Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 22, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, a Namdapha flying squirrel has resurfaced in Arunachal Pradesh after going missing for 42 years.

• It is an arboreal, nocturnal flying squirrel endemic to Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is one of the 43 known flying squirrel species in the world.
• It was named the Namdapha Flying Squirrel after the location it was discovered in an area which falls under the Namdapha National Park.
• Appearance: It has reddish, grizzled fur with white above.
• These squirrels are not capable of flight like birds or bats; instead, they glide between trees.
• Distribution: They inhabit tall Mesua ferrea jungles, often on hill slopes in the catchment area of the Dihing River (particularly on the western slope of the Patkai range) in northeastern India.
• They are herbivores (frugivores, granivores). They eat various fruits, nuts, seeds, fungi, flowers, and tree sap.
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: schedule II

Hence both statements are correct.

The Union Home Ministry has approved the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the Parliament complex, according to a government order.

• It was established after the recommendation of the Justice Mukherjee Commission.
• It was set up by an Act of Parliament on March 10, 1969.
• It is one of seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs — the other six being the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Sashastra Seema Bal, the Assam Rifles, the National Security Guard, and the Central Reserve Police Force.
• It is headed by an Indian Police Service officer with the rank of Director-General. 
• Mandate
• Initially, its remit was restricted to protecting government-owned industries, but this was expanded to include joint-ventures and private undertakings in 2009.
• It also provides consultancy services to the private sector.
• The force is deployed in over 350 locations across the country, in diversified areas such as atomic energy and space installations, sea-ports, steel plants, coal fields, hydro-electric and thermal power plants, defence production units, fertiliser and chemical industries, RBI’s note-printing mints, heritage monuments such as the Taj.
• It has the largest percentage of women in its force, in comparison to all other CAPFs.
• Presently, CISF is also providing security to the protected persons classified as Z Plus, Z, X, Y.

Hence none of the statements is correct.

Experts from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD) are planning to establish feeding stations for birds at the Ennore creek.

• It is a backwater located in Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu.
• It is an arm of the Kosathalaiyar River.
• The Creek meets the Bay of Bengal at Mugathwara Kuppam, while the northern channel of the creek connects to the Pulicat Lake, the second largest brackish water lake in the country.
• For decades, this creek sustained the livelihoods of the residents in the surrounding villages and has been demarcated as CRZ IV (Water Body) in the coastal zone management plan by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority. 
• The Ennore Creek, along with the Buckingham Canal and the rest of the Pulicat water system has vast importance for the local fisher folk.
• It nurtures a healthy acquatic ecosystem which was once famous for its rich biodiversity.
•  This ecologically sensitive ecosystem was home to large swamps of mangroves that not only ensured a sustainable regeneration of fish resources, but also help mitigate flooding in times of strong rainfall, high tides and cyclones.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, a three-member committee appointed by the principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) inspected the Kuruchikuppam drain and beach to analyse the cause behind the recent phenomenon of red tide in Puducherry.

• It is a common term used for a harmful algal bloom.
• Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—plant-like organisms that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control.
• The name “red tide” comes from the fact that overgrowth of algae can cause the color of the water to turn red.
• Why it occurs?
• Chemicals from farming, factories, sewage treatment plants and other sources can become dissolved in water on the land.
• This water, called runoff, eventually flows into the ocean and can cause algae to grow faster, leading to red tides.
• Impacts
• Some of the algae that cause a red tide produce powerful toxins, which are harmful chemicals that can kill fish, shellfish, mammals and birds.
• If people eat fish or shellfish that have been in the water with toxic algae, they will also ingest the toxins, which can make them sick.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment informed the Rajya Sabha about the PM-AJAY scheme.

• Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM- AJAY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• It is a merged scheme of three Centrally Sponsored Schemes, namely Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY).
• Objectives
• The main objective of the scheme is to increase the income of the target population by way of various income generating schemes, skill development and infrastructure development.
• To reduce the poverty among the target population and bring them above the poverty lines.
• Eligibility Criteria
• The Scheduled Castes persons living below the poverty lines are eligible for getting benefits under this scheme.
• In case of Infrastructure Development, the villages having 50% or more SC population are eligible for grants under the Scheme.
• It is being implemented since 2021-22 as three components, which are as under:
• Development of SC dominated villages into an ‘Adarsh Gram’ component
• Grants-in-aid for District/State-level Projects for socio-economic betterment of SCs’ component
• Construction of Hostels in Higher Educational Institutions’ component.

Hence both statements are correct.

Two venomous marine organisms, Blue sea dragon and Blue Button, usually found in deep sea were recently spotted at Chennai’s shoreline by beachgoers.

About Blue Sea Dragon:

• Also known as the blue angel and blue sea slug, the Blue Sea Dragon is a unique underwater creature that has the ability to camouflage.
• Scientific Name: Glaucus atlanticus
• It is a sea slug, a class of marine organisms that are shell-less mollusks with a wide range of colours and shapes. 
• Distribution: Mostly found throughout the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in tropical and subtropical waters.
• Often spotted in deep oceans, Blue Sea Dragons would go in groups, which gave them the name 'Blue Fleets'.
• It would store venom that it consumes from other creatures to inject venom on the foreign bodies they come into contact. But the venom isn’t lethal.

