Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 19, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

A team of researchers have discovered a new species of damselfly at the Ponmudi hills in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.

• Ponmudi translates to ‘Golden Hill’ or ‘Golden Peak’ is located in the state of Kerala.
• It is part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea and is at an altitude of 1100 metres above sea level. 
• The hills are a part of the Agasthyamalai landscape, at the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats.
• These hills are biodiversity-rich, and recently the third species of damselfly discovered from this region.

Key facts about the new species of damselfly

• It is named Cliffside Bambootail (Phylloneura rupestris).
• It belongs to a group called bambootails, so named because of their long abdomen that resembles bamboo stalks.
• It lays eggs in the moss beds in seasonal rills that flow over rock cliffs. 
• The discovery is significant, because for over 160 years, the genus Phylloneura was considered monotypic, with a single described species, the Myristica Bambootail
• Myristica Bambootail’s population is associated with myristica swamps, and hence is known by its common name Myristica Bambootail.
• It has remained the sole described species of the genus Phylloneura and is considered near-threatened as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• It is endemic to the Western Ghats and has been recorded only in the area between the Nilgiri Hills and Sharavathi Valley, north of the Palghat Gap.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have embarked on a project to continuously monitor and issue operational forecast alerts of rip currents.

• These are a strong flow of water running from a beach back to the Open Ocean, sea, or lake.
• These are one of the most well-known coastal hazards on beaches around the world. 
• Formation
• They are formed by a beach topography. 
• They can occur in areas with hard-bottom (rocky) or soft-bottom (sand or silt) beach topography.
• A beaches topography includes the area outside the water, such as dunes or marshes. 
• Beach topography also includes the area within the water, like sandbars, piers, and reefs. Rip currents often form around these parts of a beach topography.
• They can form in a gap between sandbars, piers, or parts of a reef.
• Such underwater obstacles block waves from washing directly back to sea.
• The water from these waves, called feeder waves, runs along the shore until it finds an opening around the obstacle.
• Contrary to popular belief, a rip cannot pull a person down and hold him/her under the water.
• It simply carries floating objects, including people, out to just beyond the zone of the breaking waves.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Chief Minister of Assam said his government would undertake a mission to reclaim the chars from encroachers to safeguard the “ecological integrity” of the Brahmaputra Valley.

• The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as “Char/ Chapori”
• The chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration.
• They are subjected to erosion on their upstream and deposition on the downstream, due to which they migrate downstream.
• This affects the geometry and location of the chars during floods almost every year.
• Issues with Char area
• The physical, sociological and institutional constraints on development of Char Areas are many and complex.
• Such as virtual absence of all weather communication with the main banks, reliable means of intra and inter char mobility, inadequate growth of transport and basic infrastructure like surface roads, health and drinking water, delivery systems for farm inputs, marketing, agro-services electricity and education.
• The problems in the Char Areas are unique in nature, due to constant threat from flood and erosion during the rainy season.
• The land mass is segregated and cut off from each other, making it very difficult for taking any major scheme for road communication, irrigation, Power supply or setting of educational institutions.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

A UN convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS) adopted India's initiative for Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and agreed for listing 14 additional migratory species from across the globe for conservation in the CMS appendices. 

• It covers a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans and the associated island chains.
• A flyway is a geographical region within which a single or group of migratory species completes its annual cycle — breeding, moulting, staging and non-breeding.
• There are nine flyways in the world.
• Geographically the flyway region covers 30 countries of North, Central and South Asia and Trans-Caucasus.
• There is an overlap between the CAF and the area of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), which was concluded in 1995, at The Hague, the Netherlands.
• Sixteen out of the thirty countries encompassed by the CAF are located in the AEWA Agreement Area.
• CAF migration routes include the steppes and cold deserts of Central Eurasia, and much of the Himalayan chain, where unique, high-altitude migrations such as those of the Bar-headed Goose, Anser indicus, take place.
• India’s Initiative: The 14 species which will be listed in CMS appendices include
• Eurasian Lynx, Peruvian Pelican, Pallas’s Cat, Guanaco, Laulao Catfish, Balkan Lynx, Lahille’s Bottlenose Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise, Magellanic Plover, Bearded Vulture, Blackchin Guitarfish, Bull Ray, Lusitanian Cownose Ray and Gilded Catfish.
• The adopted initiative includes the establishment of a coordinating unit in India with financial support from the Indian Government.

Hence both statements are correct.

The ongoing Kula Mama Volleyball Tournament-2024 in Melghat Tiger Reserve's (MTR) Semadoh sends a strong message to save tigers and the pristine forest with involvement of local youths.

About Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR):

• Location:
• It is located in the Amaravati district of Maharashtra.
• It is located on the southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range in Central India, called Gavilgarh Hill. 
• It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and was declared a tiger reserve in 1974. 
• It was the first tiger reserve in Maharashtra.
• It was among the first nine tiger reserves notified in 1973-74 under Project Tiger.
• The name 'Melghat' means the confluence of various 'ghats' or valleys, as is typical from the landscape of this tiger Reserve.
• Vegetation: The forest is tropical dry deciduous in nature, dominated by teak.
• Rivers: The reserve is a catchment area for five major rivers: the Khandu, Khapra, Sipna, Gadga, and Dolar, all of which are tributaries of the river Tapti.
• The Tapti River and the Gawilgadh ridge of the Satpura Range form the boundaries of the reserve.
• Tribes: The Korkus are the largest tribal community in Melghat. Other communities include the Gawli community, the Gond tribe, and several other smaller tribal communities.
• Flora: Some of the common species are teak, Lagerstroemia Parviflora, Terminalia Tomentosa, Ougeinia Oojeinensis, Emblica Officinalis, Bamboo, etc.
• Fauna:
• Apart from Tigers the other prominent animals are Sloth Bear, Indian Gaur, Sambar deer, Leopard, Nilgais, dhole, hyena, jungle cat, langur, etc. 
• It is considered a stronghold of the critically endangered forest owlet.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

A Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force made a precautionary landing following a "technical snag" near Punjab's Barnala recently. 

About Chinook Helicopter:

• Chinook/CH-47F is the U.S. Army’s primary heavy troop and supply transport aircraft. 
• It is an advanced multi-mission helicopter.
• It is manufactured by the American aerospace and defence firm Boeing for the US Army and international defence forces.
• It is used for the transportation of troops, artillery, supplies, and equipment to the battlefield.
• India has about 15 CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
• Features:
• It is a twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. 
• It contains a fully integrated digital cockpit management system.
• It has advanced cargo-handling capabilities that complement the aircraft's mission performance and handling characteristics.
• It has a monolithic airframe with vibration reduction.
• Maximum Speed: 160 knots (296 kmph).
• It has a triple hook system, which provides stability for large external loads or the capacity for multiple external loads.
• It can carry up to 55 troops or approximately 10 tonnes of mixed cargo.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Dozens of men have been killed in a fresh outbreak of tribal violence in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea recently.

About Papua New Guinea:

• Location:  It is an island country that lies in the south-western Pacific.
• It includes the eastern half of New Guinea (the world’s second largest island) and many small offshore islands.
• Neighbours: Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the south-east.
• Capital: Port Moresby
• Terrain: It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
• The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
• Language:
• English is the main language of government and commerce.  In most everyday contexts, the most widely spoken language is Tok Pisin. 
• Linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 800 languages.
• Religion: The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian.
• Government:
• Papua New Guinea became self-governing on December 1, 1973, and achieved independence on September 16, 1975.
• The country is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
• The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is head of state, and the Prime Minister is head of government.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor recently said recurring food price shocks and renewed flash points on the geo-political front pose a challenge to the ongoing disinflation process.

About Disinflation:

• Disinflation is a decrease in inflation rates.
• In simple terms, a decline in the rate of increase in the general price level of goods and services in the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country over time is called disinflation.
• Unlike inflation and deflation, which refer to the direction of prices, disinflation refers to the rate of change in the rate of inflation.
• Disinflation is not considered problematic because prices do not actually drop, and disinflation does not usually signal the onset of a slowing economy.
• A healthy amount of disinflation is necessary since it represents economic contraction and prevents the economy from overheating.
• Disinflation is considered the opposite of reflation, which occurs when a government stimulates an economy by increasing the money supply.
• Causes of Disinflation:
• Many reasons can cause disinflation in an economy.
• If a central bank wants to enforce a tighter monetary policy and the government starts selling off some of its assets, the supply of money in the economy could be limited, causing a disinflationary effect.
• Similarly, disinflation can also be caused by a contraction in the business cycle of recession. For instance, companies may choose not to raise prices to gain more significant market share, leading to disinflation.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The Forest Department of Tamil Nadu has cleared 356.50 hectares of invasive growth of Senna spectabilis that posed a threat to biodiversity conservation in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).

• It is a species of the legume family.
• It is native to South and Central America and is grown as an ornamental plant as it has bright yellow flowers. 
• It was introduced as shade trees for coffee and firewood in the country; it soon became a threat to native tree species as its dense foliage prevented the growth of other indigenous trees and grass species.
• It is considered as Least Concern under the IUCN Red List.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Recently, the Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Saint Thiruvalluvar on Thiruvalluvar Day.

• Thiruvalluvar Day was first celebrated on May 17 and 18 in 1935.
• In the present time, it is usually observed either on January 15 or 16 in Tamil Nadu and is a part of Pongal celebrations.
• The occasion is named after and honours the poet, Thiruvalluvar.

Who is Thiruvalluvar?

• He was a poet and philosopher, is regarded as a cultural icon by Tamils.
• He is fondly referred to as Valluvar by Tamils.
• His most popular work is Thirukkuṛaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, politics, economy and love.
• Thiruvalluvar’s primary work Thirukkural contains 1330 couplets (kurals) that are divided into 133 sections of 10 couplets each.
• The text is divided into three parts with teachings on dharma, artha, and kama (virtue, wealth and love).
• Each section covers a wide range of topics and imparts moral, ethical, and practical guidance to the readers.
• The couplets are composed in a concise and poetic form, making them easily memorable and quotable.

Hence both statements are correct.