Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 25, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the German eROSITA consortium has released the data for its share of the first all-sky survey by the soft X-ray imaging telescope.

• The eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is a wide-field X-ray telescope on-board the Russian-German "Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma" (SRG) observatory.
• It was developed under the leadership of the Max-Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics in Germany (DE).
• It is a sensitive X-ray telescope capable of delivering deep, sharp images over very large areas of the sky.
• The eROSITA telescope consists of seven identical Wolter-1 mirror modules.
• SRG was successfully launched from Baikonur on July 13 2019, and placed in a halo orbit around the L2 point.
• Functions
• It has been performing an all-sky survey, in which the whole celestial sphere is mapped once every six months. Eight such all-sky charts are planned until December 2023.
• It is also expected to yield a sample of several million Active Galactic Nuclei, providing a unique view of the evolution of supermassive black holes within the emerging cosmic structure.
• The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including accreting binaries, active stars and diffuse emission within the Galaxy, as well as solar system bodies that emit X-rays via the charge exchange process.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the union Minister for Women and Child Development said that One Stop Centres to help women who have faced violence have been established in over 700 districts across the country.

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme formulated under the union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
• Objectives
• To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof.
• To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women.
• Target group
• It supports all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, irrespective of caste, class, religion, region, sexual orientation or marital status.
• For girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 linked with the OSC
• Funding: The Scheme will be funded through Nirbhaya Fund. The Central Government will provide 100% financial assistance under the Scheme.
• Administration: The day to day implementation and administrative matters would be the responsibility of the District Collector/District Magistrate.
• The OSC will facilitate access to: Emergency Response and Rescue Services, Medical assistance, assistance to women in lodging FIR/ NCR/DIR, psycho-social support/ counseling, legal aid and counseling, shelter and Video Conferencing Facility.

Hence both statements are correct.

A ringed juvenile black-crowned night heron, which landed recently at a local pond in Imphal and died later, was banded at the Weishan Bird Banding Station in China’s Beijing. 

About Black-crowned Night Heron:

• It is a medium-sized heron with a stocky build.
• Scientific Name: Nycticorax nycticorax
• Distribution: It is found across North America, as well as locally in Central America and the Caribbean.
• Habitat: Most colonies of black-crowned night herons are associated with large wetlands. They inhabit a variety of wetland habitats, such as swamps, streams, rivers, marshes, mud flats, and the edges of lakes.
• Features:
• It has a stocky body with a comparatively short neck and legs.
• It has a black crown, a gray body, and bright, red eyes. 
• It weighs between 727 and 1014 grams, has a wingspan of 115 to 118 centimeters, and is 58 to 66 centimeters in length).
• Females and males look alike, but females are a little smaller.
• They are social at all times of the year, frequently associating with other species of herons.
• It is a migrating species.
• Diet: It is an opportunistic feeder. Its diet consists mainly of fish, though it is frequently rounded out by other items such as leeches, earthworms, aquatic and terrestrial insects.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence both statements are not correct.

Prime Minister of India launched PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana to provide free electricity to its beneficiaries.

• In this scheme, the central government will provide 300 units of free electricity per month to its beneficiaries by investing worth ₹75,000 crores.
• The free electricity scheme was earlier announced by Finance Minister in interim budget speech.
• Target: It aims to light up 1 crore households.
• Under the scheme Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats shall be incentivised to promote rooftop solar systems in their jurisdictions. 
• The Central Government will guarantee no financial burden on the people by providing significant subsidies directly to their bank accounts and offering highly concessional bank loans.
• Expected benefits:
• Savings up to fifteen to eighteen thousand rupees annually for households from free solar electricity and selling the surplus to the distribution companies;
• Charging of electric vehicles;
• Entrepreneurship opportunities for a large number of vendors for supply and installation;
• Employment opportunities for the youth with technical skills in manufacturing, installation and maintenance.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Fourteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP14) will be hosted by the Government of Uzbekistan, in Samarkand from 12-17 February 2024.

• It is also known as the Bonn Convention, is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme. 
• It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. 
• It was signed in Bonn, Germany, on 23 June 1979.
• It is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organisation established exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.
• The parties to the convention acknowledge the importance of conserving migratory species, and the need to pay special attention to species whose conservation status is unfavourable.
• Activities by CMS Parties may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding.
• The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention. 
• It has two Appendices. 
• Appendix I lists endangered migratory species and includes prohibitions regarding the take of these species.
• Appendix II lists species that have an ‘unfavourable conservation status’ (as per the conditions set out in the Convention) and encourages range states to draft range-wide agreements for conservation and management of these species.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Officials in the US state of Oregon recently said they are dealing with a rare human case of bubonic plague that was likely transmitted by a pet cat.

