Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 25, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

November 24 is commemorated as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion.
• Name: He was born as Tyaga Mal. He came to be known by the name Teg Bahadur (Mighty of The Sword), given to him by Guru Hargobind after he shown his valour in a battle against the Mughals.
• Family: His father was the Sixth guru, Guru Hargobind. His son Guru Gobind Singh, became the tenth Sikh guru.
• Life and works:
  • He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik Hills, near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the last two Sikh Gurus lived and where Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699.
  • He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to Granth Sahib which cover various topics, such as the nature of God, human attachments, body, mind, dignity service etc.
  • He resisted the forced conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and non-Muslims to Islam.
• Martyrdom:
  • He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for himself refusing to convert to Islam. He is remembered for giving up his life for freedom of religion.
  • His martyrdom is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year on 24 November, according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 2003.
• Memorials in Delhi:
  • Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib mark the place of his execution.
  • Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib mark the places of cremation of his body.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India recently announced the National Adventure Awards called “Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award” (TNNAA) for the year 2021.

• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are given every year.
• It aims to recognize the achievements of persons in the fields of adventure, to encourage young people to develop the spirit of endurance, risk–taking, cooperative teamwork and quick, ready and effective reflexes in challenging situations and to provide incentive to the young people for getting exposed to the adventure activities.
• Awardees will receive statuettes, certificates and award money of Rs. 15 lakh each.
• The award will be given in four categories namely, Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Life Time Achievement.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

India recently test fired intermediate-range ballistic missile Agni-3 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.

• The successful test was part of routine user training launches carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command.
• The launch was carried out for a predetermined range and validated all operational parameters of the system

Agni-3:

• Agni-3 is the third entrant in the Agni missile series and was first tested on July 9, 2006.
• But it developed a technical snag and had fell into the sea off Odisha coast without hitting the target.
• The Agni-3 missile was test fired successfully in its second flight in 2007 and then at its third consecutive launch in 2008.
• It has a range of 3,500 km and has the capability of carrying warhead weighing as much as 1.5 tonnes.
• Due to its high range of circular error probable (CEP), Agni-3 missile is known as world's most accurate strategic ballistic missile of its range class.
• The accuracy of the nuclear warhead also provides an opportunity of deploying larger number of nuclear force using less fusion material.
• The low weight of the payload has increased the target range of the missile to 3,500 kilometre.

Agni series:

• Agni series of missiles constitute the backbone of India’s nuclear weapons delivery which also includes the Prithvi short range ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
• India has also completed its nuclear triad and operationalised its second strike capability, with nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arihant undertaking deterrence patrols.
• Recently, India also successfully test fired the new generation advanced version of Agni missile series, Agni Prime.
  • Also known as Agni-P, the nuclear-capable new-gen advanced variant has a maximum range of 2,000 kilometre.

Hence both statements are correct.

Indian Army’s 4th round of emergency procurement is to be from India

• The Indian Army, which has made three tranches of Emergency Procurements (EP) in the last few years, is preparing for a fourth round of EP which will be entirely from the domestic industry.
• Three tranches of EPs were executed under which 68 contracts worth ₹6,000 crore were placed.

Emergency financial powers:

• Emergency financial powers were granted to the armed forces by the Defence Ministry in the past under which they could procure weapons systems up to ₹300 crores on an “urgent basis without any further clearances to cut short the procurement cycle.
• It also gives them an opportunity to test various systems in the field before going in for larger acquisition through the capital budget route.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

German Chancellor recently said that Russia is using ‘scorched-earth tactics’ in Ukraine.

• Scorched earth tactics form part of a military strategy which seeks to destroy anything that could be of use to the enemy, including energy supplies, bridges, provision stores, agricultural fields, road and railway links, etc.
• The destruction could be carried out by the enemy, or by the retreating army of a country which does not want invaders to use its resources.
• Harming civilians as part of this strategy has been banned under the 1977 Geneva Convention.
• The strategy seeks to deplete the enemy’s resources to sustain warfare, and also break their morale by inflicting heavy hardships on combatants and non-combatants alike.
• According to the Oxford Reference, the “term was first used in English in 1937 in a report of the Sino-Japanese conflict, and is apparently a translation of Chinese jiāotŭ”.

Hence both statements are correct.

