Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 19, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) recently celebrated the 29th World Ozone Day. On September 16, the world observes World Ozone Day, also known as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. It is a global agreement to protect the Earth's ozone layer by phasing out the ozone-depleting chemicals. It includes both production and consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals. It was signed in 1987 and enacted in 1989. Kigali agreement is the recent amendment to the material protocol which envisages the phase-down of HFCs in 2016. India became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol in 1992. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait separates the island of Taiwan (Formosa) and continental Asia (coast of China’s Fukien province). It is an arm of the Pacific Ocean found in the South China Sea. It contains the Pescadores Islands (controlled by the government of Taiwan). The area lies in a typhoon zone. It is the primary shipping route between China and Japan, and Europe. The strait is currently part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. Hence, both statements are correct.

It is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The temple was built by the Kachchhapaghata king Devapala. The king belonged to the Pala dynasty. The Mitaoli temple has 64 chambers dedicated to the 64 yoginis. The Madhya Pradesh temple believed to have inspired the old Parliament building. Hence, both statements are incorrect.

South Korea is eager to share submarine and missile technologies with India to improve defense cooperation. Both presidents agreed to boost defense collaboration, citing the K9 Vajra, a 52-caliber tracked self-propelled howitzer manufactured by a South Korean firm. Over the next three years, South Korea will provide India with a USD 4 billion credit line for "high-value" projects 52-caliber. Hence, option (b) is correct.

• Pralay is a Hindi word which means “apocalypse” or “to cause great destruction” or “damage”. The Pralay missile project was sanctioned in 2015 and is a derivative of the Prahaar missile programme, which was first tested in 2011. It is a surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile that is capable of being launched from a mobile launcher. It is developed by DRDO. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• It can hit targets from a distance of 150 to 500 km and is extremely difficult to intercept by enemy interceptor missiles. Pralay is powered by a solid fuel rocket motor and is a high explosive preformed fragmentation warhead that weighs somewhere between 350 kg to 700 kg. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

About Santiniketan

• It is located in the state of West Bengal.
• It was established in 1901 by Rabindranath Tagore.
• It was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions.
• In 1921, a ‘world university’ was established at Santiniketan, later recognised as ‘Visva Bharati’.
• Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan is only central university whose chancellor is the Prime Minister.
• It is distinct from the prevailing British colonial architectural orientations of the early 20th century and of European modernism.
• It represents approaches toward pan-Asian modernity, drawing on ancient, medieval and folk traditions from across the region.

• It is a platform designed to generate crop estimates and is integrated with other systems generating agriculture statistics such as price, trade, procurement, stock.
• It is a crucial component of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture.
• Initiative by – Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Objective – To streamline and enhance data management in the agricultural domain.

Key Features

• Data Standardization – It consolidates data from various sources into a standardized format for easier access and understanding.
• Data Analysis – It offers insights such as production trends and consumption patterns for making informed decisions.
• Granular Production Estimates – It improves the government’s ability to respond to agricultural crises swiftly.
• Commodity Profile Reports – The reports will be produced using algorithms, and provides users with comprehensive insights.
• Plug and Play – Users will have the flexibility to use the portal’s data to prepare their own reports, promoting data-driven decision-making.