Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 10, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the union Ministry of Development of North-East Region virtually launched “MDoNER Data Analytics Dashboard” and “Poorvottar Sampark Setu” portal at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• It is a powerful tool designed to streamline and enhance monitoring of fortnightly visits of Union Ministers to NER.
• Features:
• The dashboard provides valuable insights and graphical information about State-wise/ District-wise visits to the North Eastern Region by Union Ministers to be used by all the stake holders in one place.
• The portal generates a curated list of Ministers who can be nominated for visit to NER in the upcoming months.
• After the visit, the Minister can submit their tour reports along with their recommendations online.
• MDoNER can forward the recommendations to respective line Ministries/Departments/State Governments for quick action, after analyzing the same. The Portal generates the summary report on the visits by a single click.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Recently, the union Minister for Science and Technology launched Global Health Innovation Fellowship to promote medtech startups and innovators among youth.

• It is an initiative in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology.
• This collaboration will leverage intellectual property (IP), innovation and medical technology to solve local health challenges using global partnerships.
• It aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among young professionals from diverse countries”.

Key facts about the World Intellectual Property Organisation

• It was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property (IP) throughout the world."
• It is one of the 17 specialised agencies of the United Nations.
• Currently, there are 193 members of the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
• India joined this organization in 1975.
• Headquarter:Geneva
• It provides
• A policy forum to shape balanced international IP rules for a changing world;
• A global services to protect IP across borders and to resolve disputes;
• Technical infrastructure to connect IP systems and share knowledge;
• Cooperation and capacity-building programs to enable all countries to use IP for economic, social and cultural development;
• Aworld reference source for IP information

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology launched state-of-art latest National Survey network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations" (CORS).

AboutContinuously Operating Reference Stations" (CORS) Network:

• It is capable of precise Location based services, which are capable of providing centimetre level positioning services in real-time
• These stations will be operated by the Survey of India.
• The Survey of India has set up more than 1,000 CORS stations across India.
• These stations are capable of providing Real Time Positioning Service through Real Time-Kinematic with an accuracy of + / - 3cm.
• The CORS network is available 24 /7 throughout the year.

Significance of these stations

• CORS based precision services will boost auto navigation and machine control-based solution in Agriculture, Mining, Construction, Transport and Civil Aviation sector.
• This will open new domains of innovation and research and create a Geospatial based ecosystem in these sectors.
• CORS data will also aid in various scientific studies like Upper Atmosphere and Space weather studies, Meteorology and weather forecast, Plate motion and Tectonic studies, Seismology and Hydrology etc.
• Nationwide CORS based services will be available to business and pubic, which will not only ensure coherence in geospatial data generated by different stake holders by providing them common reference, but will also increase their productivity.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, IIT Bombay-incubated company Immunoadoptive Cell Therapy (ImmunoACT) has received Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation’s (CDSO) marketing authorisation approval of the first Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) therapy product called NexCAR19.

• The therapy represents a quantum leap in the sophistication of cancer treatment.
• Unlike chemotherapy or immunotherapy, which requires mass-produced injectable or oral medication, CAR T-cell therapies use a patient’s own cells.
• They are modified in the laboratory to activate T-cells, a component of immune cells, to attack tumours.
• These modified cells are then infused back into the patient’s bloodstream after conditioning them to multiply more effectively.
• As of today, CAR T-cell therapy has been approved for leukaemias (cancers arising from the cells that produce white blood cells) and lymphomas (arising from the lymphatic system).

How does it work?

• In this therapy, the patient’s blood is drawn to harvest T-cells – immune cells that play a major role in destroying tumour cells.
• Researchers modify these cells in the laboratory so that they express specific proteins on their surface, known as chimeric antigen receptors (CAR): they have an affinity for proteins on the surface of tumour cells.
• This modification in the cellular structure allows CAR T-cells to effectively bind to the tumour and destroy it.
• The final step in the tumour’s destruction involves its clearance by the patient’s immune system.
• In CAR T-cell therapy, the immune system is activated when the modified T-cells are reintroduced into the body, which allows a gradual and sustained tumour kill as these cells multiply.

Hence both statements are correct.

About Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA):

• AERA is a statutory body constituted under the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.
• Function: The AERA regulates tariffs and other charges (development fee and passenger service fee) for aeronautical services (air traffic management, landing, and parking of aircraft, ground handling services) at major airports.
• Major airports: The 2008 Act designates an airport as a major airport if it has an annual passenger traffic of at least 15 lakh. An amendment to the act in 2019 increased this threshold to 35 lakh annual passengers.
• For the remaining airports, tariffs are determined by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
• AERA is an independent economic regulator that aims to create a level playing field, foster healthy competition amongst all major airports, encourage investment in airport facilities, and regulate tariffs for aeronautical services.
• It was set up keeping in mind that the country needs to have an independent regulator who has transparent rules and can take care of the interests of the service providers as well as those of the consumers.
• Headquarters: Delhi
• History:
• Initially, most of the airports in India were under the ownership and control of the Government of India. 
• In 1997, the Government of India formulated the Airport Infrastructure Policy, which provided for the private sector’s participation in improving quality, efficiency, and increasing competition.
• The AAI then performed the role of airports operator as well as the regulator, which resulted in conflict of interest.
• To ensure that private airport operators do not misuse their monopoly, the need for an independent tariff regulator in the airport sector was felt.
• Thereafter, the Government of India set up the Naresh Chandra Committee to prepare the road map for the civil aviation sector.
• The Committee recommended setting up an independent regulatory authority.
• Consequently, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008 (AERA Act) was passed, which set up AERA. 

Hence both statements are correct.

The Chief of Army Staff recently presented the prestigious ‘President’s Colours’ to the Third Battalion of the Naga Regiment.

