Daily Current Affairs MCQ- July 5, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, India has started a safeguard probe into sudden and sharp increase in the imports of metallurgical coke.

• It is a carbonaceous material produced by heating bituminous coal in the absence of air.
• It is produced by heating coal in coke ovens at high temperatures (around 1,000 to 1,200 degrees Celsius).
• It is used as a fuel and reducing agent in the production of iron and steel.
• Properties
• It has an open, porous structure and may appear glassy in some varieties.
• It has also a low volatile content or rather low waste product content due to the heat treatment process received.
• It has a high carbon content, low ash content, and high strength.
• Its porous structure allows for good gas flow and provides structural support in the blast furnace.
• However, the “ash” constituents, that were part of the original bituminous coal feedstock, remain intact in the finished product.
• Met Coke is available in a wide range of sizes; from fine powder (30 mm) to basketball-sized lumps (20 cm).

Hence both statements are not correct.

Gutti Koya tribes people erect stone memorials in the event of death of their three most important service providers namely physician, priest and village leader.

• The Koya population is concentrated in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
• They speak the Koya, which is a Dravidian language.
• The most important fair celebrated by Koyas is the Sammakka Saralamma Jatra once in two years on full moon day of the Magha Masam (January or February) at Medaram village in Mulug taluk of Warangal district.
• They practice Podu form of shifting cultivation, as practiced by various tribal groups in forest areas has for long been an economic survival versus environmental sustenance issue.
• The held ST status in Chattisgarh but they were not granted ST status in their migrated states such as Telangana.
• They earn a living through animal husbandry and minor forest produce.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Prime Minister recently said the members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) can work towards maximizing the utilization of the Chabahar Port following Iran's membership of the world's largest regional organization.

About Chabahar Port:

• It is a seaport in the Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran, on the Gulf of Oman, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. 
• Chabahar is a deep-water port with direct access to the Indian Ocean that is outside the Hormuz Strait.
• It is Iran’s only seaport and consists of two separate ports called Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari.
• It's geographic proximity to countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, as well as its status as a key transit center on the burgeoning International North-South Transport Corridor, gives it the potential to develop into one of the most important commercial hubs in the region.
• Chabahar Project:
• In May 2016, India signed a tripartite agreement with Iran and Afghanistan to develop the Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar.
• It is India's first foreign port project.
• The deal agreement aims to establish an International Transport and Transit Corridor in Chabahar. 
• The construction of the Chabahar Port and the construction of a rail line from Chabahar Port to Zahedan are the major highlights of this project.
• The idea was that the port would enable India to bypass Pakistan and access Afghanistan, and ultimately Central Asia.
• Moreover, the port could serve as a hub for transit trade between India, Iran, and Afghanistan and provide an alternative route to the traditional Silk Road that passes through China.

Hence both statements are correct.

The National Chambal Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh will soon have a dolphin sanctuary area as well.

About National Chambal Sanctuary:

• National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400 sq . km tri-state protected riverine sanctuary along 425 km length of the Chambal River and ravines.
• Location: It lies at the tri-junction of three states Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• The main focus of the sanctuary is to protect the critically endangered Gharial, Red-crowned roof turtle & endangered Ganges dolphin.
• Chambal supports the largest population of Gharials in the wild.
• It is listed as an important bird area (IBA).
• Topography: The topography is full of ravines, hills & sandy beaches.
• Vegetation: It is part of the Kathiar-Gir dry deciduous forest ecoregion.
• Other Fauna:
• Other animals which are also in the Threatened category like mugger crocodile, smooth-coated otters, Striped Hyena & Indian wolfs are also found here.
• Chambal River support 8 out of 26 rare species of turtle family like Indian narrow-headed soft shell turtle, three- striped roof turtle & crowned river turtle. 
• Mammals are also seen, which include Sambhar deer, Neel Gai (blue bull), Indian gazelle, Rhesus Monkey, Hanuman Langur, Indian grey & small Asian mongoose, Bengal Fox etc.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A new study notes that the suitable habitat for hijol to grow in the India-Bangladesh landscape may shrink by 50.5% due to rainfall and temperature changes.

About Hijol:

• Hijol, or Indian oak, is a medium-sized evergreen tree.
• Scientific Name: Barringtonia acutangula
• Common names: Hijal, Hijangal, Hendol, Stream Barringtonia, Itchy Tree.
• Distribution:
• It is native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia.
• This species grows on the banks of freshwater rivers, the edges of freshwater swamps and lagoons and on seasonally flooded lowland plains, commonly on heavy soils. 
• It is commonly found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.
• Features:
• This plant is a big tree that grows to about 8–15 m high. 
• Its leaves are thick, smooth and oval in shape, about 8–12 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, with reddish petioles about 0.5–1.0 cm long.
• Flowers are small, pink to red, sub-sessile, and purple-red with numerous stamens.
• Medicinal uses:
• Its bark has tannin, which is useful for heart diseases. 
• Powder of seeds works as an expectorant and is applied to cure the cough of children.
• Tonic is prepared from leaves and roots. Fish poison is also prepared from its roots. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

India recently rejected a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that alleged "severe violations" of religious freedom in the country.

