Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 25, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

The sacred MakhaBucha (Magh Puja) ceremony, one of the five most revered events for Buddhists in Thailand, was gracefully conducted by the esteemed Somdet and other senior monks of Thailand. 

• MakhaBucha Day (Magha Puja) is a religious celebration marking Lord Buddha’s teachings to his disciples.
• It is celebrated according to the traditional lunar calendar, on the day of full moon of the third lunar month.
• The term makha comes from the word “Magha” in Pali and it refers to the third lunar month, while bucha can translate as “to worship,” both of which are derived from the Pali language used in Buddhist scripture.
• The term MakhaBucha refers to a day intended for worshiping on the third lunar month.
• The aim of this day is to purify one's mind and do only good. Some celebrate by offering food to monks and also attend candle light processions in the evening.
• It is the first important religious festival in the Buddhist calendar, takes place in nations including Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where the majority of Buddhists practice Theravada Buddhism, also known as “Buddhism of the south”.

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Hence option a is the correct answer.

In collaboration with the BharatGPT ecosystem led by IIT Bombay, Seetha Mahalaxmi Healthcare (SML) has introduced 'Hanooman,' a suite of Indic large language models trained across 22 Indian languages.

• It is a series of large language models (LLMs) that can respond in 11 Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi, with plans to expand to more than 20 languages.
• Capabilities: It is a multimodal AI tool, which can generate text, speech, videos and more in multiple Indian languages.
• The size of these AI models ranges from 1.5 billion to a whopping 40 billion parameters.
• Applications: It has been designed to work in four fields, including health care, governance, financial services, and education.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, the Prime Minister of Armenia said that his country has frozen its participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) because the bloc had failed the country.

• It is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia, which was established in 2002.
• Members of the organization at present are: Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
• Background
• The Collective Security Treaty (CST) was signed on May 15, 1992 in Tashkent by the Heads of six countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Subsequently, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus joined it.
• The treaty came into force on April 20, 1994.
• On May 14, 2002, in Moscow, the Collective Security Council made a decision to grant the status of an international regional organization to the Collective Security Treaty.
• In 2004 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution granting the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) an observer status in the UN General Assembly.
• The statutory bodies of the Organization are: the Collective Security Council (CSC), the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM), the Council of Ministers of Defense (CIO), the Committee of Secretaries of Security Council (CSSC).
• The key objectives of the CSTO include
• The provision of national and collective security, intensive politico-military cooperation, foreign policy coordination on international and regional security issues, the establishment of multilateral cooperation mechanisms, including a military component, the development of cooperation in the counteraction to modern challenges and security threats.
• Headquarter: Moscow, Russia

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

On International Mother Language Day, the Kalanidhi Division and Academic Unit of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) presents Akshar, Shabd and Bhasha, an exhibition celebrating and honouring the linguistic diversity of India, and exploring the richness of languages, scripts, and words that define our cultural heritage.

• It is observed globally every year on February 21 to recognise and promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
• According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization International Mother Language Day was recognised on the initiative of Bangladesh and has been observed throughout the world since the year 2000.
• The theme for 2024 is "Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning". 
• Significance
• According to UNESCO, globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in the language they speak or understand.
• So, as a commitment towards understanding the importance of the mother language or mother tongue, UNESCO decided to observe the day.
• It underscores the role of languages in promoting inclusion and achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
• Issues: Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.
• At least 45% of the estimated 7000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.
• Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.

Hence both statements are correct.

For the first time in about 11 years, the government released the broad findings of the All India Household Consumption Expenditure Survey carried out between August 2022 and July 2023.

• It is usually conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) every five years.
• This survey aims at generating estimates of household Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) and its distribution separately for the rural and urban sectors of the country, for States and Union Territories, and for different socio-economic groups. 
• Highlights of the survey
• The average monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) in Indian households rose by 33.5% since 2011-12 in urban households to ₹3,510, with rural India’s MPCE seeing a 40.42% increase over the same period to hit ₹2,008.
• The proportion of spending on food has dropped to 46.4% for rural households from 52.9% in 2011-12, while their urban peers spent just 39.2% of their overall monthly outgoes on food compared with 42.6% incurred 11 years earlier.
• This reduction could translate into a lower weightage for food prices in the country’s retail inflation calculations.
• Among the States, the MPCE is the highest in Sikkim for both rural (₹7,731) and urban areas (₹12,105).
• It is the lowest in Chhattisgarh, where it was ₹2,466 for rural households and ₹4,483 for urban household members.
• Significance: The data will play a key role in reviewing critical economic indicators, including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), poverty levels, and the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI).

