Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 01, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

In Godavari Valley, the Koya tribe faces a cultural crisis as raids by the Special Enforcement Bureau threaten their cherished tradition of Mahua liquor consumption.

About Koya Tribe: 

• Koya are one of the few multi-racial and multi-lingual tribal communities in India.
• They live in the forests, plains, and valleys on both sides of the Godavari River, in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. 
• The Koya are said to have migrated to central India from their original home in Bastar, northern India.

Language:

• The Koya language, also called Koyi, is a Dravidian language. It is closely related to Gondi and has been strongly influenced by Telugu.
• Most Koya speak either Gondi or Telugu, in addition to Koyi.

Occupation: 

• Traditionally, they were pastoralists and shifting cultivators, but now-a-days, they have taken to settled cultivation supplemented by animal husbandry and seasonal forest collections.
• They grow Jowar, Ragi, Bajra, and other millets. 

Society and Culture:

• All Koya belong to one of five sub-divisions called gotrams. Every Koya is born into a clan, and he cannot leave it.
• The Koyas have a patrilineal and patrilocal family. The family is called "Kutum". The nuclear family is the predominant type.
• Monogamy is prevalent among the Koyas.
• The Koya practice their own ethnic religion, but also worship a number of Hindu gods and goddesses.
• Many Koya deities are female, the most important being the "mother earth."
• They maintain community funds and grain banks at the village level to help the needy families and provide food security.
• Koyas either bury or cremate the dead. They erect menhirs in memory of the dead.
• Their main festivals are Vijji Pandum (seeds charming festival) and Kondala Kolupu (festival to appease Hill deities). 
• Koyas perform a robust, colourful dance called Permakok (Bison horn dance) during festivals and marriage ceremonies

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The government's fiscal deficit for 2023-24 stood at 5.63 per cent of the GDP, marginally better than the 5.8 per cent estimated in the Union Budget, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) recently.

About Controller General of Accounts (CGA): 

• CGA, in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, is the Principal Accounting Adviser to the Government of India.
• CGA is responsible for establishing and managing a technically sound Management Accounting System and preparation & submission of the accounts of the Union Government. 
• The CGA is also responsible for exchequer control and internal audits for the central government.
• It was established in October 1975 to administer matters pertaining to the departmentalisation of the accounts of the Union. 
• Functions:
• The Office of CGA prepares monthly and annual analysis of expenditure, revenues, borrowings, and various fiscal indicators for the Union Government. 
• It further formulates policies relating to general principles, forms, and procedures of accounting for the Central and State Governments.
• It administers the process of payments, receipts, and accounting in the Central Civil Ministries/ Departments. 
• Through its Internal Audit Units in the respective Ministries/Departments, it is responsible for maintaining the requisite technical standards of accounting in the departmentalized accounting offices and for monitoring the financial performance and effectiveness of various programs, schemes, and activities of the civil ministries.
• It also administers banking arrangements for the disbursements of Government expenditures and the collection of government receipts and interacts with the Central Bank for the reconciliation of the cash balances of the Union Government.
• CGA is also responsible for coordination and monitoring the progress of the submission of corrective/remedial action taken notes (ATNs) on the recommendations contained in the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) reports as well as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports through its web-based Audit Para Monitoring System (APMS).
• It also looks after the pensions of Central government employees.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has earmarked funds to construct canopy bridges for Hoolock Gibbon, India’s only ape, to move across a railway track bifurcating its prime habitat in eastern Assam.

About Hoolock Gibbon:

• Gibbons, the smallest and fastest of all apes, live in tropical and subtropical forests in the southeastern part of Asia.
• The hoolock gibbon is one of 20 species of gibbons on Earth. 
• Distribution:
• Its distribution in Southeast Asia spans India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and southern China.
• It is the only ape found in India.
• In India, it is found in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, south of the Brahmaputra.
• Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam has the largest concentration of the hoolock gibbon.
• It is categorised into Eastern Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) found in a specific region of Arunachal Pradesh and Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) distributed elsewhere in the northeast. 
• Features:
• Both male and female gibbons are about the same size, but they differ considerably in colors. 
• Males are black colored with remarkable white brows, while females have grey-brown fur, which is darker at the chest and neck. 
• White rings around the eyes and around the mouth give their faces a mask-like appearance.
• They are diurnal and arboreal, brachiating through the trees with their long arms.
• They are monogamous (same partner throughout life).
• They live in small families, including males, females and their young ones, and communicate with other gibbons by vocalisation.
• The loud calls of the gibbon are used to identify individuals within and outside the family group.
• Like all apes, they are extremely intelligent, with distinct personalities and strong family bonds. 
• Life span: 25 years
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List:
• Eastern Hoolock Gibbon: Vulnerable 
• Western Hoolock Gibbon: Endangered
• Both are on Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (GoI), organized an event today to observe World No Tobacco Day 2024.

About World No-Tobacco Day:

• • History:
  • The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987.
  • In 1988, a Resolution was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.
  • The annual campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure and to discourage the use of tobacco in any form.
  • The theme: “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference”.

About tobacco Cultivation:

• • Tobacco cultivation in India was introduced by Portuguese in 1605.
  • Area and production:
• In India tobacco is predominantly cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, UP and Bihar. Gujarat accounts for 45 per cent of the area (0.13 M ha) and 30 per cent of production (0.16 M t). Productivity is also highest (1700 kg ha-1) in Gujarat followed by AP.
• Types of tobacco:
• Anand area of Gujarat grows wholly bidi tobacco. Nipani area of Karnataka grows bidi tobacco. North Bihar and Bengal area has both tabacum and rustica types used in the manufacture of hookah and to a limited extent chewing and snuff types. Madurai and Coimbatore area of Tamil Nadu grow cigar, filter, binder and chewing tobaccos.
• Climate and soil:
• Tobacco is grown when the mean temperature is 20° to 27°C.
• When grown as rainfed crop, it requires at least about 500 mm of well distributed rainfall during crop growing season.
• It is not usually grown where rainfall exceeds 1200 mm during the season.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Recently, Congress refrains from participating in Lok Sabha Elections-related debates in exit polls 2024.

