Daily Current Affairs MCQ- January 2, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission.

• It is the first dedicated scientific satellite from ISRO to carry out research in space-polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources.
• It carries two payloads namely
• POLIX: It is an X-ray Polarimeter for astronomical observations in the energy band of 8-30 keV.
• The payload is being developed by Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore in collaboration with U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC).
• It is expected to observer about 40 bright astronomical sources of different categories during the planned lifetime of XPoSat mission of about 5 years.
• This is the first payload in the medium X-ray energy band dedicated for polarimetry measurements.
• XSPECT: It is an X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing payload onboard XPoSat, which can provide fast timing and good spectroscopic resolution in soft X-rays.
• It can provide long-term monitoring of spectral state changes in continuum emission, changes in their line flux and profile, simultaneous long term temporal monitoring of soft X-ray emission in the X-ray energy range 0.8-15 keV.
• It would observe several types of sources viz X-ray pulsars, blackhole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron star (NS) in LMXBs, AGNs and Magnetars.
• The launch put India in an elite category as it has become the second (after NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launched in 2021) nation to send an observatory to study astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars among others

Hence both statements are correct.

The pristine hills of the Meghamalai in Tamil Nadu have thrown up a new species of ‘silverline’ butterflies.

• Cigaritis meghamalaiensis is the new species of butterfly.
• It has become the first butterfly species to be described from the Western Ghats in 33 years.
• The researchers had first come across the distinct species belonging to the Cigaritis genus in the high elevations of Periyar in Idukki in 2018.
• Further explorations have revealed the species to be confined to the Meghamalais and the adjoining Periyar Tiger Reserve. 
• Appearance
• The discal and post-discal bands on the forewing underside of the adult butterfly are conjoined and lie parallel from their origin at the costa.
• The unique feature distinguishes the new species from all other Cigaritis occurring in Peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
• There are seven species of Cigaritisin the Western Ghats, viz., C. vulcanus, C. schistacea, C. ictis, C. elima elima, C. lohita lazularia, C. lilacinus, and C. abnormis. Of these, all except C. lilacinus have been reported from the southern Western Ghats.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

The Electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) portal starting with just 2,238 translated judgments as of January 2023 and ending the year with over 31,000 rulings translated. 

• It is an initiative to provide the digital version of the apex court's judgments in the manner as they are reported in the official law report.
• The Supreme Court has developed a search engine with the help of the National Informatics Centre.
• It is comprising elastic search technique in the database of e-SCR and the search facility in e-SCR provides for free text search, search within search, case type and case year search, judge search, year and volume search and bench strength search options.
• It will provide free access to it’s about 34,000 judgements to lawyers, law students and the common public.
• These verdicts will be available on the apex court website, its mobile app and on the judgment portal of the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

Hence both statements are correct.

Ukraine Air Force spokesperson recently disclosed that the country’s air defense units were unable to shot down any of the KH-22 supersonic cruise missiles launched by Russia.

About KH-22 Missile:

• It is a Soviet-era long-range airborne supersonic cruise missile.
• Armed with a nuclear or highly explosive fragmenting cumulative warhead, it was initially designed to destroy aircraft carriers and other large warships, or even groups of such carriers.
• The Kh-22 family was developed in the USSR in the 1960s and specifically designed to be launched from Tupolev-22 bombers.
• Later, both the missiles and the aircraft were modernized as part of the so-called "Kh-22 special air-to-surface missile complex."
• Upgraded in the 1970s, the missile had an impressive speed of 4,000 kilometers per hour, a 1,000-kilogram warhead, and a range of 500 kilometers.
• It weighs 5,820 kilograms.
• A total of approximately 3,000 such missiles were produced in the USSR.
• After the USSR collapsed, quite a few of them remained in Ukraine. However, soon after independence in 1991, Ukraine gave up its nuclear and strategic aviation arsenal.
• In 2000, Ukraine transferred 386 Kh-22 missiles to Russia as an installment against the gas debt.
• The successor to the Kh-22 became the Kh-32, which can be carried by the new Russian Tu-22M3M bombers. The new missile features a conventional warhead, an improved rocket motor, and a new radar imaging terminal seeker. It has a longer range but a smaller warhead.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities

About Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities:

• It was signed on December 31, 1988, by the then Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi.
• The treaty came into force on January 27, 1991, and has two copies each in Urdu and Hindi.
• Need for the Agreement:
• In 1986, the Indian army carried out a massive exercise ‘Brasstacks’, raising fears of an attack on nuclear facilities. 
• Since then, both countries have been negotiating to reach an understanding towards the control of nuclear weapons, which culminated in the treaty.
• Provisions:
• The agreement mandates both countries to inform each other about any nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year, providing a confidence-building security measure environment.
• The term ‘nuclear installation or facility’ includes nuclear power and research reactors, fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment, iso-topes separation, and reprocessing facilities, as well as any other installations with fresh or irradiated nuclear fuel and materials in any form and establishments storing significant quantities of radioactive materials.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The eurozone economy is set for only modest growth next year, despite wages rising faster than inflation for the first time in three years, according to a recent poll of economists.

