Daily Current Affairs MCQ- March 28, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Environment Minister informed that October 5th has been designated as National Dolphin Day to be celebrated every year to create awareness for conservation of Dolphins.

• He chaired the 67th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life in New Delhi today. Considering that generating awareness amongst the people on the benefits of conservation of Dolphins is important, the Standing Committee recommended that every year 5th of October should be celebrated as National Dolphin Day.
• Healthy aquatic ecosystems help in maintaining the overall health of the planet.
• Dolphins act as ideal ecological indicators of a healthy aquatic ecosystem and conservation of the Dolphins will benefit the survival of the species and people dependent on the aquatic system for their livelihood.

Gangetic Dolphin

• The Gangetic dolphin is categorised as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List.
• A WWF-India and the Uttar Pradesh forest department assessment in 2012 and 2015 recorded 1,272 dolphins in the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Ken, Betwa, Son, Sharda, Geruwa, Gahagra, Gandak and Rapti.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The envoys to India of nine Eastern European countries jointly wrote an article on March 25 to “acquaint the Indian public with the basic facts on the ground about the unjustified Russian aggression in Ukraine”.

• The “Bucharest Nine” is a group of nine NATO countries in Eastern Europe that became part of the US-led military alliance after the end of the Cold War.
• The Bucharest Nine or Bucharest Format, often abbreviated as the B9, was founded on November 4, 2015, and takes its name from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
• The group was created on the initiative of Klaus Iohannis, who has been President of Romania since 2014, and Andrzej Duda, who became President of Poland in August 2015.
• The B9 are, apart from Romania and Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All nine countries were once closely associated with the now dissolved Soviet Union, but later chose the path of democracy.
• All members of the B9 are part of the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
• The Bucharest Format (B9) offers a platform for deepening the dialogue and consultation among the participant allied states, in order to articulate their specific contribution to the ongoing processes across the North-Atlantic Alliance.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Ayurvedic doctors are entitled to be treated at par with their allopathic counterparts, the Supreme Court has said in an order.

• Ayurvedic doctors will be entitled to be treated at par with allopathic medical officers and dental medical officers under the National Rural Health Mission [NRHM/NHM] scheme.
• The apex court was upholding an order of the Uttarakhand High Court that ayurvedic doctors would get the same salary as allopathic and dental medical officers under the scheme.
• The NRHM scheme was introduced in 2005 by the Centre to provide affordable healthcare to the rural poor.
• The dispute concerned the appointments made by the Uttarakhand government of AYUSH medical officers in the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Candidates who wish to pursue PhD from the next academic year may have to qualify in an entrance exam conducted either by the university or the National Eligibility Test.

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has drafted new regulations which make the test mandatory for all candidates, including those joining PhD after under-graduation and post-graduation.
• The regulations are likely to be implemented by April. The draft has been uploaded for comments.
• The draft had also dropped the award of M.Phil degree, a year-long programme. Universities in the State might not be able to offer M.Phil degree once the UGC implemented the new regulations.
• Candidates who pursue the four-year undergraduate course with no arrears and a CGPA of 7.5 and above can directly be admitted to PhD. The regulations permit two additional years to women to complete their course work
• Also, 60% of admission to PhD would be for candidates who have qualified in the NET and 40% would be provided for non-NET takers. However, based on vacancies in both these segments, candidates from the other segment may be admitted.

Hence both statements are correct.

The GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission, which lifted off from Sriharikota on August 12 last year, failed due to ‘deviation in the performance’ of the cryogenic upper stage (CUS) of the launch vehicle, a national-level Failure Analysis Committee (FAC) has found.

• Although the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) had a normal lift-off after a 26-hour countdown, the mission had to be aborted much to the dismay of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• The FAC, consisted of experts from the space agency and the academia, submitted its findings.
• The FAC has concluded that a leak in a Vent and Relief Valve (VRV), probably triggered by damage in the soft seal, resulted in lower pressure in the LH2 (Liquid Hydrogen, the propellant) tank when the CUS engine ignited.
• This caused the Fuel Booster Turbo Pump (FBTP) to malfunction, ultimately leading to the failure of the mission.
• Recommendations include the incorporation of an active LH2 tank pressurisation system for guaranteeing sufficient pressure in the tank before the engine burns. Other recommendations include strengthening the VRV and associated fluid circuits to avoid leakage.

Hence both statements are correct.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the President’s Colour to INS Valsura, the Navy’s premier technological training establishment.

• The President’s Colour is bestowed on a military unit in recognition of the exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and in war.
• INS Valsura, is a premier technological training institution, of the Indian Navy based in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• INS Valsura trains officers and men on operation and maintenance of sophisticated and technologically advanced equipment on board warships.
• The Navy was the first Indian armed force to be awarded the President’s Colour by Dr Rajendra Prasad on May 27, 1951. INS Valsura, started on 30 acres of land as a torpedo school in 1942 under the British, has today grown into one of the foremost technological training institutions of the country spread over 600 acres.
• In 2018 a medium voltage laboratory was set up by Siemens, Germany, at INS Valsura to familiarise and train naval engineers in the nuances of medium voltage power generation, protection and distribution.

Hence both statements are correct.

Defence Space Command Agency: Australia

• Recently, Australia has announced a new Defence Space Command Agency to counter the growing influence of Russia and China in space. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• It will help Australia in developing and advocating space-specific priorities within the government, industry, allies and even international partners.
• The agency will provide training to people to become space specialists, help conduct strategic space planning, and be able to be a part of any developments regarding the refinement of space policy. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Australia will be setting scientific and space priorities with the agency in place and will be working towards creating an efficient space architecture.
• All the operations of the agency – including design, construction, maintenance – will be within the purview of the standards and limitations of the Defence Ministry of Australia.

Surajkund International Mela

• The Mela is organised by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The Mela was initiated in 1987 to promote the pool of skilled artisans, who used indigenous technology, but were suffering due to the cheaper machine-made imitations.
  • The fair was upgraded to an international level in 2013.
• The Surajkund Mela showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India, & is the largest crafts fair in the world.
• Jammu & Kashmir is the ‘Theme State’ and Uzbekistan is the “Partner Nation” for the year 2022. Hence statement 2 is correct.

• In Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) two or more partners give preferential right of entry to certain products. This is done by reducing duties on an agreed number of tariff lines. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Tariffs may even be reduced to zero for some products even in a PTA. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• India signed a PTA with Afghanistan.

• The Koyna River is a tributary of the Krishna River which originates in Mahabaleshwar, Satara district, Western Maharashtra.
• Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra which flow in East-West direction, the Koyna River flows in the North-South direction.
• It covers an area of 2,036 km2 in the Deccan terrain of the district of Satara in the state of Maharashtra.
  • With an elevation range of 550 – 1,460 m above mean sea level it typically represents a physiographic setup characterized by the Deccan plateau in the Western Ghats region.
• It is dammed by the Koyna Dam at Koynanagar forming the Shivsagar reservoir.
• Koyna River is supported by four tributaries. They are Kera, Wang, Morna and Mahind. Among these rivers, Kera, Wang and Morna are dammed.
• Hence, option C is correct.