Daily Current Affairs MCQ - May 26, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a key-note address at the international event organised to mark Buddha Purnima Diwas. The event is being organised by the Ministry of Culture and International Buddhist Confederation.

• Vesak is the most sacred day for Buddhists around the world.
• Other names: It is also known as Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day.
• Significance: The day commemorates birth, enlightenment and Death (or Parinirvana) of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, all of which is said to take have taken place on the same day.
• Date of observance: Vesak, falls on the full moon day (Purnima) of the month Vaishakha (May), hence the occasion is referred to as Buddha Purnima in India.
• Recognition by United Nations (UN): The General Assembly, by its resolution in 1999, recognized internationally the Day of Vesak. It was done to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism made to humanity.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Over the past few days, Mumbai has witnessed a high number of tree-fall incidents due to Cyclone Tauktae, leading to suggestions that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) should plant only indigenous species in the city.

• Native species should not be confused with old trees or trees that are widely present. Over at least three decades, the government has imported exotic species, and new tree species were planted across the city for beautification.
• For example, Gulmohar or Rain trees are widely found in Mumbai, however, they are not native species.
• By definition, a “native” plant is living, growing, and reproducing naturally in a particular region.
• The BMC has prepared a list of 41 native trees that can be planted in Mumbai and are part of the trees in the Konkan belt.
• These are Wad, Pimpal, Umber, Kanchan, Kadamba, Gunj, Palas, Nim, Mahogany, Moh, Bahawa, Sag, Arjun, Ain, Kinjal, Sita Ashok, Undal, Nagkeshar, Champa, Shivan, Shirish, Karanj, Bakul, Bell, Taman, Hirda, Behda, Coconut, Amla, Khair, Tetu, Mango, Putranjiva, Wild Almond, Bibba, Parijatak, Rita, Sandalwood, Phanas and Chafa.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Minister for Railways reviewed the progress of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link Project (USBRL).

• Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link Project (USBRL) having length of 272 Km long Railway Line from Udhampur to Baramulla joining the Kashmir valley with rest of the country and has been declared as National Project in 2002.
• Out of 272 Km of USBRL Project, work has been completed on 161 Km and commissioned.
• Completion date of the project is April-2023.

Status of work sub-divided under it is as under:

• Udhampur - Katra -25km (commissioned in July 2014)
• Quazigund - Baramulla – 118km (commissioned in Oct., 2009)
• Banihal - Quazigund – 18km (commissioned in June 2013)
• Katra to Banihal- 111km in progress (Target 2022-23)

Katra- Banihal Section of USBRL Project

• The work on intervening stretch of Katra-Banihal section (111 km) is in progress and this section predominantly involves tunnelling i.e. 97 Km out of 111 Km (i.e. 87%) of length of Katra-Banihal section is in tunnels and maximum length of tunnel T-49 is 12.75 Km.
• There are 27 Main tunnel and 37 Bridges.
• These bridges include the iconic Chenab Bridge which will be the highest railway bridge in the world. Arch Launching of Chenab bridge was completed on 05.04. 2021.
• Indian railway’s first cable-stayed bridge is also being constructed on Anji Khad. Ancillary viaduct portion of Anji khad Bridge has been completed.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has constituted an Expert Committee on Investment Funds to recommend to IFSCA on the road map for the funds industry in the International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs) in India.

• The Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Mr. Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd.
• The Committee comprises of leaders from the entire Fund Management ecosystem including from areas such as technology, distribution, legal, compliance, and operations.

Terms of reference of the Expert Committee:

• To recommend IFSCA on long term vision for operations of Investment Funds in IFSC.
• To make recommendations with respect to structure of Investment Funds in IFSC.
• To identify issues that may be critical for development of the Investment Funds industry at IFSCs including inter-regulatory issues.
• Any other relevant item on building the ecosystem inter-alia on asset managers, hedge funds, PE, VC, sovereign funds, family offices, and the accompanying professional services.
• Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for creation of one post of Director in Senior Administrative Grade (SAG), at National Disaster Response Force Academy, Nagpur.

• National Disaster Response Force Academy was established in year 2018 at Nagpur by merging with it National Civil Defence College (NCDC). The main campus of the Academy is under construction, till then it is functioning from the existing campus of NCDC.
• The Academy presently imparts training to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)/ State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)/ Civil Defence volunteers and other stakeholders and is envisaged to grow into a premier training institution of international repute.
• It will also provide specialized training to disaster response personnel of SAARC and other countries.
• With the creation of the post of Director, NDRF Academy, the command and control of the organisation will be entrusted to a senior and experienced officer, who can steer the institution as per the intended objectives.
• Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

The CBI came into being during the World War II, when the colonial government felt the need to probe cases of corruption in the War and Supply Department. A law came in 1941. It became the DSPE Act in 1946.

The Act to set up CBI was not passed by Parliament. It was created by an executive order of the government. In that sense, the CBI is not a statutory body.

The CBI functions under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions of the central government, and is exempted from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

CBI is India’s officially designated single point of contact for liaison with the Interpol.

Galathea National Park is a National Park located in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is located on the island of Great Nicobar in the Nicobar Islands.

India’s National Marine Turtle Action Plan that was under preparation then (it was released on February 1, 2021) had listed Galathea Bay as one of the ‘Important Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Areas’ and ‘Important Marine Turtle Habitats’ in the country. It is included in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)-I, the zone with maximum protection.

Galathea National Park  houses a range of forest types, has one of the best preserved tropical rainforests in the world, is home to 648 species of flora and hosts 330 species of fauna including rare and endemic ones such as the Nicobar wild pig, Nicobar tree shrew, the Great Nicobar crested serpent eagle, Nicobar paradise flycatcher and the Nicobar megapode. It also notes that the park is home to the indigenous Shompen community.

Giant leatherback turtle and the Nicobar megapode, two charismatic species for whom Great Nicobar is very important.

Galathea National Park is part of Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve which is included in the list of Man and Biosphere program of UNESCO

The Code on Social Security, 2020 is a code to amend and consolidate the laws relating to social security with the goal to extend social security to all employees and workers either in the organised or unorganised or any other sectors.

The Social Security Code, 2020 brings unorganised sector, gig workers and platform workers under the ambit of social security schemes, including life insurance and disability insurance, health and maternity benefits, provident fund and skill upgradation, etc.

The act amalgamates nine central labour enactments relating to social security such as (i) The Employees Compensation Act, 1923, (ii) The Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, (iii) The Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, (iv) The Employees Exchange (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959, (v) The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, (vi) The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, (vii) The Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981, (viii) The Building and Other Construction Workers Cess Act, 1996, and (ix) The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008).

The season’s first consignment of Shahi Litchi from Bihar was exported to the United Kingdom on 24th May 2021. It will boost the export of GI certified products from India. The phytosanitary certification for exports of Shahi Litchi was issued from the newly established certification facility at Patna. The fruit is being exported by Cira Enterprises and sourced from farmers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. H & J Veg, London, is importing the Litchi.

Breathe Applied Sciences, a Bangalore based startup, has been awarded the National Award 2021. The award was given by the Technology Development Board (TDB) for developing a commercial solution for the conversion of CO2 to chemicals and fuels. Breathe Applied Sciences is a startup incubated at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR).