Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 24, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Recently Union Minister said, Samudrayaan Mission is aimed at sending three personnel to 6000-meter depth in a vehicle called ‘MATSYA 6000’

• Samudrayaan is India’s unique mission which is planning to send men into the Deep Ocean for the exploration of deep-sea resources like minerals.
• It will send three personnel in a manned submersible vehicle into 6000-meter depth in a vehicle called ‘MATSYA 6000’.
• This vehicle is being designed and developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• It has an endurance of 12 hours under normal operation and 96 hours in case of emergency for human safety. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Centre stated that under SAMARTH scheme, more than 13,235 artisans have been trained in the last three years.

Government of India launched the “Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)” which is called SAMARTH, for the entire value chain of textiles except Spinning and Weaving in the organized sector, for a period of three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20. 

Objectives

• To provide demand-driven, placement-oriented National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) compliant skilling programmes to incentivize and supplement the efforts of the industry in creating jobs in the organized textile and related sectors, covering the entire value chain of textile, excluding Spinning and Weaving.
• To promote skilling and skill upgradation in the traditional sectors of handlooms, handicrafts, sericulture and jute.
• To enable the provision of sustainable livelihood either by wage or self-employment to all sections of the society across the country.

The skilling programmes would be implemented through the following Implementing Agencies:

• Textile Industry.
• Institutions/Organizations of the Ministry of Textiles/State Governments having training infrastructure and placement tie-ups with the textile industry.
• Reputed training institutions/ NGOs/ Societies/ Trusts/ Organizations/ Companies /Start-Ups / Entrepreneurs active in the textile sector having placement tie-ups with the textile industry.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Almost two weeks since his capture and relocation to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), the elephant, PM2, is acclimatising to his new habitat and has exhibited key behavioural changes

Where is the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve located?

• It is located in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu.
• It is at the tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and it plays an unique role by forming part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve.
• Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve is the first Biosphere Reserve in India, declared during 1986.
• It has a common boundary with Wyanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) on the West, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on the North, and the Nilgiris North Division on the South and East and Gudalur Forest Division on the South West, together forming a large conservation landscape for flagship species such as Tiger and Asian Elephant.
• The name Mudumalai means ” the ancient hill range”. Indeed, it is as old as 65 million years when Western Ghats were formed.

What are the important Flora And Fauna Present?

• The Reserve has tall grasses, commonly referred to as “Elephant Grass”, Bamboo of the giant variety, valuable timber species like Teak, Rosewood, etc.
• There are several species of endemic flora. Such a varied habitat is inhabited by a variety of animals which include Tiger, Elephant, Indian Gaur, Panther, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Common Langur, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Wild Dog, Mangoose, Jungle Cat, Hyena, among others.

Hence both statements are correct.

Kerala Chief Minister recently assured people living on the extremities of protected forests spread across 115 densely populated panchayats in the State that they would not lose their land or livelihood to the Supreme Court-suggested one-kilometre buffer zone around ecologically sensitive localities (ESZ).

About Eco-Sensitive Zones:

• As per the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016), issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, land within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries is to be notified as eco-fragile zones or Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ).
• While the 10-km rule is implemented as a general principle, the extent of its application can vary.
• Areas beyond 10-km can also be notified by the Union government as ESZs, if they hold larger ecologically important “sensitive corridors”.

Why are Eco-Sensitive Zones created?

• According to the guidelines issued by the Environment Ministry in 2011, Eco-Sensitive Zones are created as “shock absorbers” for the protected areas, to minimize the negative impact on the “fragile ecosystems” by certain human activities taking place nearby.
• These areas are meant to act as a transition zone from areas requiring higher protection to those requiring lesser protection.
• They are not meant to hamper the daily activities of people living in the vicinity, but are meant to guard the protected areas and “refine the environment around them”.

What are activities prohibited in an Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ)?

• Commercial mining, saw mills, commercial use of wood, etc., apart from regulated activities like felling of trees.

What are the permitted activities?

• Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, among others.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Recently under the G20, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is organizing the Urban 20 event in Ahmedabad.

What is The Urban 20 (U20) Summit?

• It is a city diplomacy initiative launched on December 12, 2017, at the One Planet Summit in Paris.
• Urban-20 (U20) provides a platform for cities from G20 countries to facilitate discussions on various important issues of urban development including climate change, social inclusion, sustainable mobility, and affordable housing, and propose collective solutions.
• C40 Cities (C40) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) convene the U20 under the leadership of a Chair city that rotates annually, based in the G20 host country.
• The U20 2023 Cycle will be chaired by the City of Ahmedabad.
  • Ahmedabad will showcase its unique urban development and climate change initiatives and rich culture and heritage to the participants.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Central government has recently written to all States and Union Territories to create awareness of the prevention of cervical cancer and the importance of the HPV vaccine among girl students across the country.

• Cervical cancer starts in the cells of the cervix. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb).
• Various strains of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) play a role in causing most cervical cancer that is transmitted through sexual contact.
• When exposed to HPV, the body's immune system typically prevents the virus from harming.
• In a small percentage of people the virus survives for years, contributing to the process that causes some cervical cells to become cancer cells.

Types of HPV Vaccines available

• Quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil): It protects against four types of HPV (HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11). The latter two strains cause genital warts.
• Bivalent vaccine (Cervarix): It protects against HPV 16 and 18 only.
• Non-valent vaccine (Gardasil 9): It protects against nine strains of HPV.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) headquarters in New Delhi has won the prestigious GRIHA Exemplary Performance Award 2022.

• UIDAI believes in and promotes the idea of recycling and reusing to reduce carbon footprint. It has been harnessing solar power to meet a portion of its energy consumption.
• It is recycling and reuses water and has been adhering to sustainable waste management practices.

What is GRIHA?

• It is the national rating system of India for any completed building construction.
• It was jointly set up by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Objective: To help design green buildings and help evaluate the 'greenness' of the buildings.

Parameters used in Rating:

• Site selection and planning
• Conservation and efficient utilization of resources
• Building operation and maintenance
• Innovation points

Hence both the statements are correct.

Recently, John Hopkins University scientists built a soft robot named Gelbots.

• Gelbots are made out of gelatin, capable of moving without requiring an extra power source because of the way their shape, dimensions and patterning of gel are designed and are reportedly a significant advance in the world of soft robotics.
• They are created by 3D printing and would be easy for mass production.

What is the Principle? The gels swell or shrink in response to temperature. This property can be strategically manipulated to move robots forward and backwards on flat surfaces or to have them crawl in certain directions with an undulating, wave-like motion.

Hence both the statements correct.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry will organise a one of its kind musical event, Dance to Decarbonise, National Stadium in New Delhi on December 23, 2022.

• The renewable energy generated through dance will be used to charge electric vehicles.
• The event aims at showcasing India’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 weighing against the country's growing economy, rising energy requirements, and the implementation of responsible energy sources over transformational energy systems for the future.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) has recently constituted a committee to formulate an expert opinion on the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s draft guidelines for faculty training on Indian knowledge system (IKS).

• Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is an innovative cell under Ministry of Education (MoE) at AICTE, New Delhi.
• It is established to promote interdisciplinary research on all aspects of IKS, preserve and disseminate IKS for further research and societal applications.
• It will actively engage for spreading the rich heritage of our country and traditional knowledge in the field of Arts and literature, Agriculture, Basic Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Architecture, Management, Economics, etc. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.