Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 22, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) launched the mobile application and the web portal for GCES (General Crop Estimation Survey).

• This revolutionary portal and mobile application have been designed to transform agricultural practices across the nation.
• It has been developed by Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• It has been developed for leveraging technology to enhance the reach, scope, and outcome of government actions in the course of development.
• The automation of the GCES process will ensure on time reporting of crop statistics and accuracy of the data.
• Key Features
• Comprehensive Information: The portal and the app provide a comprehensive repository of yield estimation including village wise GCES plan and plot details where the crop cutting experiments conducted, post are harvesting crop weight and driage weight of the crop.
• Geo-referencing: It is one of the key features of the mobile application, which enables the primary worker to draw the boundary of the experimental plot and upload photos of the plot as well as of the crops through it. This feature will ensure transparency and accuracy of the data as well.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) under Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, would be launching the phase 2 of the ‘Promotion of Tribal Products for North East Region’ (PTP-NER 2.0) scheme, from 21st September to 10th November, 2023.

• It is a Central Sector scheme which was launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Vision: To strengthen livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans through increased efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products.
• It will be implemented in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
• It is being implemented in two phases:
• In the First Phase of the scheme, 8 states and 38 districts were covered. Organisation of 64 Tribal Artisans Empanelment Melas (TAeM) were done by the teams of TRIFED and North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC).
• In the Second Phase of the scheme, 29 districts will be covered by the teams of TRIFED and NEHHDC to reach out to tribal artisans and showcase their cultural heritage.
• Implementing Partners: North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC), India Post under the Department of Posts, and other North Eastern State Government Departments/ Agencies.
• India Post will provide logistics support in order to meet the scheme's goals.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the President of India inaugurated Annual General Meeting and Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Forum on Human Rights in New Delhi.

• It was founded in 1996.
• It has created a strong and united platform that brings together National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from all corners of the Asia Pacific.
• It addresses some of the most serious human rights challenges in Asia Pacific region.
• It has 17 full members and eight associate members.
• India is a full time member since from 1996.
• To be admitted as a full member, a National Human Rights Institution must fully comply with the minimum international standards set out in the Paris Principles.
• National Human Rights Institutions that partially comply with the Paris Principles are granted associate membership.
• Decisions about the admission of new members to the APF are made by the Forum Council.
• A fundamental goal of the APF is to promote the establishment of independent NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region and to support our members to do their work as effectively as possible.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of a vibrant orange coloured deep water marine fish from Digha Mohana in West Bengal.

• Pterygotrigla intermedica is commonly known as gurnards or sea-robins, belongs to the family Triglidae.
• It is the fourth species of Pterygotrigla genus reported in India so far and there are a total 178 species of the Triglidae family worldwide.
• The specimens of this fish were found to be very distinct from other gurnard species in various aspects such as snout length, the shape of the internuncial space and size of the cleithral spine.
• Features
• The scientists found a distinct pectoral-fin with black membranes on the inner surface, white posterior margin and three small white spots basally in fin, each ray creamy white on the new species
• It had a combination of characters like a long opercular spine and a very short cleithral spine;
• The lateral-line, gill rakers on upper limb and 12–13 on lower limb of first gill arch and  a large black blotch between the 4th and 6th spines of the first dorsal fin.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

The Indian Army is   expecting to receive all the 114 Dhanush artillery guns which it has ordered by 2026, according to defence sources.

About Dhanush Artillery Guns:

• It is the first long-range artillery gun to be produced in India.
• The 155 mm/45-calibre gun system is a towed Howitzer designed indigenously by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
• It is an upgrade of the existing 155 mm, 39-calibre Bofors FH 77 gun. It is based on schematics supplied by Bofors/BAE Systems under a technology transfer agreement concluded in the late 1980s.
• Features:
• It has demonstrated a range of 38 km with specialised ammunition.
• It is capable of firing eight rounds per minutes and needs a crew of six to eight artillerymen.
• It is equipped with an inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, onboard ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system.
• The self-propulsion unit allows the gun to negotiate and deploy itself in mountainous terrains with ease.

Hence both statements are correct.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister recently unveiled a 108-feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya, 8th-century Vedic scholar and teacher, in Omkareshwar.

About Adi Shankaracharya:

• Adi Shankaracharya, or Shankara as he was known, was an ancient Indian philosopher and theologian who lived in the early 8th century CE. 
• Birth: He was born in Kalady, a village in present-day Kerala.
• Philosophical Contributions:
• He is best known for his role in the development and propagation of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy.
• He amalgamated the ideologies of ‘Advaita Vedanta’ and also explained the basic ideas of Upanishads.
• His most important work is his efforts to synthesize the six sub-sects, known as ‘Shanmata.’ ‘Shanmata’, which literally translates to ‘six religions,’ is the worship of six supreme deities. 
• Shankaracharya explained the existence of one Supreme Being (Brahman) and that the six supreme deities are part of one divine power.
• He also founded ‘Dashanami Sampradaya,’ which talks about leading a monastic life. 
• While Shankaracharya was a firm believer in ancient Hinduism, he condemned the ‘Mimamsa school of Hinduism’, which was purely based on ritual practices.
• Four Mathas: He established four prominent monastic centers in India, each associated with one of the cardinal directions: Sringeri in the south, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east, and Badrinath in the north.
• Commentaries and Writings:
• He wrote 18 commentaries on major religious scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Brahmasutras, and 12 major Upanishads.
• His review of ‘Brahma Sutra’ is known as ‘Brahmasutrabhasya’, and it is the oldest surviving commentary on ‘Brahma Sutra’. 
• He wrote 23 books on the principles contained in the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, including Viveka Chudamani, AtmaBodha, Vakya Vritti, Upadesa Sahasri, etc.
• 72 devotional hymns and meditational hymns like Soundarya Lahari, Nirvana Shatakam, Maneesha Panchakam.
• Death: Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have attained Samadhi (a state of deep meditation or realization) at the young age of 32 in Kedarnath in the Himalayas.

