Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 18, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

An amount of $736.4 million will be allocated towards environment protection at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) council meeting being convened in Washington, DC, starting June 17, 2024.

• It was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit of UNFCC to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. 
• It is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and strains on land and ocean health.
• It provides financial assistance for five major international environmental conventions:
• Minamata Convention on Mercury.
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
• United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• It has 184 member countries, including India.
• The governing council is the main governing body of GEF which comprises 32 members appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries (14 from developed countries, 16 from developing countries, and two from economies in transition).
• Secretariat: Its secretariat is based in Washington, D.C.
• The GEF Trust Fund was established to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. 
• Funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Recently, the Ministry of External Affairs and the SBI have signed an MoU to provide an additional digital payment service of the bank through its payment gateway SBIePay to users of the eMigrate portal.

• It was launched in 2014 and it has been instrumental in making the emigration process online and transparent for Indian workers heading to countries where emigration checks are required.
• The portal connects foreign employers, registered recruiting agents, and insurance companies issuing the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojna, facilitating seamless, safe, and legal migration.
• The portal also has a mechanism for voluntary registration of emigrants holding ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) category passports proceeding for overseas employment.
• It is integrated with the external affairs ministry’s Passport Seva Project to validate the passport details of ECR category workers. This integration helps detect fake passport cases and check for data entry errors at the registration stage.
• The Overseas Employment (OE) and Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) division of the external affairs ministry is responsible for overseeing the emigration of Indian workers having Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) category passports.
• These are semi-skilled and unskilled workers who are considered most vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous recruitment agents or foreign employers. 
• ECR passport holders require Emigration Clearance (EC) when taking up jobs in the 18 designated ECR countries – Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Explanation:

1. Statement 1 is correct because India will host its first multinational air exercise called Tarang Shakti-2024 in August 2024, with the participation of 10 countries and some others as observers. It is inspired by the Red Flag exercise hosted by the US.

2. Statement 2 is correct. The exercise aims to foster professional interactions, enrich the employment philosophy of the participating forces, and facilitate the exchange of valuable insights. It represents a unique opportunity for these nations to collaborate and enhance their tactical and operational capabilities.

Recently, researchers have discovered a rare species of bioluminescent mushrooms in the forests of Kasaragod which are scientifically known as Filoboletus manipularis.

• It is a fascinating species of bioluminescent mushroom.
• These mushrooms glow a bright green at night due to a chemical reaction in their cells.
• Habitat: They thrive in tropical, humid environments, typically found in dense forests where there’s plenty of decaying organic matter, like fallen trees and leaves.
• This rich, moist environment provides the nutrients and conditions necessary for their growth and their unique glowing property.
• Biochemical process: The chemical reaction involving luciferin (a pigment) and luciferase (an enzyme) with oxygen plays a critical role in these mushrooms. This reaction produces light, a trait shared with other bioluminescent organisms like fireflies and certain marine creatures. 
• Advantage: In fungi, this glowing mechanism is thought to attract insects, “which help disperse the mushroom’s spores”.

What are mushrooms?

• Mushrooms constitute secondary saprophytic fungi of the forest ecosystem.
• Secondary saprophytic fungi play a very important role in the decomposition of plant litter. 
• The Western Ghats region in Kerala is rich in fungi, many of which could also be described as endemic to the region.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, the Empowered Programme Committee (EPC) of National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) has approved 7 startup proposals under the GREAT scheme. 

• Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) encourages young innovators, scientists/technologists, and startup ventures in the field of Technical Textiles to translate their ideas into commercial technologies/products and make India self-reliant.
• It supports individual entrepreneurs or start-ups for functional prototypes or commercialization of their technologies for Technical Textile
• Funding:
• A grant-in-aid of up to Rs 50 lakh for up to a period of 18 months will be provided.

Key facts about National Technical Textiles Mission

• It was launched 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.
• Components:
• Research, Innovation and Development
• Promotion and Market Development
• Export Promotion
• Education, Training, Skill Development
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Textiles 
• Time period: It has been approved with an implementation period of four years, starting from FY 2020-21 till FY 2023-24.

Hence both statements are correct.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage as WHO-Collaborating Centre (CC) for "Fundamental and Literary Research in Traditional Medicine".

About National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH):

• The NIIMH, formerly known as the National Center of Indian Medical Heritage (NCIMH), provides resource materials for historians, scientists and other workers who are interested in studying and documenting the historical aspects of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy, and Sowa Rigpa (AYUSH), along with Modern Medicine.
• It came into existence as the Upgraded Department of History of Medicine from 26-09-1956 under the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and was handed over to Govt. of India on 14-02-1969 due to its national and international importance.
• The institute is functioning under the administrative control of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.
• This Institute, which is only of its kind in South East / Asia is located in Dilsuknagar, Hyderabad.
• Mandate:
• Literary Research and Documentation
• Revival and retrieval of texts from Ancient manuscripts and rare books
• Search and Collection of information, descriptive notes, editing and publication of rare medical manuscripts/books on AYUSH.
• Documentation
• Ayurveda Encyclopedia
• Museum on History of Medicine
• Referral library on AYUSH Systems of Medicine and modern medicine.
• AYUSH Research Portal
• CCRAS-Research Management Information System
• National AYUSH Morbidity and Standardized Terminoligies Electronic - Portal.
• Development of W.H.O International Terminologies of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani.
• Development of SNOMED CT National Extension for Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani.
• It has global access owing to its enormous collection of research materials on History of Medicine.
• The institute has a Medico-Historical Library, Museum and Documentation section.
• The Institute's library is unique with collection of more than 10,000 books, which include very rare publications date back to 15th century on History of Medicine & allied subjects in various languages and serving to medical fraternity as research referral centre.
• It has complete collection of standard National & International Journal on History of Medicine since its inception. 
• The institute also publishes the Journal of Indian Medical Heritage.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A recent report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) analysed data on snow persistence from 2003 to 2024 and found it to be significantly lower than normal in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) this year.

About Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH):

• The HKH region stretches 3,500 kilometres and spans eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
• The range has numerous high snow-capped peaks, with the highest point being Tirich Mir or Terichmir at 7,708 meters (25,289 ft) in Chitral, Pakistan.
• It is considered the Third Pole (after the North and South Poles) and has significant implications for climate.
• It contains the largest volume of ice and snow outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.
• The HKH region is the source of ten large Asian river systems: the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow River, and Tarim.
• The basins of these rivers provide water to 1.9 billion people, a fourth of the world’s population.
• HKH may be divided into three main sections: the eastern Hindu Kush, the central Hindu Kush, and the western Hindu Kush, also known as the Bābā Mountains.
• The inner valleys of the Hindu Kush see little rain and have desert vegetation.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting an above-average summer “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico covering approximately 5,827 square miles.

About Dead Zone:

• The term “dead zone” or “hypoxia” refers to low-oxygen areas in the world’s lakes and oceans.
• Because most organisms need oxygen to live, few organisms can survive in hypoxic conditions. That is why these areas are called dead zones.
• Hypoxic zones can occur naturally, but human activities can also lead to the creation of new dead zones or the enhancement of existing ones.
• How are Dead Zones formed?
• A dead zone occurs as a result of eutrophication, which happens when a body of water is inundated with too many nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen.
• At normal levels, an organism called cyanobacteria – or blue-green algae – feeds on these nutrients.
• With too many nutrients, it can cause an overgrowth of algae in a short period of time, also called algae blooms.
• Dead zones form when the algae die, sink to the bottom, and are decomposed by bacteria—a process that strips dissolved oxygen from the surrounding water.
• Dense algal blooms also block sunlight, which prevents underwater grasses from growing. In turn, the animals that depend on these grasses for food and shelter suffer, as well.
• Human activities mainly cause these excess nutrients to be washed into the ocean, which is why dead zones are often located near inhabited coastlines. 
• Once a dead zone forms, other factors can influence its size and duration.
• For example, wind can mix oxygen from the surface into deeper water and help break up dead zones.
• Hot temperatures can make dead zones worse by warming a layer of surface water that locks colder, denser water below where oxygen from the surface can’t mix in.
• Heavy rainfall increases the amount of pollution washed into waterways.
• Shallow waters are less likely to stratify than deep waters, and so are less likely to develop hypoxic conditions. This is because shallow waters tend to be well-mixed by winds and tides.
• Additionally, waters that are shallow and clear enough to allow light to reach the bottom can support primary producers such as phytoplankton, algae and seagrasses that release oxygen during photosynthesis.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Warmer conditions are helping the Aedes albopictus mosquito, which transmits dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses thrive, said the EU health agency.

About:

• Climate change is expected to significantly impact the spread of dengue in Europe.
• Rising temperatures and increased rainfall create more favorable conditions for the spread of the disease, particularly in areas where the Aedes albopictus mosquito is present.
• In southern Europe, particularly in Spain, Italy, and France, the risk of dengue is expected to increase due to the presence of Aedes albopictus and the rising temperatures and humidity.
• However, in some countries like Spain and Portugal, the expected rise in summer droughts may decrease habitat suitability for Aedes albopictus.

Aedes albopictus mosquito

• The Aedes albopictus mosquito, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is a highly invasive species known for its distinctive black and white striped appearance.
• Disease Vector: This mosquito is a known vector for several diseases, including: Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika virus and yellow fever.
• Controlling the spread of Aedes albopictus involves eliminating standing water where they breed, using insect repellents, and implementing community-wide mosquito control programs.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Invented in 1824 by the William Sturgeon, electromagnets are a fixture of modern life, appearing in loudspeakers, motors, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, maglev trains, and particle accelerators.

About:

• Electromagnets are devices that produce a magnetic field when an electric current flows through a coil of wire.
• The magnetic field is concentrated in the hole of the coil. The strength of the magnetic field can be controlled by adjusting the electric current. When the current is turned off, the magnetic field disappears.
• Construction and Materials: Electromagnets typically consist of a coil of wire wrapped around a magnetic core made of ferromagnetic materials like iron. The magnetic core enhances the strength of the magnetic field by aligning the magnetic domains within the core.

Properties and Advantages:

• Electromagnets can be turned on and off by controlling the electric current.
• They are more powerful than permanent magnets because the magnetic field can be amplified by the magnetic core.
• Electromagnets are widely used in various devices such as motors, generators, MRI machines, and magnetic separation equipment.

Applications:

• Electromagnets are used in various industries for tasks like lifting and moving heavy metal objects, sorting materials, and generating motion.
• They are also used in medical settings for imaging and in consumer devices like electric doorbells and card readers.

Disadvantages:

• Electromagnets require a continuous supply of electric power to maintain their magnetic field.
• They are less efficient than permanent magnets in terms of energy usage.

Hence option c is the correct answer.