Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 21, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flagged off the inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express from Dehradun to Delhi. It is the 17th Vande Bharat Express train to the nation. 

• Vande Bharat Express, earlier named as Train 18, is India's fastest indigenous train which has been built by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai under the Government’s Make in India.
• Timeline: It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between New Delhi and Varanasi on February 15, 2019 and is running with no reported issues in the last six months.
• It is India's first semi-high-speed train which will run from Delhi to Varanasi, with halts at Kanpur and Allahabad, at a maximum speed of 160 kmph by covering the distance in 8 hours.
• It is equipped with world class passenger amenities like On-board wifi entertainment, GPS based passenger information system, CCTVs, bio-vacuum toilets, rotating chairs in executive class, etc.
• The express will have two travel classes: executive and chair car, similar to the Shatabdi.
• Further, it has intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient.
• It is also the first locomotive-less train in the country.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi will inaugurate the first Mining Start-up Summit in Mumbai on 29th of May. 

• The summit is being organized by the Ministry of Mines in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
• The Summit will be mainly focusing on innovation and techniques that will support and improve the performance, safety and help in building autonomy in the field of mining and metallurgy.
• The summit will also be focusing on interaction with leading industries in the mineral exploration sector, financial institutions and banks.
• More than 120 start-ups and 20 major industries will be participating in the Summit.
• During the event, Ministry of Mines will interact with the start-ups in the field of Mining and Metallurgy and how these start-ups equipped with different technology can contribute in the activities of mining sector.

Hence both statements are correct.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over India’s longest sea bridge Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. 

• This 22-kilometer long 6-lane sea bridge from Sewri to Nhava in Mumbai will ensure Seamless, direct connectivity between South Mumbai and Raigad.
• The bridge will also reduce distance between Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Raigad, Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Goa Highway, and save one hour travel time including fuel and transportation cost.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Eighth meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council concluded at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. 

• What is it? The Governing Council, which embodies NITI Aayog's objectives of cooperative federalism, presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral and federal issues to accelerate the implementation of the national development agenda.
• Timeline: The First Meeting was held in February 2015, the Second Meeting in July 2015, the Third Meeting in 2017 and the Fourth meeting in June 2018.
• Composition: The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises the –
  • Prime Minister of India, Chief Ministers of all the States and UTs with Legislatures and Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
  • four Union Ministers as ex-officio members and
  • three Union Ministers as Special Invitees.

Hence both statements are correct.

Prime Minister on May 27, 2023 paid tributes to the former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 59th death anniversary.

Facts about Jawahar Lal Nehru:

• Jawahar Lal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889, in Allahabad (officially known as Prayagraj) to Pandit Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani.
• He went to Trinity College in Cambridge in October 1907 and graduated with an honours degree in natural science in 1910. After completing his degree in 1910, Nehru moved to London and studied law at Inner Temple Inn.
• After returning to India in August 1912, he enrolled himself as an advocate of the Allahabad High Court.
• Inspired by Mahatama Gandhi's ideology of fighting British imperialism, Nehru joined the freedom struggle.
• He became the Indian National Congress president on two occasions -- in 1919 and 1928. Jawaharlal Nehru was first imprisoned in 1929.
• In the 60s, he played a key role in the formation and operation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). NAM was a platform for newly liberated third-world colonies to empower each other during the Cold War while staying away from the two power blocs (Communist and Capitalist). It opposed "imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression".
• Nehru wrote several books, including 'The Discovery of India', 'Glimpses of World History', and his autobiography, 'Toward Freedom'. A collection of letters he had written to his daughter Indira Gandhi was published as a book: 'Letters from a Father to His Daughter'.
• His elder sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first female president of the United Nations General Assembly, and youngest sister, Krishna Hutheesing, became a noted writer.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, A three-day national conclave on denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes concluded in Hyderabad.

About Denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes:

• The De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes are the most neglected, marginalized and economically and socially deprived communities.
• Denotified tribes (DNTs) are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminal’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 and 1947.
• These Acts were repealed by the Independent lndian Government in l952, and these communities were "De-Notified".
• These tribes somehow escaped the attention of our developmental framework and thus are deprived of the support unlike Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Development and Welfare Board:
• It has constituted by the ministry in 2019 on the recommendation of National Commission formed in 2017.
• The Board has been mandated to formulate and implement welfare and development programmes for these communities.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, The fourth meeting of the National Level Steering Committee (NLSC) of the Atal Bhujal Yojana was held in New Delhi.

