Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 23, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Indian Armed Forces contingent comprising of 81 personnel departed for Australia to take part in the second edition of Joint Military Exercise AUSTRAHIND-23.

• It was instituted in 2022 and the first edition was conducted in Mahajan, Rajasthan.
• It is planned to be an annual training event to be conducted alternatively in India and Australia.
• Aim of the exercise is to foster collaborative partnership and share best practices between the two sides.
• This year the exercise will be conducted at Perth, Australia from 22nd November to 06th December 2023.
• Indian Army contingent comprises 60 personnel from a Battalion of the GORKHA Rifles will take part in this exercise.
• The exercise will also promote inter- operability while undertaking multi-domain operations in Urban and Semi- Urban terrain under Chapter VII of United Nations on peace keeping operations.
• The joint exercise will promote exchange of ideas and jointly rehearse tactics, technique and procedures for conducting tactical operations.
• The exercise will also help in promoting understanding between the two militaries and further strengthen the defence cooperation between the two friendly nations.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Recently, AIM, NITI Aayog launched a new accelerator called Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) to support Australian and Indian circular economy startups.

• The India Australia RISE Accelerator is delivered in partnership between CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
• This initiative focuses on startups and small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India and Australia working on circular economy technologies and solutions.
• Focus Themes: With a focus on Environment and Climate Technology, the program will be tailored to accelerate start-ups working on a range of areas:
• Climate Smart Agriculture
• Clean Energy
• Circular Economy and Waste Management
• Climate Smart Mobility
• Over the nine-month RISE Accelerator program will help startups navigate early steps in a new region, fast-track connections to the right partners, customers and talent, and build credibility to succeed in international markets.
• The accelerator, in its first round, will focus on supporting startups and SMEs working on technologies and solutions for the waste and circular economy
• Participating startups may also be eligible for up to INR 40,00,000 in non-equity grants.
• The future rounds of the accelerator will focus on climate smart agriculture, clean energy and climate smart mobility. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the 59th International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) concluded on November 17, 2023 with major decisions.

• It is the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO).
• It meets at least once a year to discuss a wide-ranging agenda aimed at promoting sustainable tropical forest management and the trade of sustainably produced tropical timber.

Key facts about International Tropical Timber Organisation

• It is an intergovernmental organization promoting the sustainable management and conservation of tropical forests and the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests.
• It was established under the International Tropical Timber Agreement 1983 (ITTA 1983), negotiated under the auspices of the UN Conference on Trade and Development. 
• It facilitates funding for forestry projects in tropical timber producing countries.
• All projects are funded by voluntary contributions from governments.
• Members: 75 countries (including India)
• Its members manage about 80 per cent of the world's tropical forests and are responsible for 90 per cent of the global tropical timber trade.
• Headquarters: Yokohama, Japan

Hence both statements are correct.

Astronomers have recently performed photometric and spectroscopic observations of a recently discovered nova, known as AT 2023prq.

About Nova:

• Nova is any of a class of exploding stars whose luminosity temporarily increases from several thousand toas much as 100,000 times its normal level. 
• A nova reaches maximum luminosity within hours after its outburst and may shine intensely for several days or occasionally f or a few weeks, after which it slowly returns to its former level of luminosity.
• Stars that become novas are nearly always too faint before eruption to be seen with the unaided eye. 
• Their sudden increase in luminosity, however, is sometimes great enough to make them readily visible in the nighttime sky.
• To observers, such objects may appear to be new stars; hence the name nova, from the Latin word for “new.”
• Studying novae is crucial to advancing our knowledge about fundamental astrophysical processes, including stellar evolution.
• How do Novas occur?
• Commonly, novas start as white dwarf stars that are part of a binary star system.
• Binary stars are two stars that are close together in the distance and revolve around each other. 
• The white dwarf is small and dense, and it is essentially the insides of a star that lost its outer layers. These are older stars that have lost their shine and fuel.
• The white dwarf is most likely paired with a red giant. 
• The white dwarf begins to pull on its companion, the red giant, with gravitational forces.
• The white dwarf takes fuel and matter, especially hydrogen, from its companion and pulls it towards itself. The matter is quickly hurled towards the surface of the white dwarf.
• Layers of material from the red giant gather on the surface of the white dwarf. As the layers are created, the material begins to grow hotter.
• When the layers become compressed and hot enough, the material begins to combust and explodes through thermonuclear reactions. 
• The hydrogen material begins to react specifically with helium. The explosion of the materials causes the white dwarf to suddenly become bright as it throws off some of the material.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

The Navy flagged off the second edition of the Inter Command Ocean Sailing Race 2023 from Kochi to Goa in a ceremony held at Naval Base, Kochi, recently.

