Test: October 2023 Weekly Current Affair - 2 - UPSC MCQ

The Paris Agenda for People and the Planet (held in June this year) is a global initiative aimed at eliminating poverty, preserving the environment, and enhancing the resilience of vulnerable countries to climate change and conflicts.

The focus of the Summit: It focuses on leveraging various sources of finance, including official development assistance, domestic resources, and private investment, to achieve these goals.

About the Konkan belt:

It is a coastal plain in western India that extends along the western coasts of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. The Konkan is a narrow lowland that’s only about 50 km wide. It’s bounded by the Western Ghats mountain range to the east, the Arabian Sea to the west, the Daman Ganga River to the north, and the River Aghanashini to the south.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• Supreme Court of India has now joined the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) portal, which serves as a national repository of case-related data from courts across the country.
• NJDG is a database of orders, judgments and case details of 18,735 District and subordinate Courts and High Courts created as an online platform under the eCourts Project. Its key feature is that the data is updated in real-time and has granular data up to the Taluka level.
• The NJDG was built as part of Phase II of the e-Courts project, which is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. With over 18,735 courts computerised across the country, the data is integrated with the NJDG. The platform has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in close coordination with the in-house software development team of the Computer Cell, Registry of the Supreme Court with an interactive interface and analytics dashboard.
• NJDG works as a monitoring tool to identify, manage & reduce pendency of cases. Take, for instance, the Supreme Court data.

• Red fire ants, known scientifically as Solenopsis invicta and originating from South America,have invaded Europe.
• These invasive ants are ranked as the world’s fifth-costliest species to combat.
• Their painful stings can cause pustules, allergies, and even fatal anaphylactic shock. The researchers believe that climate change may facilitate their further spread in Europe.
• Invasive species: drive plant and animal extinctions, threaten food security and exacerbate environmental catastrophes.
  

• Indexation means adjusting a price, wage, or other value based on the changes in another price or composite indicator of prices.
• Indexation can be done to adjust for the effects of inflation, cost of living, or input prices over time, or to adjust for different prices and costs in different geographic areas.
• Indexation is often used to escalate wages in inflationary environments where failure to negotiate regular wage increases would lead to ongoing real wage cuts for workers.

The mantle — a 2,900 km thick layer of solid rock sandwiched between the Earth’s upper crust and lower core.
The mantle makes up the largest part of Earth.

• The mantle’s viscous properties govern convection — the transfer of heat between areas of different temperatures. This enables plate tectonics.

Mantle convection results in the transport of rocks and heat.

The viscosity of the rocks in the transition zone between the upper and the lower mantle determines whether a plate sinks below another one (subduction) through it.

• Statement 2 is incorrect.
• The use of burnt bricks in the Harappan cities is remarkable because in the contemporary buildings of Egypt dried bricks were primarily used. We find the use of baked bricks in contemporary Mesopotamia, but they were used to a much larger extent in the Harappan cities.
• The Indus people produced wheat, barley, rai, peas, and the like. Two types of wheat and barley were grown. A substantial quantity of barley was discovered at Banawali. In addition, sesamum and mustard were grown.
• Although the Harappans practised agriculture, animals were raised on a large scale. Oxen, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and pigs were domesticated. Humped bulls were favoured by the Harappans. There is evidence of dogs and cats from the outset, and asses and camels were bred. Elephants were well known to the Harappans, who were also acquainted with the rhinoceros.

Only Statement 3 is correct.

• The medicines suppress the replication of the virus within the body, allowing the number of CD4 immune cells to bounce back. Although earlier the drugs were given only to those with low CD4 count under the government’s programme, now the programme supports anyone who has been diagnosed with HIV.
• The drugs have to be taken for life because the virus continues to persist in reservoirs across the body. If the drugs are stopped, the virus can again start replicating and spreading. When the viral levels are low, the likelihood of a person transmitting the infection is also low.
• If left untreated, the virus destroys a person’s immune system and they are said to be in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome stage (AIDS) where they get several opportunistic infections that may result in death.
• Although there is no vaccine for HIV, there are Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) medicines that can be taken by people at high risk of contracting the infection. PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 per cent.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

• Ocean deoxygenation is the expansion of oxygen minimum zones in the world’s oceans as a consequence of anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide. The change has been fairly rapid and poses a threat to fish and other types of marine life, as well as to people who depend on marine life for nutrition or livelihood.
• Ocean deoxygenation poses implications for ocean productivity, nutrient cycling, carbon cycling, and marine habitats.
• Most of the excess heat from CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed by the oceans. Warmer oceans cause deoxygenation both because oxygen is less soluble in warmer water, and through temperature driven stratification of the ocean which inhibits the production of oxygen from photosynthesis.
• Anoxic waters are areas of sea water, fresh water, or groundwater that are depleted of dissolved oxygen and are a more severe condition of hypoxia.

Statement 1 is incorrect.

• Jal Jeevan Mission, is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
• The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and communication as a key component of the mission.

• Project ‘Mausam’ is a cultural initiative led by the Ministry of Culture and implemented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi. It aims to showcase a Transnational Mixed Route (Natural and Cultural Heritage) on the World Heritage List. The project explores monsoon patterns, cultural routes, and maritime landscapes in the Indian Ocean region.
• Its goals include understanding the historical impact of monsoon winds on interactions, shared knowledge systems, and cultural exchanges among coastal centres.
• The project fosters cross-cultural linkages with 39 Indian Ocean countries and focuses on cultural routes and maritime landscapes connecting different parts of the Indian Ocean littoral.

