Daily Current Affairs MCQ- May 10, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are gearing up for a review of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that may see discussions towards the integration of key portals of both nations to boost trade.

• It is a type of free trade pact that covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership.
• CEPA also looks into the regulatory aspect of trade and encompasses an agreement covering the regulatory issues.
• Free Trade Agreement: It is an agreement in which two or more countries agree to provide preferential trade terms, tariff concession etc. to the partner country. Here a negative list of products and services is maintained on which the terms of FTA are not applicable.
• Preferential Trade Agreement: In this, two or more partners give preferential right of entry to certain products. This is done by reducing duties on an agreed number of tariff lines. India signed a PTA with Afghanistan.
• Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement: It is more comprehensive than an FTA. CECA/CEPA also looks into the regulatory aspect of trade.
• Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement: CECA generally covers negotiation on trade tariffs and TQR rates only. It is not as comprehensive as CEPA. India has signed CECA with Malaysia.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Recently, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs informed Lok Sabha about the Seekho Aur Kamao scheme.

• Seekho Aur Kamao is a skill development scheme for the youth of the 14 - 35 years age group.
• It aims at providing employment and employment opportunities, improving the employability of existing workers, school dropouts etc.
• The scheme ensures 75% placement, out of which 50% should be in the organized sector.
• As per scheme guidelines, the implementing organizations will be required to establish linkages with placement services.
• For the candidates interested in self-employment after availing the training, the organization shall arrange easy microfinance/ loans for them through financial institutions, National Minority Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC), banks etc.
• Post-placement support of Rs. 2000/- per month is provided to placed trainees for two months as placement assistance.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment informed Rajya Sabha about the PENCIL portal and implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme.

• Full Name: Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL).
• Objective: It is a separate online portal to ensure effective enforcement of the provisions of the Child Labour Act and smooth implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme. 
• What are the Components? The PENCIL Portal has various components, namely Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence. 
• Features of the portal
• The Portal connects Central Government to State Government(s), District(s), all Project Societies and the General public. 
• Further, online complaints regarding child labour can also be filed by anybody on the Pencil Portal. The complaint gets assigned to the concerned Nodal Officer automatically by the system for further necessary action. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways launched the ‘Green Tug Transition Programme’ (GTTP).

• India’s first National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) was inaugurated in Gurugram, Haryana.
• In the event ‘Green Tugs Transition Programme (GTTP)’ was launched for operating green tugs in all major ports by 2025.
• Nodal Entity: NCoEGPS will act as the nodal entity for this programme.
• India aims at becoming a ‘Global Hub for Green Ship’ building by 2030 with the launch of the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
• ‘Green Hybrid Tugs’ will be powered by Green Hybrid Propulsion systems. These Green hybrid tugs will subsequently adopt non-fossil fuel solutions like (Methanol, Ammonia, and Hydrogen).
• At least, 50% of all the Tugs are likely to be converted into Green Tugs by 2030.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

NASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field called the South Atlantic Anomaly.

About South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA):

• It is a region at the Earth’s surface where the intensity of the magnetic field is particularly low.
• It stretches out between South America and southwest Africa.
• Why it occurs?
• Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun.
• SAA exists because the Earth's inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to the planet’s surface, causing an increased flux of energetic particles.
• This leads to the penetration of solar energetic particles deep into Earth’s atmosphere, posing severe problems for airplanes and ships' positioning systems as well as spacecraft electronic systems.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Indian Army and the Indian Air force recently conducted a joint exercise, ‘Vayu Prahar’.

About Exercise Vayu Prahar:

• It is a multi-domain air-land exercise jointly conducted by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
• The special forces also participated along with the Army and the Navy in the 96-hour exercise which was held in the eastern theatre. 
• Objective: To validate joint plans to prosecute synergized multiple-domain operations. 
• The scope of the exercise included the rapid mobilization of an earmarked Rapid Reaction Force from the hinterland to undertake air-landed operations in a nominated Advance Landing Ground.
• The air-landed force further executed contingency tasks as per a realistic exercise scenario in challenging high-altitude terrain conditions.
• The exercise enabled coordination and rehearsal amongst various agencies for quick mobilization, transportation, and deployment of forces within a theatre.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping (MoPSW), and Waterways recently launched the Sagar Manthan dashboard.

About Sagar Manthan dashboard:

• It is the real-time performance monitoring dashboard of MoPSW.
• It will have all the integrated data related to the ministry and other subsidiaries.
• The platform has been developed completely in-house under the guidance of the Secretary, MoPSW, in the span of fewer than 1.5 months.
• Features of the dashboard:
• Data visualization;
• Real-time monitoring;
• Improved communication;
• Data-driven decision-making;
• Increased accountability;
• It also promotes real-time project tracking, risk management, resource allocation, and progress reporting.
• The dashboard in the future would further be integrated with Input from the CCTV camera, Live streaming from Drones, and AI-based Algorithms.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A new analysis of genetic data collected from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, has linked coronavirus to raccoon dogs, adding evidence to the belief that the pandemic might have originated from the infected animals sold at the site.

• Raccoon dogs belong to the canid family and are closely related to foxes.
• They are the only canids that hibernate during the winter.
• As per Slate, there are two species of raccoon dogs: “Nyctereutes procyonoides, the common raccoon dog (the species that was in the Wuhan market) and Nyctereutes p. viverrinus, the Japanese raccoon dog.”
• They are omnivores and relish food sources such as rodents and berries.
• Raccoon dogs are originally from East Asia and are commonly found in parts of China, Korea and Japan, where they are known as tanuki.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy for 2023.

• It is considered the highest award in the field of Carnatic music.
• The award is conferred by the Madras Music Academy.
• The award comprises a gold medal and a birudu patra (citation).
• It is a landmark institution in the history of the fine arts. It emerged as an offshoot of the All India Congress Session held in Madras in December 1927.
• Carnatic music is commonly associated with southern India including the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, but also practised in Sri Lanka.
• It is one of two major genres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions, the other being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form in northern India as a result of Persian and Islamic influences.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Banks expect overnight rates to edge higher at the end of the month as advance tax and goods and services tax (GST) payments should cause liquidity shrinkage.

• LTRO is a tool that allows banks to borrow one to three years of funds from the Central Bank at the Repo rate.
• It is called ‘Targeted’ LTRO if the Central Bank wants banks opting for funds under this option to be specifically invested in investment-grade corporate debt.
• LTRO was first introduced by the European Central Bank (ECB) during its sovereign debt crisis that began in 2008.

Hence both statements are correct.