Daily Current Affairs MCQ- March 26, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

With Holi set to be celebrated on March 25, in some parts of Rajasthan’s Jaipur, an old tradition will play out where colours will be thrown through a unique medium called the “Gulaal Gota”.

• It is a small ball made of lac, filled with dry gulaal.
• Gulaal Gotas are made by Muslim lac makers, called Manihaars, only in Jaipur (Rajasthan).
• The tradition of using Gulal Gota goes back to 400 years when the erstwhile Jaipur royal family members would play Holi with them.

How it is prepared?

• The making of Gulaal Gotas involves first boiling the lac in water to make it flexible. Lac is a resinous substance that is secreted by certain insects. It is also used to make bangles.
• After shaping the lac, colour is added to it. At first red, yellow, and green are added as other colours can be obtained through their combinations.
• After the processing is done, artisans heat the lac. It is then blown into a spherical shape with the help of a blower called “phunkni”.
• Then, gulaal is filled in the balls before they are sealed with lac.
• Lac is brought from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and the female scale insect is one of the sources of lac.
• The lac insects also yield resin, lac dye and lac wax.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, the Prime Minister of India received Bhutan’s highest civilian award, the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’, during his two-day State visit to the neighbouring nation.

• It stands as Bhutan’s most esteemed civilian accolade, reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to society, embodying values of service, integrity, and leadership.
• As per ranking and precedence established, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo was instituted as the decoration for lifetime achievement and is the pinnacle of the honour system in Bhutan, taking precedence over all orders, decorations and medals.
• The award has been conferred to Prime Minister of India in recognition of outstanding contribution to the growth of India-Bhutan relations and for his distinguished service to the Bhutanese nation and people.
• The present Prime Minister of India became the first foreign head of government to receive Bhutan’s highest civilian honour.
• Others to receive this award include Her Majesty The Royal Queen Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck in 2008; His Holiness Je Thrizur Tenzin Dendup in 2008; and His Holiness Je Khenpo Trulku Ngawang Jigme Choedra in 2018.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Ministry of Electronics & IT Startup Hub is empowering innovation, driving growth and forging success within the vast landscape of Startup Mahakhumbh 2024.

• It is established as an Independent Business Division (IBD) under the aegis of Digital India Corporation (DIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
• It is aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in the technology sector.
• It supports startups, incubators, and Centers of Excellence (CoEs) through various programs and initiatives to drive digital transformation and promote India's leadership in emerging technologies.
• Mission: It has a mission to build a conducive innovation and start-up ecosystem by bringing together various technology innovation stakeholders and paving the way toward a strong economy built on the twin engines of innovation and technological advancement.
• It acts as a national coordination, facilitation, and monitoring center that will integrate all the incubation centers, start-ups, and innovation-related activities of MeitY.

What is Digital India Corporation?

• It has been set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, to innovate, develop and deploy ICT and other emerging technologies for the benefit of the common man.
• It plays the role of a leader in promoting e-Governance by taking forward the projects and activities of the Digital India Programme, to facilitate its stakeholders to realise its goals.
• It also provides strategic support to Ministries & Departments, both at Central and State level for carrying forward the mission of Digital India Programme by way of Capacity Building for e-governance projects, promoting best practices, encouraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), nurturing innovation and technology in various domains.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the Pushpak Reusable Landing Vehicle (RLV) LEX 02 landing experiment at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka.

• This landing experiment is the second of the series conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range.
• After the RLV-LEX-01 mission was accomplished last year, RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of reusable launch vehicle (RLV) from off-nominal initial conditions at release from helicopter.

How was the experiment conducted?

• The RLV LEX-02 mission demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the reusable launch vehicle from challenging initial conditions after release from a helicopter.
• It is named Pushpak, the winged vehicle was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter and released from an altitude of 4.5 km.
• It autonomously approached the runway with cross-range corrections and landed precisely, coming to a halt using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes, and nose wheel steering system
• The winged body and all flight systems used in RLV-LEX-01 were reused in the RLV-LEX-02 mission after due certification/ clearances. 
• The mission was accomplished by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) along with the Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU).

Hence option d is the correct answer.

The Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is facing a pressing issue: rising visitor numbers threatening the delicate balance of this unique ecosystem.

About Galapagos Islands:

• Location: It is situated in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.
• The Archipelago is a group of 19 islands, 13 large and 6 small, and dozens of islets and rocks that cover an area of over 17,000 square miles.
• It is distributed on either side of the Equator with an underwater wildlife spectacle with abundant life.
• Repeated volcanic eruptions helped to form the rugged mountain landscape of the Galápagos Islands.
• In comparison with most oceanic archipelagos, the Galapagos are very young with the largest, and youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, with less than one million years of existence, and the oldest islands, Española and San Cristóbal, somewhere between three to five million years. 
• Mount Azul, at 5,541 feet, is the highest point of the Galapagos Islands. 
• Climate: It is characterized by low rainfall, low humidity, and relatively low air and water temperatures.
• It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.
• Biodiversity:
• The Galápagos are best known for their diverse array of plant and animal species. Many species are endemic, as they are not found anywhere else in the world.
• These include the giant Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), the marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), the flightless cormorant (Phalacrocoraz harrisi), and the Galápagos penguin.
• The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is the only penguin species to live in the Northern Hemisphere.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Indian Army has initiated a significant development in its technological capabilities by establishing the Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group (STEAG).

About Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group:

• It is a unit dedicated to researching and evaluating futuristic communication technologies like 6G, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and quantum computing for military applications.
• Objective: Its primary objective is to nurture technologies across wired and wireless systems, covering a wide spectrum of domains including electronic exchanges, mobile communications, software-defined radios, electronic warfare systems, and more.
• The unit will conduct technical scouting, evaluation, development, and management of core ICT solutions while providing user interface support through the maintenance and upgrade of contemporary technologies.
• It will help bridge the divide between the armed forces on the one hand and industry and academia on the other.
• It is aligned with the tenets of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Start-Up India.
• Significance
• It will play a crucial role in fostering self-reliance in high-end communication technologies, which have traditionally been dominated by countries with advanced economies and research ecosystems.
• The establishment of this Center of Excellence is expected to be a game-changer in India's quest for technological self-sufficiency.

Hence both statements are correct.

The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi has initiated action on the Netravati Waterfront Promenade Development Project in Mangaluru. 

About Netravati River:

• Origin: It rises between Kudrermukh and Ballalaryan Durga in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka at an elevation of about 1000 m.
• It flows generally in a North-South direction for 40 km up to Gohattu, where it takes a turn towards the West and there after flows in East-West direction up to its out fall into the Arabian Sea near Mangalore.
• Tributary: The Kumaradhara, a major left-bank tributary join near the village Uppinangadi.
• The climate of the basin is characterized by heavy rainfall, high humidity, and oppressive weather in the hot season.

What is National Green Tribunal?

• It has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
• It is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of the filing of the same.
• Composition
• It comprises the Chairperson, the Judicial Members, and the Expert Members.
• They shall hold office for a term of 5 years and are not eligible for reappointment.
• The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• A Selection Committee shall be formed by the central government to appoint the Judicial Members and Expert Members.
• There are to be at least 10 and a maximum of 20 full-time Judicial members and Expert Members in the tribunal.
• New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal, and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four places of sitting of the Tribunal.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently conducted fresh raids in at least five places across West Bengal, in connection with the alleged multi-crore school recruitment scam in the state.

About Enforcement Directorate (ED):

• It is a multi-disciplinary organization mandated with the investigation of offence of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws. 
• It was established in 1956 as an ‘Enforcement Unit’ under the Department of Economic Affairs.
• Later, in 1957, this unit was renamed the ‘Enforcement Directorate’. 
• It is under the administrative control of the Department of Revenue (under the Ministry of Finance) for operational purposes.
• ED is responsible for enforcement of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA), and Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 (FEOA).
• ED has the power to attach the assets of the culprits found guilty of the violation of FEMA. 
• It has also been empowered to undertake, search, seizure, arrest, prosecution action, and survey, etc. against the offences committed under PMLA.
• Appointment of Director of ED: The ED Director is appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a committee: 
• chaired by the Central Vigilance Commissioner and 
• members comprising of Vigilance Commissioners, Home Secretary, Secretary DOPT, and Revenue Secretary.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A new study underlines the risk of using water contaminated with arsenic to cook rice, a staple food serving more than half the world’s population.

• It is a naturally occurring, semi metallic element widely distributed in the Earth’s crust.
• It is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land.
• It is a chemical element in the nitrogen group (Group 15 of the periodic table), existing in both gray and yellow crystalline forms.
• It is highly toxic in its inorganic form.
• People are exposed to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in food preparation and irrigation of food crops, industrial processes, eating contaminated food and smoking tobacco.
• Health Impacts: Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic, mainly through drinking-water and food, can lead to chronic arsenic poisoning. Skin lesions and skin cancer are the most characteristic effects.
• In India, the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Chhattisgarh are reported to be most affected by arsenic contamination of groundwater above the permissible level.

Hence both statements are correct.

Earlier this year, Indian multinational ridesharing company, Ola, introduced Krutrim AI, claiming it as “India’s own AI”.

• It is envisioned to be personalised assistant, which can simplify personal and professional life by getting a variety of tasks done for you.
• This AI model hopes to bridge the gap between conventional AI and the specific needs based on Indian languages and culture.
• It uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) — a component of AI — to understand the nuances of human language, including colloquialisms and cultural contexts.
• Machine Learning (ML) algorithms enable it to learn from vast data sets and improve its responses over time. Moreover, Deep Learning, a sophisticated branch of ML, helps it recognise patterns and analyse complex data.
• One of the distinguishing features of Krutrim AI is that it has the ability to understand the intent of the user.
• While most AI models rely on keyword matching and statistical probabilities, Krutrim AI reportedly dives deeper to understand the user’s request.
• It can help with a variety of creative and knowledge retrieval tasks. One can write an email, seek information on topics of interest, learn new skills, plan travel or learn a new recipe, and more.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.