Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 15, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Assam government declared the GI-tagged ‘Kaji Nemu’ (Citrus Limon) as the State Fruit.

• It is elongated and oblong compared to other lemon varieties.
• It is popular for its unique aroma and health benefits. It has been traditionally associated with the Assamese cuisines.
• The fruit had been exported to several countries, including to the Middle East..
• With its unique aroma and antioxidant properties, the Assam lemon enriched the local cuisines.
• The oval-shaped Kaji Nemu is a lot juicier than other lemon varieties. Kaji Nemu is majorly used in culinary and commercial purposes, and it is extensively used for its medicinal properties.
• Cultivation: It is grown in almost all the districts of the state, is available throughout the year.
• The fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients, boosting health
• Assam has as many as 16 species and 52 varieties hybrids of citrus.
• Kaji Nemu’ (Citrus Limon) bears GI Geography Indication tag in 2019, is linked to Assamese food.

Hence both statements are correct.

Micellar water, a product found in supermarkets, chemists and bathroom cabinets around the world, is a very effective cleanser and many people swear by it as part of their skincare routine.

• Micellar water products contain something called micelles – clusters of molecules that are very effective at removing oily substances. 
• The micelles in micellar water are formed by special molecules known as surfactants.
• These micelles have a hydrophilic exterior, meaning that they are very happy to remain mixed throughout water.
• It is a commonly used skin care product that helps remove impurities and makeup from your skin.
• It’s a very gentle solution that contains a very mild detergent.
• Working
• When you apply some micellar water to a cotton pad, another convenient interaction occurs.
• The wet cotton is hydrophilic (loves water). Consequently, some of the micelles will unravel, with the hydrophilic heads being attracted to the wet cotton pad.
• Now, sticking out from the surface will be a layer of hydrophobic tail groups.
• These hydrophobic tails cannot wait to attract themselves to makeup, sunscreen, oils, dirt, grease and other contaminants on your face.
• As you sweep the cotton pad across your skin, these contaminants bind to the hydrophobic tails and are removed from the skin.
• Some contaminants will also find themselves encapsulated in the hydrophobic centres of the micelle.
• Either way, a cleaner surface is left behind.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Ministry of Heavy Industries successfully convened a pre-bid meeting in New Delhi, laying the foundation for the second round underthe Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC) for cumulative 10 GWh PLI ACC capacity. 

• These are the new generation technologies that can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.

Key facts about PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells

• The scheme is called National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage.
• The Indian government aims to promote the manufacturing of technology-agnostic ACCs within the country, aligning with its commitment to fostering innovation and self-reliance in the renewable energy sector.
• The scheme envisages setting up of a cumulative ACC manufacturing capacity of fifty (50) GWh for ACCs and an additional cumulative capacity of (5) GWh for Niche ACC Technologies.
• The manufacturing facility as proposed by the beneficiary firm would have to be commissioned within a period of 2 years.
• The subsidy will be disbursed thereafter over a period of 5 years.
• The beneficiary has to ensure achieving a domestic value addition of at-least 25% and incur the mandatory investment (₹ 225 crore /GWh) within 2 Years (at the Mother Unit Level) and raise it to 60% domestic value addition within 5 Years, either at Mother Unit, in-case of an Integrated Unit, or at the Project Level, in-case of “Hub & Spoke” structure.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Heavy Industries

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, Reality tech firm unveils digital twin of Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah’s tomb in Hyderabad.

• It is one the grandest monuments in the Qutb Shah’s tombs complex at the foothill of Golconda, Hyderabad.
• The majestic tomb built in 1602, is one of the largest tombs at the Qutb Shahi heritage park complex reaching to a total height of 60 m.

Who is Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah?

• He was the fifth king of the Qutb Shahi dynasty laid the foundation of Hyderabad. 
• Shah who wrote in Persian, Telugu, and Deccani—a variant of Urdu--is justifiably the first poet in Deccani Urdu with at least fifty thousand shers to his credit.
• He wrote on a variety of issues concerning communal life and the sentiments of the common man, their festivals and faiths, love and the pleasures of union, in a frank and disarming manner. 
• A contemporary of Tulsidas, he blended the best traditions of the two streams of thought and life to impart a new halo to his poetry.  

