Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 11, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index fell in August to a new two-year low.

About FAO Food Price Index:

• The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
• It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices (cereal, vegetable, dairy, meat and sugar), weighted with the average export shares.
• Base year: 2014-16

Key facts about FAO

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
• Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
• Head Quarter: Rome (Italy).
• Member countries: With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
• Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Salem Starch and Sago Manufacturers Service Industrial Cooperative Society Ltd (popularly called as SAGOSERVE) received Geographical indication tag or GI tag for Salem sago.

• Sago is derived from raw tapiocas.
• It is in the form of small hard globules or pearls and is pearl white in colour.
• It is manufactured from the wet starch powder crushed from tapioca roots.
• The wet starch powder is used for producing sago and the dry powder has been used as a raw material for industrial purposes.

What is Tapioca?

• It is a major horticulture crop cultivated on nearly 3 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu, producing 60 lakhs tonnes of the crop.
• Climate and Soil
• Any well drained soil preferably red lateritic loamy soil.
• It thrives best in tropical, warm humid climate.
• Rainfall: Well distributed rainfall of over 100 cm per annum.
• This crop can be cultivated upto an elevation of 1000 m.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Phanigiri artefacts belonging to 200 BCE-400 CE and discovered in 1942, are on display at New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• The Phanigiri Buddhist site is considered one of the most important finds in Buddhist iconography in this millennium.
• Phanigiri (meaning hillock of snake hood) is a small village in the state of Telangana.
• Key findings
• The thoranas discovered at Phanigiri are very important as they are among the first found south of Sanchi.
• The same thorana has a panel that shows both Mahayana and Hinayana school of thought. 
• There is evidence from Phanigiri that shows the deification of Buddha, and we can date this change. From a historical and spiritual identity there is a transition to canonisation and ritual.
• The monograph of the event has the image of the Buddha, wearing what looks like a Roman toga with folds, carved in limestone.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to launch the pilot of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) for transactions for interbank borrowing or call money market.

What is Money Market?

• Money market basically refers to a section of the financial market where financial instruments with high liquidity and short-term maturities are traded.
• It includes buying and selling of securities of short-term maturities, of one year or less, such as treasury bills and commercial papers.
• It is used by many participants, including companies, to raise funds.
• Money market is considered a safe place to invest due to the high liquidity of securities.

What is Call Money?

• Call money is also referred to as the money at call.
• It is a short-term loan which is due to be paid immediately in full as and when demanded by the lender.
• Not similar to a term loan, call money loan does not have a defined schedule of payment and maturity.
• Furthermore, the lender of the call money need not provide prior notice to the borrower about the repayment.

About Interbank Call Money Market:

• It is a short-term money market which allows for large financial institutions to borrow and lend money at interbank rates, the rate of interest that banks charge when they borrow funds from each other.
• The loans in the call money market are very short, usually lasting no longer than a week.
• These loans are often used to help banks meet reserve requirements.
• It is not exclusively used by banks. Interbank call money market customers can include other financial institutions, mutual funds, large corporations, and insurance companies.

Hence both statements are not correct.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) recently took part in the 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in Istanbul.

About Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM):

• The HACGAM is an annual event hosted by one of its member nations on a rotational basis. 
• It was initiated by Japan to promote cooperation among regional coastguards.
• The forum has 23 member Coast Guard agencies and two associate members –the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
• It was launched after the capture of the pirated vessel MV Alondra Rainbow by the Indian Coast Guard in November 1999.
• Objectives:
• The primary focus of the HACGAM is to foster cooperation between the coast guards of the member Asian states to ensure and promote safe, secure and clean seas in the region.
• To achieve this, HACGAM comprised four working groups that enable a focused and goal-oriented approach towards coordinated response and synergy towards common maritime issues.
• The Indian Coast Guard chairs the search and rescue (SAR) working group and is a proactive member of the other working groups, which include environmental protection, controlling unlawful acts at sea, and information sharing. 
• In 2022, the 18th edition of the meeting was hosted by the ICG in New Delhi.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

In a unanimous decision, G20 leaders recently endorsed the significance of the ‘Goa Roadmap for Tourism’ as a path towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).