About Atal Bhujal Yojana:

• Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) is being implemented as a Central Sector Scheme since April, 2020 in 8220 water stressed Gram Panchayats of 229 administrative blocks/Talukas in 80 districts of seven States viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Implementation Period: for 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
• Goal: To demonstrate community-led sustainable ground water management which can be taken to scale.
• Objective: The major objective of the Scheme is to improve the management of groundwater resources in select water stressed areas in identified states.
• Funding: Total outlay of INR 6000 crores. Out of this, INR 3,000 crores will be as loan from the World Bank and INR 3,000 crores as matching contribution from the Government of India.
• Program Components:

Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building Component: This component is for strengthening institutional arrangements and capacities in the states.

Incentive Component: The incentive component is for incentivizing the States for convergence amongst various schemes of the Central and State Governments.

• Nodal agency: The Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Outcomes of meeting:

• Overall performance of the scheme is satisfactory and the achievements under Disbursement Linked Indicators are also noteworthy.
• The Committee decides Atal Bhujal Yojana should be taken up for continuation for another two years beyond 2025.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, The Sapta Shakti Command of the Indian Army conducted exercise ‘Sudarshan Shakti 2023’ along the western borders in Rajasthan and Punjab.

About Sudarshan Shakti Exercise:

• Aim: It aimed at starting the transformation of the forces into a modern, lean, and agile fighting combination capable of leveraging new-age technologies.
• The exercise was designed to validate operational plans in a network-centric environment with elements of combat power, combat support and logistic support.
• These elements were exercised in a synergised application under all domains of enemy threat including Grey Zone Warfare as part of high tempo operations.
• Scope and objectives:
• Integrated use of force multipliers like special forces and niche technologies covering drones, tethered drones, loiter ammunition as well as key aspects of electronic warfare made it a unique event.
• This exercise also facilitated in meeting the stated objectives of five pillars of transformation enunciated by COAS General Manoj Pande in January 2023.
• ‘Sudarshan Shakti 2023” highlights the commitment of the South Western Command and its associated units towards maintaining a high level of operational preparedness and capability to fight a technology intensive future conflict.

Hence both statements are correct.

National review conference of Department of Social Justice, Empowerment recently conducted in New Delhi.

About National review conference of Department of Social Justice, Empowerment:

• Two-day national review conference organised by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will be conducted in New Delhi recently. 
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said, the focus of this conference is to discuss the issue pertaining to the welfare schemes being implemented by the department for the marginalized section of the society including Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Senior Citizens and others.
• The National Review Conference will have deliberation on an overview of the schemes, highlighting best practice and innovations from States and Union Territories to establish better synergy between the States and Centre.

Hence, only statement 2 is correct.

SC refuses to entertain PIL seeking direction to Lok Sabha Secretariat for the inauguration of new Parliament building by the President.

About Public Interest Litigation (PIL):

• PIL has not been defined in any Indian statute. However, Courts have interpreted and defined PIL. 
• The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has, in the case of Janata Dal v. H.S.Chaudhary, [(AIR 1993 SC 892) held that lexically, the expression ‘PIL’  means a legal action started in a court of law for the enforcement of public/general interest where the public or a particular class of the public some interest (including pecuniary interest) that affects their legal rights or liabilities.
• Any individual or organisation can file a PIL either in his/her/their own standing i.e. to protect or enforce a right owed to him/her/them by the government or on behalf of a section of society who is disadvantaged or oppressed and is not able to enforce their own rights.
• The concept of “Locus Standi” has been relaxed in the case of PILs so as to enable the Hon’ble Court to look into grievances that are filed on behalf of those who are poor, illiterate, deprived or disabled and are unable to approach the courts themselves.
• Suo moto cognizance may also be taken by the Court.
• PILs are extensions of Writ Jurisdiction. Therefore, PILs may be filed either before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution or any High Court under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution.

Hence, only statement 1 is correct.