Hence both statements are correct.

Recent findings from data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveal the presence of a vast ocean beneath the icy surface of Saturn's moon Mimas.

About Cassini Spacecraft:

• Cassini-Huygens was a joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA)/Italian Space Agency (ASI) space mission to Saturn.
• It was launched on October 15, 1997. 
• The mission consisted of NASA’s Cassini orbiter, which was the first space probe to orbit Saturn, and the ESA’s Huygens probe, which landed on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
• Spacecraft:
• It was one of the largest interplanetary spacecraft.
• The Cassini orbiter weighed 2,125 kg (4,685 pounds) and was 6.7 metres (22 feet) long and 4 metres (13 feet) wide.
• The instruments on board Cassini included radar to map the cloud-covered surface of Titan and a magnetometer to study Saturn’s magnetic field. 
• The disk-shaped Huygens probe was mounted on the side of Cassini. It weighed 349 kg (769 pounds), was 2.7 metres (8.9 feet) across, and carried six instruments designed to study the atmosphere and surface of Titan.
• Highlights:
• It orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, circling the planet 294 times and teaching us almost everything we know about Saturn.
• It measured the structure of Saturn’s atmosphere and rings, as well as how they interact with the planet’s moons.
• It also discovered six named moons and revealed Enceladus and Titan as promising locations to search for extraterrestrial life.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

The Supreme Court recently decided to examine a plea on whether a divorced Muslim woman can seek maintenance under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 

About Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC):

• It deals with the maintenance of wives, children, and parents.
• It is a legal provision that allows certain categories of individuals to claim financial support from their spouses or children, as the case may be, in the event they are unable to maintain themselves.
• Who Can Claim Maintenance?
• Wife: A wife who is unable to maintain herself can claim maintenance from her husband. The wife is entitled to maintenance if she is unable to support herself. The word "wife" refers to a woman who has been divorced or sought divorce from her spouse and has not remarried.
• Children:  Children, whether legitimate or illegitimate, who are unable to maintain themselves and are below a certain age or mentally/physically disabled can claim maintenance from their parents.
• Parents: Under this, both father and mother are entitled to be maintained equally by son and daughter, but the court must be satisfied that the daughter has the means to support herself. Parents also include “Adoptive father” and “Adoptive mother.”
• To successfully claim maintenance under Section 125 CrPC, certain conditions must be met:
• Neglect or Refusal: The person seeking maintenance must demonstrate that the respondent (the person from whom maintenance is sought) has neglected or refused to provide financial support.
• Dependency: The claimant must establish their inability to maintain themselves and their dependency on the respondent for financial assistance.
• Sufficient Means: The person from whom maintenance is claimed must have sufficient means to maintain the person claiming.
• Quantum of Maintenance: The court will determine the amount of maintenance based on various factors like the income and financial capacity of the person liable to pay, the needs of the claimant, and other relevant circumstances. The objective is to ensure that the claimant gets a reasonable and fair amount for their maintenance.
• Duration: Maintenance can be awarded on a monthly basis, and the court can specify a duration for which it should be paid. It can be a temporary or permanent arrangement, depending on the circumstances.
• Enforcement: If the person ordered to pay maintenance does not comply with the court's order, the person seeking maintenance can file an application for the enforcement of the order. The defaulter may face legal consequences for non-compliance.
• The wife is not entitled to receive an allowance from her husband in three cases,
  • if she is living in adultery
  • if she refuses to live with her husband and without any sufficient cause
  • if they are living separately by mutual consent

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India launched “Science for Women-A Technology & Innovation (SWATI)” Portal.

