Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 7, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The government recently announced the 26th tranche of electoral bond sales to be undertaken over a ten-day window at all authorized branches of the State Bank of India.

About Electoral Bonds: 

• The electoral bond scheme was launched by the Union government in 2018.
• What is it? It is a bearer instrument, like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India.
• The citizen or corporate can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice.
• The bonds are similar to bank notes that are payable to the bearer on demand and are free of interest. 
• An individual or party is allowed to purchase these bonds digitally or through cheque.
• Working:
• EBs are issued/purchased for any value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1,00,000, Rs 10,00,000 and Rs 1,00,00,000.
• The electoral bonds are available for purchase for 10 days at the beginning of every quarter.
• SBI is the only bank authorized to sell these bonds.
• Anonymous cash donations were capped at Rs 2,000.
• EBs have a life of only 15 days during which it can be used for making donations to political parties.
• Eligibility: Only political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of thePeople Act, 1951 and which secured not less than 1% of votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, are eligible to receive electoral bonds.
• The bond can be encashed by an eligible political party only through a designated bank account with the authorized bank.
• The political parties have to disclose the amount to the Election Commission.
• The electoral bonds will not bear the name of the donor.

Hence both statements are correct.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources recently recommended a detailed study on the impact of atmospheric pollution, including black carbon, on the Himalayan glacier system.

About Black Carbon:

• Black carbon is the sooty black material emitted from gas and diesel engines, coal-fired power plants, and other sources that burn fossil fuel.
• It is formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood and other fuels. 
• It comprises a significant portion of particulate matter or PM, which is an air pollutant.
• It is a short-lived climate pollutant with a lifetime of only days to weeks after release in the atmosphere.
• It  is an important contributor to warming because it is very effective at absorbing light and heating its surroundings. It contributes to warming by converting incoming solar radiation to heat.
• It has a warming impact on climate that is 460-1,500 times stronger than CO2.
• It also influences cloud formation and impacts regional circulation and rainfall patterns.
• When deposited on ice and snow, black carbon and co-emitted particles reduce surface albedo (the ability to reflect sunlight) and heat the surface.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the world-famous Basohli Painting which is popular for its miniature art style from Kathua district of Jammu has obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag.

• Basholi paintings originated in the Basholi region of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is a reputed school of miniature paintings known for its vivid, evocative colours, bold lines, and deep-set facial patterns. 
• It is considered the first school of Pahari paintings.
• Patronage: The Basholi painting style flourished during the 17th and 18th centuries under the patronage of local rulers and wealthy merchants.
• Features of the Bisholi painting
  • It has peculiar characteristics, they have perfect geometrical patterns, bright colours and glossy enamel.
  • Colours used: Ochre yellow, brown, and green grounds predominating.
  • The figures in the paintings are shown clad in rich costumes, stylised faces and large bulging eyes lent unique individuality to these paintings.
  • Themes: The portraits of local rulers, Radha-Krishna, and Madhava-Malati love themes and themes from the Bhagavata Purana.
  • These are painted on paper, cloth, or wood using natural pigments and dyes.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, twitter opened a portion of its source code to the public, including the algorithm to recommend tweets in users’ timelines. 

• Open source is a term that originally referred to open source software (OSS).
• Open source software is code that is designed to be publicly accessible—anyone can see, modify, and distribute the code as they see fit.
• Open-source software is developed in a decentralized and collaborative way, relying on peer review and community production. 
• Source code is the set of instructions and statements written by a programmer using a computer programming language.
• This code is later translated into machine language by a compiler. The translated code is referred to as object code.
• Source code is the source of a computer program.
• It contains declarations, instructions, functions, loops and other statements, which act as instructions for the program on how to function.
• Programs may contain one or more source code text files, which can be stored on a computer’s hard disk, in a database, or printed in books of code snippets.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, India has initiated an anti-dumping probe into imports of poisonous chemical sodium cyanide from China, the European Union, Japan and Korea following a complaint by domestic companies.

• The Union commerce ministry’s investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) is probing the alleged dumping of sodium cyanide originating in or exported from China, the European Union, Japan and Korea.
• Sodium cyanide appears as a white crystalline solid, lump solid or powder.
• It contains equal numbers of sodium cations and cyanide anions.
• It is used as an insecticide, a test reagent for the function of chemoreceptors, and in many industrial processes. 
• It is also used for the extraction of gold and silver from their respective ores, dyes, pigments, and bulk drugs.

Hence both statements are correct.

Lokpal’s office recently informed that Around 68% of corruption complaints against public functionaries that landed with the Lokpal were “disposed off” without any action in the past four years. 

