Test: Monthly Current Affairs February- 1 - UPSC MCQ

In News: Finance Minister launches Rs 4,000 crore deep ocean mission in Union Budget 2020-21. The program will be under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Option B is correct: As stated above, Core Deep Ocean Mission is an initiative of India under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It has twin aims of Surveying Ocean Bed Resources and Biodiversity for economic prosperity and environmental conservation.
The two major minerals found in the ocean bed are:

• Polymetallic Nodules (PMNs): rich in Ferric Minerals with traces of rare minerals.
• Gas Hydrates: Methane frozen in ice and water crystals.

In News: The Prime Minister addressed the 125th anniversary celebrations of ‘Prabuddha Bharata’.
Option D is correct: 'Prabuddha Bharata' is a monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order which was started by Swami Vivekananda. It has been in publication since 1896 and carries articles on social sciences and humanities comprising historical, psychological, cultural and social sciences themes. Prabuddha Bharata' is regarded as a significant medium for spreading the message of India’s ancient spiritual wisdom. 

In News: Scientists from the University of Sussex have found a new way to know more about dark matter.
Option A is correct: Dark matter, though never detected, is believed to be present in the entire universe, its existence presumed because a number of observable celestial phenomena could not be possible if the universe did not have much more matter in it than is seen. It is believed to make up more than 95% of all the universe. Its gravitational force prevents stars in our Milky Way from flying apart. Called dark matter- Because unlike normal matter (i.e. stars and galaxies), dark matter does not interact with the electromagnetic force. 

Statement 1 is correct: MPLADS is a centrally-sponsored plan scheme fully funded by the government of India. Under this scheme, the funds are released in the form of grants in aids directly to the district authorities. Under the scheme, each MP has the choice to suggest to the District Collector for works to the tune of Rs.5 Crores per annum to be taken up in his/her constituency.
Statement 2 is not correct: The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable. This means that if the funds for a particular is not spent in that year, it will be carried forward.
Statement 2 is not correct: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme has issued the guidelines on MPLADS Scheme including implementation and monitoring of the scheme. The Department has initiated all necessary steps to ensure that the scheme is successfully implemented in the field.

In News: The United States has extended the New START nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia for five years.
Statement 1 is not correct: It is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation. It is a successor to the START framework of 1991 (at the end of the Cold War) that limited both sides to 1,600 strategic delivery vehicles and 6,000 warheads.
Statement 2 is correct: It is the formal name of Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The number of strategic nuclear missile launchers will be reduced by half.
Statement 3 is correct: It was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague, and, after ratification entered into force on 5 February 2011. New START replaced the Treaty of Moscow (SORT), which was due to expire in December 2012.

In News: Recently, 2020 Democracy Index's global ranking is released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Option C is correct: Norway topped the Democracy Index with Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada making up the top five. India slipped two places to the 53rd position in the 2020 Democracy Index’s global ranking. The report said that ―democratic backsliding” by authorities and ―crackdowns” on civil liberties has led to a further decline in the country’s ranking. However, India is ranked higher than most of its neighbouring countries. 

In News: Indo-U.S. joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ to begin in Rajasthan on February 8
Option A is correct: It is the 16th edition of Indo-US joint military exercise. It aims at enhancing cooperation and interoperability between the two armies and will focus on counter-terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate. It is significant in terms of security challenges faced by both the nations in the backdrop of global terrorism. It reiterates India’s key role as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

In News: At least 800 Olive Ridley sea turtles died since January 2021 across the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary of Odisha.
Statement 1 is not correct: Their scientific name is Lepidochelys olivacea and they are also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle. They are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world. They are found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. They are vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List.
Statement 2 is not correct: They are not herbivores, these are carnivores and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs etc. 
Statement 3 is correct: These are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. One unique feature about females is that they return to the very same beach from where they first hatched, to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in 45 to 60 days, depending on the temperature of the sand and atmosphere during the incubation period.

In News: The Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance will start a worldwide month-long campaign in February to raise awareness and garner support across the globe to conserve Fishing Cat.

• In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats and along the Eastern Ghats as well. So, option 1 is not correct.
• It is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. So, option 2 is not correct.

In News: Recently, the USA has stopped the construction of the ―border wall” between the USA and Mexico.