About President’s Colours Award:

• It is the highest honour that can be awarded to any military unit, military training establishment, or state/UT Police Forces of India.
• It is bestowed upon a military unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and in war.
• It is also known as “Rashtrapati ka Nishaan” in Hindi.
• History:
• The tradition began under colonial rule, but on November 23, 1950, the ‘king’s colour’ of the erstwhile British Indian regiments was laid to rest in Chetwode Hall, Dehradun, to make way for the ‘colours’ of the President of the Republic of India.
• The Indian Navy was the first Indian Armed Force to be awarded the President Colour by Dr. Rajendra Prasad on May 27, 1951. 
• Award:
• It is a type of special flag, also known as ‘Nishaan’, which is awarded to a military unit in an organised ceremony. 
• The flag consists of a golden border in the middle and the insignia of a respective military unit, training establishments, and police forces in the centre.
• Sometimes, it may also contain the motto, important achievements, and battle participation of those military units to which the award is bestowed.
• During any ceremonial parade, the President’s Colour, i.e., the special flag of a military unit, is kept in a special position, and soldiers often march with the President’s Colour on important dates, like their establishment anniversary.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, Tamil writer Sivasankari was presented with the ‘Saraswati Samman’ 2022 for her book of memoirs Surya Vamsam.

• It is given annually for outstanding literary works in 22 Indian languages in the last 10 years.
• It is among the highest recognitions in the field of Indian literature.
• The selection follows a rigorous three-tier process leading up to a final decision by Chayan Parishad 
• It was instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation. (the Vyas Samman and the Bihari Puraskar are other literary awards instituted by the foundation.)
• It carries a citation, a plaque and prize money of 15 lakh rupees.

Other works of Sivasankari

• Sivasankari’s literary career spans over five decades. She is the author of 36 novels, 48 novellas, 150 short stories, 15 travelogues, seven collections of essays, and three biographies.
• Her 2019 memoir, Surya Vamsam, unfolds in two volumes -- the first is the metamorphosis from a child to a young writer, and the second is the life and times of an acclaimed author spreading her wings.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Manipur Forest Department will carry out a head count of Amur falcons-the world’s longest travelling raptors- in Tamenglong district.

• It is a small raptor of the falcon family.
• Locally known as Akhuipuina, the bird arrives mainly in Manipur and Nagaland.
• They breed in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China and migrate long distances in large flocks to winter in Southern and East Africa.
• The one-way journey via India is about 20,000 km long and the birds do this twice a year.
• Conservation efforts:
• It is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and included under its Schedule IV.
• Hunting of the birds or possessing its meat is punishable with imprisonment up to three years or a fine upto 25,000 or with bonds.
• In 2018, the forest department started a conservation programme by radio-tagging the birds to study their migratory route.
• IUCN: Least Concern.
• Threats: Illegal trapping and killing during migration,habitat loss from agricultural practices and land reclamation.

Hence both statements are correct.

As per a new study, population swings in eastern North Pacific grey whales — some of which have resulted in recent mass mortality events — are driven by changing prey biomass and ice cover in the Arctic.

• Gray whales have a hump and a ridge of sharp bumps along their backs, instead of a dorsal fin.
• They are a type of baleen whale, which means they filter food from the water through special bristly structures in their mouths.
• They stay close to shore and feed in shallow water.
• They are found mainly in shallow coastal waters in the North Pacific Ocean, although during migration, they do sometimes cross deep waters far from shore.
• There are two geographic distributions of gray whales in the North Pacific:
• The eastern North Pacific stock or DPS, found along the west coast of North America.
• The western North Pacific stock or DPS, primarily found along the coast of eastern Asia.
• Migration journey
• They are well-known for migrations that take them between feeding and breeding areas, swimming as much as 12,000 miles round trip.
• Western gray whales migrate into their summer feeding grounds near Sahkalin Island, Russia in late May or early June and return to their winter feeding grounds in the South China Sea in late autumn.
•  Summer feeding grounds for the eastern population lie in the Bering andChukchi Seas between Alaska and Russia.
• In the winter, these eastern gray whales migrate south along the west coast of the US to Mexico to breed and have their calves.
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Western Grey whale (Critically endangered) and Eastern Grey whale (Least concern).

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, INS Sagardhwani, an oceanographic research vessel embarked on a two-month long Sagar Maitri (SM) Mission-4 from South Jetty, Southern Naval Command (SNC), Kochi.

About INS Sagardhwani:

• It is a marine acoustic research ship designed and developed by Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO, Kochi and constructed indigenously by GRSE Ltd.
• It was launched in July 1994.
• The NPOL is involved in studying the ocean environment and other related fields.
• The vessel has been engaging in extensive oceanic observing missions and research for the last 25 years.

What is Sagar Maitri?

• It is a novel initiative of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It supports the broad objective of India’s policy declaration ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’ to promote closer cooperation in socio-economic aspects as well as more significant scientific interaction, especially in ocean research among Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries.
• Under the aegis of this policy, DRDO initiated a scientific component named ‘MAITRI (Marine and Allied Interdisciplinary Training and Research Initiative)’, which focuses on establishing long-term collaboration with IOR countries in the field of ‘Ocean Research and Development’.
• The missions aim to establish long-term scientific partnerships and collaborations with Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Myanmar — the eight IOR countries.
• The current mission (SM-4) plan includes scientific deployments onboard INS Sagardhwani in the Northern Arabian Sea and initiating collaborative research programmes with the Department of Marine Sciences & Fisheries at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
• These missions give the scientists an opportunity to cooperate and build strong working relationships with their IOR counterparts studying the oceans.

Hence both statements are not correct.