About ‘Goa Roadmap for Tourism’:

• The ‘Goa Roadmap’, an outcome of India’s G20 Tourism Track, is a blueprint for sustainable global tourism.
• It is aligned with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency, and underscores the role of tourism in society, the economy, and environmental efforts.
• The roadmap focuses on five interconnected priorities. They are,
• green tourism;
• digitization;
• destination management;
• skills development;
• support for tourism micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs);
• These priorities have been endorsed by all G20 countries, emphasizing their commitment to achieving sustainable, resilient, and inclusive tourism.
• India’s vision of ‘Travel for LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment) has been incorporated into the Goa roadmap.

G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard:

• It was launched by the Union Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
• The dashboard will serve as a global repository, showcasing the best practices and case studies of sustainable tourism practices and policies from G20 nations.

Hence both statements are correct.

Ethiopia recently announced that it has filled its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River.

About Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD):

• Location:
• The GERD, formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is situated in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, near the border with Sudan.
• It is located on the Blue Nile, one of the main tributaries of the Nile River.
• Capacity: At 6.45 Gigawatts, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed.
• Features:
• It is a roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity-type dam comprising of two power stations, three spillways and a saddle dam.
• The main dam is 145m high and 1,780m long.
• It will create a reservoir covering 1,875 square kilometres and contain 74 billion cubic metres of water.
• Dispute: Egypt and Sudan fear the massive $4.2bn GERD will severely reduce the share of Nile water they receive and have repeatedly asked Ethiopia to stop filling it until they have all reached agreement on how it should work.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Two rescued wild animals, a Fishing Cat and a Python, were recently released in the D. Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh‘s East Siang district.

About D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is a protected area located in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• This sanctuary was established in the year 1977 and covers an area of around 190 square kilometers. 
• It is named after the pioneer of modern Arunachal, the late Daying Ering, who was a famed Indian politician.
• Vegetation: It is located in a unique ecosystem that comprises tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous forests.
• It is also home to the Siang River, which is one of the major rivers in Arunachal Pradesh. 
• Streams and channels intersect the whole Sanctuary. There are small to medium waterbodies in the Sanctuary that provide good nesting sites for birds. 
• Flora:
• About 80% of the Sanctuary is covered with grassland, and the rest is riverine forest patches with mixed bamboo and secondary forests.
• The main grass species are Saccharum spontaneum, S. arundinaceum, Neyraudia rennaudiana.
• Fauna:
• It is home to buffalo, elephant, tiger, leopard cat, barking deer, civet cat, sambar, jackal etc.
• The migratory birds like cranes, wild ducks, storks, waterfowls from Siberia and Mongolia can be spotted every year.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Recently, scientists from the University of Oxford have come up with a new way to obtain fluorine atoms, used to manufacture important chemical compounds used in industry and research, in a much safer and less energy-intensive way.

• Fluorine comes from a calcium salt called calcium fluoride, or fluorspar.
• Fluorspar is mined and then treated with sulphuric acid at a high temperature to release hydrogen fluoride (HF).
• Hydrogen fluoride is then made to react with other compounds to create fluorochemicals.
• Fluorine is a highly reactive element used to make fluorochemicals.
• It is used to produce plastics, agrochemicals, lithium-ion batteries, and drugs.
• Issues with hydrogen fluoride
• A major downside of this process is that HF is an extremely poisonous and corrosive liquid that irritates the eyes and respiratory tract even at low concentrations.
• It also requires special transportation and storage requirements.
• Hydrogen fluoride spills have occurred numerous times in the last decades, sometimes with fatal accidents and detrimental environmental effects.

Hence both statements are correct.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently wrote to the Manipur DGP, directing it to take cognizance and file an FIR against three persons for posting photographs of a minor that they alleged was involved in an incident in Manipur  in which two women were paraded naked.

About National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR):

• NCPCR is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
• It works under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The Commission began operational on 5 March 2007.
• As defined by the commission, a child includes a person up to the age of 18 years.
• Mandate: The Commission is mandated under section 13 of the CPCR Act, 2005 "to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child."
• The Commission is further mandated to monitor the proper and effective implementation of
• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
• Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
• Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• Members:
• A chairperson who, is a person of eminence and has done outstanding work for promoting the welfare of children.
• Six members, out of which at least two are women, who are having experience in Education, Child Health, Juvenile justice, Elimination of child labour, Child psychology or sociology Laws relating to children.
• The members are appointed by the Central Government for a term of 3 years.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.