Hence both statements are correct.

In a significant development, the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage, situated at the Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir border, has effectively halted the flow of water from the River Ravi to Pakistan.

About Shahpur Kandi Dam Project:

• It is located on the Ravi River in Pathankot district, Punjab, downstream from the existing Ranjit Sagar Dam.
• The water released by Ranjit Sagar Dam is utilized for generating power from this project. 
• The main purpose behind the construction of this dam is power generation and irrigation in Punjab and J&K States. 
• It is constructed by the irrigation department of the Government of Punjab.
• The project consists of a 55.5 m high concrete gravity dam, a 7.70 km long hydel channel, two head regulators, and two powerhouses.
• The total output capacity of the project is 206 MW.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

In a significant technological breakthrough, scientists recently unveiled a pioneering technology, named PSiFI, capable of recognizing human emotions in real-time.

About PSiFI System:

• The system, known as the personalized skin-integrated facial interface (PSiFI), features a first-of-its-kind bidirectional triboelectric strain and vibration sensor that enables the simultaneous sensing and integration of verbal and non-verbal expression data.
• The PSiFI system is self-powered, facile, stretchable, and transparent.
• Coupled with a sophisticated data processing circuit, the system facilitates seamless wireless data transfer, enabling the instantaneous recognition of emotions.
• Empowered by machine learning algorithms, the technology showcases remarkable efficiency in recognizing human emotions accurately and promptly, even in scenarios where individuals wear masks.
• Its practical application has already been demonstrated in a digital concierge service within a virtual reality (VR) environment, where customised services based on users’ emotions were provided.
• Science behind the PSiFI technology:
• The technology is based on the phenomenon of "friction charging," where objects separate into positive and negative charges upon friction.
• Notably, the system is self-generating, requiring no external power source or complex measuring devices for data recognition.
• This innovative technology is poised to revolutionize various industries, including next-generation wearable systems that provide services based on emotions.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) found a new butterfly species in Karnataka’s Bramhagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Kodagu. 

• The butterfly species -- Conjoined Silverline (Cigaritis conjuncta) found from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. 
• Features
• The new butterfly is the size of a one rupee coin but is invaluable to conservationists.
• It is endemic to mid-elevation evergreen forests of the Western Ghats.
• It has fused spots and bands on the underside of wings, and shiny silver lines in the centre of those bands.
• The two sites where they have been located are at an elevation of 900 meters (Iruppu Falls) and 1,300 meters (Honey Valley).
• India houses more than 1,400 species of butterflies, but very few new ones have been discovered in the last few decades.

Key points about the Bramhagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is situated in southern side in Kodagu district of Karnataka.
• It is named after the highest peak of the sanctuary is called Brahmagiri Hill.
• River: River Laxmantirtha, a very important tributary of river Cauvery originates in it.
• Vegetation: It is covered with semi evergreen to wet evergreen forests with high altitude grassland shoal forests.
• Flora: Rosewood, Nandi, Mathi, Honne, Sura Honne, White Cedar, Red Cedar and Saldhupa etc.
• Fauna: Tiger, Elephants, and Indian Gaur are the big mammals commonly found here.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, an official delegation from the Department of Science and Technology visited Mauna Kea to discuss “challenges” to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project. 

• It has been conceived as a 30-metre diameter primary-mirror optical and infrared telescope that will enable observations into deep space.
• It is proposed as a joint collaboration involving institutions in the U.S., Japan, China, Canada, and India.
• It will be the world’s most advanced and capable ground-based optical, near-infrared, and mid-infrared observatory.
• It will integrate the latest innovations in precisions control, segmented mirror design, and adaptive optics.
• At the heart of the telescope is the segmented mirror, made up of 492 individual segments. Precisely aligned, these segments will work as a single reflective surface of 30m diameter.
• Location: Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano on the island of Hawai’i in the United States.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) as a malaria-free country.

• It is also known as Cape Verde which comprises a group of islands that lie off the west coast of Africa.
• It is located nearby Senegal and is the nearest point on the continent. 
• This volcanic archipelago includes ten islands and five islets, divided into the windward (Barlavento) and leeward (Sotavento) groups. 
• Climate: Generally moderate, the climate is characterized by stable temperatures with extreme aridity. 
• The terrain of the Cabo Verde islands varies from the geologically older, flatter islands in the east and the newer, more mountainous islands in the west. 
• Population: The overwhelming majority of the population of Cabo Verde is of mixed European and African descent and is often referred to as mestiço or Crioulo.
• Capital: Praia
• Languages: Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole

Hence both statements are correct.