About Exit poll:

• What is an exit poll?
• An exit poll is a post-election survey which tends to predict the mood of the nation.
• It's an opinion poll showing how many seats a political party will likely win.
• It must be noted that exit polls are not same as the official elections results.
• When will Exit polls be released?
• Exit polls can be released by media houses only after the voting ends for an election.
• Methods of conducting:
• Exit polls are taken immediately after voters have cast their ballots.
• Legal Regulations:
• It is regulated by Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• This law stipulates that no person shall conduct or publish exit polls via print or electronic media, or disseminate the results in any manner, during a period specified by the Election Commission.
• Any person who contravenes the provisions of the Section 126A shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with a fine or with both.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently at the 77th World Health Assembly, member states approved a draft resolution on improving organ transplantation availability, including human cells and tissues.

Why in news?

• On 29 May 2024, Member States (with the initiation of Spain) approved a new resolution on increasing availability, ethical access and oversight of transplantation of human cells, tissues and organs.

About the draft resolution:

• The draft urged member states to increase in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) Guiding Principles on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation.
• It emphasized on encouraging donation after the neurological determination of death and where appropriate, donation after the circulatory determination of death.
• It also mentioned that insufficient access to transplantation therapies is one of the root causes of trafficking in persons for organ removal and trafficking in human organs, practices that undermine human rights and pose serious risks to public health.
• The resolution urged the director-general to establish an expert committee under the Regulations for Expert Advisory Panels and Committees, to help the Secretariat in developing the proposed global strategy and its implementation.
• The resolution tasked countries with developing a global strategy to be presented for adoption in 2026. It also encouraged the establishment of a World Donor Day to raise public awareness and donations.

About World Health Assembly:

• It is the decision-making body of World Health Organization.
• It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
• Functions:
• The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
• The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

One of the significant developments at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi was the non-adoption of the agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD). 

• It is a joint initiative launched at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) in 2017 on a plurilateral basis by 70 countries.
• This was done through a process known as the Joint Statement Initiative.
• Aim: This agreement aims to create legally binding provisions to facilitate investment flows.
• It also aims to develop predictable, transparent and open investment rules that will contribute to more efficient investment flows and increased business confidence and it is now in a formal negotiation phase. 
• Objective: A core objective of the framework is to facilitate greater participation by developing and least-developed WTO Members in global investment flows.
• The IFD agreement was finalised in 2023 and at present around 120 of 166 WTO member countries (more than 70% of the membership) back this agreement.
• Key areas included in the IFD Agreement to promote and facilitate investment:
• Improving regulatory transparency and predictability: such as publishing investment-related measures and establishing enquiry points;
• Streamlining and speeding up administrative procedures: such as removing duplicative steps in approval processes and simplifying applications;
• Enhancing international cooperation and addressing the needs of developing members – such as providing technical assistance and capacity-building for developing countries and least developed countries; and
• Other issues: such as implementing provisions to encourage responsible business conduct.
• India is not a part of this initiative.

Hence both statements are correct.

Moyar valley is the biggest nesting colony of critically endangered Gyps vultures in the wild.

• It is also known as Maayar valley.
• Location: It extends from Gudalur through the core area of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
• This entire stretch is a wildlife haven and important biome in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• It is sheltering several vital species like tiger and elephant and the critically endangered Gyps vulture.
• It is the only region in peninsular India where you have the biggest nesting colony of Gyps vultures in the wild.
• How it supports Gyps population?
• This valley offers plenty of wild kills and natural deaths of wildlife from Moyar village to Bhavanisagar.
• This provides a stable food-chain to nature’s scavengers, simply because these carcasses are mostly free from NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs)

and other poisonous chemicals.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, scientists at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Srinagar, reported that altitude and temperature play an important role in the development of mushk budiji aroma.

• It is an indigenous aromatic rice variety is usually grown at an altitude ranging from 5000 to 7000 ft above mean sea level in Highland Himalayas. 
• It is short, bold aromatic rice grown in the higher reaches of Kashmir valley.
• The cooked rice is unique and possesses a harmonious blend of taste, aroma and rich organoleptic properties.
• It is mainly is grown in areas of Sagam, Panzgam and Soaf Shali of district Anantnag and Beerwah belt of district Budgam.
• The consumption of aromatic rice in Kashmir has now been limited to special occasions, marriages, and festivals.
• It has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, a citizen scientist spotted a comet in an image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which has now been confirmed to be the 5,000th comet discovered using SOHO data. 

About Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO): 

• It is a project of international collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Launched in 1995, SOHO was designed to study the Sun.
• In order to provide continuous observations, it was maneuvered to orbit the first Lagrangian Point (L1), a point some 1.5 million km (900,000 miles) from Earth toward the Sun where the gravitational attraction of Earth and the Sun, combine in such a way that a small body remains approximately at rest relative to both. 
• It carries 12 scientific instruments to study the solar atmosphere, helioseismology, and the solar wind. 
• Information from the mission has allowed scientists to learn more about the Sun’s internal structure and dynamics, the chromosphere, the corona, and solar particles.
• Though its mission was scheduled to run until only 1998, it has continued collecting data, adding to scientists' understanding of our closest star, and making many new discoveries, including thousands of comets.
• SOHO is the longest-lived Sun-watching satellite to date. 

Hence both statements are correct.