About Eurozone:

• The eurozone, officially known as the euro area, is a geographic and economic region that consists of all the European Union countries that have fully incorporated the euro as their national currency.
• As of January 2023, the eurozone consists of 20 countries in the European Union (EU): 
• Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
• Not all European Union nations participate in the eurozone; some opt to use their own currency and maintain their financial independence.
• The European Central Bank (ECB) exercises the sole power to set the monetary policy for the Eurozone countries.
• The ECB exercises the sole authority to decide the printing and minting of euro notes and coins. It also decides the interest rate for the Eurozone. 
• The ECBs is headed by a president and a board, comprising the heads of the central banks of the participating nations.
• How do countries join Eurozone?
• In order to join the euro area, EU member states are required to fulfil so-called 'convergence criteria' which consists of price stability, sound public finances, the durability of convergence, and exchange rate stability.
• These binding economic and legal conditions were agreed upon in the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and are also known as 'Maastricht criteria'.
• All EU Member States, except Denmark, are required to adopt the euro and join the euro area once they are ready to fulfill them.
• The Treaty does not specify a particular timetable for joining the euro area but leaves it to member states to develop their own strategies for meeting the condition for euro adoption.
• The European Commission and the ECB jointly decide whether the conditions are met for euro area candidate countries to adopt the euro.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Joint Military Exercise 'Desert Cyclone 2024' between India and UAE will be held from January 2 to January 15 in Rajasthan.

• It is the inaugural edition of joint military exercise "Desert Cyclone 2024"between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 
• The exercise aims to enhance interoperability by learning & sharing best practices in Urban Operations.
• This exercise is marking a significant milestone in the strategic partnership.

Key facts about India and UAE relations

• India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972 and UAE opened its Embassy in Delhi in 1972 whereas, India opened its Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 1973.
• The first-ever India-UAE Joint Air Forces exercise took place in September 2008 at the Al-Dhafra base in Abu Dhabi.
• India has also been a regular participant at the biennial International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi.
• Earlier this year, two ships of the Indian Navy, INS Visakhapatnam, and INS Trikand participated in bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar’ with the UAE to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

The next edition of Exercise MILAN is scheduled to be held in February 2024.

• It is a biennial multilateral naval exercise which began in 1995.
• It has since significantly expanded in scope and scale to become the largest exercise held by India.
• It was started with the participation of only four countries, viz Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, in the 1995 edition, the exercise has since transitioned leaps and bounds in terms of number of participants and complexity of exercises.
• Originally conceived in consonance with India's 'Look East Policy, MILAN expanded in ensuing years with the Government of India's 'Act East Policy' and Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative to include participation from other Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs).
• The mid-planning conference of Milan-24 was held in October this year. The last edition of Milan, which is held off Visakhapatnam, saw participation from over 40 countries.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Sugarcane byproduct pressmud can help generate 460,000 tonnes of compressed biogas (CBG ) valued at Rs 2,484 crore.

• It is often known as filter cake or press cake,
• It is the agricultural waste obtained when cane juice is repeatedly filtered before being sent for extraction of sugar.
• The filters are cleaned periodically, and the waste is deposited into the yard of the mill.
• Nearly 3 to 4 per cent of press mud is obtained when per tonne of cane is crushed.
• At present, mills recycle this agriculture waste as manure by composting the same and supply it to the farmers in the area.
• Benefits
• It can be utilisied as a feedstock for biogas production through anaerobic digestion and subsequent purification to create compressed biogas (CBG). 
• It is very useful for agricultural crops and horticulture because of its richness in various micronutrients.
• It has been acknowledged as a valuable resource for green energy production.
• Issue with press mud: Storing pressmud proves challenging as it undergoes gradual decomposition, resulting in the breakdown of organic compounds. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, on the opening day of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) climate conference in Dubai, a loss and damage fund to help vulnerable countries cope with the impact of climate change has been officially launched.

• It was first announced during COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
• It is a global financial package to ensure the rescue and rehabilitation of countries facing the cascading effects of climate change.
• The term refers to the compensation that rich nations, whose industrial growth has resulted in global warming and driven the planet into a climate crisis, must pay to poor nations, whose carbon footprint is low but are facing the brunt of rising sea levels, floods, crippling droughts, and intense cyclones, among others.
• The changing climate has impacted lives, livelihoods, biodiversity, cultural traditions, and identities.
• Loss and damage is often categorised as either economic or non-economic.
• Economic loss and damage are negative impacts that one can assign a monetary value to. These are things such as the costs of rebuilding infrastructure that has been damaged due to a flood, or the loss of revenue from agricultural crops that were destroyed due to drought.
• Non-economic loss and damage are negative impacts where it is difficult or infeasible to assign a monetary value.
• These are things such as trauma from experiencing a tropical cyclone, loss of community due to displacement of people, or loss of biodiversity,”
• The World Bank will oversee the loss and damage fund in the beginning, with the source of funds being rich nations, such as the US, the UK and the EU, as well as some developing countries.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.