Daily Current Affairs MCQ- September 27, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting announced that legendary actress Ms. Waheeda Rehman will be honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2021.

• It is India's highest award in the field of cinema.
• It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• The recipients are recognized for their ‘outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema’.
• The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of 10 lakh rupees.
• The award was introduced by the Government of India to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke's contribution to Indian cinema, who is popularly known as and often regarded as "the father of Indian cinema". 
• It was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”

Hence both statements are correct.

International Coffee Organization (ICO), in collaboration with the Coffee Board of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Government of Karnataka is hosting the 5th World Coffee Conference (WCC) at Bengaluru.

• International Coffee Organization was established in 1963 under the aegis of the United Nations and following the approval of the first International Coffee Agreement in 1962.
• The ICO is the only intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing Governments.
• It currently represents 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption.
• The mission of the Organization is to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the benefit of all actors in the Global Coffee Value Chain (G-CVC).
• Member countries: 49 (42 coffee exporting and 7 importing countries)
• India is a member of this organisation.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India launched the Scheme for Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP).

• The objective of the scheme is to transform Indian pharmaceuticals sector from cost based to innovation-based growth by strengthening the research infrastructure in the country.
• Aim: To promote industry-academia linkage for R&D in priority areas and to inculcate the culture of quality research and nurture our pool of scientists.
• This will lead to sustained global competitive advantage and contribute to quality employment generation in the country.
• Time period: Five years (2023-24 to 2027-28).
• The scheme has two components-
• Component A: Strengthening the research infrastructure by establishment of 7 Centre of Excellence (CoEs ) at National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs). -These CoEs would be set up in pre identified areas with a financial outlay of Rs 700 Crores.
• Component B: Promoting research in pharmaceutical sector by encouraging research in six priority areas like New Chemical Entities, Complex generics including biosimilars, medical devices, stem cell therapy, orphan drugs, Anti-microbial resistance etc.,
• Financial assistance will be provided for the Industries, MSME, SME, Startups working with government institutes and for both in- house and academic research.
• The component has a financial outlay of Rs.4250 Crores.

Hence both statements are correct.

Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary is like an oasis spread over a vast arid region comprising seven north-eastern districts of Kalyana Karnataka.

• It is located around the Chandrampalli Dam in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka.
• It was declared a sanctuary in 2011.
• It is the first dry land Wildlife Sanctuary in South India.
• This is the only area in the Hyderabad Karnataka Region with rich floristic diversity.
• Vegetation: The Sanctuary has good dry deciduous and Moist deciduous forest in the core with Acacia and Teak plantations on the fringes.
• Flora: Apart from medicinal herbs and trees, species like Red Sanders and Sandalwood are found abundantly.
• Fauna: It is home to Black Buck, Common Fox, Four-horned Antelope, Fruit bat, Hyena, Indian Wolf etc. Over 35 species of birds, including Black Drongo, Black-winged Kite, Blossom – headed Parakeet, Blue pigeon, Black-headed Oriole and Grey partridge are also found in this Sanctuary.
• Local Tribes: Chincholi is also home to Lambani Tandas, a protected tribal community that lives in the forests in harmony with nature.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers recently detected a new exoplanet orbiting a distant star.

About Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS):

• It is a NASA mission to discover exoplanets around nearby bright stars.
• Launch: It was launched on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket out of Cape Canaveral.
• Orbit: TESS circles Earth in a unique high Earth orbit of 12 to 15 days, which is inclined in a way that the telescope’s sky view is largely free from obstructions by our bright planet and the Moon.
• The prime mission ended on July 4, 2020, and TESS is now on an extended mission.
• TESS is finding planets ranging from small, rocky worlds to giant planets, showcasing the diversity of planets in the galaxy.
• How does TESS find exoplanets?
• It uses the transit method to detect planets.
• It looks for periodic dips in stars' brightness as planets cross in front of them along our sightline.
• The larger the planet, the further the drop in brightness during the transit. 
• How long it takes a planet to pass in front of the star and come back tells us the shape of its orbit.
• This method reveals the diameter of the planet and the size of its orbit. Orbits within a certain range lie in the “habitable zone”, where liquid water can exist on the surface of an Earth-like world.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

The Government recently extended export benefits under the RoDTEP scheme for one more year.

About Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) scheme:

• It was introduced by the Government as a duty remission scheme on exports and is being implemented from 1st January 2021. 
• It was enforced to repeal and reduce taxes for exported products, thereby encouraging the conditions of exported and increasing the amount of exports in the country.
• The scheme will be administered by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
• Tax reimbursement under RODTEP:
• The Scheme provides a mechanism for reimbursement of taxes, duties and levies, which are currently not being refunded under any other mechanism at the central, state and local level but which are incurred by the export entities in the process of manufacture and distribution of exported products.
• This does not only include the direct cost incurred by the exporter but also the prior stage cumulative indirect taxes on goods.
• It is a WTO-compliant scheme and follows the global principle that taxes/duties should not be exported.
• RoDTEP replaced the Merchandise Export Incentive Schemes (MIES), in response to the US challenging the Indian export subsidies under the MEIS at the WTO. When the WTO dispute panel ruled against India, RoDTEP was framed to ensure that India remains WTO-compliant, while also supporting low-volume exports of commodities from India.
• Eligibility:
• It is applicable to all the sectors involved in the export of goods irrespective of their turnover, provided the country of manufacturing of the exported goods should be in India.
• Such an exporter may either be the merchant or manufacturer exporter. However, such goods should have been directly exported by such a person.
• Goods exported through e-commerce platforms are also eligible under this scheme.
• Process of Refund:
• Rebate under the scheme is provided to eligible exporters as a percentage of the freight on board (FOB) value of exports.
• Remission is issued in the form of transferrable e-scrips (type of certificates with some monetary value) maintained in an electronic credit ledger by the CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs).
• e-scrips can be used for paying basic customs duty on the import of goods or may be transferred electronically to another party.

What is Freight on Board (FOB)?

• Freight on Board (FOB), also referred to as Free on Board, is an international commercial law term published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
• It indicates the point at which the costs and risks of shipped goods shift from the seller to the buyer.
• The buyer is responsible if the goods are damaged or lost while in transit.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Scientists recently identified a single, small strand of microRNA, or miRNA, that plays a crucial role in fighting cancer.

About microRNA (miRNA):

• MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that play important roles in regulating gene expression.
• Gene expression refers to whether a particular gene is making too much, too little or the normal amount of its protein at a particular time.
• Molecules of miRNA are found in cells and in the bloodstream. 
• They are typically composed of approximately 21 to 24 nucleotides, making them much smaller than messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which carry instructions for protein synthesis. Their small size allows them to bind to specific target mRNAs.
• How does miRNA control gene expression?
• miRNA controls gene expression mainly by binding with messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cell cytoplasm. 
• Instead of being translated quickly into a protein, the marked mRNA will be either destroyed and its components recycled, or it will be preserved and translated later.
• So, if the level of a particular microRNA is underexpressed (its level in the cell is abnormally low), the protein it normally regulates may be overexpressed (its level will be unusually high in the cell); if the microRNA is overexpressed (its level is unusually high), its protein will be underexpressed (its level will be unusually low).
• Biological Functions:
• They play critical roles in various biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
• They are involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis and responding to environmental cues.
• Disease Implications:
• Alteration in miRNA expression results in changes in the profile of genes involving a range of biological processes, contributing to numerous human disorders.
• With high stability in human fluids, miRNAs in the circulation are considered as promising biomarkers for diagnosis, as well as prognosis of disease. 

What is RNA?

• RNA, or Ribonucleic Acid, is a molecule that plays a central role in various biological processes, particularly in the transfer of genetic information and the synthesis of proteins.
• It is a macromolecule similar to DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) in many ways but differs in its structure and functions.
• RNA is composed of nucleotide units, just like DNA. Unlike DNA, however, RNA is most often single-stranded.
• Function:
• The primary function of RNA is to convey genetic information from DNA and use that information to guide the synthesis of proteins.
• This process involves transcription, where a complementary RNA strand is synthesized based on a DNA template, and translation, where the information encoded in the RNA is used to assemble a specific sequence of amino acids into a protein.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

According to a new report from International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) have seen a 65 per cent faster loss of glacier mass.

• The Hindu-Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region encompasses Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• It is considered as the Third Pole (after the North and South Poles) because it contains the largest volume of ice and snow outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.
• The ice and snow from this region are an important source of water for 12 rivers that flow through 16 countries in Asia.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, India gifted the Corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam to enhance that country’s naval capabilities.

• It is an indigenously-built in-service missile.
• It is a Khukri class missile corvette commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991.
• It has a displacement displacing capacity of close to 1,400 tonnes.
• It is capable of a speed of more than 25 knots.
• The Khukri class are equipped with Diesel Engines assembled in India.
• The ship is fitted with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface missiles.
• It performs a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Recently, researchers have discovered that the Y chromosome possesses genes linked to ageing and lifespan regulation.

• The Chromosome is a thread-like structure located inside the nucleus of animal and plant cells.
• Each chromosome is made of protein and a single molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
• It is passed from parents to offspring.
• DNA contains the specific instructions that make each type of living creature unique.
• In humans, in addition to the 22 pairs of chromosomes in each, we have a pair of sex chromosomes called X and Y.
• All biological males have X and Y chromosomes and all biological females have two X chromosomes.
• The y chromosome known as the “master of maleness,” determines the biological male sex and carries genes that play a role in sex determination.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.