Daily Current Affairs MCQ- February 3, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

The third edition of Project ‘Veer Gatha’, as part of Republic Day celebrations, has witnessed an overwhelming pan India response.

• It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education.
• It was instituted under Gallantry Awards Portal (GAP) in 2021.
• Aim: With the aim to disseminate the details of acts of bravery of the Gallantry Awardees and the life stories of these brave hearts among the students so as to raise the spirit of patriotism and instill amongst them values of civic consciousness.
• Project Veer Gatha deepened this noble aim by providing a platform to the school students to do creative projects/activities based on gallantry award winners.
• As part of this, the students framed different projects through various media like art, poems, essays and multimedia on these gallantry award winners and best projects were awarded at national level by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education.

Hence both statements are correct.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) in Bengaluru have found that many bird species have started shifting to higher elevations due to rising temperatures in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.

• It is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh.
• It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng river to the east.
• It is situated in the biodiversity hotspot of Eastern Himalayas and home to over 500 bird species.
• Altitude ranges are extreme: from 500 metres (1,640 ft) to 3,250 metres (10,663 ft).
• It is also a part of the Kameng Elephant Reserve.
• It is notable as a prime birding site due to the extraordinary variety, numbers and accessibility of species.
• It derives its name from Red Eagle Division of the Indian army which was posted in the area in the 1950s.
• Flora: The temperate cloud forest is intermixed with dense bamboo patches and broadleaved evergreen forest across a wide altitudinal range, with conifers and rhododendrons at the higher elevations.
• Fauna: Capped langur, Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, red panda, Asiatic black bear, Arunachal macaque and gaur.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Remote Bengal village began their New Year with workshop on ancient indigenous art i.e Sohrai Painting.

• It is an indigenous mural art form.
• It is also interesting to note that the word ‘Sohrai’ comes from soro – translating to ‘to drive with a stick’.
• This art form dates back to the Meso-chalcolithic period (9000-5000 BC).
• The Isko rock shelter excavated in Barkagaon, Hazaribagh area also has rock paintings that are exactly similar to the traditional Sohrai paintings.
• Theme: It is usually based on natural elements of the universe, this includes forests, rivers, animals amongst others.
• These ancient paintings are made by tribal (Adivasi) women with the use of natural substances like charcoal, clay, or soil.
• The very primitive form of the Sohrai art was in the form of cave paintings. 
• It is practiced by indigenous communities, particularly in the States of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.
• The region of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand that has received the GI tag for this art form. 
• It is the art of the women of the Kurmi, Santal, Munda, Oraon, Agaria, Ghatwal tribes.
• Sohrai paintings are distinctive for their vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and symbolic motifs;
• There is a Sohrai festival held every year, marking the harvesting season and the arrival of winter.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Despite the longstanding fame of the Bobbili veena, the livelihoods of craftsmen face challenges due to a lack of demand from the public and required patronage from the government.

• It is the traditional ‘Saraswati Veena’ from Bobbili is famed for its fine tune and distinctive notes.
• It is a large plucked string instrument used in Carnatic music.
• The making of the veena began in the 17th century during the reign of Pedda Rayudu, the king of Bobbili Samsthanam who was a great patron of music.
• Features
• These veenas are painstakingly crafted from Jack-wood tree logs in Gollapalli, a town in Bobbili (AndhraPradesh).
• It takes almost a full month for a log of mute wood to be crafted into a fine musical instrument.
• Jack-wood is preferred as it is light and the unique grain of the wood renders the quality of swara or tone.
• A single piece of wood is used to create the instrument giving it the name ‘Ekandi Veena’.
• These Veenas are also remarkable for the exquisite designs etched on the body, making each piece exclusive.
• With their origin dating back to the Seventeenth Century, these veenas are played in a distinctive style, which also led to the coinage of the ‘Bobbili Veena Sampradayam’.
• It earned a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2012 for its unique design and high-quality craftsmanship.

Hence both statements are correct.

The recent reappearance of toxic foam on the Indrayani river once again raised concerns about pollution here.

About Indrayani River:

• It is a tributary of the Bhima River, which again is a tributary of the Krishna River.
• Course:
• It originates in Kurvande village near Lonavla, a hill station in the Sahyadri mountains of Maharashtra.
• Fed by rain, it flows east from there to meet the Bhima River.
• It follows a course mostly north of the city of Pune.
• The river has great religious importance, and the two sacred towns of Alandi and Dehu are situated on its banks.
• Dehu is known to be a sacred place for being the hometown of the poet Saint Tukaram, who was a popular saint of Maharashtra, and Alandi holds the samadhi of the poet Dnyaneshwar.
• Valvan Dam at Kamshet, situated on the Indrayani River, is a hydroelectric generating station.