If realised, Cyclone Sitrang will be the first cyclone to develop in the Bay of Bengal in October since 2018, and will be called Sitrang, as named by Thailand. The last October cyclone in the Bay of Bengal was Titli in 2018.

• The months of October-November and May-June see storms of severe intensity develop in the North Indian Ocean — comprising the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea — with an average of five developing in a calendar year.
• In the past 131 years, October saw 61 storms develop in the Bay of Bengal, according to the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC).
• The east coast, notably Odisha, has faced many of its severest storms in October, including the Super Cyclone of 1999.

Formation:

• After the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon, there is a rise in ocean heating, which leads to rise in sea surface temperature over the Bay of Bengal.
• The atmospheric moisture availability over the ocean region, too, is higher.
• So, when remnant systems from the South China Sea reach the Bay of Bengal, they get conducive conditions, aiding the formation and intensification of cyclones in October.
• In some years, ocean-atmospheric factors hinder this phenomenon.
• For instance, in 2020, weak La Nina conditions along the equatorial Pacific Ocean prevented a cyclonic formation near India’s coasts.

Cyclones in the Arabian Sea:

• In comparison with the Bay of Bengal, only 32 storms have developed in the Arabian Sea in October since 1891.
• Climatologically too, the IMD states that of the five storms formed in the North Indian Ocean in a calendar year, four are in the Bay of Bengal and one in Arabian Sea.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that 2022 could feature among the 10 warmest years ever recorded on Earth.

• According to NOAA latest report, this year’s September was the fifth warmest in 143 years, with the recorded global average temperature rising by 0.88 degree Celsius over the 20th century average.
• September 2022 marked the 46th-consecutive September and the 453rd-consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th-century average. 
• Higher than normal temperatures were recorded over Africa, north America, southern Asia, Atlantic, and northern South America regions.
• Near normal or cooler temperatures were recorded over Europe, northern Asia, most parts of India, and south-eastern Pacific Ocean.
• This was mainly due to above average rainfall over northern and southern Asia, Australia, central Europe, Caribbean islands and south-eastern US.
• In September 2022, the sea-ice extent coverage dropped to the eighth lowest ever.
• The Arctic sea ice now cover 5.95 lakh square miles below the 1981-2010 average, whereas the Antarctica sea ice is 1.90 lakh square miles below average.

Hence both statements are correct.

Election Commission of India recently invites entries from Media Houses for the National Media Award for best campaign on Voter’s Education and Awareness during the year 2022. 

• The awards are to recognise the outstanding contribution by Media Houses to promote electoral participation by creating awareness about accessible elections, educating people about the electoral process and raising awareness among the general public about the relevance and importance of voting and registration.
• The awards will be in the form of a citation, plaque and cash prize and will be presented on the National Voter’s Day (25th January, 2023).
• The awards will be given in following four categories:
• Print Media
• Electronic (Television) Media
• Electronic (Radio) Media and
• Online (Internet)/Social Media

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Nearly 46 tonnes of banned single-use plastic items seized recently during special drive

• In a bid to reduce plastic pollution, India from July 1, 2022 banned 19 SUP items.
• Plastic carry bags of thickness less than 75 microns are also prohibited under the Plastic Waste Management Rules. Their thickness will have to be increased to 120 microns from December 31, 2022.
• Plastic wrapping material less than 50 microns in thickness and plastic sachets used for selling and storing tobacco, pan masala and gutkha are also not allowed. 

Single-use plastics:

• Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.
• Application: These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery
• Benefits: Single-use plastic bags are widely used because they are strong, cheap and hygienic ways to transport goods.
• Environmental impact: They can take up to thousands of years to decompose, contaminating soil and water, and posing significant ingestion, choking and entanglement hazards to wildlife on land and in the ocean.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi recently launched Mission DefSpace in Gandhinagar.

• The space programme aims to develop innovative solutions for the Defence Forces through industry & startups.
• Importantly, the initiative will prepare India for future possibilities in space domain and will also increase the country’s preparation further.
• Under Mission DefSpace, 75 challenges are being opened to get innovative solutions, based on the defence requirements in the space domain.
• The programme will focus on various challenges in this area that have been reviewed and identified by the three defence services.

Hence both statements are correct.