industries is organizing the India - International Food & Agri Week on virtual platform from October 16 to 22, 2020. The Week was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
• Centre gives 1-time Rs 10,000 interest-free festival advance for its employees - The union government on October 12, 2020 announced a one-time Rs 10,000 interest-free festival advance to its employees as part of plans to increase consumer spending. This advance will come as a pre-paid RuPay card, which can be availed and spent by March 31, 2021. The repayment will be in 10 installments.
• Govt issues notices to e-commerce firms for not showing mandatory information - The government in Oct 2020 issued notices to Flipkart, Amazon and other ecommerce companies for not mandatorily displaying information, including country of origin, on products sold on their platforms. The notices have been issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• Industrial production for the month of August declines by 8% - Industrial production in August declined by 8%, according to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data. Manufacturing sector production saw a decline of 8.6%, while the output of mining and power segments fell 9.8% and 1.8%, respectively.
• India among world’s top 3 FDI destinations in next 2-3 years: CII-EY survey - A survey by the Confederation of India Industry (CII) and EY of around a hundred companies has revealed that India has emerged as one of the top three choices for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the next 2-3 years and about 30% of the firms are planning to invest more than $500 million. Market potential, skilled workforce, and political stability are the top three reasons that make India a favoured FDI destination.  
• India prohibits imports of air conditioners with refrigerants - India on October 14, 2020 prohibited the imports of air conditioners-both split and window- with refrigerants. Their imports were free till now. ACs with have Chlorofluorocarbons which are harmful to the environment. India imported ACs worth $158.87 million in the April-July period with more than 97% ($154.85 million) coming in from China and Thailand.
• MSME Ministry introduces AI & ML for strengthening portal ‘Champions’ - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ministry has introduced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for strengthening its single window system portal ‘Champions’ to assist the MSMEs in the country. CHAMPIONS is Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength.
• Portal for ARHCs (Affordable Rental Housing Complexes) scheme launched - Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State, Housing and Urban Affairs launched a dedicated portal for ARHCs (Affordable Rental Housing Complexes) scheme on October 14, 2020. In July, the Union cabinet approved the ARHCs scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY- U) to provide budget rental accommodation to poor and migrant workers in urban areas.  
• Retail inflation spikes to 7.34% in Sept - Retail inflation based on consumer price index (CPI) accelerated to 7.34% in the month of September as against 6.69% in August mainly on account of rising food prices, government data released on October 12, 2020 showed.  
• WPI-based inflation rate rises to 1.32% in Sept - The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation rate rose for the second month in a row in September to 1.32 per cent, from 0.16 per cent in the previous month, as vegetable prices spiked.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 New rules to buy land in Jammu and Kashmir

 

 

Key points – 

• The Centre has come up with new land rules governing municipal areas in Jammu and Kashmir allowing any Indian citizen to purchase non-agricultural land in the Union territory.
• As per the new notification, no domicile or permanent resident certificate is required for purchasing non-agricultural land in Jammu and Kashmir.
• But, agricultural land can only be purchased by agriculturalists or people engaged in farm-related activities.

Highlights –

• The government has made several changes to the land laws, including allowing use of agricultural land for setting up facilities of public purpose.
• The most important change has been made in the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act that deals with disposal of land in the union territory as the government has omitted the phrase "permanent resident of the state" from Section 17 of the law.
• The amendments do not allow transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists. However, there are various exemptions in the Act which enable transfer of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, including setting up of educational or health care facilities.
• The notification has replaced Section 30 and Part VII of the State Land Acquisition Act of 1990 with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
• The other major laws repealed by the notification includes the J&K Big Landed Estates (abolition) Act, a landmark act brought in by Sheikh Abdullah that gave land rights to landless tillers.
• The JK Alienation of Land Act, 1995, the JK Common Lands (regulation) Act, 1956 and the JK Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1962 have also been repealed.
• Other laws to be repealed are the J&K Prevention of Fragmentation of Agricultural Holdings Act, 1960; JK Prohibition on Conversion of Land and Alienation of Orchards Act, 1975; the JK Right of Prior Purchase ACT, 1936 A.D; Section 3 of the J&K Tenancy (Stay of Ejectment Proceedings) Act 1966; the JK Utilisation of Land Act, 2010; and the J&K Underground Utilities (Acquisition of rights of user in land) Act.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

8.1 World Savings Day 2020 

Key point –

• Every year, World Savings Day is observed on 30 October.
• The day was previously known as World Thrift Day.
• The day is celebrated in many countries around the world to promote the importance of savings for the country’s economy and the individuals.

History –

• World Savings Day was first introduced on 30 October 1924 to encourage the importance of bank savings and restore people’s confidence in banks.
• It was established during the 1st International Savings Bank Congress (World Society of Savings Banks) In Milan, Italy.
• The intention was to make the public aware of the importance of saving money mainly because people were not keen on saving anymore after the First World War.
• The savings banks also worked with the support of schools, offices, sports, and women’s associations to promote savings.
• After the Second World War, World Savings Day became popular. And from that time, World Savings Day is being celebrated in many countries.

Why Is it celebrated –

• There are many obstacles in savings for poor people since the rate of unemployment and poverty are high in many countries around the world. So, it becomes necessary to educate people to save money as it is needed during unemployment, illness, disability or old age.

Importance of Savings –

• Sudden loss of income, medical expenses, major home repairs, etc.
• Saving money is important for basic and higher education.
• Savings can be the only source of income after an employee gets retired.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

9.1 Dashboard to presents comparative picture of particulate matter (PM) of 122 Indian cities

• News – Two environmental organisations named CarbonCopy and Respirer Living Sciences have released a DASHBOARD which presents a comparative picture of particulate matter (PM) for 122 Indian cities since 2016. It is a National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) based dashboard, built on data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (NAAQM) Network which was started in 1984-85 and covers 344 cities/towns in 29 states and 6 UTs. Under the NAMP, each station records about 104 observations a year covering four pollutants– Sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM). State pollution control boards and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur carry out the monitoring, and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change oversees the operation under the NCAP.
• Particulate Matter (PM) – It is a term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. It is also known as particle pollution. PM10 are the inhalable particles, with diameters 10 micrometers and smaller; and PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles, with diameters 2.5 micrometers and smaller. PM are emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires. Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles.
• Unhealthy Effects of PM – Less than 10 mm diameter particles pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into the lungs and bloodstream and cause irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing.
• National Clean Air Programme – It was launched in 2019 in 122 cities. These cities are referred to as non-attainment cities as they did not meet the national ambient air quality standards for the period of 2011-15. Other Monitoring Systems are SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) and AQI (Air Quality Index).
• Significance - The State of Global Air 2020 recently revealed that India had faced the highest exposure to toxic air in the world last year. 122 cities are referred to as non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). A majority of health models which establish the relationship between air pollution and public health are based on western models due to a lack of health data available in Indian context. When this data can be made available, it will give a true sense of the burden of respiratory diseases in the country by geographical distribution.
• The road ahead - When the government aim for new law to address air pollution, it is important to measure the existing regulations.

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• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 Not Available Today

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been won by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna.
• The annual World Pharmacists Day was celebrated on Sept 25.
• Ang Rita Sherpa, the first man to climb Mount Everest 10 times, died at the age of 72 in Kathmandu in Sept 2020.
• Valdis Dombrovskis was appointed as the new Trade Commissioner of the EU.
• Managing director of Lokmat was elected as the chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the year 2020-2021.

10.3 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ!

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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