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

Recently, the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India launched AI Chatbot for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme at New Delhi.

• It acts as a comprehensive guide for the beneficiaries, providing them with timely and accurate responses to their queries related to the scheme. 
• This is the first AI Chatbot integrated with a major flagship scheme of the Union government.
• It has been developed and improved with the support of EKstep foundation and Bhashini. 
• The introduction of the AI chatbot in the PM-KISAN grievance management system is aimed at empowering farmers with a user-friendly and accessible platform.
• In its first phase of development, the AI chatbot will assist farmers in seeking information related to their application status, payment details, ineligibility status, and other scheme-related updates. 
• The AI Chatbot, accessible through the PM KISAN mobile app, is integrated with Bhashini, which offers multilingual support, catering to the linguistic and regional diversity of the PM KISAN beneficiaries.
• This integration of advanced technology will not only enhance transparency but will also empower farmers to make informed decisions.
• Currently, the Chatbot is available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, and Tamil.

Key facts about PM-KISAN Scheme

• It is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 to support the financial needs of land-holding farmers in India.
• The scheme offers an annual financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- in three equal instalments to eligible farmers’ families through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
• Government of India has also developed a mobile app with the feature of face authentication-based e-KYC.
• This app is first mobile app that use face authentication-based e-KYC feature in any benefit scheme of the Government. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, researchers have recovered Ribonucleic acid (RNA)from the desiccated skin and muscle of a Tasmanian tiger stored since 1891 at a museum in Stockholm.

• The Tasmanian tiger resembled a wolf, aside from the tiger-like stripes on its back.
• The last-known Tasmanian tiger succumbed in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936.
• It is a large carnivorous marsupial now believed to be extinct.
• It was the only member of the family Thylacinidae to survive into modern times.
• It was widespread over continental Australia, extending north to New Guinea and south to Tasmania.
• It is an apex predator that hunted kangaroos and other prey. 

Hence both statements are correct

The historic Shore Temple in Mamallapuramhas achieved a significant milestone by becoming India's first Green Energy Archaeological Site.

• It is a historic temple complex located in Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Tamil Nadu
• It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.
• It was built probably in the reign of Narasimhavarman II, also known as Rajasimha (Pallava ruler) who reigned from 700 to 728 CE.
• Shore Temple is one among a number of Hindu monuments at Mahabalipuram, on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu.
• It is one of the oldest structural excellence (rock-cut) stone temples of the South India.
• The Mamallapuram monuments and temples, including the Shore Temple complex, were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recent study revealed that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) as an increasingly common health issue among modern Indian women.

• It is a very common hormone problem for women of childbearing age.
• Symptoms:
• Women with PCOS may not ovulate, have high levels of androgens, and have many small cysts on the ovaries.
• It can cause missed or irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, infertility, and weight gain. 
• Causes: Genetic predisposition, often marked by a family history of diabetes or obesity, exposed to environments that encourage neither a healthy diet nor regular exercise and are stress-laden.
• Treatment: It can be prevented through lifestyle changes, medications and fertility treatments. 

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Madhya Pradesh Government recently announced the establishment of the "Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve”, marking the seventh tiger reserve in the state and 54th in the country.

About Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is spread across Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• It is spread over an area of 2,339 square kilometres.
• It is the seventh tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
• It will encompass areas within the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary.
• A green corridor linking Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve.
• Rivers: Parts of the reserve fall under the Narmada and Yamuna River basins.
• The Singorgarh Fort is located within the reserve.
• Vegetation: Dry deciduous type
• Flora: The chief floral elements include Teak, Saja, Dhaora, Ber, Amla etc.
• Fauna: Tiger, leopard, wolf, jackal, Indian fox, striped hyena, Nilgai, Chinkara, Chital, Sambhar, Black Buck, Barking deer, Common Langur Rhesus Macaque etc.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

At the lowest point, nearly 11,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, a new virus named vB_HmeY_H4907 has been discovered on Earth.

About VB_HmeY_H4907:

• It is a new virus discovered nearly 11,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
• The virus has been understood as a Bacteriophage, which means ‘bacteria eater’.
• It infects halophilic bacteria (bacteria that inhabit environments with high salt concentrations) from the genus Halomonas. Such bacteria are generally found in deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
• The virus is actually very genetically similar to its host and is a lysogenic phage, meaning that it inserts its genetic material into the bacteria but usually doesn’t kill it; instead, both virus and bacteria replicate at the same time. 

