Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 1, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), in its latest report, said that
India can emerge as a major player in the wind energy sector if facilitative policy measures are put in place.

About Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC):

• It is a member-based trade association that represents the entire wind energy sector.
• It was established in 2005 to provide a credible and representative forum for the entire wind energy sector at an international level.
• The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, and finance and insurance companies.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• Mission: To promote the development and deployment of wind power as a sustainable and cost-effective source of energy.
• The GWEC conducts research, provides market intelligence, and advocates for policies that support the growth of wind energy.
• It also organizes events and conferences to bring together stakeholders from around the world to discuss key issues in the industry.
• Reports published: Global Wind Report

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A rare Eurasian griffon vulture was recently spotted at Delhi's Aravalli Biodiversity Park (ABP).

About Eurasian Griffon Vulture:

• It is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.
• It is one of the largest birds in the vulture family and is Europe’s second-largest bird.
• Scientific Name: Gyps fulvus
• Distribution:
• It has a very large range, across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, from India to Portugal and Spain
• They are most commonly found in countries that border the Mediterranean. 
• Habitat:
• They live in areas of mountains, plateaus, shrubland, grassland, and semi-desert, usually in warm climates, but also in harsher conditions of cold, rain, mist, and snow to secure particularly favourable breeding or foraging conditions.
• They tend to avoid forests, lakes, wetlands, and marine waters.
• Features:
• The griffon vulture is 93–122 cm long with a 2.3–2.8 m wingspan.
• Adult birds are identical with a white head, neck and ‘feathery’ ruff-like collar.
• Its body and upper wings are pale brown.
• They are social birds, often gathering in large groups to feed on a single carcass.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN: Least Concern

Hence both statements are not correct.

In a recent report tabled in Gujarat Assembly, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) asked the government to preserve mangroves and save the ‘Kharai’ breed of camels.

About Kharai Camel:

• They are a rare breed of camel found in the salt marshes of the Kutch district of Gujarat.
• Their name is derived from the local word khara, meaning saline.
• It is well adapted to the saline desert environment and is known for its ability to swim (hence also known as ‘swimming camel’).
• They swim long distances in the sea to reach their grazing areas, usually more than 3 km at a time, even in deep waters.
• Kharai camels mostly feed on mangroves.
• They are considered a unique Eco-tonal species as they survive in the dryland ecosystem as well as the coastal ecosystem. 
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN: Endangered

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, Russia's Defense Ministry says Moscow has test-fired two Moskit cruise missiles in the Sea of Japan.

• It is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that has conventional and nuclear warhead capacity.
• It has the fastest flying speed among all anti-ship missiles in today's world.
• It reaches Mach 3 at a high altitude and its maximum low-altitude speed is M2.2.
• It is capable of destroying a ship within a range of up to 120 kilometres.
• A cruise missile either locates its target or has a preset target.
• It navigates using a guidance system such as inertial or beyond visual range satellite GPS guidance and comprises a payload and aircraft propulsion system.
• Cruise missiles can be launched from land, sea or air for land attacks and anti-shipping purposes, and can travel at subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic speeds.
• They stay relatively close to the surface of the earth, cannot be detected easily by anti-missile systems, and are designed to carry large payloads with high precision.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, a Parliamentary panel has asked the Ministry of Education to make more efforts to ensure the “speedy disbursal” of sanctioned loans by the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).

• Higher Education Financing Agency provides financial assistance for the creation of capital assets in premier educational institutions in India.
• It is registered under Section 8 as a Not-for-profit under the Companies Act 2013 as a Union Govt company and as Non–deposit-taking Systemically Important (NBFC-ND-SI) with RBI.
• It was established on 31st May 2017 and is a joint venture of the Ministry of Education, GoI and Canara Bank with agreed equity participation in the ratio of 90.91% and 09.09% respectively.
• What are the objectives? The main aim of HEFA is for the development of India’s top-ranked institutions like IITs, IIITs, NITs, IISCs, and AIIMS into globally top-ranking institutions through improvement in their academic and infrastructure quality.
• It is particularly interested in financing the building of educational infrastructure, and R&D infrastructure and thereby enabling the institutions to reach top rankings globally.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Recently, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) upheld the ₹1,337 crore fines imposed on Google by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established in March 2009 by the Government of India under the Competition Act, 2002 for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of the Act.
• It is a quasi-judicial body which gives opinions to statutory authorities and also deals with other cases.
• Composition of the CCI
  • The Commission consists of one Chairperson and six Members who shall be appointed by the Central Government.
  • The Chairperson and other Members shall be whole-time Members

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Union Minister for Rural Development launched the Captive Employment initiative which is a unique initiative under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) in New Delhi.

• Captive Employment is a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at addressing the vision of a dynamic and demand-based skilling ecosystem catering to the requirements of industry partners assuring sustainable placements for rural poor youth.
• The Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed an MoU with 19 Captive Employers.
• It aims to train and provide jobs for rural youth under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).
• The Captive Employment Guidelines ensure the RTD (Recruit, Train and Deploy) model.
• The RTD model addresses the needs of the industry, trains accordingly and ensures sustainable placements for rural youth.
• Captive Employers are required to
  • Offer captive (in-house) placement to all the trained candidates.
  • Provide captive employment to a minimum of 70% of trained candidates for 6 months.
  • Captive employment gives a minimum salary of Rs 10,000 (for less than a 6-month course) and Rs 12,000 (for more than a 6-month course).

Hence both statements are correct.

Researchers have recently discovered that the immune response to a virus that is widespread in human tissues may identify and remove senescent cells in the skin.

About Cellular Senescence:

• It refers to a state of stable cell cycle arrest in which proliferating cells become resistant to growth-promoting stimuli, typically in response to DNA damage. 
• During this phase, the cell undergoes numerous phenotypic and metabolic changes.
• Senescent cells accumulate during ageing and have been implicated in promoting a variety of age-related diseases.
• Cellular senescence can compromise tissue repair and regeneration, thereby contributing towards ageing.
• Removal of senescent cells can attenuate age-related tissue dysfunction and extend health span.
• Senescence can also act as a potent anti-tumour mechanism by preventing the proliferation of potentially cancerous cells.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Ministry of Defence recently signed a contract with ISRO’s commercial arm New Space India Ltd (NSIL) for the procurement of an advanced communication satellite, GSAT-7B.

About GSAT 7B:

• It is a communication satellite part of the GSAT-7 series.
• GSAT 7 series satellites are advanced communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to meet the communication needs of the defence services.
• The GSAT 7B will primarily fulfil the communication needs of the Indian Army. 
• It is a geostationary satellite which will considerably enhance the communication capability of the Indian Army by providing mission-critical beyond-the-line-of-sight communication to troops and formations as well as weapon and airborne platforms.
• It is the first-ever in the five-tonne category that will be designed indigenously by the ISRO.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Delhi High Court has restrained the Institute Of Cost Accountants Of India from using the “ICAI” acronym, a trademark which stands registered in favour of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

About Institute Of Cost Accountants Of India:

• It is a statutory body established by an act of Parliament, the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959.
• Mandate:  Regulation of the profession of cost and management accountancy.
• It is the only recognised statutory professional organisation and licensing body in India specialising exclusively in Cost and Management Accountancy.
• It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.