• The Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics(UPAg Portal – www.upag.gov.in) was officially launched recently.
• The portal aims to provide real-time, reliable, and standardized information, empowering stakeholders and facilitating more responsive and efficient agricultural policies.
• The UPAg Portal is part of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture, focusing on harnessing data for growth, transparency, and agility in India’s agriculture sector.
• This initiative aligns with e-governance principles and aims to enhance data-driven decision-making for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders in the agriculture domain.

• The Assam Government organized a campaign called “Amrit Brikshya Andolan” aimed at increasing the state’s green cover by planting saplings, primarily of commercial trees.
• The campaign set out to achieve nine world records during this massive tree-planting drive.
• The primary objective of the campaign was to plant one crore saplings across Assam, involving thousands of people from various regions of the state. Assam government intends to plant eight crore saplings in 2024 and an additional 10 crore saplings in 2025.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• In 2023, record-high temperatures have been observed globally. Scientists attribute this unusual heat to various factors, including an underwater volcanic eruption off Tonga in the South Pacific in January 2022.
• While most volcanic eruptions typically cool the planetdue to sun-dimming particles, this eruption released a significant amount of water vapour and Sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, a natural greenhouse gas that traps heat.
• The volcano is located in the Tonga island of the South Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arcformed due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Indo-Australian Plate.
  

Statement 4 is incorrect.

• Hoysala architecture, developed between the 11th and 14th centuries in southern Karnataka under the Hoysala Empire, is characterized by:
• A unique style blending elements of Dravida and Nagara architectures.
• Influences from Bhumija, Nagara, and Karntata Dravida architectural traditions.
• Distinctive ‘Hoysala Temple’ form with multiple shrines around a central pillared hall in a star-shaped layout.
• The use of soapstone, allowed intricate carving of sculptures, especially in the jewelry adorning temple walls.

• World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September each year to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental treaty for phasing out of production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances, that came into force on this day in 1987.
• Montreal Protocol and its amendmentsare successful in eliminating up to 99% of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) (long-lived man-made chemicals which destroy the protective ozone layer).
• India has been proactive in implementing the Montreal Protocol, phasing out harmful substances and achieving reductions.
• India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) to address refrigerant transition, energy efficiency, and technology advancement in cooling systems.

Operation Polo: Indian armed forces ended the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad and led to the incorporation of the princely state of Hyderabad into the Indian Union.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• A World Heritage Site is an area or object listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognised for its “outstanding universal value” under the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage 1972.
• These sites, categorised into three types – Cultural, Natural, and Mixed, are internationally acknowledged for their cultural, natural, or combined significance.
• As of 2023, there are 42 World Heritage Sites located in India. Out of these, 34 are cultural, 7 are natural, and one, the Khangchendzonga National Park, is of mixed type. India has the sixth-largest number of sites in the world.

• An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a type of employee benefit plan which is intended to encourage employees to acquire stocks or ownership in the company.
• Under these plans, the employer gives certain stocks of the company to the employee for negligible or less costs which remain in the ESOP trust fund, until the options vests and the employee exercises them or the employee leaves/retires from the company or institution.
• These plans are aimed at improving the performance of the company and increasing the value of the shares by involving stock holders, who are also the employees, in the working of the company. The ESOPs help in minimizing problems related to incentives.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number is a six-digit alphanumeric code. It is given to every piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking, and is a unique identifier for each gold item. The jewellery is stamped with the unique number manually at the Assaying & Hallmarking centre.
• Hallmark is a mark on gold jewellery which is affixed by an entity recognised by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to assure its fineness and purity.
• The HUID makes it easy to trace the individual piece of jewellery, and is a guarantee of quality.
• It is aimed at ensuring the purity of Hallmarked jewellery and check any malpractice.

Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The ICJ has two types of jurisdictions: contentious and advisory. While contentious jurisdiction refers to resolving legal disputes between consenting states, under advisory jurisdiction, the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Security Council (SC) and other specialised bodies of the organisation can request the ICJ for an opinion on a legal question. Unlike decisions given under the contentious jurisdiction, the ICJ’s advisory opinions are non-binding. Yet, they carry normative weight and clarify international law on a relevant issue.

Statement 4 is incorrect.

About Pralay:

• ‘Pralay’ has a strike range of 150 to 500 kilometresand can carry a conventional warhead of 350 kg to 700 kg.
• It is highly versatile, capable of carrying different types of warheads, and features advanced technology to counter interceptor missiles.
• It can alter its trajectory mid-flight and is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor.
• Developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

• The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.
• The protection of the Irrawaddy dolphin is crucial for the overall health of the Mekong River.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The Raman Effect refers to the phenomenon in which when a stream of light passes through a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by the liquid is of a different colour. This happens due to the change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.
• In general, when light interacts with an object, it can either be reflected, refracted or transmitted. One of the things that scientists look at when light is scattered is if the particle it interacts with is able to change its energy. The Raman Effect is when the change in the energy of the light is affected by the vibrations of the molecule or material under observation, leading to a change in its wavelength.

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar presented the one-time Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards to 84 artists from varied fields of performing arts.
• The award was constituted to honour the Indian artists aged above 75 years who have not been accorded any national honour in their career so far.
• This is the first time in the nation’s history that these artists are being recognised for their work.

The paper, created by the World Economic Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing Industry community, highlights the role of advanced manufacturing in addressing global disruptions and promoting innovative, inclusive, and sustainable industry transformation.
Initiatives by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to support industry transformation: