Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 27, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the 350th contract under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) was signed with SpacePixxel Technologies Pvt Ltd for miniaturised satellite.

• It is the flagship initiative of the Union Ministry of Defence.
• It aims to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia.
• It has partnered with leading incubators in the country to provide handholding, technical support and guidance to the winners of iDEX challenges.
• Funding:
• iDEX will be funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not for profit company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 by the two founder members, i.e. Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) - HAL & BEL.
• It functions as the executive arm of DIO, carrying out all the required activities, while DIO will provide high-level policy guidance to iDEX. 
• Under iDEX, financial support is provided to Start-ups/MSMEs/individual innovators and Partner Incubators through DIO.
• It has launched 11 editions of the Defence India Start-up Challenge and recently unveiled the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme to promote innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies. 
• It was the recipient of Prime Minister Award for Public Policy in Innovation Category in 2021 and is currently engaged with over 400 start-ups and MSMEs.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, using the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, astronomers have gained new insights into how planets form around binary star systems, where two stars orbit a common centre of mass.

• It is a state-of-the-art telescope that studies celestial objects at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths.
• It is a radio telescope comprising 66 antennas located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
• They can penetrate through dust clouds and help astronomers examine dim and distant galaxies and stars out there.
• It also has extraordinary sensitivity, which allows it to detect even extremely faint radio signals.
• The telescope consists of 66 high-precision antennas, spread over a distance of up to 16 km.
• It is operated under a partnership between the United States, and 16 countries in Europe, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Chile.
• The radio telescope was designed, planned and constructed by the US’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

What is Binary star system?

• It is a system of two gravitationally bound stars that orbit a common center of mass called a barycenter. 
• Stars in a binary system do not necessarily have the same mass, size or brightness.
• The larger star of a binary couple is called the primary star, while the smaller one is known as the secondary star or the companion star.

Hence both statements are correct.

Devotees from across the nation are flocking to the Kamakhya temple in Assam's Guwahati for the commencement of the annual Ambubachi Mela.

• Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu fair held at the historic Kamakhya Temple.
• It is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June.
• It is the celebration of the yearly menstruation course of goddess Maa Kamakhya.

Key facts about Kamakhya temple

• It is situated on Nilachal Hill and adjoining the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati, Assam.
• It is one of the most revered centres of Tantric practices.
• It is regarded as one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India.
• Temple Architecture:
• It had been modelled out of a combination of two different styles namely, the traditional nagara or North Indian and Saracenic or Mughal style of architecture.
• This combination has been named the Nilachala Style of Architecture.
• It consists of five chambers, garbhagriha or sanctuary, antarala or vestibule, Jagan Mohan or principal chamber, bhogmandir or ritual chamber and natmandir or opera hall for performing traditional dance and music associated with sukti temples.
• It is interesting to note that the superstructure of each of the above chambers exhibits different architectural features.
• While the main temple contains a modified Saracenic dome, the antarala carries a two-roofed design, the bhogmandir (also called pancharatna) with five domes similar in appearance to the main temple and the natmandir having a shell-roof with apsidal end similar to some of the impermanent namghars or prayer halls found in Assam.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Indian Army has recently launched a skin bank facility.

About Indian Army’s Skin Bank:

• It was launched to help treat severe skin burn injuries and other skin-related conditions for service personnel and their families.
• The first-of-its-kind facility established in the Armed Forces Medical Services is staffed with trained medical professionals, including plastic surgeons, tissue engineers and specialized technicians.
• It will serve as a centralised hub for the collection, processing, storage, and distribution of skin grafts, providing a "critical resource" for military medical centres across the country.
• What is a Skin Bank?
• A skin bank is a facility where skin is taken from an eligible donor, and processed, and stored under appropriate temperature for up to five years.
• Skin from a deceased person can be donated within six hours after death.
• Anyone can donate skin, irrespective of sex and blood group.
• The donor's minimum age should be 18 years.
• The skin of persons suffering from AIDS, Hepatitis B & C, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Skin Cancer, Active skin Disease and Septicemia are considered unfit for donation.
• This donated skin is then collected and processed over five to six weeks and frozen until it's needed.
• The skin is generally preserved in 85% glycerol solution. It is stored between 4-5 degrees Celsius for up to 5 years.
• When a burn victim requires skin for their injuries, a surgical procedure called skin grafting is conducted.
• What is Skin Grafting?
• It is a simple process when a piece of healthy skin is transplanted to a different area of the body where the skin is damaged or missing. 
• There are two main types of skin grafts: autograft (skin is taken from another part of the patient's own body) and allograft (skin is taken from a donor, often sourced from a skin bank).
• Any skin can be used on anybody, and within two to three weeks post-grafting, the doctors can determine whether the patient is accepting it or not.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Central Government is conceiving a “new project” to ensure that rural households, which were provided taps under the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission but had not yet been able to avail water, would soon be provided potable water.

About Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM):

• JJM is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) by 2024 to all households in rural India. 
• JJM will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and communication as key components of the mission.
• The Mission was launched on August 15, 2019.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Components:
• Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connections to every rural household.
• Bottom-up planning: Community engagement in planning, implementation and Operation and Maintenance (O&M)
• Women empowerment: Involvement of women in planning, decision-making, implementation, monitoring, and O&M
• Focus on future generations: Provision of tap water supply to schools, tribal hostels, and anganwadi (daycare) centers
• Skill development and employment generation: Local people are skilled for building and maintaining water supply structures
• Greywater management: Reuse and recycle waste water for source sustenance
• Source sustainability: Promote groundwater recharge and water conservation
• Water Quality: Ensure safe drinking water to reduce water-borne ailments
• The Mission will converge with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its objectives of sustainable water supply management across the country.
• Funding Pattern: The fund sharing pattern is in the proportion of:
• 50:50 between Centre and States
• 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States.
• In case of UTs, 100% of the funding is provided by the Central government

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

India's external debt was placed at $663.8 billion, an increase of US$ 39.7 billion over its level at end-March 2023, informed the Reserve Bank of India recently.

About India’s External Debt:

• At end-March 2024, India’s external debt was US$ 663.8 billion, an increase of US$ 39.7 billion over its level at end-March 2023.
• The external debt-to-GDP ratio declined to 18.7 percent end-March 2024 from 19.0 percent at end-March 2023.
• The Valuation effect due to the appreciation of the US dollar vis-à-vis the Indian rupee and other major currencies such as the yen, euro, and SDR amounted to US$ 8.7 billion.
• Valuation effects are the change in value of assets held abroad with regard to the value of domestic assets held by foreign investors.
• Excluding the valuation effect, external debt would have increased by US$ 48.4 billion instead of US$ 39.7 billion at end-March 2024 over end-March 2023.
• At end-March 2024, long-term debt (with an original maturity of above one year) was placed at US$ 541.2 billion, recording an increase of US$ 45.6 billion over its level at end-March 2023.
• The share of short-term debt (with an original maturity of up to one year) in total external debt declined to 18.5 percent at end-March 2024 from 20.6 per cent at end-March 2023. 
• Similarly, the ratio of short-term debt (original maturity) to foreign exchange reserves declined to 19.0 percent at end-March 2024 (22.2 per cent at end-March 2023).
• US dollar-denominated debt remained the largest component of India’s external debt, with a share of 53.8 percent at end-March 2024, followed by debt denominated in the Indian rupee (31.5 percent), yen (5.8 percent), SDR (5.4 percent), and euro (2.8 percent).
• Outstanding debt of both government and non-government sectors increased at end-March 2024 over the level a year ago.
• The share of outstanding debt of non-financial corporations in total external debt was the highest at 37.4 percent, followed by deposit-taking corporations (except the central bank) (28.1 percent), general government (22.4 percent) and other financial corporations (7.3 percent).
• Loans remained the largest component of external debt, with a share of 33.4 percent, followed by currency and deposits (23.3 percent), trade credit and advances (17.9 percent) and debt securities (17.3 percent).
• Debt service (i.e., principal repayments and interest payments) increased to 6.7 percent of current receipts at end-March 2024 from 5.3 percent at end-March 2023, reflecting higher debt service.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The death toll of pigs following the outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF) disease in Mizoram since February has crossed 3,350, officials said recently.

About African Swine Fever (ASF):

• ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, whose mortality rate can reach 100%.
• The ASF virus is a large, enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus that is the sole member of the genus Asfivirus within the family Asfarviridae.
• Symptoms: The clinical symptoms can look very much like those of classical swine fever: fever, weak pigs, lack of appetite, inflamed eye mucous membranes, red skin, (bloody) diarrhea, and vomiting. 
• ASF can be spread through:
• Direct contact with infected animals
• Indirect contact through the ingestion of products from infected animals, contact with contaminated clothing, vehicles, or equipment
• Bites by infectious soft ticks (where present)
• The ASF virus is able to survive for long periods in pork and pork meat products.
• It is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa but has spread to many other regions of the world, including Asia and Europe.
• In India, it was first confirmed in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in February-March 2020.
• It is not a danger to human health. Meat or other products from pigs do not pose any food safety risks for humans. But it has devastating effects on pig populations and the farming economy.
• There is no cure or precaution available for the infection, and there is no approved vaccine. So, the only way to stop it from spreading is by culling the animals.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

A rare Indian Painted Frog was recently sighted at Telangana's Kawal Tiger Reserve, marking a significant find outside its usual habitats.

About Indian Painted Frog:

• It is a species of narrow-mouthed frog that is part of the Microhylidae family.
• Scientific Name: Uperodon taprobanicus
• Distribution: It is found in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, southern and eastern India and Nepal up to an altitude of about 1300 metres.
• It is most common in Sri Lanka. In India, it is found in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and is most common in the southern areas of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
• Features:
• It can grow to an adult length of up to 75 millimetres (7.5 cm) from snout to vent with females being slightly larger than males. 
• This species is notable for its striking appearance, characterized by its smooth, rounded body and distinctive colouration, which often includes shades of brown, with patches of brighter colours such as orange or yellow.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence both statements are not correct.

India is hosting a global event in sugar sector ‘International Sugar Organization (ISO) Council Meeting’ in New Delhi from 25th till 27th June, 2024.

• It is an inter-governmental body completely devoted to improving conditions in the world sugar market.
• It was established in 1968 and it is also a UN affiliated body.
• It has about 85 countries as members covering almost 90% of sugar production in the World.
• Mandate: It is mandated to bring major sugar producing, consuming and trading nations together to bring mutual understanding and progressive approach in dealing with issues pertaining to the sugar sector.
• It has also been working on biofuels, especially, ethanol as sugarcane is the second major feedstock for ethanol production in the world.
• The ISO exists to administer the internationally negotiated 1992 International Sugar Agreement (ISA), the objectives of which are: 
• To ensure enhanced international cooperation in connection with world sugar matters and related issues.
• To provide a forum for intergovernmental consultations on sugar and on ways to improve the world sugar economy.
• To facilitate trade by collecting and providing information on the world sugar market and other sweeteners.
• To encourage increased demand for sugar, particularly for non-traditional uses. 
• Headquarters: London

Sugar industry in India

• Sugar industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills.
• India is the largest consumer and second largest producer of sugar in the world with about 15 per cent share in global sugar consumption and about 20 per cent in production.
• Brazil is the top sugar producer in the world.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, a cloudburst triggered several landslips and a flood-like situation in Itanagar.

• It is a localised but intense rainfall activity. While it can also occur in plains, the phenomenon is most common in hilly regions.
• A cloudburst has a very specific definition: Rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10 km x 10 km area is classified as a cloudburst event.
• Cloudbursts are not uncommon events, particularly during the monsoon months.
• Most of these happen in the Himalayan states where the local topology, wind systems, and temperature gradients between the lower and upper atmosphere facilitate the occurrence of such events.
• How does it occur?
• It is found that during a cloudburst, the relative humidity and cloud cover will be at the maximum level with low temperature and slow winds because of this situation a high amount of clouds may get condensed at a very rapid rate and result in a cloudburst.
• As temperatures increase the atmosphere can hold more and more moisture and this moisture comes down as a short very intense rainfall for a short duration.
• Forecasting of Cloudbursts: The India Meteorological Department forecasts rainfall events well in advance, but it does not predict the quantum of rainfall — in fact, no meteorological agency does.

Hence both statements are correct.