About Bubonic Plague:

• Plague is an infectious disease caused by a specific type of bacterium called Yersinia pestis, a zoonotic bacterium usually found in small mammals and their fleas.
• Y. pestis can affect humans and animals and is spread mainly by fleas.
• Bubonic plague is one type of plague. It gets its name from the swollen lymph nodes (buboes) caused by the disease.
• Called the Black Death, it killed millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages.
• The other types of plague are:
• Septicemic plague, which happens when the infection goes all through the body.
• Pneumonic plague, which happens when the lungs are infected.
• Plague can be a very severe disease in people, with a case-fatality ratio of 30% to 60% for the bubonic type, and is always fatal for the pneumonic kind when left untreated.
• Symptoms: Bubonic plague symptoms include
• Sudden high fever and chills.
• Pains in the areas of the abdomen, arms, and legs.
• Headaches.
• Large and swollen lumps in the lymph nodes (buboes) that develop and leak pus.
• Transmission:
• Y. pestis is spread mostly by fleas on rodents and other animals. 
• It is transmitted between animals and humans by the bite of infected fleas, direct contact with infected tissues, and inhalation of infected respiratory droplets.
• The incubation period of bubonic plague is usually 2 to 8 days. 
• Treatment:
• It can be treated and cured with antibiotics.
• Antibiotics that treat bubonic plague include Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, Gentamicin and Doxycycline.
• It can be fatal if it’s not treated.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

For the first time in about 11 years, the government released the broad findings of the All India Household Consumption Expenditure Survey carried out between August 2022 and July 2023.

• It is usually conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) every five years.
• This survey aims at generating estimates of household Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) and its distribution separately for the rural and urban sectors of the country, for States and Union Territories, and for different socio-economic groups. 
• Highlights of the survey
• The average monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) in Indian households rose by 33.5% since 2011-12 in urban households to ₹3,510, with rural India’s MPCE seeing a 40.42% increase over the same period to hit ₹2,008.
• The proportion of spending on food has dropped to 46.4% for rural households from 52.9% in 2011-12, while their urban peers spent just 39.2% of their overall monthly outgoes on food compared with 42.6% incurred 11 years earlier.
• This reduction could translate into a lower weightage for food prices in the country’s retail inflation calculations.
• Among the States, the MPCE is the highest in Sikkim for both rural (₹7,731) and urban areas (₹12,105).
• It is the lowest in Chhattisgarh, where it was ₹2,466 for rural households and ₹4,483 for urban household members.
• Significance: The data will play a key role in reviewing critical economic indicators, including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), poverty levels, and the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI).

Hence both statements are correct.

In a significant technological breakthrough, scientists recently unveiled a pioneering technology, named PSiFI, capable of recognizing human emotions in real-time.

About PSiFI System:

• The system, known as the personalized skin-integrated facial interface (PSiFI), features a first-of-its-kind bidirectional triboelectric strain and vibration sensor that enables the simultaneous sensing and integration of verbal and non-verbal expression data.
• The PSiFI system is self-powered, facile, stretchable, and transparent.
• Coupled with a sophisticated data processing circuit, the system facilitates seamless wireless data transfer, enabling the instantaneous recognition of emotions.
• Empowered by machine learning algorithms, the technology showcases remarkable efficiency in recognizing human emotions accurately and promptly, even in scenarios where individuals wear masks.
• Its practical application has already been demonstrated in a digital concierge service within a virtual reality (VR) environment, where customised services based on users’ emotions were provided.
• Science behind the PSiFI technology:
• The technology is based on the phenomenon of "friction charging," where objects separate into positive and negative charges upon friction.
• Notably, the system is self-generating, requiring no external power source or complex measuring devices for data recognition.
• This innovative technology is poised to revolutionize various industries, including next-generation wearable systems that provide services based on emotions.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

A team of Stony Brook University physicists and their collaborators have taken a significant step toward the building of a quantum internet testbed by demonstrating a foundational quantum network measurement that employs room-temperature quantum memories.

• It is a theorized and much sought-after network of interconnected quantum computers that will allow people to send, compute, and receive information using quantum technology.
• A quantum internet would be a network of quantum computers, sensors, and communication devices that will create, process, and transmit quantum states and entanglement.
• It is anticipated to enhance society's internet system and provide certain services and securities that the current internet does not have.
• The purpose of the quantum internet is not to replace the internet we know today, but to instead create a co-existent network that can be used to solve specific types of problems.
• Working
• Quantum computers use fundamental units of information similar to the bits used in classical computing. These are called “qubits.”
• However, unlike conventional computer bits—which convey information as a 0 or 1—qubits convey information through a combination of quantum states, which are unique conditions found only on the subatomic scale.
• Qubits are not either 0 or 1, but rather both and neither, in a quantum phenomenon called superposition.  

Hence both statements are correct.

In a first, the Centre has on boarded 11 fair price shops on the state-run e-commerce portal Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC).

• It is an open-source network set up to enable buyers and sellers to transact with each other irrespective of the e-commerce platform on which either of them are registered.
• It will enable local commerce across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, among others, to be discovered and engaged by any network-enabled application.
• It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Purpose
• To promote open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks. 
• To create new opportunities, curb digital monopolies and by supporting micro, small and medium enterprises and small traders and help them get on online platforms.
• It seeks to democratise digital or electronic commerce, moving it from a platform-centric model to an open-network.
• Benefits:
• It offers small retailers an opportunity to provide their services, and goods to buyers across the country through an e-commerce system.
• It enables merchants to save their data to build credit history and reach consumers.
• It is expected to digitise the entire value chain, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics and enhance value for consumers.
• ONDC protocols would standardize operations like cataloguing, inventory management, order management and order fulfilment.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.