Daily Current Affairs MCQ- October 4, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Manas National Park & Tiger Reserve announced that the population of swamp deer at the park has witnessed a rise.

• The swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) also called as barasingha is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent.
• It belongs to the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), found in open forests and grasslands of India and Nepal. 
• It eats predominantly wetland plants and herbaceous plants which are common in this deer’s natural habitat. 
• Its population is now restricted to isolated and scattered locations in Nepal, Assam and the northern areas of India.
• It is now extinct in both Bangladesh, and in Pakistan 
• There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian Subcontinent.
• The western swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) found in Nepal,
• Southern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) found in central and north India.
• Eastern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi) found in the Kaziranga and Dudhwa National Parks.
• Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I
• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) said it would secure public and private investment to help conserve and restore coral ecosystems.

• It was launched in 1994 by Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, Britain and the United States.
• Its members now include 45 countries that represent three quarters of the world’s coral reefs.
• India is also a member country of this initiative.
• It is a global partnership between Nations and organizations which strives to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems around the world.
• Its decisions are not binding on its members.
• The work of ICRI is regularly acknowledged in United Nations documents, highlighting the Initiative’s important cooperation, collaboration and advocacy role within the international arena.
• Objectives
• Encourage the adoption of best practice in sustainable management of coral reefs and associated ecosystems
• Build capacity
• Raise awareness at all levels on the plight of coral reefs around the world.
• It is not an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, Basohli Pashmina, a more than 100-year-old traditional craft from Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

• It is a hand-spun product known for extreme softness, fineness and light-weight, has insulating properties and extended life.
• Pashmina products include shawls for both men and women, mufflers, blankets and basket.
• Pashmina refers to a fine variant of spun cashmere (the animal-hair fibre), that is derived from the downy undercoat of the Changthangi.
• It is obtained from a breed of mountain goats (Capra hircus) found on the Changthang Plateau in Tibet and parts of Ladakh.
• A traditional producer of pashmina wool in the Ladakh region are a people known as the Changpa (nomadic people inhabit the Changthang plateau of Tibet).

Hence both statements are correct.

India and Bangladesh commenced the 11th edition of exercise SAMPRITI on 03rd October 2023 in Umroi, Meghalaya. 

• It is an annual joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
• It was started in Jorhat, Assam in 2009, the exercise has witnessed ten successful editions till 2022.
• This exercise, alternatingly organised by both countries, signifies strong bilateral defence cooperation initiatives.
• SAMPRITI-XI, scheduled for 14 days, will engage approximately 350 personnel from both sides.
• The exercise underscores the importance of enhancing interoperability between the two armies, sharing tactical drills, and promoting best practices.
• The exercise will also witness participation by personnel from diverse units such as artillery, engineers and other supporting arms and services from both sides.
• Centered on the conduct of Sub-Conventional Operations as per Chapter VII of the UN mandate, SAMPRITI-XI will include a Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX), culminating in a Validation Exercise.
• This exercise promises to further enhance defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, fostering deeper bilateral relations, cultural understanding, and mutual benefits from shared experiences in Sub Conventional Operations.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

More than 100 Paleolithic cave paintings and engravings have been recently identified by archaeologists at the Cova Dones site on the eastern Iberian Coast in Spain.

About Paleolithic Period:

• It was the period ranging from 2.6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. 
• The name Paleolithic was coined by the famous archeologist John Lubbock in the year 1865. 
• It began with the first use of stone tools by hominins (human-like creatures) and ended with the onset of the Mesolithic Period around 11,650 years ago.
• It has been classified into upper, middle, and lower Paleolithic periods due to the growth that was experienced by the human species over time.
• Lower or Early Palaeolithic: From 2.6 million-250,000 years ago, simple pebble tools and crude stone choppers were made by the earliest humans. 
• Middle Palaeolithic: From 250,000 years ago, with a new focus on flake-tools, which continued to be popular in certain areas until as late as c. 30,000 years ago.
• Upper or Late Palaeolithic (40,000–10,000 BC): It saw a huge proliferation with regard to both tool shapes and source materials (now also a lot of bone, antler, and ivory).
• Social Organisation:
• The human societies of the Paleolithic age are recorded to have lived without any form of organized state or government.
• Palaeolithic is also more generally associated with the cultures and lifestyles of the hunter-gatherers.
• Middle and upper Paleolithic human societies lived together in groups of 25-100 members, and they were nomads.
• At the end of the Paleolithic age, families started to settle down to cultivate land and trade with neighbors.
• Religions and Beliefs:
• The development of any form of spiritual or religious belief in human evolution started during the Paleolithic age. 
• The middle Paleolithic human species created burial sites, and defleshing rituals led anthropologists and archaeologists to conclude that they believed in an afterlife.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Researchers have recently identified a previously unknown compartment in mammalian cells named ‘exclusome’.

