Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 27, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Companies that pushed the envelope of charitable spending beyond legal requirements helped take the aggregate CSR (corporate social responsibility) expenditure by all listed companies closer to the cumulative mandatory amount in 2021-22.

• What it is? It is a business model by which companies make a concerted effort to operate in ways that enhance rather than degrade society and the environment.
• Objective: It helps both improve various aspects of society as well as promote a positive brand image of companies.
• Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 makes it mandatory for the following companies having in the immediately preceding financial year:
• Every company has a net worth of rupees five hundred crores or more.
• Every company has a turnover of rupees one thousand crores or more.
• Every company has a net profit of rupees five crores or more to comply with CSR provisions.

Hence both statements are correct

Recently, the Uttar Pradesh state government completed the distribution of 55,14,921 ‘gharaunis’ (rural house records) under the Svamitva scheme.

• A survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas (SVAMITVA) is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It was launched in 2021 after the successful completion of the pilot phase of the scheme (2020-2021) in 9 states.
• It seeks to give ownership of property in rural inhabited areas, by mapping land parcels using drone technology and providing a ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners with the issuance of legal ownership cards (Property cards/Title deeds) to the property owners.
• Implementation: It is implemented with the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Department, State Panchayati Raj Department and Survey of India. 
• Full coverage of nearly 6.62 lakh villages in India and establishment of an extensive CORS network with 567 CORS stations.

Hence both statements are not correct

Recently, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK India) announced the much-awaited launch of its globally top-selling shingles vaccine Shingrix in India.

• It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus the same virus that causes chickenpox.
• It can occur anywhere in the human body.
• It typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso.
• It is not contagious means it can’t be spread from one person to another.
• The risk of shingles goes up as you get older and it is most common in people over age 50.
• Symptoms: Pain, burning, tingling sensitivity to touch etc.
• There is a vaccine called Shingrix available which helps in preventing shingles and its complications.

Hence only statement 1 is correct

Recently, in order to prevent the spread of vector-borne infections in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced to launch of a pilot project called ‘Eco Biotraps.

• Eco Biotraps is pegged as an eco-friendly trap with ‘attractants’ that attract female mosquitoes and lay eggs in its water.
• Eco Biotraps are made from recycled cardboard.
• It consists of a small bag containing a mixture of attractant and insecticide.
• These traps are filled with water and placed in mosquito-infested areas.
• The attractant and insecticide (Insect Growth Regulator granules) in the trap bag are immediately mixed with water. After which, the attractant in the water attracts the female mosquito to lay her eggs there.
• The insecticide present in the water destroys the mosquito eggs.
• Vector-borne diseases are human illnesses caused by parasites, viruses and bacteria that are transmitted by vectors.
• The burden of these diseases is highest in tropical and subtropical areas, and they disproportionately affect the poorest populations.

Hence both statements are correct

The Rural Development Ministry recently said that ULPIN has been adopted by 26 states and union territories so far.

About Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN):

• It is part of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
• ULPIN or Bhu-Aadhar is a 14-digit identification number accorded to a land parcel.
• It would uniquely identify every surveyed parcel of land and prevent land fraud, especially in rural India, where land records are outdated and disputed.
• The identification is based on the longitude and latitude coordinates of the land parcel and depends on detailed surveys and geo-referenced cadastral maps.
• It aims to compile every detail pertaining to different properties from across the country.
• ULPIN is a Single, Authoritative Source of Truth for information on any parcel of land or property to provide Integrated Land Services to the citizens as well as all stakeholders.
• Various types of data relating to the landed properties, which are currently under the possession of different ministries and departments, too will be linked with the ULPIN.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Union Minister of Science and Technology launched the SUPREME initiative to provide financial support for the upgradation and maintenance of analytical instrumentation facilities (AIFs).