Key Facts about Bhima River:

• The Bhima River (also known as the Chandrabagha River) is a major river in southwest India.
• It is a major tributary of the Krishna River.
• Course:
• It originates in the Bhimashankar hills near Karjat on the western side of the Western Ghats, in the Pune District of Maharashtra.
• Bhima flows southeast through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
• The Bhima River merges into the Krishna River at Kadlur (Raichur) in Karnataka.
• This 861km-long river has the Western Ghats on the west, the Balaghat Range in the north, and the Mahadeo Hills in the south.
• The total basin area of the river is 48,631 sq. km, out of which 75 percent lie in the state of Maharashtra.
• Major tributaries are the Sina and Nira rivers.
• Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage centre located on the right bank of the Bhima River.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently updated Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for politically exposed persons (PEPs) who transact with regulated entities (REs), seeking to comply with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

New RBI Norms for Politically-Exposed Persons (PEPs):

• Who are PEPs? In the amended KYC master direction, the central bank defines PEPs as "individuals who are or have been entrusted with prominent public functions by a foreign country, including the heads of states/governments, senior politicians, senior government or judicial or military officers, senior executives of state-owned corporations, and important political party officials".
• REs have the option of establishing a relationship with PEPs (whether as customers or beneficial owners). 
• REs have to perform regular customer due diligence and also follow additional conditions prescribed by the RBI to transact with PEPs.
• Some additional conditions include establishing an appropriate risk management system to determine whether the customer or the beneficial owner is a PEP.
• REs have to take reasonable measures to establish the source of funds/ wealth.
• They also need to get approval from senior management to open an account for a PEP.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory recently captured a stunning image of 30 Doradus B, a supernova remnant that is part of a vibrant region of space where stars have been forming for millions of years.

About 30 Doradus B:

• 30 Doradus B, also cataloged as NGC 2060, is a supernova remnant found in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
• It is part of a large star-forming region where stars have been continuously forming for the past 8 to 10 million years.
• It is a complex landscape of dark clouds of gas, young stars, high-energy shocks, and superheated gas, located 160,000 light-years away from Earth.

What is a Supernova?

• A supernova is the explosion of a star whose luminosity after an eruption suddenly increases many millions of times its normal level.
• Supernovas are "the largest explosion that takes place in space."
• A star can go supernova in one of two ways:
• Type I supernova: The star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbour until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites.
• Type II supernova: The star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
• Supernovas can briefly outshine entire galaxies and radiate more energy than our sun will in its entire lifetime.
• They're also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.
• They heat up the interstellar medium, distribute heavy elements throughout the Galaxy, and accelerate cosmic rays.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Two rhinos have recently returned to the Laokhowa and Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary after almost a 40-year gap following a successful anti-encroachment operation.

About Laokhowa and Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuaries:

• Location:
• The Laokhowa and Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuaries are two centrally located Protected Areas (PAs) of Assam.
• They are located on the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra.
• In fact, though these two wildlife sanctuaries have two different names, they are eologically and geographically a singular entity.
• They are surrounded by many key Pas, like Kaziranga National Park to the east, Orang National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuaries to the west, Pakke-Nameri NPs to the north, and the rich reserve forests of Karbi Anglong to the south.
• They act as a connecting corridor for the migration of animals between Kaziranga and Orang National parks and hence, has been identified as buffer zones of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve. 
• Landscape: It comprises of a mosaic of wet alluvial grassland, riparian, and semi-evergreen forests dotted by wetland and river systems. 
• Flora:
• A unique vegetation of this sanctuary is the abundance of freshwater mangrove trees.
• There are many species of trees and medicinal plants in the sanctuary. Trees like simul, korai, ajar, hijal, etc. are found in the area.
• Fauna:
• It is home to the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, wild buffalo, hog deer, wild pig, and elephants.
• The highly endangered Gangetic River Dolphins are still seen in the waters of the Brahmaputra River adjacent to these Pas.
• The numerous natural and perennial wetlands are functioning as breeding grounds for various kinds of local fish species and highly important bird species such as Storks like Adjutant, Lesser Adjutant, White Stork, Black Necked Stork, Black Stork etc.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Seven products from Odisha, ranging from the Similipal Kai chutney made with red weaver ants to the embroidered Kapdaganda shawl, have bagged the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• This is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• This GI tag is valid for 10 years following which it can be renewed.
• Kapdaganda Shawl
• It is woven and embroidered by the women of the Dongria Kondh tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) in the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha’s Rayagada and Kalahandi districts.
• The shawl reflects the rich tribal heritage of the Dongria Kondhs.
• The shawl is worn by both men and women and the Dongrias gift it to their family members as a token of love and affection.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Innovations for Defence Excellence- Defence Innovation Organization (iDEX-DIO) is all set to participate in the tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024 from 10 to 12 January 2024 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 

• It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Defence, Govt of India launched in 2018.
• The objective of the scheme is to cultivate an innovation ecosystem in the Defence and Aerospace sector by collaborating with startups, innovators, MSMEs, incubators, and academia.
• iDEX offers grants and support for R&D with significant potential for future adoption in Indian defence and aerospace.
• It is currently engaged with around 400+ Startups and MSMEs.
• It is recognized as a game-changer in the defence ecosystem, iDEX has received the PM Award for Innovation in the defence sector.
• Funding: It will be funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not for profit’ company as per the Companies Act 2013 for this purpose, by the two founder members i.e. Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) - HAL & BEL.
• iDEX will function as the executive arm of DIO, carrying out all the required activities while DIO will provide high level policy guidance to iDEX.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.