Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 13, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Central government plans to complete 3D digitisation of all museums under its administrative control by the year-end for better conservation of artefacts.

• It is a digital collection management system for Indian museums.
• It has been designed and developed by the Human Centres Design and Computing Group, Centre for Development of Smart Computing, Pune.
• It is a client-server application with features such as image cropping, watermarking, unique numbering, and management of digital objects with multimedia representations.
• It can create 3D virtual galleries and provide public access through web, mobile or touchscreen kiosks.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Minister of State for Culture inaugurated an exhibition under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) titled "Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat” and mentioned Gilgit Manuscripts to celebrate the 75th International Archives Day at the National Archives of India, New Delhi.

• It was written between the 5" and -6" centuries CE and is the oldest surviving manuscript collection in India.
• It was written on the birch bark folios documents written on pieces of an inner layer of the bark of birch trees found in the Kashmir region.
• It contains both canonical and non-canonical Jain and Buddhist works that throw light on the evolution of many religious-philosophical literature.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the delicious Ishad mango from Uttara Kannada (Karnataka) has earned its much-awaited geological indicator (GI) tag.

• It is grown predominantly around Ankola, is tasty and contains a lot of pulp.
• It is said that the mango variety has been cultivated for the last 400 years. 
• It has two variants — Kari Ishad, which has thin skin, more pulp and is sweeter, and Bili Ishad, which has thick skin and less pulp and sweetness.  
• The Kari Ishad is accepted as one of the finest quality mangoes due to its unique aroma, luscious taste, high amount of pulp, shape, and size. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Kosovo has been urged to hold new elections in the north of the country to de-escalate tensions with Serbia, after an intervention by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

About Kosovo-Serbia tensions:

• Kosovo is a mainly ethnic Albanian populated territory that was formerly a province of Serbia. It declared independence in 2008.
• Serbia has refused to recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still considers it part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there.
• Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the United States.
• Russia, China and five EU countries, most of them with separatist regions of their own, have sided with Serbia.
• The deadlock has kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars in the 1990s.
• What’s the latest flare-up about?
• After Serbs boycotted last month’s local elections held in northern Kosovo, where Serbs represent a majority, newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovo’s riot police.
• Serbs tried to prevent them from taking over the premises, but police fired tear gas to disperse them.
• Serbs staged a protest in front of the municipality buildings, triggering a tense standoff that resulted in fierce clashes between the Serbs and the Kosovo peacekeepers and local police.
• How deep is the ethnic conflict in Kosovo?
• The dispute over Kosovo is centuries old. Serbia cherishes the region as the heart of its statehood and religion.
• Numerous medieval Serb Orthodox Christian monasteries are in Kosovo. Serb nationalists view a 1389 battle against Ottoman Turks there as a symbol of their national struggle.
• Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians view Kosovo as their country and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression. Ethnic Albanian rebels launched a rebellion in 1998 to rid the country of Serbian rule.
• Serbia’s brutal response prompted a NATO intervention in 1999, which forced Serbia to pull out and cede control to international peacekeepers.
• What is the situation locally?
• There are constant tensions between the Kosovo government and the Serbs who live mainly in the north of the country and keep close ties with Serbia.
• Attempts by the central government to impose more control in the Serb-dominated north are usually met with resistance from Serbs.

Hence both statements are correct.

A celt, belonging to the neolithic period, was recently discovered in Poothinatham village in Tamil Nadu.

About Neolithic Age:

• Neolithic, also called New Stone Age, is the final stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans.
• The Neolithic stage of development was attained during the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years of Earth’s history).
• The starting point of the Neolithic is generally thought to have occurred sometime about 10,000 BCE.
• The Neolithic followed the Paleolithic Period, or the age of chipped-stone tools, and preceded the Bronze Age, or the early period of metal tools.
• The Neolithic Revolution started in the Fertile Crescent, a region of the Middle East where humans first took up farming. 
• The term Neolithic is most frequently used in connection with agriculture, which is the time when cereal cultivation was introduced.
• Features:
• It was characterized by stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding, dependence on domesticated plants or animals, settlement in permanent villages, and the appearance of such crafts as pottery and weaving. 
• The houses were built of mud and reed and rectangular or circular shapes. 
• Some of the important Neolithic sites in India include Mehrgarh, the oldest Neolithic site in the province of Pakistan called Balochistan, Burzahom in Kashmir, Chiron in Bihar and Uttar in Andhra Pradesh, Edakkal caves in Kerala.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

As per a recent circular by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Wilful defaulters and companies involved in fraud can go for a compromise settlement or technical write-offs by banks and finance companies.

