Daily Current Affairs MCQ: 28th July 2024 - UPSC MCQ

The Union Budget for 2024-25 emphasized job creation by introducing schemes like the wage subsidies for hiring first-time employees. This initiative aimed to incentivize employers to create job opportunities for new entrants into the workforce, thereby stimulating employment growth.

- Statement 1 is correct. Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) involves using natural inputs such as cow urine, dung, jaggery, lime, and neem to enhance soil health, nutrients, and reduce input costs. This method is part of natural farming practices and aims to minimize the need for external inputs.

- Statement 2 is incorrect. The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) aims to support and promote organic farming, not chemical-based farming practices. It focuses on improving soil health through organic methods.

- Statement 3 is correct. The National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) was indeed launched to encourage farmers to adopt chemical-free farming methods and transition to natural farming willingly.

Thus, the correct statements are 1 and 3. Therefore, the correct answer is Option B.

Statement-I is accurate as per the information provided in the source material. The E-Upahaar Portal is indeed an auction portal of the President's Secretariat at Rashtrapati Bhavan for auctioning gift items presented to the President and former Presidents of India, with the aim of donating the proceeds to support noble causes. This aligns with the details mentioned in the source material about the E-Upahaar Portal.

However, Statement-II is correct. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), as described in the source material, focuses on disaster risk reduction and enhancing climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific region

• Statement 1: Correct. Tell Umm Amer Heritage site is indeed located on the sandy shores of the Nuseirat Municipality, about 10 km south of Gaza city.
• Statement 2: Correct. The Monastery of Saint Hilarion at Tell Umm Amer was indeed established in the fourth century CE by Hilarion the Great.
• Statement 3: Incorrect. UNESCO was established in 1946, not 1945, and its headquarters are in Paris, France, not Geneva, Switzerland.

Thus, the correct statements are 1 and 2 only.

The Tell Umm Amer Heritage site is situated in the Nuseirat Municipality, just 10 km south of Gaza city. This ancient Christian monastery, established in the fourth century by Hilarion the Great, played a significant role in introducing monastic practices to the region. It was the first monastic community in the Holy Land and served as a cornerstone for the spread of these practices. The site's location at a crucial crossroads of major trade and communication routes connecting Asia and Africa underscores its historical and cultural significance.

Statement-I is accurate as the Union Budget for 2024-25 indeed emphasized the importance of job creation, reflected in the repeated mentions during the finance minister's speech. Statement-II correctly highlights the official unemployment rate in India being at 3.2% while mentioning the prevalence of underemployment and informal work, aligning with the challenges in the Indian job market. However, while both statements are factually correct and relevant to the topic of job creation and employment, Statement-II does not provide an explanation or direct relationship to Statement-I, making option (b) the correct choice.

1. Trading scams: Correctly matched. The description accurately explains the method of using social media and fake news articles to lure victims into investing in fraudulent trading applications.
2. Digital arrest scams: Correctly matched. The explanation correctly details how victims are monitored and forced to pay money by criminals posing as law enforcement officials.
3. Investment/task-based scams: Correctly matched. The description accurately captures the approach of scammers promising money for boosting social media ratings and subsequently luring victims into making larger investments.
4. Dating scams: Correctly matched. The explanation correctly describes how victims are targeted by individuals posing as foreign women, leading to fraudulent financial demands.
All four pairs are correctly matched.

Statement-I correctly mentions the inclusion of the Palestinian site of Tell Umm Amer by the World Heritage Committee in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. However, Statement-II correctly describes the types of disasters recognized by the Disaster Management Act of 2005 in India

Statement-I correctly mentions that the government's expenditure on infrastructure stands at 13.9% of the total budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, as per the given information. However,

Statement-II is correct as the Ministry of Roads, Transport, and Highways has been allocated ₹2.78 lakh crore for the financial year 2024-25, not ₹2.55 lakh crore as stated in the statement. Hence, while Statement-I is accurate, Statement-II is inaccurate based on the provided details.

1. E-Upahaar Portal - Launched by the President of India, not the Prime Minister.

2. National Informatics Centre - Established in 1976

3. Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre - Founded in 1986

4. Headquarters of ADPC - Located in Bangkok, Thailand, not New Delhi, India.

Thus, only two pairs are correctly matched.