• It is aimed at creating a single online portal representing Indian Women and Girls in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine).
• The database of SWATI Portal will serve in policy making to address the challenges of Gender-gap.
• The Portal is a complete interactive database; and the first-of-its-kind in India which is developed, hosted and maintained by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi. 
• Objectives
• To scale up the effort exponentially to include each and every Indian woman in science, across all career stages and subjects, spanning both Academia and the Industry enabling reliable and statistically significant long term research on the issues of equality, diversity and inclusivity in India;
• Inclusion of each and every Indian WiS, career stages, subjects, spanning both Academia and the Industry; Enabling reliable and statistically significant long term research on the issues of equality, diversity and inclusivity in India, developing active search engine and searchable database (Name, Affiliation, Area of Interest).
• The various Sections in the portal include Icons - Awardees (Padma / Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar / Stree Shakti Science Samman) & Directors, Secretaries Academy Presidents; Faculty- Indian Universities, Autonomous organizations including S&T Ministry/ CSIR/ DBT/ DST/ CSIR/ MHRD/ UGC/ GATI/ KIRAN;

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has not been spotted at the Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary in Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh and its surrounding areas for the last couple of years, which is an indication that the bird is at risk of local extinction.

• It is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• It lies between the Nallamalai and Yerramalai hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats.
• It was declared a sanctuary in 1988 to protect the dwindling populations of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.
• Uniqueness: It is the only GIB Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh.
• It owes its genesis to the discovery of the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
• Flora: About 32 species of grassed like Aristida funiculata, Chrysopogon fulvus, Heteropogon contortus, like Cassia fistula (Golden shower tree), Butea monosperma (Flame of the forest), Acacia spp, Ziziphus mauritiana, etc.
• Fauna:
• The grassland Sanctuary is rich in invertebrate fauna particularly the insects that form a major part of the diet of most of the birds.
• Land monitor lizards, Geckos, Skinks, Saw-scaled viper; etc. So far about 6 species of amphibians have been recorded here.
• There are about 124 bird species like the Lesser florican, Demoiselle crane, Black stork, White stork, Harriers, etc;
• These plains are also a home to endangered mammals like the Golden jackal, Indian wolf, Black buck, Chinkara; etc.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Former vice-president of India and Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of the Northeast Region will be inaugurating the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s ‘Dakshin Bharat Sanskritik Kendra’ here in Hyderabad. 

• It is India’s national academy of music, dance and drama.
• It was created by a resolution of the Ministry of Education, with P.V. Rajamannar as its first Chairman.
• It was set up in 1953 for the preservation and promotion of the vast intangible heritage of India’s diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance and drama.
• Presently, it is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture.
• The Chairman of the Akademi is appointed by the President of India for a term of five years.
• It is fully funded by the Government for the implementation of its schemes and programmes.
• Aims and objectives
• To co-ordinate the activities of regional or State Akademies of dance, drama and music;
• To promote research in the fields of Indian dance, drama and music and for this purpose, to establish a library and museum, etc.;
• To co-operate with such similar academies as there may be and other institutions and associations for the furtherance of its objects and for the enrichment of Indian culture as a whole;
• To encourage the exchange of ideas and enrichment of techniques between the different regions in regard to the arts of dance, drama and music;
• To encourage, where necessary, the establishment of theatre centres, on the basis of regional languages, and co-operation among different theatre centres;
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are the highest national recognition conferred on practising artists.
• The Akademi also confers Fellowships on eminent artists and scholars of music, dance and drama; and has in 2006 instituted annual awards to young artists – the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, C-DOT, and Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) signed an agreement for ‘Developing Prototypes for 10-Gigabit-capable symmetric Passive Optical Network (i.e., XGS-PON) Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Unit (ONU) under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme.

• It has been notified for domestic companies and institutions involved in technology design, development, commercialization of telecommunication products and solutions to enable affordable broadband and mobile services in rural and remote areas.
• It was launched by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a body under the Department of Telecommunications.
• Aims
• To fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology applications and form synergies among academia, start-ups, research institutes, and the industry to build and develop the telecom ecosystem.
• To promote technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, create a culture of technology co-innovation, reduce imports, boost export opportunities and creation of Intellectual Property.
• Under the scheme, USOF is also targeting to develop standards to meet countrywide requirements and create the ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, use cases, pilots, and proof of concept testing, among others.
• The scheme entails grants to Indian entities to encourage and induct indigenous technologies tailor-made to meet domestic needs.
• Project Period:
• Project timelines are generally up to two years.
• However, it may be decided project-wise in consultation with the applicant as per the terms and conditions of the agreement.
• Extension of six months each at a time may be granted at the sole discretion of USOF/DoT.

Hence both statements are correct.