About Wilful Defaulter:

• They are considered as entities that do not pay back money despite the ability to do so.
• The concept of ‘Wilful Defaulter’ was introduced when the RBI, as per its power under Sections 21 and 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, issued the Master Circular, which defined Wilful Defaulter and detailed the measures to be adopted by the Banks and Financial Institutions (FIs) to adjudge the instances of default, i.e. whether the same is a wilful default or not.
• According to the RBI, a wilful default is deemed to have occurred in any of the following four circumstances:
• When there is a default in repayment obligations by the unit (company/individual) to the lender, even when it has the capacity to honour the said obligations, there is a deliberate intention of not repaying the loan.
• The funds are not utilised for the specific purpose for which finance was availed but have been diverted for other purposes. 
• When the funds have been siphoned off and not been utilised for the purpose for which it was availed. Further, no assets are available which justify the usage of funds.
• When the asset bought by the lenders’ funds have been sold off without the knowledge of the bank/lender.
• Further, in cases where a letter of comfort or guarantees furnished by group companies of wilfully defaulting units are not honoured when they are invoked by the lender, then such group companies are also considered to be wilful defaulters.
• Consequences:
• Banks and institutions are required to submit the list of suit-filed accounts of wilful defaulters at the end of every quarter to the Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd (CIBIL).
• Banks also report the names of current directors as well as directors who were associated with the company at the time the account was classified as a defaulter. This helps to put other banks and institutions on guard against such individuals. This list can also include independent and nominee directors.
• A wilful defaulter is not permitted to float any new business for a period of five years from the date of being declared a wilful defaulter.
• Lenders are also expected to initiate legal process, which can include criminal proceedings, if necessary, against the borrowers/guarantors and foreclosure of recovery of dues is expedited.
• Banks and institutions have been given the right to change the management of wilfully defaulting company.
• At present, there is no specific law for legal action against Wilful defaulters. Reserve Bank of India has framed rules defining willful default, the process to be followed by banks for declaring borrower as “willful defaulter”. Banks initiate action against such accounts under laws like SARFAESI Act, Companies Act, 2013, Fugitive Economic Offenders Act etc.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recent scientific findings have revealed that Neanderthal genes compose 1 to 4 per cent of the genome of modern-day humans whose ancestors moved out of Africa.

About Neanderthals:

• Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relative.
• Species: Homo neanderthalensis
• They lived throughout Europe and parts of Asia from about 400,000 until about 40,000 years ago.
• Neanderthals co-existed with modern humans for long periods of time before eventually becoming extinct.
• Features:
• Some defining features of their skulls include the large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. 
• Their bodies were shorter and stockier than modern humans, another adaptation to living in cold environments.
• But their brains were just as large as modern humans and often larger - proportional to their brawnier bodies.
• Their bones reveal that they were extremely muscular and strong, but led hard lives, suffering frequent injuries.
• Neanderthals made and used a diverse set of sophisticated tools, controlled fire, lived in shelters, made and wore clothing, were skilled hunters of large animals and also ate plant foods, and occasionally made symbolic or ornamental objects. 
• Fossil evidence suggests that Neanderthals, like early humans, made an assortment of sophisticated tools from stone and bones. These included small blades, hand axe and scrapers used to remove flesh and fat from animal skin.
• There is evidence that Neanderthals deliberately buried their dead and occasionally even marked their graves with offerings, such as flowers. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

State-run hydropower company NHPC Ltd. Will soon start trial runs for the Subansiri Lower project. 

About Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project:

• It is the biggest hydroelectric project undertaken in India so far.
• It is a run-of-river scheme on river Subansiri.
• Location: The Project is located near North Lakhimpur on the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
• Capacity:2000MW
• It is a concrete gravity dam 116 m high from river bed level.
• It is being developed by the state-run National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).

Key facts about the Subansiri River:

• It originates in the Tibet Plateau and is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra River.
• The high topographic variation makes this river a potential zone for harnessing it for the hydropower.

What is a Gravity dam?

• Gravity dams are massive structure dams which are constructed of concrete or stone masonry.
• Concrete gravity dams usually run in a straight line across a broad valley and resist the horizontal thrust of the retained water entirely by their own weight.
• This type of structure is durable and requires very little maintenance.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Dubai Customs recently celebrated the graduation of participants from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programme.

About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):

• UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, in addition to being responsible for implementing the United Nations lead programme on terrorism.
• It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria 
• Functions:
• UNODC works to educate people throughout the world about the dangers of drug abuse.
• Strengthen international action against illicit drug production and trafficking and drug-related crime. 
• It also works to improve crime prevention and assist with criminal justice reform in order to strengthen the rule of law, promote stable and viable criminal justice systems and combat the growing threats of transnational organized crime and corruption. 
• In 2002, the UN General Assembly approved an expanded programme of activities for the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC. The activities focus on providing assistance to States, on request, in ratifying and implementing the eighteen universal legal instruments against terrorism.
• Working:
• UNODC has 20 field offices covering over 150 countries.
• By working directly with Governments and non-governmental organizations, UNODC field staff develop and implement drug control and crime prevention programmes tailored to countries' particular needs.
• Funding: UNODC relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from governments, to carry out the majority of our work.

Hence both statements are correct.

According to a recently published research paper, a human clinical trial of a vaccine candidate to prevent chikungunya has returned a 99% immune response.

About Chikungunya:

• It is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bites of mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus.
• The word comes from the African Makonde language and means "bent over in pain." 
• It is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes, Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, which can also transmit dengue and Zika viruses.
• It was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952 and has now been identified in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Symptoms:

• Symptoms usually begin 4 to 8 days after a mosquito bite but can appear anywhere from 2 to 12 days.
• The most common symptom is an abrupt onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain. 
• Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. 
• Serious complications are uncommon, but atypical severe cases can cause long-term symptoms and even death, especially in older people.
• Treatment:
• There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for chikungunya virus infections.
• The goal of treatment for the infection is to relieve symptoms with rest, fluids and drugs.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.