Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 22, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal of Department of Water Resources, RD & GR for continuation of “Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)” with total outlay of Rs. 4,100 crore for a period of 5 years from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

• It is a centrally sponsored Scheme.
• The scheme has two components: 
• Flood Management Programme (FMP) component: In this central assistance will be provided to State Governments for taking up critical works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development and anti-sea erosion, etc.
• Funding: The pattern of funding to be followed is 90% (Centre): 10% (State) for Special Category States (8 North-Easter States and Hilly States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu & Kashmir) and 60% (Centre):40% (State) for General/ Non-Special Category States.
• River Management and Border Areas (RMBA) component: Under this, flood control and anti-erosion works on common border rivers with neighbouring countries including hydrological observations and flood forecasting, and investigation & pre-construction activities of joint water resources projects (with neighbouring countries) on common border rivers will be taken up with 100% central assistance.
• The works implemented under RMBA component also protect important installations of security agencies, border out-posts, etc.  along the border rivers from flood and erosion.
• The Scheme has the provision of incentivizing the States which implement flood plain zoning, recognized as an effective non-structural measure for flood management. 
• Significance: This is particularly relevant as the increased incidence of extreme events has been witnessed during the last few years in view of the likely impact of climate change and situation may further aggravate in times to come exacerbating problem of floods in terms of extent, intensity and frequency. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship inaugurated the Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana, in Sambalpur, Odisha.

• It is tailored specifically for beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme, this unique National Entrepreneurship Development Project underscores the government's steadfast commitment to nurturing job providers across the nation. 
• Aim: It aims to equip individuals with comprehensive entrepreneurship training, creating job providers rather than job seekers.
• This initiative focuses on reskilling and upskilling employees to enhance their competitiveness and adaptability in an era of disruptive technology.
• It will offer comprehensive entrepreneurship training over a period of 22 weeks, combining theoretical knowledge with practical exposure through experiential learning.
• The training will be conducted through offline, online and hybrid modes, with certificates awarded upon completion, enhancing the course's credibility and value.
• The Government of India has partnered with Flipkart to skill street vendors and small shopkeepers.
• Under the pilot program, street vendors of 10 big cities of the country will be given a stipend along with training to expand their businesses.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved ₹340/quintal as the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar season 2024-25 at sugar recovery rate of 10.25%.

• It is the price declared by the government, which mills are legally bound to pay to farmers for the cane procured from them.
• Who determines it? The FRP is fixed by Union government (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)) on the basis of recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• The payment of FRP across the country is governed by the Sugarcane Control order, 1966 which mandates payment within 14 days of the date of delivery of the cane.
• Mills have the option of signing an agreement with farmers, which would allow them to pay the FRP in installments.
• Delays in payment can attract an interest up to 15 per cent per annum, and the sugar commissioner can recover unpaid FRP as dues in revenue recovery by attaching properties of the mills.
• The amended provisions of the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 provides for fixation of FRP of sugarcane having regard to the following factors:
• cost of production of sugarcane
• return to the growers from alternative crops and the general trend of prices of agricultural commodities
• availability of sugar to consumers at a fair price
• price at which sugar produced from sugarcane is sold by sugar producers;
• recovery of sugar from sugarcane;
• the realization made from sale of by-products viz. molasses, bagasse and press mud or their imputed value
• reasonable margins for the growers of sugarcane on account of risk and profits

Hence both statements are correct.

In today's digital age, where smartphones are practically an extension of ourselves, smishing poses a real and growing threat.

• It is a form of phishing that targets individuals through text messages or SMS.
• It is just like phishing emails, smishing messages aim to trick you into divulging personal information or downloading malware onto your device.
• It is done in through following ways
• Fake alerts and warnings: Scammers send texts pretending to be from legitimate institutions like banks, government agencies, or delivery services. They'll claim there's a problem with your account or a package delivery, prompting you to click on a link for more information.
• Urgent requests: Smishers play on your emotions by creating a sense of urgency. They might promise prizes, warn of impending legal action, or claim your account is compromised, pressuring you to act quickly without thinking.
• Exploiting current events: During tax season, scammers might pose as the IRS, offering tax refunds or threatening penalties if you don't respond immediately. Similarly, they might capitalise on natural disasters or health crises to solicit donations or spread misinformation.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is making efforts to secure UNESCO recognition for the annual 'Paruveta' festival. 

