Daily Current Affairs MCQ - July 10, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected an unusually high concentration of methane, along with carbon dioxide and dihydrogen, in the moons of Saturn by flying through their plumes. The spacecraft has found that Titan has methane in its atmosphere and Enceladus has a liquid ocean with erupting plumes of gas and water.

• Saturn has 82 moons with confirmed orbits that are not embedded in its rings.
• Particularly notable among Saturn's moons are
  • Titan, the second-largest moon in the Solar System (after Jupiter's Ganymede), with a nitrogen-rich Earth-like atmosphere and a landscape featuring dry river networks and hydrocarbon lakes,
  • Enceladus, which emits jets of gas and dust from its south-polar region, and
  • Iapetus, with its contrasting black and white hemispheres.
• Most of the methane on Earth has a biological origin.
• Microorganisms called methanogens are capable of generating methane as a metabolic byproduct.
• They do not require oxygen to live and are widely distributed in nature. They are found in swamps, dead organic matter, and even in the human gut.
• They are known to survive in high temperatures and simulation studies have shown that they can live in Martian conditions. Methanogens have been widely studied to understand if they can be a contributor to global warming.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Giant pandas are no longer classified as endangered but are still vulnerable, Chinese officials say.

• The classification was downgraded as their number in the wild has reached 1,800.
• The new classification comes years after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had already removed the animal from its endangered species list and re-labelled it as vulnerable in 2016.
• At the time, however, Chinese officials had disputed the decision, saying that it could mislead people into believing that conservation efforts could be relaxed.
• This week’s announcement by China’s environmental ministry is the first time the animal’s status was changed on its own endangered species list, which uses similar standards as the Swiss-based IUCN.
• Experts have said that the success is largely due to Chinese efforts to recreate and repopulate bamboo forests. Bamboo makes up some 99 per cent of their diet, without which they are likely to starve.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

All BRICS countries have agreed to the STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan (2021-24) proposed by India during 12th Meeting of BRICS S&T Steering Committee.

• Indian had proposed the plan to facilitate sharing of experiences of each other’s innovation ecosystem and networking of innovators and entrepreneurs.
• The Details of the Action Plan would be worked out by BRICS Science, Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship partnership (STIEP) Working Group.
• It was agreed that the proposal may be forwarded to BRICS STIEP working group through the respective country's STI focal point.
• Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, hosted the 12th Meeting of BRICS S&T Steering Committee on 8th July, 2021. Scientific ministries and agencies of all BRICS countries participated in it.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) conducted Webinar to Commemorate the Launch of the Inclusive Cities Centre.

• The Inclusive Cities Center (ICC), set up at NIUA, aims to develop tools and frameworks for institutional strengthening of city authorities to promote inclusivity.
• ICC will facilitate cities in evidence-based planning and investments to improve quality of life and productivity for all.
• It will focus on the most vulnerable of the city residents including the urban poor, persons with disabilities, women, children, youth and elderly.
• The centre will implement activities to address challenges related to spatial, social, economic and digital inclusion in cities.
• Established in 1976, NIUA has been supporting the Government of India in policy formulation, research, and capacity building for the successful implementation of urban development projects.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has received the first copy of the book, ‘The Ramayana of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’ penned by Late Mrs. Baljit Kaur Tulsi Ji, who is the mother of noted lawyer Shri KTS Tulsi Ji.

• PM Modi had made a mention of Shri Guru Gobind Ji's Gobind Ramayan during his address at the Bhoomi Poojan of the Ram Janmbhoomi on August 5, 2020.
• However, the statement was criticized by many and it was said that the Sikh guru never wrote anything as such, with some even staging protests.
• The book has now been published by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).
• Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and last of Sikh gurus in human form.
• He was enthroned at the 'Guru Gaddi' at the age of 9 after his father Guru Tej Bahadur Ji, the 9th Guru.
• A spiritual master, warrior, poet, and philosopher, Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1666 in Patna.
• He transformed the Sikh religion into what it is at present with the institution of the Khalsa solidarity. Sahib Ji completed the sacred scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in the final form that he ordained as the next and perpetual Guru of the Sikhs.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is a water-saving technology that farmers can apply to reduce their irrigation water consumption in rice fields without decreasing its yield.

In AWD, irrigation water is applied a few days after the disappearance of the ponded water.

Hence, the field gets alternately flooded and non-flooded. The number of days of non-flooded soil between irrigations can vary from 1 to more than 10 days depending on the number of factors such as soil type, weather, and crop growth stage.

India and South Africa give an institutional framework through forums such as the G20, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, BRICS and IBSA.

Zoonotic diseases, impact humankind since the beginning of its association with animals. They are also the most numerous ones. Out of all the human disease-causing pathogens identified so far, over 60% are of animal origin. These include the causative agents for several well-known human and livestock diseases such as Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Anthrax, Leptospirosis, and Rabies.

Though the natural genetic changes that make these pathogens more infectious and lethal are outside our control, several field observations and scientific investigations have established that the increased incidences of zoonotic diseases in recent times are a direct consequence of the ongoing abuse of nature.

Our irresponsible actions such as large scale deforestation and encroachment of pristine natural ecosystems; reckless land-use changes either to enhance agriculture and livestock productions, or to provide land for infrastructure and industrial developments; and unsustainable consumption, coupled with unregulated trade of wildlife and their derivatives, often via a long and unhygienic supply chain, provide the enabling conditions for such disease spillovers.

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved some modifications in the Central Sector Scheme of Financing Facility under ‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’.
  • It was launched in 2020 as a part of the Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
• It aims to provide a medium-long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • The funds will be provided for setting up of cold stores and chains, warehousing, grading and packaging units, e-marketing points linked to e-trading platforms, besides PPP (Public Private Partnership) projects for crop aggregation sponsored by central/state/local bodies.
• Duration: Extended to 13 years upto 2032-33.
• Eligible Beneficiaries: They are Farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS), Marketing Cooperative Societies, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Start-ups, and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored PPP Projects.
  • Eligibility has been extended to State agencies and Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs), as well as federations of cooperative organisations, FPOs and SHGs. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans to eligible beneficiaries.
  • Moratorium for repayment may vary subject to minimum of 6 months and maximum of 2 years.
  • Loans will have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs. 2 crore. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.
• Credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to Rs. 2 crore. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

• Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognizes the forest rights in Forest land for Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) who have been residing in such forests for generations.
• Forest rights can also be claimed by any member or community who has for at least three generations (75 years) prior to the 13^th day of December, 2005 (cut off date) primarily resided in forest land for bona fide livelihood needs. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• The Gram Sabha is the authority to initiate the process for determining the nature and extent of Individual Forest Rights (IFR) or Community Forest Rights (CFR) or both that may be given to FDST and OTFD. Hence, statement 2 is correct.