• The Support for Up-gradation Preventive Repair and Maintenance of Equipment (SUPREME), is a first-of-its-kind programme by the government.
• It extends financial support for repair, upgradation, maintenance, retrofitting, or acquiring additional attachments to increase the functional capabilities of existing analytical instrumentation facilities.
• Eligibility: Different facilities created under the projects/ Analytical instrumentation facilities (AIFs) created earlier from the support of DST, only will be considered for the funding support under this Scheme.
• Such facilities at institutions recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) are eligible to apply for grants under this initiative.
• Duration: The duration of support will be for a period not exceeding 3 years.
• Funding Pattern: The funding pattern in the scheme would be 75:25 for all private and govt owned institutions (except for state-funded institutions for which 100% funding would be considered).
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Science and Technology.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Recently, the Delhi High Court directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to remove encroachments in the historic Tughlaqabad Fort.

• It was built by the Ghiyathu’d-Din Tughluq (1321-25) who belongs to the Tughluq dynasty.
• The fortified city was built in four years on the rocky terrain, as a defence mechanism.
• Features
  • It is in two parts, the citadel and palaces along the southern walls forming one unit and the city to the north the other.
  • The citadel is still intact, and the walls of palaces can also be discerned.
  • The city portion is, however, in extreme ruins, although one may make out the alignment of some of its streets.
  • Across the main entrance from the south is Ghiyathu’d-Din’s tomb is located.
  • It is faced with red sandstone relieved by marble, and with batter on the exterior, it is enclosed within high walls forming an irregular pentagon.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958 (AMASR Act, 1958), the ASI administers more than 3650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance. 
• It also regulates the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, of 1972. 
• It was established in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham (He also became its first Director-General). 
  HQ: New Delhi. 
• Nodal Ministry: It is an attached office to the Ministry of Culture. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, Bengaluru experienced a ‘Zero Shadow Day’, when vertical objects appear to cast no shadow.

• What it is? It is a sub-solar point where the sun is directly overhead at a particular latitude.
• When the sun is at the zenith (the highest point in the sky) its rays will be hitting a particular point exactly perpendicular to the surface. 
• This will make the shadow of a person exactly under him, making it look like there are no shadows. 
• There are two zero shadow days every year in May and July/August, observed in places that lie between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn.
• One falls during the Uttarayan (when the Sun moves northwards), and the other is during Dakshinayan (when the Sun moves southwards).
• It lasts for a small part of a second, but the effect can be seen for a minute to a minute-and-a-half.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, scientists have discovered a massive blue hole off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

• A blue hole is a type of underwater sinkhole or vertical cave that is typically found in low-lying coastal karst platform regions.
• These are formed when limestone or other carbonate rock is dissolved by slightly acidic groundwater over a long period.
• Features of Taam Ja Blue hole
• It is around 900 feet deep and scientists have dubbed it the second-deepest blue hole found on the planet.
• It has a nearly circular shape at its surface with steep sides that form a large conic structure covered by biofilms, sediments, limestone, and gypsum ledges.
• It was found in the central portion of Chetumal Bay, where submerged coastal karstic sinkholes locally named ‘pozas’ have been reported.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Mexican Giant Turtle, also known as the Red Eared Slider was recently found in West Bengal’s Howrah district.

About Mexican Giant Turtle:

• Mexican Giant Turtle, also called the Red Eared Slider, is the most destructive among the seven turtle species found in the world.
• It is considered as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive non-native species.
• Scientific Name: Trachemys scripta elegans
• Distribution: They are native to the south-eastern USA and Mexico but have found their way across the globe, including India, through the trade of exotic animals.
• Habitat:
• It occurs in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, but it prefers a mud bottom, plenty of aquatic plants, and abundant basking sites.
• It lives in both natural waters (including rivers, sloughs, and oxbow lakes) and human-made waters (such as ditches, ponds, and reservoirs).
• Features:
• It is known for its bright red circular or oblong spots near its ears.
• The carapace (upper shell) is olive-brown with numerous black and yellow lines.
• The exposed skin is dark green with narrow black and yellow lines.
• It is primarily aquatic and will emerge from the water for basking on rocks and logs.
• Average Life Span: 20 to 30 years.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.