About Inter Command Ocean Sailing Race 2023:

• The race features four 40-footer sail boats INSV Bulbul, INSV Neelkanth, INS Kadalpur and INSV Hariyal promising an adventurous journey in the Arabian Sea.
• Each sailboat has a crew of eight personnel from three naval commands and a combined team of Andaman and Nicobar Command including Delhi area.
• The race will cover an approximate distance of 667kmbetween the start point at Naval Base, Kochi, and Goa in about five days.
• The boats are expected to skilfully leverage the winds and proceed to Goa without the use of engines.
• The race is special from its previous edition as it includes a mixed crew comprising both men and women officers and sailors, symbolising gender neutrality and providing equal opportunity to one and all.
• As many as 32 participants would endure the challenges at sea, each one vying for the coveted title, as their vessels navigate through the dynamic currents and strong winds of the Arabian Sea.
• The race is being organised by Southern Naval Command under the aegis of Indian Naval Sailing Association based at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi.
• The event is coordinated by the Indian Navy’s Offshore Sailing Club based at ASW School, Kochi and the Ocean Sailing Node based at INS Mandovi, Goa.
• The Navy uses the race to enhance risk-management abilities and technical skills, as well as instill a spirit of adventure among its crew.  

Hence both statements are correct.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently recommended to the authorities that the Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary abutting the Bandipur Tiger Reserve be declared as a core critical tiger habitat.

About Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is situated north of Bandipur National Park in Mysore District, Karnataka.
• It covers about 30 sq km, and the northern part of the sanctuary is occupied by the Nugu Reservoir. It is built across the Nugu River, a tributary of the Cauvery.
• In 1974, Nugu was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary, and later, in year 2003-2004, the area of Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary was added to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. 
• Rainfall: The area receives rainfall from both south-west and north-east monsoons. The average amount of rainfall received in this area is 1000mm.
• Vegetation: Most of the vegetation in the forests is dry, deciduous, interspersed with patches of plantations.
• Flora:
• Common species of trees found in this sanctuary are Anogeissus latifolia, Tectonia grandis, and Terminalia tomentosa.
• Other species of trees that are dominant in this forest canopy include medicinal and commercially important tree specieslike Emblica officinalis, Santalumalbum, Albizia spp., and Dendrocalamus strictus.
• Fauna: The wildlife population includes elephant, leopard, jungle cat, wild pig, spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, mouse deer, jackal, hare, common mongoose, common otter, small Indian civet, common palm civet, and porcupine.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The Odisha government has roped in IIT, Guwahati for a physical and mathematical modelling study for the rejuvenation of the Brahmani river delta.

About Brahmani River:

• It is a major inter-state east-flowing river amongst the peninsular rivers in India. 
• The river is known as Dhamra in its lower reaches.
• Origin:
• It is formed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers near the major industrial town of Rourkela in Odisha.
• Both the sources of the Brahmani River are on the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
• The Sankh River has its origins near the Jharkhand- Chhattisgarh border, along with the South Koel River, which also rises in Jharkhand.
• The Brahmani River basin is bounded in the north by the Chhota nagpur plateau, in the west and south by the Mahanadi basin, and in the east by the Bay of Bengal. 
• It is one of the few rivers that cut across the Eastern Ghats and has formed a minor gorge at Rengali in Odisha, where a dam has been built.
• Course:
• The basin flows through Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa States, and draining a total area of 39,033 sq.km. before it outfalls into the Bay of Bengal.
• It winds generally south- southeast past Bonaigarh and Talcher in Odisha and then turns east to join the northern branches of the Mahanadi River, which then empties into the Bay of Bengal at Palmyras Point.
• The Brahmani delta that is formed at this point is the site of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, famous for its estuarine crocodiles.
• Length: The total length of its run is about 799 km, of which 541 km are in Odisha itself.
• Tributaries: The principal tributaries of this river are Sankh, Tikra, and Karo.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, scientists have discovered a new species of frog in Arunachal, named Nidirana noadihing.

• It is a new species of 'music frog' which is named as Nidirana noadihing.
• The new frog of the genus Nidirana, is phenotypically distinct from its congeners by a combination of morphological characters
• It is confirmed for the first time that the Nidirana genus has been found in India.
• The Nidirana species are known in Japan, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
• Nidirana are known to inhabit swamps, ponds and paddy fields, and they often construct nests to lay their eggs.
• The new species was named after the Noa-Dihing River, which is near where the specimens were discovered and collected.
• Appearance: The amphibians have "irregular shaped and sized spots" on their eyelids and they have dark stripes around their moderately large eyes. Their pupils are gold-rimmed. Their irises are dark brown and have a golden spackle.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

• The presence of tantalum, a rare metal has been detected by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar in the Sutlej River sand in Punjab.
• This rare metal is used in the manufacturing of electronic components.
• A team headed by Dr Resmi Sebastian, assistant professor at the institute’s Civil Engineering Department made the discovery.
• The researchers were working on an unrelated project when they noticed the metal in samples collected from the Sutlej basin.
• A research paper was published in January this year, after Dr. Sebastian's team conducted experiments in July 2021.

Hence, (b) is the correct answer.

• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee named Sourav Ganguly as the new brand ambassador of West Bengal.
• Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has been named brand ambassador of West Bengal.
• He has taken the place of Shah Rukh Khan.
• Mamata Banerjee made this announcement at the Bengal Global Business Summit.
• Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 has been inaugurated in Kolkata.
• Mamata Banerjee also introduced initiatives promoting biofuels. She also launched a sub-sea cable landing station in Digha.

Hence, (c) is the correct answer.