Daily Current Affairs MCQ - December 24, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

• Pralay' is India's first conventional quasi-ballistic missile and is an answer to any conventional missile attack from northern or western borders.
  • A quasi-ballistic missile has a low trajectory, and while it is largely ballistic, it can manoeuvre in flight. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The missile has a range of 150-500 kilometres and can be launched from a mobile launcher.
  • Pralay will be the longest-range surface-to-surface missile in the inventory of the Army.
• It is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor and many new technologies. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• The missile guidance system includes a state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.

• Recently, the Minister of State for Education, released the Hindi translation of Tolk?ppiyam and the Kannada translations of 9 books of Classical Tamil literature.
• Tamil literature goes back to the Sangam Era, named after the assembly (sangam) of poets.
• The period roughly between the 3^rd century B.C. and 3^rd century A.D. in South India (the area lying to the south of river Krishna and Tungabhadra) is known as Sangam Period.
  • It has been named after the Sangam academies held during that period that flourished under the royal patronage of the Pandya kings of Madurai. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• The Sangam literature includes Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics named – Silappathikaram and Manimegalai .
  • Tolkappiyam was authored by Tolkappiyar and is considered the earliest of Tamil literary work.
    • Though it is a work on Tamil grammar, it also provides insights on the political and socio-economic conditions of the time. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
    • It is a unique work on grammar and poetics, in its three parts of nine sections each, deals with Ezhuttu(letter), Col (word) and Porul (subject matter).
    • Almost all levels of the human language from the spoken to the most poetic lie within the purview of Tolkappiyar’s analysis as he treats in exquisitely poetic and epigrammatic statements on phonology, morphology, syntax, rhetoric, prosody and poetics.

The security of the Offshore Development Area (ODA) in Krishna Godavari Basin on the East Coast of India was reviewed during exercise “Prasthan” conducted from 21 December to 22 December 21.

• The biannual exercise was coordinated and controlled by NOIC (APD) from Joint Operations Centre (JOC) Vizag under the aegis of Indian Navy.
• Objective was to assess overall security architecture to provide support during an emergent situation at ODA and for the Oil Operators to validate their Standard Operating Procedures laid out for various contingencies related to ODA.
• Indian Naval Ships Kamorta, Tarmugli along with ISVs, T 36, T 38, T 39 and ICG ship Kanaklata Barua participated in the exercise along with MARCOS from INS Karna and naval helicopters from INS Dega.
• Oil Operators namely ONGC Ltd, Reliance Ltd & Vedanta Ltd, Coastal Police, Department of Port and Department of Fisheries also participated.
• Hence both statements are correct.

In the Sirnapalli forest in Telangana’s Nizamabad, an international forest forensic investigator, had a chance encounter with the rarely found species of Albino Indian Flapshell turtle.

• The Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia.
• The "flap-shelled" name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron. These flaps of skin cover the limbs when they retract into the shell.
• Its IUCN status is Vulnerable.
• These freshwater turtles are widespread across South Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. And while typical Indian flapshell turtles are dark green and brown, the example found recently has a decidedly more vibrant appearance.
• There were only two instances earlier of having ‘recorded’ the presence of albino version of this specie across India— once in Odisha and then in West Bengal.
• The Indian flapshell turtle's albino appearance is due to genetics. It is a congenital disorder and it is characterized by complete or partial absence of tyrosine pigment.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted maiden flight test of indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on December 22, 2021.

• The Missile is powered with solid propellant rocket motor and many new technologies.
• The missile has a range of 150-500 kilometre and can be launched from a mobile launcher.
• The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Union Minister for Agriculture released the book ‘Spices Statistics at a Glance 2021’on 21st December, 2021.

• The book is published by the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the nodal agency for collection and compilation of area and production estimates of spices at National level.
• The book highlights the growth achieved in spices sector during the last seven years from 2014-15 to 2020-21 in the country.
• Spices production in the Country grew from 67.64 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 106.79 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 with an annual growth rate 7.9%, following an increase in area from 32.24 lakh hectare to 45.28 lakh hectare.
• Among the major spices, Cumin (14.8%), Garlic (14.7%), Ginger (7.5%), Fennel (6.8%), Coriander (6.2%), fenugreek (5.8%), Red chilli (4.2%) and Turmeric (1.3 %), show significant growth rate in production.
• Spices export grew from 8.94 lakh tonnes worth Rs 14900 crores to 16 lakh tonnes valued at Rs 29535 crores (US$ 3.98 billion) during the above period, logging an annual growth rate of 9.8% in terms of volume and 10.5% in terms of value.
• The export of spices contributes 41% of the total export earnings from all horticulture crops in the country and it ranks fourth among agricultural commodities, falling behind only the marine products, non-basmati rice and basmati rice.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Red Fort was built during the reign of Shah Jahan in the mid-seventeenth century.

The Red Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the Red Fort Complex.

Bahadur Shah Zafar or Bahadur Shah II was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor of India. The last Mughal emperor to occupy the fort, Bahadur Shah II, became a symbol of the 1857 rebellion against the British East India Company.

When the Office of the Economic Adviser in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) released the data last week, it declared that the wholesale inflation rate had zoomed to 14.23% in November. In other words, wholesale prices in November this year were 14.23% higher than wholesale prices in November last year.

November is the 8th straight month when wholesale inflation has grown by double digits.

Department of Economic Affairs within the Finance Ministry detailed the inflation situation in the country in its “Monthly Economic Review”.

The RBI, which is India’s central bank charged with the mandate to maintain stable prices in the country, also chooses to “target” retail inflation instead of wholesale inflation.

Cooperatives are a state subject, but there are many societies such as those for sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc whose members and areas of operation are spread across more than one state.

The Ministry of Co-operation is a ministry under the Government of India which was formed in July 2021. The ministry provides a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country. 

The ceiling for determining EWS (Rs 8 lakh) is the same as the limit for determining the other backward classes (OBC) “creamy layer” for reservation for the children of people outside of government.

Under the 2019 notification, persons who are not covered under the scheme of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, and whose family has gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh, are to be identified as EWSs for benefit of reservation. 

EWS reservation was granted based on the recommendations of a commission headed by Major General (retd) S R Sinho. The Sinho Commission recommended that all below poverty line (BPL) families within the general category as notified from time to time, and also all families whose annual family income from all sources is below the taxable limit, should be identified as EBCs (economically backward classes).