Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 28, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently researchers have discovered one of the planet's rarest Pallas cats for the first time in the Mount Everest Region.

• The Pallas’s cat, also known as manul, is a small wild cat, perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions typical of its habitat.
• Naturally secretive, it is rarely seen and little known.
• Habitat: Wide but fragmented distribution throughout montane grasslands and steppes of Central Asia.
• Its core populations are in Mongolia and China.
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Least concern

Hence both statements are correct.

According to a report published by Refugees International, shrinking natural resources due to adverse weather are raising tensions across communities and displacing people of the Lake Chad region.

• Lake Chad is located in the Sahel, the vast semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert.
• It is bordered by 4 countries - Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.
• Source of the Lake: It is fed mainly by the Chari River through the Lagone tributary.
• The Lagone tributary used to provide 90 % of its water.
• Significance of the Lake: The Lake is vital for indigenous, pastoral and farming communities in these countries.
• The lake has been supporting drinking water, irrigation, fishing, livestock and economic activity for over 30 million people in the region.
• The Lake Chad basin in west and central Africa covers 8% of the African continent and is home to 42 million people.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, The Union Minister of Textiles cleared 15 R&D projects across key strategic areas such as Speciality fibre, Protective textiles, High-Performance Textiles, Geotextiles, Medical Textiles, Sustainable Textiles, and Textiles for Building Materials under the National Technical Textiles Mission.

• The Ministry of Textiles has launched the National Technical Textiles Mission to increase the penetration level of technical textiles in India while leveraging the extraordinary growth rate of the sector.
• The mission aims to position India as a global leader in Technical Textiles.
• The mission will comprise the following four components:
  • Research, Innovation and Development
  • Promotion and Market Development
  • Export Promotion
  • Education, Training, Skill Development
• Implementation: It has been approved with an implementation period of four years starting from FY 2020-21 till FY 2023-24. The total outlay of the mission is INR 1480 Cr.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and Meta have recently announced the list of 120 startups and innovators for the Extended Reality (XR) Startup Program.

• The XR Startup Program is a collaboration between Meta and MeitY Startup Hub (MSH).
• Aim: To accelerate India’s contribution towards building the foundations of the metaverse and nurturing the development of Extended Reality (XR) technologies in India.
• It includes two segments namely; an Accelerator and a Grand Challenge.
• Accelerator:
  • The Accelerator will nurture and foster 40 early-stage startups working with XR technologies through a well-designed 6-month program.
  • Each startup will get access to many benefits, including a grant of ₹ 20,00,000, mentorship by industry experts and researchers, access to a network of potential strategic partners and investors, technology and infrastructure support, and opportunities to participate and present at relevant industry events.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways inaugurated The National Logistics Portal (marine) in New Delhi.

• The National Logistic Portal (marine) (NLP) is a project of national importance, as envisaged by the Ministry of Ports Shipping Waterways and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• NLP will serve as a single point of contact for all logistics trade processes across the country, including all modes of transportation via waterways, roads, and airways.
• The Latch On feature facilitates the trade in providing the required features that are not directly embedded into NLP Marine, by linking through systems developed by other agencies seamlessly without duplication of efforts.
• It is envisaged that many standalone applications, developed by multiple vendors, users, and other stakeholders will integrate with NLP Marine through appropriate curation.
• It also enables digital transactions for payments required for the clearance processes such as Port charges, CFS charges, shipping line charges, and transportation charges.

Hence both statements are correct.

A recent study by the National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR) revealed that the Antarctic sea ice (South Pole) reached its lowest level ever recorded in the summer of 2022.

About National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR):

• It is an autonomous research institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) established in 1998.
• NCPOR is tasked with planning and executing polar expeditions and scientific research in Antarctica, Arctic, Himalayas and Southern Ocean.
• NCPOR is the nodal agency for planning, promoting, coordinating, and executing the entire gamut of polar and southern ocean scientific research in the country and the associated logistics activities.
• It also undertakes research on some of the country’s strategically vital projects like mapping of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), continental shelf margins and the Deep Ocean Mission.
• The Center maintains a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) to help guide and concentrate the research activities.
• It is located in Vasco da Gama, Goa, and was formerly known as the National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR).

Hence both statements are correct.

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently said that their nearly two-year investigation had found that at least one Syrian military helicopter had dropped gas cylinders on to residential buildings in the rebel-held Syrian city of Douma in 2018, killing 43 people.

About Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW):

• It is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
• Mission: To implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in order to achieve the OPCW’s vision of a world that is free of chemical weapons and of the threat of their use, and in which cooperation in chemistry for peaceful purposes for all is fostered.
• Its headquarters are located in The Hague, Netherlands.
• The OPCW receives states-parties’ declarations detailing chemical weapons-related activities or materials and relevant industrial activities.
• The OPCW is authorized to perform inspections to verify that signatory states are complying with the convention.
• It also performs testing of sites and victims of suspected chemical weapons attacks.
• OPCW reports on its inspections and other activities to the UN through the office of the secretary-general.
• The OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

India recently issued a notice to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

About Indus Water Treaty:

• It was signed in September 1960 between India and Pakistan.
• The treaty was brokered by the World Bank, which too is a signatory to the treaty.
• The treaty fixed and delimited the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of the waters of the Indus River system.
• It gives control over the waters of the three "eastern rivers' the Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej -- to India, while control over the waters of the three "western rivers'' the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum to Pakistan.
• The treaty allows India to use the western river waters for limited irrigation use and unlimited non-consumptive use for such applications as power generation, navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc.
• It lays down detailed regulations for India in building projects over the western rivers.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

An American black vulture was recently spotted in the Delhi NCR region causing a stir amongst birdwatchers and conservationists.

• Black vultures are most abundant at low elevations. They breed in dense woodlands but usually forage in open habitats.
• It is mainly found in the northeastern United States to Peru, Central Chile and Uruguay South America.
• They typically avoid crossing large bodies of water and do not cover long distances. 
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, a new study has found that parts of India and China are hotspots for the night-time production of nitrate radicals.

• Nitrate radical is an oxide of nitrogen that consists of three oxygen atoms bound to a nitrogen atom.
• These radicals could increase the amount of unhealthy ozone and PM2.5 fine particulate matter in the atmosphere.
• Nitrate radicals will oxidise gas pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• These VOCs will then generate ozone and secondary organic aerosol, both deteriorate air quality.
• Ozone is an air pollutant that affects human health and crop yield.
• The synthesis of nitrate radicals rises at night in some regions of India, particularly in northern India.
• Reducing the emissions of VOCs could reduce this night-time oxidation in India and China.

Hence both statements are correct.