About Blue Button:

• Blue Buttons, resembling button-like shapes, are not singular organisms but colonies of small predators called hydroids.
• These colonies float “passively” along the ocean, “performing specialised roles– stinging and preying, defending the colony from predators, and producing more of their kind.
• Scientific Name: Porpita porpita
• They are often confused with jellyfish.
• Distribution: Found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
• Blue Button has a blue float made of a flat, circular disc with many gas-filled tubes that keep it afloat. The disc is surrounded by tiny blue tentacles.
• They have a ‘man of war’ mechanism, which means that they use the tentacles like body parts to sting any foreign body that comes into contact to defend themselves.
• Their venom isn’t lethal.
• Adults are brown in colour.

Hence both statements are correct.

Assam Forest Department officials recently intercepted a smuggling attempt involving over 500 'Channa Barca' fish valued at Rs 4.5 crore at Dibrugarh airport.

About Channa Barca:

• Channa Barca, also known as the Barca Snakehead, is a primitive predatory fish and member of the family Channidae.
• “Pipli Cheng” or “Cheng Garaka” is the local name for Channa Barca.
• Distribution:
• It is endemic to the upper Brahmaputra river basin in northeastern India and Bangladesh.
• In India, it is restricted to the states of Assam and Nagaland in northeastern India but is scarce and never collected in numbers.
• Habitat:
• It inhabits vertical burrows around the margins of wetlands, which typically become dry during the winter months.
• The fish use them as refuges during the dry winter months, emerging to hunt and breed while the habitat is flooded.
• Since it is a rare, ornamental fish, it is in high demand in the international market and is susceptible to illegal trade. 
• Features:
• Channa have an elongated body and are distinguished by their long dorsal fins and large mouths full of teeth.
• It often has changing patterns and colors as it grows. 
• The maximum size of the fish is 80-90 cm.
• They earn their common name Snakehead because of their flattened shape and the scales on their heads that are reminiscent of the large epidermal scales on snakes.
• Channa has gills to breathe water like most other fish. However, sub adults and adults can also breathe air to supplement their demand for oxygen. 
• Conservation Status: Overall, it has been assessed as data deficient by the IUCN, and in 2014, it was assessed by the IUCN as critically endangered due to habitat loss.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Ministry of Textiles recently launched the “Paat-Mitro” mobile application to provide important information about MSP and agronomy to jute farmers

About Paat Mitro:

• It is a mobile application developed by the Jute Corporation of India Limited (JCI).
• Purpose: To provide important information about Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and agronomy to jute farmers.
• Features:
• It is available in six languages.
• All the functionalities are made available to the users free of cost.
• In addition to the latest agronomic practices and MSP, Jute Gradation Parameters, Farmer-centric schemes like ‘Jute-ICARE’, weather forecasts, JCI’s Purchase Centers’ locations, and Procurement Policies are also made available in the app.
• Farmers will also be able to track the status of their payments for the raw jute sold to JCI under MSP Operation.
• Latest technology feature like Chatbot is included for their queries.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The President of India inaugurated various tourist attractions at Rashtrapati Nilayam recently. 

About Rashtrapati Nilayam:

• Rashtrapati Nilayam (literally the "President's House"), originally known as Residency House, is the official retreat of the President of India. 
• It is located in Secunderabad Cantonment in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• It is one of the Presidential retreats in India and the only one present in Southern India.
• History:
• Residency House was constructed in 1860 as the country house of the British Resident.
• It also served as a place of refuge, given its secure location, amid several battles. 
• After Hyderabad’s annexation in 1948, it became the President's retreat and used as the Southern Sojourn of the President of India.
• It has a total land area of 90 acres.
• A single-storey building, it contains on its premises 11 rooms. It also has a Dining Hall, Cinema Hall, Darbar Hall, Morning room, Dining room, etc. 
• The President stays at the residence at least once a year and conducts official business.
• It was also used as a guest house for visiting dignitaries.

President’s Retreats:

• While the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi is the official residence of the President, there are two retreats for the head of state in India.
• Rashtrapati Nilayam is one, and the other is Rashtrapati Niwas at Mashobra in Shimla.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2022 was jointly awarded to the Indian Medical Association and the Trained Nurses Association of India as representatives of the COVID-19 warriors in the country.

• The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in the memory of the former prime minister by a trust in her name in 1986.
• It consists of a monetary award of 25 lakh rupees along with a citation.
• The award is given to individuals or organisations who work towards ensuring international peace and development, ensuring that scientific discoveries are used to further the scope of freedom and better humanity, and creating new international economic order.
• Past recipients of this award include:
• Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of Soviet Union (1987);
• UNICEF (1989)
• Jimmy Carter, former president of the US (1997)
• UN and its secretary-general Kofi Annan (2003)
• Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany (2013)
• Indian Space Research Organisation (2014)
• Former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh (2017)
• Sir David Attenborough (2019)
• Pratham NGO (2021)

Hence only statement 1 is correct.