About U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF):

• It is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
• Functions:
• Reviews the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally;
• Make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress;
• It uses international standards to monitor religious freedom violations globally.
• It is required to issue its own annual report setting forth its independent recommendations for U.S. policy
• Composition: USCIRF has nine commissioners, appointed by either the President or Congressional leaders of each political party, supported by a non-partisan professional staff. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is undertaking a third-party assessment of the Rs 945-crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme to see its impact on the ground.

About Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS):

• It is a flagship scheme launched in April 2021 under the Startup India initiative.
• Aim: Financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, and commercialization.
• It is implemented with effect from 1st April 2021 for the period of 4 years with a corpus of Rs.945 crores.
• Nodal Department: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• Funding:
• An Experts Advisory Committee (EAC) has been created by DPIIT to execute and monitor the SISFS.
• The EAC will select eligible incubators who will be provided grants of upto Rs 5 Crores each.
• In turn, the selected incubators will provide startups with up to Rs 20 lakhs for validation of Proof of Concept, prototype development, and product trials to startups.
• Eligibility criteria for Startups:
• A startup recognized by DPIIT incorporated not more than 2 years ago at the time of application.
• The startup must have a business idea to develop a product or a service with a market fit, viable commercialization, and scope of scaling.
• The startup should be using technology in its core product or service, or business model, or distribution model, or methodology to solve the problem being targeted.
• Startup should not have received more than Rs 10 lakh of monetary support under any other Central or State Government scheme. 
• Shareholding by Indian promoters in the startup should be at least 51% at the time of application to the incubator for the scheme.

Hence both statements are correct.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh recently said that "Mission Karmayogi", launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, had institutionalised the process of capacity building, particularly for the benefit of civil servants, with the aim to shape the Century India of 2047.

• Mission Karmyogi or National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB).
• Mission Karmayogi aims to prepare Civil Servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive & innovative through transparency and technology.
• This unique programme will help to lay the foundation for civil servants in the country.
• There will be more focus on 'on-site learning' in complementing "off-site learning".
• Objectives:
  • The stated aim of Mission Karmayogi is to provide a mechanism to continuously build capacity, update the talent pool, and provide equal opportunities for personal and professional growth and esteem of government officials at all levels.
  • Karmayogi seeks to shift the focus from rule-specific to role-specific.
  • The Mission will help training the officers to meet the challenges of the society.
  • It aims at building future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills & knowledge, aligned to the vision of New India.
  • The endeavour is also to end the culture of working in the silos and to overcome the multiplicity of training curriculum because of the institutions spread all over the country.
  • It will improve the Human Resource management practices in the Government and will use scale & state of the art infrastructure to augment the capacity of Civil Servants.
• Executing Bodies:
  • It will be steered by four new bodies.
  • The new entities will be a Prime Minister’s Public Human Resources Council, a Capacity Building Commission, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will own and operate the digital assets and technological platform for online training, and a Coordination Unit, which will be headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Hence both statements are correct.

The growth of ethanol sector has been tremendous which has set a sort of example for the world, said Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry while addressing one day seminar on ‘National Seminar on Maize to Ethanol’ organized by Department of Food and Public Distribution here recently.

• Ethanol is an agricultural by-product which is mainly obtained from the processing of sugar from sugarcane, but also from other sources such as rice husk or maize.
• Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, it is also considered as renewable fuel.
• In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by fermentation process.
• Ethanol blending is the process of combining ethanol and petrol to use less fossil fuel while driving a vehicle.
• To supplement ethanol supplies, the Government of India has permitted the procurement of ethanol produced from sources other than molasses, which is known as first generation ethanol or 1G.
• Aside from molasses, ethanol can be derived from rice straw, wheat straw, maize cobs, corn stover, bagasse, bamboo and woody biomass, which are known as second generation ethanol sources or 2G.

Hence both statements are correct.

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi recently celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on its 60th Foundation Day.

• The Ministry of Education, Government of India (GoI), has established National Testing Agency (NTA) as an independent, autonomous and self sustained premier organization under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, registered as a self-reliant and self-sustained premier testing organization.
• The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) was established in 1963 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to contribute in the skill building for the external trade sector of India.
• The Institute was granted “Deemed to be University” status in 2002.
• The Institute was granted the prestigious AACSB accreditation on 17th November, 2021.
• With this the IIFT figures amongst 900+ Business School of the world which have earned this accreditation.
• The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recognized IIFT as Grade ‘A’ Institution in 2005 as well as in 2015.

Hence both statements are correct.