Daily Current Affairs MCQ- January 23, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, The Third Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (SC-KBLP) was held under the Chairmanship of the Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

• Under this, the transfer of excess water from the River Ken to the Betwa basin through the use of a concrete canal is proposed.
• It is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers.
• It aims to provide irrigation to the Bundelkhand region, which is one of the worst drought-affected areas in India.
• A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Centre and the governments of UP and MP for the project.
• Implementing Agency: A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) will be set up to implement the project.
• The National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) has the power to set up SPV for individual link projects.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, A group of Indian researchers found rare cases of fossilised dinosaur eggs - an egg within an egg - among 256 newly discovered eggs from the Narmada Valley.

• The discovery suggests that Titanosaurs displayed a notable reproductive trait unique to modern-day birds.
• They belong to the sauropod group.
• It is a humongous plant-eating lizard with a long neck and tail.
• A recently discovered 20-meter Ninjatitan Zapata may be the oldest titanosaur to be ever discovered.
• It was found in the Neuquen province of southwest Argentina in 2014.
• It may have lived approximately 140 million years ago at the initial stages of the Cretaceous period.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, Experts have cautioned that the Kenyan government's effort to exterminate the red-billed quelea birds that have infested farms will have unintended negative consequences for other raptors and wild species.

• Kenya's government began to kill up to 6 million red-billed quelea birds, the world's most populous bird species which are also known as 'feathered locusts'. 
• It is a small, short-tailed weaver with a mottled back and a yellow or reddish bill.
• Large flocks are resident and nomadic in arid savanna, grassland, and cultivated areas.
• Conservation status:

IUCN: Least Concerned

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in association with India Ports Global Ltd, conducted a workshop on the ‘Linking Chabahar Port with INSTC’ in Mumbai.

Key facts about International North-South Transport Corridor

• It is a multimodal transportation agreement formed with a trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Russia at the Euro-Asian Conference on Transport in 2000. 
• It links the Indian Ocean to the Caspian Sea via the Persian Gulf onwards into Russia and Northern Europe.
• The corridor encompasses sea, road and rail routes.
• The main purpose of the corridor was to reduce carriage costs and transit time between India and Russia. The transit time is expected to reduce to almost half, once the corridor becomes fully functional.
• The agreement has been ratified by 13 countries namely, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, A rare orange-coloured bat, also known as a ‘painted bat’ was spotted at a banana plantation in Parali Bodal village of Chhattisgarh’s Kanger Valley National Park in Bastar.

Key facts about Kanger Valley/ Ghati National Park

• This National Park derived its name from the Kangar river, which flows in its length.
• Flora: This park is a typically mixed humid deciduous type of forest, in which the Sal, Saugaun, teak and bamboo trees are available in abundance.
• Fauna: The most popular species in this area is Bastar Maina which emulates everyone with its human voice.
• It is home to exceptional caves and is famous for its amazing geological structures of Stalagmites and Stalactites.
• Also, Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in this National Park.

Hence both statements are correct.

Nano fertilizers produced by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) and dairy products from Amul will be among the first few products that are expected to be exported by the first-ever National Export Co-operative Society that was approved by the Union Cabinet recently.

About National Level multistate cooperative export society:

• This will be the largest of the three proposed national cooperative societies to be established under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002. Other being National multi-state cooperative organic society; and national level multi-state seed cooperative.

It will act as an umbrella organization for export of surplus goods/services produced by various cooperative societies across the country.

• It will also help cooperatives in getting benefits of various export related schemes and policies.
• The society will have an authorized share capital of ₹2,000 crore with the area of operation all over the country.
• It will have its registered office in Delhi.
• It will open foreign bank accounts and complete all the formalities, including necessary permissions for exporting a product.
• Dividends will be shared with the manufacturer instantly and without any brokerage fee.

Hence both statements are correct.

The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China is set to boost global oil demand this year to a new record high, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said recently, while price cap sanctions on Russia could dent supply.

About International Energy Agency:

• What is it? It is an international intergovernmental organization based in Paris that was established in 1974.
• Mandate:To maintain the stability of the international oil supply.
• It was founded in response to the 1973 oil crisis, in which the supply chain for oil temporarily broke down.
• IEA operates within the broader framework of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).
• As of 2022, the IEA has 31 member nations.
• India became an associate member of IEA in 2017.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Recently, The Bombay High Court Friday quashed the write-off of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds worth Rs 8,400 crore issued by Yes Bank Ltd, bringing relief to investors.

• These bonds are unsecured bonds that have perpetual tenors, are issued by banks and have no maturity date.
• They have a call option, which can be used by the banks to buy these bonds back from investors. These bonds are typically used by banks to bolster their core or tier-1 capital.
• These AT1 bonds are subordinate to all other debt and only senior to common equity.
• These bonds were introduced by the Basel accord after the global financial crisis to protect depositors.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) distributed live Bee Colonies, Bee-keeping equipment and 200 Bee-Boxes to the trained beneficiaries at Sulia at Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka under the RE-HAB Project.

• It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, of 1956.
• The KVIC is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programmes for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
• It works under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, a new study has found that several alien invasive plants growing together can have a detrimental effect on the biodiversities in tiger habitats in Kanha Tiger Reserve.

Key facts about Kanha Tiger Reserve

• It is nestled in the Maikal range of Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India that forms the central Indian highlands.
• This Tiger Reserve stretches over an area of 940 square km in the two districts Mandla and Balaghat in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
• Kanha is best known for its evergreen Sal forests.
• Fauna: Barasingha, Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Bear, Gaur and Indian Python etc.

Hence both statements are correct.