Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 10, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the US White House officially directed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to create a time standard for the Moon, which different international bodies and private companies can use to coordinate their activities on the lunar surface.

• It will provide a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that require extreme precision for their missions.
• It will also synchronise the communication between satellites, astronauts, bases and the Earth.
• A unified time standard would be essential for coordinating operations, ensuring the reliability of transactions and managing the logistics of lunar commerce.
• Why there is need of LTC?
• As there is less gravity on the Moon, time ticks slightly faster there relative to the time on the Earth.
• In other words, for someone on the Moon, an Earth-based clock will appear to lose on average 58.7 microseconds per Earth day with “additional periodic variations.
• It can create problems for situations such as a spacecraft seeking to dock on the Moon, data transferring at a specific time, communication, and navigation.

How does Earth’s time standard work?

• Most of the clocks and time zones of the world are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) which is essentially internationally agreed upon standard for world time.
• It is set by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, France.
• It is tracked by a weighted average of more than 400 atomic clocks placed in different parts of the globe.
• Atomic clocks measure time in terms of the resonant frequencies — the natural frequency of an object where it tends to vibrate at a higher amplitude — of atoms such as cesium-133.
• In atomic time, a second is defined as the period in which a caesium atom vibrates 9,192,631,770 times. As the vibration rates at which atoms absorb energy are highly stable and ultra-accurate, atomic clocks make for an excellent device for gauging the passage of time.
• To obtain their local time, countries need to subtract or add a certain number of hours from UTC depending on how many time zones they are away from 0 degree longitude meridian, also known as the Greenwich meridian.
• If a country lies on the west of the Greenwich meridian, it has to subtract from the UTC, and if a country is located on the east of the meridian, it has to add.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A new report showed that rice vampire weed (Rhamphicarpa fistulosa) in Africa affected more than 140,000 farm households and caused losses worth $82 million per year to the continent’s economy.

• It is a facultative, parasitic weed that grows on rice which is also known as rice vampire weed.
• It also affects sorghum and maize and, potentially, other cereal crops. 
• The weed can germinate and grow independently, but significantly increases its reproductive output when parasitizing a suitable host. 
• It is not controlled by fertilisers.
• It is found in at least 35 countries in Africa, with 28 of them home to rainfed lowland rice areas.
• Countries with the highest estimated infestation rates were Gambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Togo and, to a lesser extent, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Benin, Malawi and Tanzania.

Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

For decades, the indigenous Jenu Kuruba tribe residing in the forests of Western Ghats were denied their basic rights and cut off from opportunities for development. 

• Jenu in Kannada means honey and kuruba is the caste. As the name suggest Jenu Kurubas are honey gatherers.
• They are traditional honey gathering tribe. The tribe is among the original inhabitants of the forests of the Western Ghats that stretch over three states – Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• They live in small settlements called Hadi.
• Occupation: Their main occupation is food gathering in the forests, collection of minor forest produce in the forests, collection of minor forest produce including honey.
• They practice shifting cultivation, leading to a nomadic lifestyle.
• Social life: People of this community live a semi-nomadic lifestyle which is not maintained by rulers, police, centralized visible forces or religious monasteries; but by the technique of its own discipline and diffused power.
• The pattern is that it is maintained at each settlement level with a head-man (yajamana) and a ritual head / shaman (gudda).

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

India’s Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected for a third term for five years from March 2025-2030 to the International Narcotics Control Board.

• It was established in 1968 and is the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the United Nations International Drug Control Conventions.
• History:
• It was established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 by merging two bodies: the Permanent Central Narcotics Board, created by the 1925 International Opium Convention and the Drug Supervisory Body, created by the 1931 Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs.
• Members:
• It consists of 13 members who are elected by the Economic and Social Council and who serve in their personal capacity, not as government representatives.
• Three members with medical, pharmacological or pharmaceutical experience are elected from a list of persons nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 10 members are elected from a list of persons nominated by Governments.
• Mandate: INCB endeavours in cooperation with Governments, to ensure that adequate supplies of drugs are available for medical and scientific uses and that the diversion of drugs from licit sources to illicit channels does not occur.
• It also monitors Governments' control over chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs and assists them in preventing the diversion of those chemicals into illicit traffic,

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Israel for the first time deployed its ship-mounted defence system, called the C-Dome.

About C-Dome:

• It is a naval version of Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, used to shield against rocket and missile attacks.
• The Iron Dome, which was activated in 2011 and has an effectiveness of about 90%, works by using radars to detect short-range rockets before destroying them with its own missiles. 
• The C-Dome, which was first unveiled in 2014, declared operational in November 2022, works similarly to the Iron Dome, using some of the same technology, except that it’s mounted on ships. 
• It is mounted on Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, German-made warships and uses the same interceptor as the Iron Dome.
• Unlike the Iron Dome, which has its own dedicated radar, the C-Dome is integrated into the ship’s radar to detect incoming targets.
• C-Dome ensures full-circular vessel protection and high kill probability against a full spectrum of modern threats—maritime and coastal.

Key Facts about Iron Dome:

• It is Israel’s air missile defense system that can defend against short-range rockets, intercepting them in the air above the state.
• It is capable of successfully handling multiple rockets at a time.
• Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the system became operational in March 2011.
• Features:
• It is powered by missile-defense batteries.
• It has all-weather capabilities and is able to function night or day.
• It is able to launch a variety of interceptor missiles. 
• It is designed to shoot down missiles with a range of about 40 miles or less.
• It also has the ability to be moved, either onto ships or across land, to better suit defense needs.
• It must be reloaded to continuously intercept incoming missiles.
• The Iron Dome operates through three main components:
• a radar that detects incoming rockets,
• a command-and-control system that determines the threat level,
• an interceptor that seeks to destroy the incoming rocket before it strikes.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

India has achieved its target to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, commonly known as kala-azar, according to data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC).

