Daily Current Affairs MCQ: 2nd October 2024 - UPSC MCQ

1. Insolvency Professional Agency (IPA) - Oversees Insolvency Professionals (IP)
This pair is correctly matched. Insolvency Professional Agencies (IPAs) are responsible for enrolling and regulating Insolvency Professionals (IPs).

2. National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) - Adjudicating authority for CIRP applications
This pair is correctly matched. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is indeed the adjudicating authority for Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) applications.

3. Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) - Managed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
This pair is incorrectly matched. Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) is managed by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, not the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

4. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) - Established on October 1, 2016
This pair is correctly matched. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) was established on October 1, 2016.

Statement-I correctly highlights that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) was indeed established to simplify the process of conducting business by streamlining bankruptcy procedures. However, Statement-II is incorrect in suggesting that the IBC applies only to individuals; in reality, the IBC applies to various entities, including companies, Limited Liability Partnerships, and partnership firms.

Answer: (b) Only two

Explanation:

• Row 1 is correct: BharatGen is an initiative to develop generative AI for Indian languages, implemented by IIT Bombay.
• Row 2 is incorrect: FAST is a radio telescope, not an optical one, and is located in China, not managed by the International Center for Radio Astronomy.
• Row 3 is correct: The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) is indeed under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
• Row 4 is incorrect: Multimodal Large Language Models are related to generative AI systems and not implemented by the National Informatics Centre.

Thus, only two rows are correctly matched.

The primary objective of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in India is to safeguard the interests of small investors. This legislation serves as a comprehensive solution for resolving insolvencies, streamlining bankruptcy procedures, and ensuring the protection of small investors in the process.

The correct answer is c) Both Statement-II and Statement-III are correct and both of them explain Statement-I.

Explanation:

• Statement-I is correct because the BharatGen initiative is focused on developing generative AI systems capable of creating high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages.
• Statement-II is correct as BharatGen is being implemented under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), and it involves institutions like IIT Delhi.
• Statement-III is also correct because BharatGen focuses on creating an open-source platform, contributing to the generative AI research ecosystem in India.

Both statements II and III accurately explain Statement I

1. Micrixalus spelunca - Cave Dancing Frog: Correct. Micrixalus spelunca is indeed known as the Cave Dancing Frog, identified during the survey in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

2. Nyctibatrachus indraneili - Indraneil’s Night Frog: Correct. Nyctibatrachus indraneili is correctly matched with Indraneil’s Night Frog, another species identified in the same survey.

3. Theppakadu - Elephant Camp: Correct. Theppakadu is known for its elephant camp, a notable attraction in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

4. Bambusa arundinacea - Elephant Grass: Incorrect. Bambusa arundinacea is a species of bamboo, not elephant grass. Elephant grass refers to tall grasses of the genus Pennisetum, especially Pennisetum purpureum.

Thus, pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched, while pair 4 is incorrectly matched.

Statement 1: The Jal Hi AMRIT Programme is indeed focused on the effective management of used water treatment plants (UWTPs/STPs), ensuring that the treated water is of high quality and consistently meets environmental standards. This is a core objective of the programme.

Statement 2: The programme incorporates a Star-rating certification system that evaluates the quality of treated water. This certification ranges from 3 to 5 stars and is valid for six months, highlighting the programme's emphasis on continuous quality assessment and improvement.

Statement 3: AMRUT 2.0, which includes the Jal Hi AMRIT Programme, aims to achieve universal access to water supply with functional taps for all households in statutory towns across the country. This broad objective is a key component of the larger AMRUT 2.0 initiative.

Since all the statements accurately describe different aspects of the Jal Hi AMRIT Programme and its context within AMRUT 2.0, the correct answer is Option D: 1, 2 and 3.

1. Correct. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve does indeed share its boundaries with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala to the west and Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka to the north. This is a well-documented fact and aligns with the geographical location of the reserve.

2. Correct. The flora of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve includes tall grasses known as 'Elephant Grass', giant bamboo, and valuable timber species such as Teak and Rosewood. These species are native to the diverse habitats found within the reserve, which include tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, moist teak forests, dry teak forests, secondary grasslands, and swamps.

3. Incorrect. The recent herpetofauna survey in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve discovered 33 new species of reptiles and 36 new species of amphibians, not just amphibians alone. This distinction is crucial as it highlights the diversity found in both reptiles and amphibians within the reserve.

Thus, the correct statements are 1 and 2 only.

The survey conducted in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve led to the discovery of two critically endangered amphibian species, one of them being Micrixalus spelunca, also known as the cave dancing frog. This species, along with Nyctibatrachus indraneili, adds to the biodiversity of the region and underscores the importance of conservation efforts to protect such vulnerable species.

The primary objective of the Jal Hi AMRIT Programme is to encourage State and Union Territories to manage used water treatment plants effectively, ensuring that the treated water is of good quality and meets environmental standards consistently. This initiative focuses on enhancing the capabilities of cities to produce high-quality treated water and emphasizes capacity building and incentivizing improvements in the quality of the treated water discharged.