Daily Current Affairs MCQ- March 28, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Supreme Court recently said that the period of parole granted to convicts during the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent overcrowding in prisons cannot be counted as part of their actual sentence period and has to be excluded from it.

• Parole is a system of releasing a prisoner with a suspension of the sentence.
• The release is conditional, usually subject to behaviour, and requires periodic reporting to the authorities for a set period of time.
• It is not a right of a prisoner and may be denied to a prisoner even when he makes out a sufficient case.

Hence both statements are correct.

According to a new World Food Programme (WFP) report the reach of school meals in low-income countries remains four per cent below pre-pandemic levels, despite a recovery overall.

• World Food Programme is a branch of the United Nations that deals with hunger eradication and promotes food security in the world.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• It is operating in more than 120 countries, provides food assistance during emergencies and works with communities to enhance nutrition and generate resilience.
• It has been functioning in India since 1963.
• Funding: WFP is funded by voluntary donations from governments, corporates and private donors.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the Aravalli Green Wall Project at a function organised to celebrate the International Day of Forests at Tikli Village in Haryana. 

• The Aravalli Range is one of the oldest fold mountains of the world which runs in a southwest direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Gujarat.
• The highest peak of Aravali is Guru Shikhar (5,650 ft).
• Three major rivers originate from the Aravali hills, namely Banas, Sahibi and Luni River (which flows into the Rann of Kutch). 
• Narmada River rises near the Amarkantak range of mountains in Madhya Pradesh. 

Hence both statements are not correct.

The Union Home Minister recently said that the Centre has decided to further reduce the jurisdiction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.

About Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA):

• It is a law enacted by the Parliament which gives armed forces (Army, the Air Force and Central paramilitary forces) the special powers and immunity to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. 
• When is it applied? It can be applied only after an area has been declared “disturbed” under section 2 of the act. 
• What is a Disturbed area? An area can be considered to be disturbed due to differences or disputes among different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities. 
• Who declares an area as disturbed? Section (3) of AFSPA empowers the governor of the state/Union territory to issue an official notification declaring the state or a region within as a “disturbed area”, after which the centre can decide whether to send in armed forces. 
• The ‘special powers’ of armed forces under Section 4 are: 
• Power to use force even to the extent of causing death, destroy arms / ammunition dumps, fortifications/ shelters / hideouts.
• Power to arrest without a warrant.
• Power to seize and search’ without any warrant any premise. 
• It stipulates that arrested persons and seized property is to be handed over to the nearest Police Station with least possible delay.
• These armed forces are immune from prosecution unless Union Government provides sanction to the prosecuting agencies. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to officials, the last deck portion of the Anji Khan bridge is expected to be completed soon.

About Anji Khan Bridge:

• It is an under-construction railway bridge in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It will be the first cable-stayed railway bridge in India.
• It forms a part of the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) connecting Katra and Reasi Station on the Jammu-Baramulla line.
• Features:
• It is an asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge balanced on the axis of a central pylon, and it has tunnels on both ends.
• The cable-stayed portion of the Anji bridge is 472.25 metres, while the total length of the bridge is 725.5 metres, which is divided into four parts, including an embankment.
• The central span of the bridge is 290 metres; its total deck width will be 15 metres.
• It stands at the height of 331 metres above the Anji river bed.
• Trains can run up to 100km/h, and the bridge can withstand wind speeds up to 213 km/hr.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Millions of people across countries recently celebrated Earth Hour.

About Earth Hour:

• It is a global grassroots movement uniting people to take action on environmental issues and protect the planet.
• It is organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
• It was started by WWF and partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007.
• It takes place on the last Saturday of March every year.
• “Earth Hour” encourages people to switch off all lights for an hour, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time to promote awareness of climate change challenges and energy conservation.
• Governments and companies also participate by turning off non-essential lights in their buildings, monuments, and landmarks to raise awareness about the impact of energy consumption on our planet.
• This symbolic act, known as the ‘lights off’ moment, unites people worldwide in a show of support for the planet and serves as a reminder of the environmental issues facing us.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Researchers recently highlighted that ground-nesting birds, including the ibisbill, can be impacted by changing climatic patterns in the Indian Himalayas.

About Ibisbill:

• It is a bird which belongs to the family Ibidorhynchidae. It is the only species in this family.
• It is a charismatic and uncommon wader seen in the Himalayas and foothills of India.
• Scientific Name: bidorhyncha struthersii
• Distribution:
• They are common in Central Asia and the Himalayas.
• They are found in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. 
• Habitat:
• It lives at high altitudes near rivers.
• They exhibit altitudinal migration, breeding in the higher reaches of the mountains and descending to lower elevations during winters.
• Features:
• It is a medium-sized wader, measuring 38 to 42 cm in length and weighing 270 to 320 grams.
• It has a long, downward curved and sharply-pointed pink bill; a grey body; a white belly with a black band on its chest; and a black face.
• The sexes are similar, which makes this species monomorphic as well.
• They are good swimmers.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN: Least Concern

Hence both statements are not correct.

The National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN) has recently completed its training program for construction workers engaged in the Central Vista project in New Delhi.

About NIPUN Scheme:

• It is an innovative project for the skill training of construction workers.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under its flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
• Objective: To train over 1 lakh construction workers through fresh skilling and upskilling programmes and provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries also.
• The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the nodal agency under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, will be the Implementation Partner for the project NIPUN.
• The project implementation is divided into three parts:
• training through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at construction sites;
• training through Fresh Skilling by Plumbing and Infrastructure Sector Skill Council (SSC);
• International Placement through industries/ builders/ contractors;
• The courses are aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and will be imparted at accredited and affiliated training centres.
• It will provide trainees with 'Kaushal Bima', three-year accidental insurance with coverage of Rs 2 lakhs.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Union Minister of Tribal said in the Lok Sabha that 15 lakh rupees per Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) were given under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Vikas Yojna (PMJVM) for the support of livelihood activities of tribal people in the country.

• The Van Dhan Scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED. 
• It was launched on 14th April 2018 and seeks to improve tribal incomes through the value addition of tribal products.
• Implementation:
  • The scheme will be implemented through the Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level.
  • At the State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors are envisaged to play a pivot role in scheme implementation at the grassroots level.
  • Locally the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG) consisting of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Announcing the 30-year celebration of ‘Project Elephant’ recently officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that the DNA profiling of 270 of the 2,675 captive elephants in the country has been completed.

• Project Elephant’ was launched in 1992 as a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme to protect elephants and improve their habitat and corridors, reduce Human-elephant conflict and ensure their welfare.
• Under this project, financial and technical support is given to wildlife management efforts by states for their free-ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants.
• Project elephant is mainly implemented in 16 States.
• Conservation status of Asian Elephant
  • IUCN: Endangered
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I

Hence only statement 1 is correct.