What are Bacteriophages?

• Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect and replicate in bacterial cells. 
• They also infect the single-celled prokaryotic organisms known as archaea.
• They were discovered independently by Frederick W. Twort in Great Britain (1915) and Félix d’Hérelle in France (1917). 
• They are ubiquitous in the environment and are recognized as the most abundant biological agent on earth.
• They are extremely diverse in size, morphology, and genomic organization.
• Like all viruses, phages are simple organisms that consist of a core of genetic material (nucleic acid) surrounded by a protein capsid. The nucleic acid may be either DNA or RNA and may be double-stranded or single-stranded.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The I2U2 group recently announced a new joint space venture which aims to create a "unique space-based tool" for policymakers, institutions, and entrepreneurs.

About I2U2 Group:

• It is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
• Formation:
• The group was formed initially in October 2021 to deal with issues concerning infrastructure, transport and maritime security in the region.
• Originally named the "International Forum for Economic Cooperation," it was also known as the "West Asian Quad" at the time.
• First virtual summit:  The group held their first virtual summit in July 2022.
• This unique grouping of countries identifies bankable projects and initiatives to tackle some of the greatest challenges, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, food security, and technology. 
• It aims to mobilize private sector capital and expertise to achieve a variety of goals, including modernizing infrastructure, advancing low-carbon development pathways, and improving public health. 

Hence option c is the correct answer.

A day after opening six gates of Hirakud dam, the authorities opened 16 more sluice gates to discharge excess water from the reservoir.

About Hirakud Dam:

• Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 15 kilometres from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha.
• It is the longest earthen dam in the world, about 16 miles and around 26 km in length.
• The dam forms a vast reservoir known as the Hirakud Reservoir or Hirakud Lake. It is the biggest artificial lake in Asia.
• History:
• It is one of the first multipurpose projects by India after independence.
• The construction began in 1948 and was completed in 1953.
• It was built to control the flow of the Mahanadi River and manage the perennial problem of floods in the region.
• The inauguration of the dam was done by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1957.
• Purpose:
• Irrigation facility to 1,08,385 hectares of Rabi crops and 1, 55,635 hectares of Kharif crops of Bolangir, Subarnapur, Bargarh and Sambalpur.
• The capacity of power generation installed at Hirakud dam is 359.8 MW.
• More than 436,000 hectors of land in the Mahanadi delta also get irrigated by the water which is released from the powerhouse. 
• The delta area in Cuttack and Puri district of an area of 9500 sq Km also gets flood protection because of the Hirakud Project. 
• Structure:
• Granite, hard concrete and earth are the most used substances in building the dam.
• Stretched from the Chandidungri hills on the right to the Lamdungri hills on the left the main structure of Hirakud Dam is about 4.8 km long. 
• About 83400 Sq. Km is the catchments area, and the dam is a composite structure of Concrete, Masonry and Earth.
• Cattle Island:
• It is a small island in the Hirakud Reservoir.
• It is inhabited by a large herd of wild cattle, which are believed to be the descendants of cattle that were left behind by villagers when the dam was constructed in the 1950s.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Central government plans to complete 3D digitisation of all museums under its administrative control by the year-end for better conservation of artefacts.

• It is a digital collection management system for Indian museums.
• It has been designed and developed by the Human Centres Design and Computing Group, Centre for Development of Smart Computing, Pune.
• It is a client-server application with features such as image cropping, watermarking, unique numbering, and management of digital objects with multimedia representations.
• It can create 3D virtual galleries and provide public access through web, mobile or touchscreen kiosks.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Minister of State for Culture inaugurated an exhibition under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) titled "Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat” and mentioned Gilgit Manuscripts to celebrate the 75th International Archives Day at the National Archives of India, New Delhi.

• It was written between the 5" and -6" centuries CE and is the oldest surviving manuscript collection in India.
• It was written on the birch bark folios documents written on pieces of an inner layer of the bark of birch trees found in the Kashmir region.
• It contains both canonical and non-canonical Jain and Buddhist works that throw light on the evolution of many religious-philosophical literature.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.