About Paruveta Festival:

• The festival, also known as the ‘mock hunting festival’, is celebrated at the Sri Narasimha Swamy temple in the town of Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh.
• It is celebrated by all sections of people, irrespective of their caste.
• It is a festival of communal harmony, as devotees from other religious communities like Muslims also offer prayers to the Lord.
• Origin:
• According to folklore, Lord Vishnu, upon his incarnation as a man-lion (Narasimha) in Ahobilam, married Maha Lakshmi, born as a tribal girl Chenchulakshmi.
• The Kurnool District Gazetteers, published by Government Press in 1881, record several beliefs of the Chenchu tribes, including their reverence for Ahobila Narasimha as their brother-in-law and inviting him home for Makara Sankranti.
• While Paruveta rituals are commonly observed in many temples during Vijayadasami or Sankranti, at Ahobilam, it is conducted for a ‘mandala’ (forty days).
• Activities:
• During the festival, the deity from the temple's inner sanctum is taken to the 32 Chenchu tribal villages surrounding Ahobilam town for a duration of 40 days.
• The spiritual sojourn starts with the tribals aiming their bow and shooting two arrows at the palanquin, not only as a mark of reverence but also to show that the deity is under their protective cover.
• Chenchus take ‘Narasimha Deeksha’ by wearing yellow robes and ‘Tulasi Mala’ and observe celibacy during this period.
• The temple staff stay in these hamlets for the entire period, indicating the presence of a casteless society in the past with no hint of untouchability.

Key Facts about Chenchu Tribes:

• They live in the hills of southern India, primarily in the state of Andhra Pradesh. 
• Other Chenchu communities can be found in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Orissa. 
• Their native language (also called Chenchu) belongs to the Dravidian language family. Many also speak Telugu, the language of their Hindu neighbors.
• Many Chenchu have been forced out of their traditional wandering, food-gathering lives by the growing number of peasant farmers. They now work as farmers or forest laborers.
• They live in hive-shaped houses made of wattle thatch (poles intertwined with twigs, reeds, or branches).
• Chenchu society consists of clans (extended family units), local groups, and families.
• They are exogamous, which means that they do not allow marriage within the same clan.
• They are also patrilineal, tracing the line of descent through the males. 
• Due to increasing exposure to the plains peoples, the Chenchu have adopted the Hindu deities of the neighboring Telugu tribe. 

Hence option c is the correct answer.

A National Geographic expedition in the Amazon rainforest has led to the reclassification of the world’s largest snake as two genetically distinct species: the southern green anaconda and the newly-discovered northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima).

Why in News?

• The northern green anaconda can grow up to 7.5m and weigh close to 500kg, making it the largest and heaviest snake yet known in the world.
• It diverged from the previously known southern green anaconda about 10 million years ago, differing genetically from it by 5.5 percent.

About Green Anaconda:

• It is the largest snake in the world, when both weight and length are considered.
• It can reach a length of 30 feet (9 meters) and weigh up to 227 kilograms.
• It has two species: southern green anaconda and the northern green anaconda.
• Distribution: They are native to South America east of the Andes, and can be found in several countries, including Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, the island of Trinidad, and as far south as northern Paraguay.
• Habitat: They generally live in tropical rainforests and tend to prefer shallow, slow-moving waters, such as streams, rivers, and flooded grasslands.
• The green anaconda is a member of a family of snakes called constrictors.
• Constrictors are not venomous snakes. They don't kill prey by delivering venom through a bite.
• Instead, constrictors wrap their bodies around their prey and squeeze until it stops breathing.
• The giant snake opens its mouth wide enough to swallow its victim.
• Anaconda jaws are held together with stretchy ligaments so they can open wide enough to swallow prey whole.
• They are well adapted to aquatic life. Their nose and eyes are located on the top of their heads to help them see and breathe while swimming in the water. 
• These anacondas are olive-green with dark oval spots along their spines and similar spots with yellow centers along their sides. 
• Their color and pattern provide camouflage, allowing them to blend in with the wet, dense vegetation of their habitat.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A new visualization from the European Space Agency (ESA) shows activity ramping up on the sun's surface as it approaches solar maximum this year. 

