Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 1, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The campus of Mangalore University is home to three species that are listed as near-threatened on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to a nine-year study on the avifaunal variety of the area (IUCN).

• It is a large wader bird with a white body and bare black head and neck. Males and females look similar and both have greyish tail feathers. 
• These are called wader birds due to their adaptability to a wide variety of aquatic environments.
• They are found primarily around wetlands including agricultural fields and occasionally around coastal areas.
• It is found in South- and Southeast Asia from India to the west and as far east as Japan.
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972:Schedule-IV

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently a partial albino dhole (Cuon alpinus) has been photo-documented in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

• It is extended over three districts, namely, Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Ramanagara in Karnataka.
• The sanctuary provides a vital link between Bannerghatta National Park in the north and BRT Tiger Reserve and Male Mahadev Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in the south.
• The area is drained by three rivers, namely, Cauvery, Arkavathi and Shimsha.
• Flora: The forest is primarily of dry deciduous and scrub types, but a wide range of forest types including moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen, shola, riverine, Hardwicke forest, etc.
• Fauna: Important animals found in the sanctuary are tigers, elephants, leopards, bison, wild dog etc.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

During the recent Asian Water Bird Census (AWC) 2023, more than 340 birds of various species, were counted in the water bodies within the core area of the Kawal Tiger Reserve.

• Kawal Tiger Reserve is located in North Eastern part of Telangana (Old Adilabad district) having the Godavari river on one side and the Maharashtra border on the other side.
• Government of India declared Kawal wildlife sanctuary as Tiger Reserve in 2012.
• This sanctuary is the catchment for the rivers Godavari and Kadam, which flow towards the south of the sanctuary.
• It is a central Indian Tiger Landscape having – a southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest.
• Flora: It consists of predominantly teak and bamboo are found here.
• Fauna: Mammal species that have been sighted include tiger, leopard, Indian gaur, cheetal, sambar, nilgai etc.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, The scientific community has named a new genus of wasp after the Soliga community.

• Soligas are an indigenous tribe of Karnataka, inhabiting the peripheral forest areas near Biligiri Rangana Hills and Male Mahadeshwara in the Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka.
• The Soligas were dependent on hunting and shifting agriculture traditionally. 
• They are the first tribal community living inside the core area of a tiger reserve in India to get their forest rights officially recognised by a court of law.

Key facts about the Biligiri Rangan Hills

• It is located northwest of the Western Ghats and on the westernmost edge of the Eastern Ghats.
• The unique geographical positioning and diversity of habitats make BRT one of the richest areas for biodiversity in India.
• The Kapila and Cauvery Rivers flow through these hills. 

Hence both statements are correct.

An international team of scientists recently made a breakthrough in retaining the quantum coherence of quantum dot spin qubits.

What is a qubit?

• A qubit (or quantum bit) is the quantum mechanical analogue of a classical bit.
• A classical binary bit can only represent a single binary value, such as 0 or 1.
• A qubit, however, can represent a 0, a 1, or any proportion of 0 and 1 in superposition of both states.
• In quantum computing the information is encoded in qubits.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Scientists at NASA have recently detected the first gamma-ray eclipses from a "spider" star system.

About Spider Star System:

• It is a binary star system in which a superdense star (pulsar) spins quickly, eats another star.
• The super-dense object that begins to pull a matter from the companion resembles the habits of spiders of the genus Latrodectus, in which the female eats the male after mating, hence the name came.
• Initially, the dense pulsar strips material from the outer atmosphere of its companion, periodically shedding the gathered material in violent explosions.
• In the later stage of their lifetimes, the energetic particles streaming out of the pulsar can strip the atmosphere of its companion.
• In either case, the pulsar slowly erodes its companion over time. 

What is a Binary star system?

• A binary system is one in which two stars orbit around a common centre of mass, that is they are gravitationally bound to each other.

Hence both statements are correct.

Prime Minister urged the citizens of the country to read about the lives and stories of people who have been conferred with the prestigious 'Padma' Awards during his first 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme of 2023.

Key facts about Padma Awards:

• The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. 
• The award seeks to recognize works of distinction and is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements/service in all fields of activities/disciplines. 
• Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1954
• The award is given in three categories, namely,
• Padma Vibhushan: for exceptional and distinguished service;
• Padma Bhushan: for distinguished service of a high order; and
• Padma Shri: for distinguished service.
• Award: The awardees are presented a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion.
• Eligibility:
• All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards.
• Government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these Awards.
• The award is normally not conferred posthumously. However, in highly deserving cases, the Government could consider giving an award posthumously.
• The award does not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardees’ name.

Hence both statements are correct.

Ministry of Education recently released All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021

About All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE):

• It is conducted by the Ministry of Education since 2011.
• Coverage: It covers all higher educational institutions located in Indian Territory and imparting higher education in the country.
• Objectives:
• To identify and capture all the institutions of higher learning in the country.
• Collect the data from all the higher education institutions on various aspects of higher education.
• The survey collects detailed information on different parameters such as student enrollment, teacher’s data, infrastructural information, financial information etc.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The black-necked stork was recorded for the second consecutive year in Porbandar’s Bardasagar reservoir.

About Black-necked stork:

• The black-necked stork is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. 
• Scientific name: Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
• Distribution: It is distributed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia.
• Habitat: They inhabits wetlands, such as floodplains of rivers with large shallow swamps and pools, and deeper permanent bodies of water.
• Features:
• They are large birds, measuring 110 to 140 cm in length and weighing 4,000 grams.
• Their wingspan is 190 to 220 cm. 
• The male and female birds look alike but female is distinguished by its yellow eye.
• IUCN status: “Near Threatened”

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Nodal Centre for Biological Invasions (NCBI) at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has come out with a management plan to eradicate Senna spectabilis.

• It is nestled in the southern region of Western Ghats in the state of Kerala.
• It is drained by the rivers Mullayar and Periyar.
• Flora: tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and grasslands.
• Fauna: Tiger, Elephant, Lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri Tahr etc.

Hence both statements are correct.