About Exclusome:

• It is a newly discovered organelle in mammalian cells.
• It is made up of DNA rings known as plasmids.
• It is located within the cell plasma.
• This is peculiar because eukaryotic cells (cells with nuclei) usually keep most of their DNA in the cell nucleus, where it is organized into chromosomes.
• Instead, in the exclusome, it is organized into plasmids -small, circular DNA strands that can replicate independently of chromosomes and are usually found in bacteria and other microscopic organisms.
• What has the discovery revealed?
• Some of the plasmids that end up in the exclusome originate from outside the cell, while others—known as telomeric rings—come from the capped ends of chromosomes, the telomeres.
• Particularly in certain cancer cells, the ones from the telomeres are regularly pinched off and joined together to form rings.
• The cell nucleus weeds out such DNA rings and deposits them, together with the plasmids coming from outside the cell, in the cell plasma.
• This proves that cells are capable of differentiating between DNA that is their own and still needed and DNA that is foreign or presumably no longer required, which they then eject from the nucleus.
• In this way, the exclusome may have a protective function, guarding the cell’s genetic integrity.

What is an Organelle?

• Organelles are small, specialized structures in cells that operate like organs by carrying out specific tasks.
• Among the more important cell organelles are the nuclei, which store genetic information; mitochondria, which produce chemical energy; and ribosomes, which assemble proteins.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Two rare species of butterflies were recently found during a survey conducted by the Forest Department in Ralamandal Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Ralamandal Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
• Earlier, it was the hunting ground for the royal family members of Holkars, as it had a huge population of tigers, leopards, and deer.
• Established in 1989, this sanctuary is spread over an area of 5 square kilometres.
• Landscape: Rolling hills, lush green forests, and sparkling streams.
• The River Narmada graces the sanctuary with its presence.
• At the top of it is an ancient palace built by the Holkars in 1905, which was primarily used as a hunting hut, also known as shikargah (hunting lodge).
• Flora: Among the many prominent plant species present in the sanctuary are Teak, Rinjha, Khair, Palash, Ghatbor, Saaja, Aster, Ber, Babool, Samal, Chirol, Neem, Khajoor, Bekal, Bamboo, etc.
• Fauna:
• Major animal species found here include Black Buck, Cheetals, Chinkara, Blue Bull, Striped Hyena, Wild Boars, Porcupine, Fox, Jackal, and Bhedki (Barking deer).
• It is famous for its many avifauna species, most of which migrate here during the winter season.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three physicists for their research into attosecond pulses of light.

About Attosecond:

• An attosecond is an astonishingly short unit of time, equivalent to one quintillionth of a second (1×10−18 of a second) or one-billionth of a nanosecond.
• To put this into perspective, if a second were stretched to cover the entire age of the universe, which is approximately 13.8 billion years, an attosecond would be just a fraction of a second.
• The fundamental significance of attoseconds in physics lies in their ability to shed light on phenomena that were previously hidden from our view.
• These extremely short time intervals are relevant in the fields of ultrafast optics and laser physics, particularly when studying the behavior of electrons within atoms and molecules.
• Applications:
• Attosecond physics allows scientists to look at the very smallest particles at the very shortest timescales.
• At this timescale, researchers can now capture the dynamics of electrons within atoms and molecules, allowing them to witness the incredibly fast processes that govern chemical reactions and electronic behavior.
• Attosecond pulses:
• One of the most groundbreaking applications of attosecond science is the ability to create and manipulate extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and X-ray pulses, which are vital for imaging ultrafast processes at the atomic and molecular scale.
• These pulses are produced using high-intensity laser systems that generate attosecond bursts of light.
• With these attosecond pulses, scientists can "freeze" the motion of electrons within atoms and molecules, providing a real-time view of electron movement during chemical reactions.
• The Attosecond pulses can be used to test the internal processes of matter and to identify different events. 

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, the Union Ministry of Education released report on Performance Grading Index 2.0 for States/UTs for the year 2021-22.

• It was first released for the year 2017-18 and so far it has been released up to the year 2020-21.
• It assesses the performance of school education system at the State/UT level by creating an index for comprehensive analysis.
• Aim of PGI 2.0: To propel States & UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes covering all dimensions.
• The PGI 2.0 structure comprises of 1000 points across 73 indicators grouped into 2 categories viz., Outcomes and Governance Management (GM).
• These categories are further divided into 6 domains, viz., Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure & Facilities (IF), Equity (E), Governance Process (GP) & Teachers Education and Training (TE&T).
• The Index for 2021-22 classified the States/UTs into ten grades viz., highest achievable Grade is Daksh, which is for State/UT scoring more than 940 points out of total of 1000 points. 
• The lowest grade is Akanshi-3 which is for score up to 460. 
• Indicators of PGI 2.0 have been aligned to policy initiatives and interventions introduced post implementation of National Education policy (NEP) 2020 for proper tracking the progress. 
• The PGI 2.0 is expected to help States and UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritize areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with Bayer launched a unique industry visit initiative under Atal Tinkering labs at Bayer’s manufacturing facility in Vapi, Gujarat.

• It is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country and was set up in 2016.
• Objective: To create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.
• All the initiatives of AIM are currently monitored and managed systematically using real-time MIS systems and dynamic dashboards.
• Implementing Agency: NITI Aayog
• AIM has multiple programs to encourage and support innovation in the country.
• Some of the components of AIM: Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centres, Atal New India Challenge, Mentor of Change Program, Atal Community Innovation Center and Atal Research & Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE)

What are Atal Tinkering Labs?

• Atal Tinkering Labs: These are state-of-the-art space established in a school with a goal to foster curiosity and innovation in young minds, between grade 6th to 12th across the country through tools and technologies such as Internet of Things, 3D printing, rapid prototyping tools, robotics etc.

Hence both statements are correct.