Daily Current Affairs MCQ- October 23, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has released the draft of revised lesser penalty regulations that provides for introduction of a “leniency plus” programme.

• It is a new cartel detecting tool, and sheds light on how the competition watchdog intends to operationalise it.
• The “Leniency Plus” regime was part of the Competition (Amendment) Act 2023
• Leniency Plus is a proactive antitrust enforcement strategy aimed at attracting leniency applications by encouraging companies already under investigation for one cartel to report other cartels unknown to the competition regulator. 
• The benefit that would entail from such disclosure is reduction of penalty in the first cartel to the person disclosing the information, without prejudice to the company obtaining lesser penalty regarding the newly disclosed cartel.
• This “leniency plus” regime is already recognised in jurisdictions like the UK, US, Singapore and Brazil.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Union coal ministry has said that Coal India Limited’s (CIL) 40 coal blocks in and around the Lemru Elephant Corridor (LEC) will not be auctioned on the request of the Chhattisgarh government.

• It is located in the Korba district of Chhattisgarh.
• It seeks to give elephants a permanent habitat while also minimizing property damage and human-animal conflict.
• The reserve as part of an elephant corridor that connects Lemru (Korba), Badalkhol (Jashpur), Tamorpingla (Surguja).
• Elephant reserves in India- There are 33 notified Elephant Reserves (ERs) in the country spread over 14 states. 

What is Project Elephant?

• It was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives:
• To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors
• To address issues of man-animal conflict
• Welfare of captive elephants
• Through the Project (being mainly implemented in 16 States or UTs), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, provides financial and technical support to major elephant range states in the country.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Recent study showed that record of the signature of moist conditions during Little Ice Age (LIA) from the Western Ghats, India.

• It was one of the coldest periods of the past 10,000 years, a period of cooling that was particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. 
• It was a global climatic event, between CE 1671-1942
• The Little Ice Age followed the Medieval Warming Period (roughly 900–1300 CE) and preceded the present period of warming that began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Impact on climate:
• It is best known for its effects in Europe and the North Atlantic region.
• Alpine glaciers advanced far below their previous (and present) limits, obliterating farms, churches, and villages in Switzerland, France, and elsewhere.
• Frequent cold winters and cool, wet summers led to crop failures and famines over much of northern and central Europe.
• In addition, the North Atlantic cod fisheries declined as ocean temperatures fell in the 17th century.

Hence both statements are correct.

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched Operation Chakra-II, a crackdown on transnational organised cyber-enabled financial crimes. 

• It was launched to fight against transnational organised cyber-enabled financial crimes in India.
• For this CBI has partnered with Microsoft and Amazon as well as with national and international agencies to combat and dismantle infrastructure of illegal call centres.
• The CBI is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the USA, Cyber Crime Directorate and IFCACC of INTERPOL, the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK, Singapore Police Force and BKA of Germany to notify further leads.

Hence both statements are correct.

A new Laboratory of Advance Synthesis and Characterisation (LASC) at Gujarat is developing LASC probe stations for universities in India and abroad for investigation of opto-electronic properties in a wide range of materials.

About Optoelectronics:

• Optoelectronics is the study and application of light-emitting or light-detecting devices. 
• It is widely considered a sub-discipline of photonics. Photonics refers to the study and application of the physical science of light.
• Optoelectronics is a fast-emerging technology field that consists of applying electronic devices to sourcing, detection, and control of light. 
• It is largely based on semiconductor materials. These exhibit suitable bandgap energies for absorbing near-infrared and visible light, and their electric conductivity (albeit not perfect) is also essential for such applications.
• Examples of optoelectronic devices consist of: 
• Telecommunication laser
• Optical fibre
• Blue laser
• LED traffic lights
• Photodiodes
• Solar cells
• These devices are used in a wide variety of application areas, such as military services, automatic access control systems, telecommunications, medical equipment, and more. 
• Optoelectronics should not be confused with electro-optics, as this field is a wider branch of physics that deals with the interaction of electric fields and light, without concern if an electronic device is involved or not.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) recently directed the office of the chief secretary of Karnataka to submit a response on the issue of encroachment of the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Bannerghatta National Park.

About Bannerghatta National Park:

• Location: It is located near Bangalore, Karnataka, in the hills of the Anekal range.
• Founded in 1971, the park was given the status of a national park in 1974.
• In 2002, a portion of the park became a biological reserve, the Bannerghatta Biological Park. It is the first biological park in India to have a fenced, forested elephant sanctuary. 
• In 2006, India's first butterfly enclosure was inaugurated at the park.
• River: Suvarnamukhi stream, the main source of water for the animals of the park, runs through the centre of the park.
• It also acts as an important corridor for the elephants migrating from theEastern Ghats to the Western Ghats
• Vegetation: There are three types of vegetation that can be found: Dry Deciduous Scrub Forests, Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests and Southern Tropical Moist Mixed Forests.
• Flora: Include Narcissus latifolia, Schleichera oleosa, Sandalwood, Neem, Tamarind, Bamboo, Eucalyptus etc.
• Fauna: Prime habitat for several species, including the endangered Asian Elephant, Indian gaur, Tiger, Sambar deer, Spotted deer, Leopard, Wild dog, Wild pig, Sloth bear, Common mongoose,  Pangolin, Slender loris, Black-naped hare, etc.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

About Laodracon carsticola:

• It is a newly discovered species of dragon lizard.
• It has been discovered to live only in the karstic massifs of Khammouan Province, central Laos.
• It possesses extraordinary camouflage abilities.
• It belongs to the mainland Asian subfamily Draconinae. This subfamily contains around 256 species that all live across Asia.  
• The lizards within this family are typically omnivores, with the species spread across tree-living and ground-living habitats. 
• Features:
• It measures around 101 millimeters (3.9 inches) long and has slate gray and black scales with blue coloration on their throats and blue/gray bellies.
• It can be told apart from other species by the noticeably swollen base of the tail.
• The body scales exhibit pronounced rough scales, which could serve to help it climb the steep limestone pinnacles on which it lives.
• The lizards are suspected to have a diet of ants. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense recently announced that it will impose restrictions on the passage of warships belonging to countries not bordering the Black Sea within the framework of the Montreux Convention.

About Montreux Convention:

• It is an agreement concerning the Dardanelles Strait and the Bosporus Strait, also known as the Turkish Straits or the Black Sea Straits. 
• The Turkish straits are the only maritime passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
• Accordingtothe1936Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, often referred to simply as the Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the Turkish Straits. 
• In the event of a war, the pact gives Turkey the right to regulate the transit of naval warships and to block the straits to warships belonging to the countries involved in the conflict.
• Merchant vessels enjoy freedom of passage through the Turkish Straits, while passages of vessels of war are subject to some restrictions that vary depending on whether these vessels belong to the Black Sea littoral States or not.
• Besides some general restrictions applicable to all, vessels of war belonging to non-littoral States are subject to specific restrictions, such as those regarding maximum aggregate tonnage and duration of stay in the Black Sea.
• The principal provisions of the Convention ruling the passage of vessels of war are:
• Aircraft carriers, whether belonging to the littoral States or not, can in no way pass through the Turkish Straits.
• Only submarines belonging to littoral States can pass through the Turkish Straits for the purpose of rejoining their base in the Black Sea for the first time after their construction or purchase, or for the purpose of repair in dockyards outside the Black Sea.
• The total number and maximum aggregate tonnage of all foreign naval forces which may be in the course of passage through the Turkish Straits are limited to 9 and 15.000 tons respectively.
• The maximum aggregate tonnage which non-littoral States may have in the Black Sea is 45.000 tons.
• In this regard, the maximum aggregate tonnage of the vessels of war that one non-littoral State may have in the Black Sea is 30.000 tons.
• Vessels of war belonging to non-littoral States cannot stay more than 21 days in the Black Sea.
• Passages through the Turkish Straits are notified to Türkiye through diplomatic channels prior to intended passages.
• The notification time is 8 days for vessels of war belonging to littoral States, and 15 days for those of non-littoral States.
• Article 19 of the Convention:
• Vessels of war belonging to belligerent powers, whether they are Black Sea Powers or not, which have become separated from their bases, may return thereto.
• That means warships can return to their original bases through the passage,andTurkey cannot prevent it.
• For example, a Russian fleet registered in the Black Sea but currently located in the Mediterranean Sea is allowed to pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits and return to its base.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Union Tribal Affairs Ministry recently declared “null and void” the suspension of the managing director of TRIFED.

About Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED):

• It is a national-level organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, primarily engaged in the development and marketing of tribal handicrafts and natural products.
• It came into existence in 1987 and got registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984 (now the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002).
• The main mandate of TRIFED is capability enhancement of Tribals, promotion of tribal products, and creation of marketing opportunities for the Tribals with a view to ensuring remunerative prices for their products and augmenting their income on a sustainable basis.
• Objectives:
• To develop the socio-economic welfare of the tribal community.
• To act as a facilitator and service provider for the tribal community to uplift production.
• Provide training to enhance artistic skills with modern technology to meet the requirements of the global market.
• To increase the promotion of tribal art and crafts for a stable livelihood.
• To identify target groups to monitor and evaluate the process and activities and provide input to the Ministry.
• Retail Marketing:
• TRIFED has been doing the retail marketing of tribal products under the brand name of TRIBES INDIA.
• TRIFED promotes and creates a sustainable market through retail outlets, exhibitions such as Aadishilp, Aadichitra, OCTAVE; international fairs, and e-marketing.
• TRIFED has also been entrusted by the Govt. of India to implement its proposed Minimum Support Price Scheme for Minor Forest Produce.
• Head Office: New Delhi
• It has a network of pan India Regional Offices and a chain of TRIBES INDIA Retail Outlets.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) recently increased the transaction charges on the equity derivatives segment.

About Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE):

• It is the oldest and largest stock exchange in India.
• It was established in 1875 as the Native Share and Stock Brokers' Association. 
• In 1957, the Indian Government gave recognition to the BSE under the Securities Contracts Regulations Act.
• It is located on Dalal Street, Mumbai, and lists over 6000 companies.
• BSE boasts a variety of trading options in equity, fiat, debt instruments, derivatives, and mutual funds. 
• In addition, it offers multiple trading services like clearing, settlement, risk management, and investor awareness. 
• How does the BSE work?
• The BSE employs an advanced, electronically managed trading portal to facilitate financial trades. 
• The exchange allows shareholders to place orders online without requiring external help from industry experts. 
• This process is possible through the direct BSE market access offered by the portal. 
• Investors can trade on the BSE share market via a brokerage firm. For this, they need to pay a pre-determined price to the broker.
• The direct investment option is only for a section of investors with bulky BSE transactions to their credit. 
• The BSE stock exchange has the Bombay Online Trading Platform (BOLT) to ensure a safe trading experience. 
• The BSE Sensex stocks follow a T+2 transaction settlement scheme which implies that each transaction on the exchange takes two days to complete processing.
• BSE market complies with the regulatory guidelines imposed by SEBI to ensure investors’ safety and capital market efficiency. 

What is Sensex?

• Sensex is the benchmark index of the BSE.
• It was launched on January 1, 1986, as a basket of 30 stocks representing the country's largest, financially-sound companies listed on the BSE.
• The term ‘Sensex’ is a blend of words ‘Sensitive’ and ‘Index’ and was coined by stock market expert Deepak Mohini.
• The Sensex reflects the movements in the Indian stock market. It is considered the benchmark index of the Indian stock market.
• How is the Sensex calculated?
• It was calculated based on the market capitalisation, or “Full Market Capitalisation”, when it was launched but shifted to a "Free-float Market Capitalisation" methodology from September 1, 2003.
• Free-float is the proportion of total shares issued by the company that is readily available for trading to the general public. It does not take into account promoters’ holdings, government holdings, and other shares that will not be available in the market for trading in the ordinary course of events.

Hence option a is the correct answer.