About Lokpal:

• The Lokpal is a statutory body established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013.
• Mandate: To inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters.
• Organisational Structure:
• The Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members. 
• Chairperson should be either the former Chief Justice of India Or the former Judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person who fulfils eligibility criteria as specified. 
• Out of the maximum eight members, half will be judicial members. The judicial member of the Lokpal should be either a former Judge of the Supreme Court or a former Chief Justice of a High Court. 
• Minimum fifty per cent of the Members will be from SC / ST / OBC / Minorities and women. 
• How are members appointed?
• The Chairperson and the Members are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a selection committee composed of the Prime Minister as the Chairperson, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India or a Judge nominated by him/her, and One eminent jurist.
• They hold office for a term of five years from the date on which they enter upon the office or until they attain the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. 
• The salary, allowances and other conditions of services of the Chairperson are the same as that of the Chief Justice of India.
• The salary, allowances and other conditions of services of the Members are the same as that of a Judge of the Supreme Court.
• Jurisdiction:
• It has jurisdiction to inquire into allegations of corruption against anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, or a Minister in the Union government, or a Member of Parliament, as well as officials of the Union Government under Groups A, B, C and D. 
• It covers chairpersons, members, officers and directors of any board, corporation, society, trust or autonomous body either established by an Act of Parliament or wholly or partly funded by the Union or State government.
• It also covers any society or trust or body that receives foreign contribution above Rs 10 lakh.
• Exceptions for Prime Minister:
• Lokpal cannot inquire allegations against the PM relating to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space. 
• Also, complaints against the PM are not to be probed unless the full Lokpal bench considers the initiation of inquiry and at least 2/3rds of the members approve it. 
• Powers of Lokpal:
• It has powers to superintendence over and to give direction to CBI.
• If it has referred a case to CBI, the investigating officer in such case cannot be transferred without the approval of Lokpal.
• Powers to authorize CBI for search and seizure operations connected to such cases.
• The Inquiry Wing of the Lokpal has been vested with the powers of a civil court.
• Lokpal has powers of confiscation of assets, proceeds, receipts and benefits arisen or procured by means of corruption in special circumstances.
• Lokpal has the power to recommend the transfer or suspension of public servants connected with the allegation of corruption.
• Lokpal has the power to give directions to prevent the destruction of records during the preliminary inquiry

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The United States recently announced an additional package of military aid to Ukraine, totalling $2.6 billion, which includes additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

About High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS):

• It is a light multiple rocket launcher.
• It is manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation, a US-based security and aerospace company.
• Features:
• It is an air-transportable wheeled launcher mounted on 5-ton Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV).
• It can fire six guided missiles in quick succession.
• Himars fires GPS-guided missiles which can be more accurately targeted.
• Range:
• The missiles supplied to Ukraine have a range of up to 50 miles (80 km).
• Himars can also fire a single Army Tactical Missile System missile, which has a range of 186 miles (300 km).

Hence both statements are correct.

A recent study suggests that a two-drug combination may offer a new way to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease.

About Crohn’s Disease:

• It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• It is a chronic or long-term condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract.
• Causes: It is not clear what causes Crohn’s disease. Experts suggest that it may stem from an abnormal reaction of the immune system. 
• Although it typically starts in childhood or early adulthood, Crohn’s disease can develop at any age.
• Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people, most commonly the small intestine.
• Symptoms: The most common symptoms of Crohn’s disease are diarrhoea, cramping and pain in your abdomen, anaemia, altered appetite, and weight loss. 
• Treatment: There's no known cure for Crohn's disease, but therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has just launched two fresh modern deep seas ‘Slocum’ gliders in the Bay of Bengal.

• Slocum gliders are a type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that are capable of carrying out long-duration missions, spanning several months or even years, to collect scientific data from the ocean.
• Objective: To study the physical and biogeochemical parameters of the sea and get an insight into climate change.
  • The state-of-the-art gliders are equipped with sensors to track temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, and PAR – photosynthetic active radiation in the seawater among others.
  • These gliders can go underwater up to a depth of about 1,000 metres and will surface four to five times a day.
  • These gliders which run on the lithium-ion battery is they come with an extended battery life of nine months and more to cover both the north and south transect of the Bay of the Bengal. 
• INCOIS was established as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Mandate: To provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies and the scientific community.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, at the  United Nations, 2023 Water Conference participant members were informed about W12+ Blueprint and its potential.

• It is a UNESCO platform that hosts city profiles and case studies of programs, technologies, and policies that address common water security challenges.
• It is an informational database for solutions to urban water challenges.
• Aim: To create a tool that provides insight into how to address common urban water challenges through easy-to-read case studies.
• Lessons learned from the other W12+ Programs will be incorporated and highlighted within the Blueprint.
• It will house information on best practices, encourage further knowledge exchange, and become a "virtual Hub" for urban water security solutions globally.
• Cities listed under this blueprint from India are Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.