Hence only statements 2 and 3 are correct.

The endangered Indian Skimmer was recently spotted along the Ghaghra River at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

About Indian Skimmer:

• It is an odd bird which belongs to the family of skimmers, Rynchopidae.
• Scientific Name: Rynchops albicollis
• It gets its name from the way it feeds, flying low over the water surface and ‘skimming’ for fish. 
• Other names: Indian scissors-bill
• Habitat: It occurs primarily on larger, sandy, lowland rivers, around lakes and adjacent marshes and, in the non-breeding season, in estuaries and coasts.
• Distribution:
• These skimmer species were distributed in north Indian rivers, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
• Now, much of the population is confined to north Indian River systems and Pakistan. 
• About 20% of the total population nest along river Chambal.
• Features:
• It measures 40 to 43 cm in length and has a wingspan of 110 cm.
• The overall plumage is white on the underside and black on the upper side.
• The forehead and the collar are white, and the crown is black.
• The tail is short and forked. The central tail feathers are black. 
• The bill is long and thick. It is colored bright orange with a yellow tip. 
• Diet: Small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects and insect larvae.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Endangered

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) of India has been recently awarded the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) Recognition status for a tenure of 10 years.

About the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME):

• WFME is a global organization concerned with the education and training of medical doctors.
• WFME’s mission is to strive for better health care for all mankind.
• WFME’s primary objective is to enhance the quality of medical education worldwide, with the promotion of the highest scientific and ethical standards in medical education. 
• This objective is met through 
• The development of standards in medical education;
• The promotion of accreditation of medical schools;
• The development of databases on medical education;
• Projects on the future of medicine and medical education;
• Publications and partnerships;
• It was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Ferney-Voltaire, France.
• It is the organisation that officially and globally represents medical teachers and medical teaching institutions before the World Health Organization (WHO).
• WFME's accreditation program plays a pivotal role in ensuring that medical institutes meet and uphold the highest international standards of education and training
• Importance of WFME Recognition Status to NMC:
• It will enable Indian medical graduates to practice or pursue post-graduation in countries including the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where WFME recognition is a prerequisite.
• All 706 existing medical colleges in India have received WFME accreditation. Any new medical colleges established in the next 10 years will also automatically gain WFME accreditation status.
• It will enable the commission to enhance the quality and standards of medical education in India by aligning it with global best practices and benchmarks.
• It will also augment the international recognition and reputation of Indian medical institutions and professionals, foster academic collaborations and exchanges, and promote ongoing improvements and innovation in medical education.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, six Palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) birds– were rescued from Assam’s Cachar district by the police.

• It is also known as the goliath cockatoo or great black cockatoo, is a large smoky-grey or black parrot of the cockatoo family.
• It has a very large black beak and prominent red cheek patches.
• Distribution:
• It is native to New Guinea, Aru Islands, and Cape York Peninsula.
• They occur in rainforests, such as gallery forests, forest edges, eucalypt and paperbark woodlands, monsoon woodlands, dense savannas and partly cleared areas.
• They choose big trees for roosting and nesting.
• Threats
• It is under threat by habitat loss through logging and seasonal fires, which each year destroy their nest trees in significant numbers. 
• Conservation status

IUCN: Least Concern

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, a Tapas unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) crashed in agriculture fields near a village in Karnataka's Chitradurga.

• The Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance-Beyond Horizon-201 or Tapas BH-201 is a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.
• It was previously used to be referred as Rustom-II. 
• Features
  • Formerly known as the Rustom-2, the drone has a 20.6-meter wingspan and a maximum speed of 225 kmph.
  • It can cover a range of 250+ km using the C Band frequency data link developed by Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL) at DRDO.
  • It can also cover 1000+ km via SATCOM using the Kᵤ Band frequency and GAGAN system.
  • The medium-altitude, long-endurance drone has an impressive flight endurance of several hours and successfully completed its maiden flight in November 2016.
  • Its compact, lightweight design makes it easily transportable and deployable to remote locations.
  • Its real-time data collection and transmission provide valuable intelligence for decision-making.
  • It has a range of over 18 hours and altitude capabilities of up to 28,000 feet.
  • It has already completed more than 180 flights and will be live-streaming aerial and static displays at Aero India 2023.
• It is being developed in India by Aeronautical Development Establishment of the DRDO.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.