About Solar Maximum:

• The sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas. This charged gas moves, generating a powerful magnetic field. 
• The sun goes through a natural solar cycle approximately every 11 years.
• Over the course of 11 years, the magnetic field between the Sun’s northern and southern hemispheres winds up until it becomes so dense that the hemispheres flip. The north hemisphere becomes the south, and vice versa.
• This flipping point marks the Solar Maximum. It occurs approximately halfway through the solar cycle.
• It’s associated with a greater number of sunspots observable on the surface of the sun.
• By contrast, the Solar Minimum, which marks the beginning and end of each Solar Cycle, has fewer sunspots.
• As the sun approaches the solar maximum, we see more brilliant explosions, dark sunspots, loops of plasma, and swirls of super-hot gas.
• Impacts:
• This increased solar activity can cause extreme space weather events, including solar flares and eruptions. 
• It can also disrupt radio communications and the power grid and have serious health consequences for astronauts.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has proposed to excise civil areas in 58 cantonments, with plans to merge them with State municipalities.

• It is an organization established to administer and manage the civilian population living in cantonment areas.
• It operates in accordance with the provisions of the Cantonment Act of 2006 and falls under the jurisdiction of the Union Defence Ministry. 
• The boards comprise elected representatives as well as ex-officio and nominated members as per the Cantonments Act, 2006.
• Composition of the board
• A cantonment board consists of eight elected members, three nominated military members, three ex-officio members (station commander, garrison engineer and senior executive medical officer), and one representative of the district magistrate.
• The station commander of the cantonment is the ex-officio president of the board and an officer of the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) or Defence Estates Organisation is the chief executive officer and member-secretary of the board.
• The boards have a term of five years.
• The boards are classified into four categories depending on their size and population.
• Category I cantonments are those with populations above 50,000;
• Category II between 10,000 and 50,000;
• Category III between 2,500 and 10,000,
• Category IV with populations below 2,500.
• There are a total 66 cantonment boards are present in India.
• A cantonment differs from a military station—the latter is exclusively devoted to the use and accommodation of military personnel and is established under an executive order.
• The cantonment, on the other hand, is an area that comprises both military and civilian populations.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the heritage Byculla Railway station which has been restored to its original glory, received the UNESCO award.

• The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation is supported by a partnership between UNESCO and Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation since 2021.
• UNESCO introduced the new category, ‘Special Recognition for Sustainable Development’, in 2020, together with an updated set of Awards Criteria.
• It is to acknowledge the role and contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development within the broader framework of the UN 2030 Agenda.
• Since 2000, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation have been recognizing the achievement of the private sector and public-private initiatives in successfully conserving or restoring structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region.

Key facts about Byculla Railway station

• It was originally built in 1853.
• The first train of the country passed through Byculla station almost one-and-a-half centuries ago.
• It has been restored to its original Gothic, heritage, architectural glory.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, scientists at Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, have developed an algorithm called STARFIRE.

• It is called as the Simulation of TerrestriAl Radio Frequency Interference in oRbits around Earth (STARFIRE) algorithm.
• Advantages of this model
• It can estimate the Radio Frequency Interference emitted by FM radio stations, WiFi networks, mobile towers, radar, satellites, and communication devices, and use this calculation for designing and fine-tuning the antennas.
• It is capable of estimating and mapping the unwanted Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) signals in space.
• It can help design instruments that are capable of offering optimal operations in the presence of RFI and thereby, enriches the data obtained from the future space-based Astronomy missions.
• This algorithm can also be handy in orbit selection for future missions.
• The scientists used information on the FM transmitter stations from six countries in the world. Data from Canada (number of stations - 8,443), USA (28,072), Japan (Tokyo - 21), Australia (2,664), Germany (2,500), and South Africa (1,731) were used as inputs for developing this model.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.