About Kala Azar:

• Kala azar, or visceral leishmaniasis, is the second deadliest parasitic disease in the world after Malaria.
• It is one of the most dangerous neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and is endemic in 76 countries.
• It is also known as black fever or Dum-Dum fever, referring to the greyish or blackish discoloration of the skin during infection.
• It is caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania, which is transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies.
• In India, Leishmania donovani is the only parasite causing this disease.
• The parasite primarily infects the reticuloendothelial system and may be found in abundance in the bone marrow, spleen, and liver.
• Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a condition when Leishmania donovani invades skin cells, resides and develops there, and manifests as dermal leisions. Some of the kala-azar cases manifests PKDLafter a few years of treatment.
• The disease affects some of the poorest people and is linked to malnutrition, population displacement, poor housing, a weak immune system, and a lack of financial resources.
• Leishmaniasis is also linked to environmental changes such as deforestation, and urbanisation, according to the WHO.
• Symptoms:
• Kala-azar is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, substantial weight loss, swelling of the spleen and liver, and severe anaemia.
• If the disease is not treated early and in time, affected individuals can die within two years.
• Treatment:
• Treatment of Kala Azar is done through liposomal AmB; this is the drug of choice for immunocompetent patients.
• There are other treatment options available, such as paromomycin, miltefosine, and multidrug therapy.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Two people recently drowned in the Tons River while bathing in UP’s Ballia.

About Tons River:

• It is the largest and most important tributary of the Yamuna.
• It is one of the most perennial rivers emerging from the Himalayas. 
• Course:
• Tons River originates at a height of 6,315 metres from the Bandarpunch Mountain in Uttarakhand.
• It flows through the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and touches Himachal Pradesh.
• Surging from that great height, the glacier-fed river’s course ends when it meets the Yamuna River.
• It joins Yamuna near Kalsi in the Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. 
• It has a length of about 200 km.
• Along the way, the river cuts through deep gorges, tranquil valleys, and dense forests.
• Tons, even being a tributary, contribute more water than Yamuna itself possesses at the point of meeting. 
• Tributaries: The Pabbar and Asan rivers are the main tributaries of the Tons River.
• The Tons Valley is also culturally significant, inhabited by indigenous communities like the Jaunsari and Bhotiya tribes, who have their own unique traditions, dialects, and lifestyles.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The findings of an international study suggest that consuming low glycaemic index and low glycaemic load diets might prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. 

• It ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on the blood glucose response, post-prandial or after a meal. The higher the blood sugar reading, the higher will be the GI.
• It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.
• Foods are ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, with pure glucose (sugar) given a value of 100.
• The lower a food's glycemic index, the slower blood sugar rises after eating that food. In general, the more processed a food is, the higher its GI, and the more fiber or fat in a food, the lower it's GI.

What is Glycaemic load?

• It is both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate in a specific food, and is the product of the GI and the amount of carbohydrate available in a serving.

Key facts about Diabetes 

• It is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.
• Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.
• Not being able to produce or use insulin effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood, known as hyperglycaemia.
• Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.
• Type of Diabetes
• Type 1 diabetes: It is a condition in which your immune system destroys insulin-making cells in your pancreas. These are called beta cells.
• When you have type 1 diabetes, your body produces very little or no insulin.
• It requires daily administration of insulin to maintain blood glucose levels under control. It is usually diagnosed in children and young people, so it used to be called juvenile diabetes.
• Type 2 diabetes: It results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin that it produces. This type of diabetes is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Hence both statements are correct.

A demat account and a bank account serve different purposes and have distinct features and each serving its distinct purpose in the overall financial ecosystem.

• Demat account: It serves as a secure digital vault for holding various securities. It stores securities in electronic format, a process known as dematerialisation, effectively converting physical shares into digital assets.
• Purpose: A demat account is primarily used for holding and trading securities such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in electronic form. It allows investor to buy, sell, and transfer securities seamlessly.
• Types of Assets Held: Securities held in a demat account are in electronic or digital form. These include stocks, bonds, debentures, mutual fund units, government securities, and other financial instruments.
• Regulatory Authority: These are regulated by securities market regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in India. Depositories like the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) and Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) oversee the functioning of demat accounts.
• Transactions: It involves buying, selling, and transferring securities. Investors can trade securities on stock exchanges through their demat accounts.
• Interest and Returns: Demat accounts do not generate interest or returns on the securities held in the account. Returns are generated based on the performance of the securities held.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor raised concerns over unauthorised forex trading platforms and asked banks to maintain vigil against such illegal activities.

• Electronic Trading Platforms are electronic system, other than a recognised stock exchange, on which transactions in eligible instruments like securities, money market instruments, foreign exchange instruments, derivatives, etc. are contracted.
• In India no entity shall operate an ETP without obtaining prior authorisation of RBI under The Electronic Trading Platforms (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2018.
• Resident persons operating ETPs without authorisation from RBI, collecting and effecting/remitting payments directly/indirectly outside India shall render themselves liable for penal action, including the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
• ETPs authorised by the Reserve Bank shall host transactions only in instruments approved by the Reserve Bank.
• Criteria for authorization of ETPs
• The entity shall be a company incorporated in India.
• An entity seeking authorisation as an ETP operator shall maintain a minimum net-worth of Rs.5 crore (Rupees five crore only) and shall continue to maintain the minimum net-worth prescribed herein at all times.
• The existing entities operating ETPs with a net-worth lower than the prescribed net-worth requirement shall achieve the minimum net-worth of Rs.5 crores within one year from the date of authorisation by the Reserve Bank.
• Banks seeking authorisation to operate ETP shall earmark a minimum capital of Rs.5 crore for the purpose.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.