• Smart walls are advanced surveillance technology for border security which use sensors, radars, etc. to detect and track border break-ins and technology capable of performing the most difficult tasks dedicated to border security.

eLISA aims to measure gravitational waves in the frequency range from 0.1mHz to about 100 mHz. Indian teams have worked on the theoretical aspects of eLISA:in the theoretical aspects of measurement of cosmological parameters; using eLISA to set constraints on the dark energy equation of state; developing techniques for time delay interferometry, and so on.

Statement 1 is not correct: Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is a method of chemicalfree agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices. It was originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar.  The ZBNF promotes the application of jeevamrutha — a mixture of fresh desi cow dung and aged desi cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil — on farmland. The rearing of animals and cultivation of crops together are called mixed farming.
Statement 2 is correct: ZBNF principles are in harmony with the principles of Agroecology and it brings down the cost of production to nearly zero and returns to a pre-green revolution style of farming.
Statement 3 is correct: ZBNF promotes the application of jeevamrutha — a mixture of fresh desi cow dung and aged desi cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil — on farmland. This is a fermented microbial culture that adds nutrients to the soil, and acts as a catalytic agent to promote the activity of microorganisms and earthworms in the soil. 

Option A is correct. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was a classical vocalist. He was a member of the Kirana Gharana and renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music (bhajans and abhangs).

In News: Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration has restored high-speed mobile Internet for the first time since 5th August 2019.
Statement 1 is correct. In Faheema Shirin versus the State of Kerala, 2019, the Kerala High Court declared that the right to Internet access as a fundamental right forms a part of the Right to Privacy and the Right to Education under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Statement 2 is correct. The Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, empowers only the Home Secretary of the central or the state government to pass orders to enforce an Internet shutdown in any area.

In News: Recently, scientists have tried to study the bond formation between Einsteinium and other atoms.
Statement 1 is incorrect. Einsteinium was first discovered in the Hydro-gen Bomb Explosion of 1952.
Statement 2 is incorrect. It is Synthetic, not Naturally Occurring.
Statement 3 is correct. Half-Life is the time period in which the material reduces by half in quantity.

In News-Recently, Tamil Nadu state government has given its approval for the creation of a fifth tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu named Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR).
Option C is correct: The Government of India (GoI) has approved the Srivilliputhur-Meghamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR) in Tamil Nadu (TN), it will be TN’s 5th and Largest Tiger Reserve & 51st Tiger Reserve in India. SMTR is spread over an area of 1 Lakh Hectares and encloses lands which fall under the Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary & Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS).

In News: Lingayats, a dominant community (nearly 17% of Karnataka’s six crore population), is demanding reservation under OBC quota.
Option D is correct: The Lingayat/Veerashaiva community, a politically dominant group in Karnataka, are devotees of Shiva. The Lingayats follow 12th-century saint-philosopher Basavanna who had rejected ritualistic worship and pre-eminence of the Vedas. They have the wide following in the Southern part of India. Lingayats constitute 17% of the total population in Karnataka.

Lingayatism rejects any form of social discrimination including the caste system

In News: The Biden administration has decided to re-engage with the much-maligned UN Human Rights Council from which Trump withdrew 3 years back.
Statement 1 is incorrect. UNHRC is an Inter-governmental body (not Non-Governmental Body) under the aegis of the UN General Assembly. Out of 47 members, maximum members are selected from Asia and Africa (13 each).
Statement 2 is incorrect. India was selected as a member multiple times including 2006-09 and recent 2019-2021 term.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Members are elected for 3 years term and can hold the seat for two consecutive terms but not beyond that.

In News: In the Union Budget 2021-22, measures to ease norms on setting up One Person Companies (OPCs) have been announced.
Statement 1 is correct. The concept of OPCs was introduced by the Companies Act of 2013 which was based on the suggestions of the J.J. Irani Committee Report on Company Law, 2005.
Statement 2 is not correct. In OPCs, the person and the company are considered separate legal entities. In the Sole Proprietorship Mode, the owner and the business are considered the same.

Statement 1 is not correct: Open market operations is the sale and purchase of government securities and treasury bills by RBI or the central bank of the country. And Marginal Standing Facility is a new Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) window created by Reserve Bank of India in its credit policy of May 2011. MSF is the rate at which the banks are able to borrow overnight funds from RBI against the approved government securities.
Statement 2 is not correct: The quantitative instruments are Open Market Operations, Liquidity Adjustment Facility (Repo and Reverse Repo), Marginal Standing Facility, SLR, CRR, Bank Rate, Credit Ceiling etc. On the other hand, qualitative instruments are credit rationing, moral suasion and direct action (by RBI on banks).