Daily Current Affairs MCQ - May 4, 2021 - UPSC MCQ

Mangroves, by definition, are small shrubs or trees that grow in saline or brackish water, and are found in coastal areas. The mangroves of Guneri and also of Shravan Kavadia, both in Kutch, however, are completely landlocked and are therefore unique. 

They (Kutch’s inland mangroves) are in fact among the very few, maybe three-four, of their kind recorded in the world. The others are in Brazil, Peru and South America.

The Arabian sea receded by 100-150 kms from the coastline, resulting in the inland mangroves of Guneri and Shravan Kavadia which survived because of continued supply of brackish or saline water underground. Experts therefore believe that these mangroves belong to ancient biogenetic pools. The good underground supply of brackish water, which helps in dispersal of seeds and propagation.

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.

Although found in much of the riverine and marine zones of South and Southeast Asia, the concentrated lagoon populations are found in Chilika Lake in Odisha and Songkhla Lake in southern Thailand.

Irrawaddy dolphins in general are listed as an Endangered species.

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez.

It offers vessels a direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans.

What Is Inflation Targeting?

1. Inflation targeting is a central banking policy that revolves around adjusting monetary policy to achieve a specified annual rate of inflation.
2. The principle of inflation targeting is based on the belief that long-term economic growth is best achieved by maintaining price stability, and price stability is achieved by controlling inflation.
3. As a strategy, inflation targeting views the primary goal of the central bank as maintaining price stability.

The Meghalaya government has defended its plan to dam Umngot, arguably India’s clearest river, despite protests from more than a dozen villages downstream.

The RBI deputy governors are Michael Patra, Mahesh Kumar Jain, M. Rajeshwar Rao and T. Rabi Sankar.

• The Network for Greening the Financial System is a global network of central banks and supervisory authorities advocating a more sustainable financial system. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • It aims to analyse the consequences of climate change for the financial system and to redirect global financial flows in order to enable low-carbon economic growth.
• It was created at the Paris One Planet Summit in December 2017 and its secretariat is hosted by the Banque de France. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• P-8I patrol aircraft is a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • It is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing company developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet.
  • With a maximum speed of 907 kmph and an operating range of over 1,200 nautical miles, the P-8Is detect threats and neutralize them if required, far before they come anywhere near Indian shores.
  • Indian Navy became the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft in 2009.
• Defense purchases from the United States have been increasingly an integral part of growing ties between the two countries.
  • From near zero in 2008, India-US defence trade touched USD 20 billion in 2020, helped along by major policy upgrades.
• The US designating India a Major Defence Partner (in 2016) and then granting it the same access to defence technology as NATO allies and Australia, Japan and South Korea under Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA) in 2018. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• The National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) within the Public Account of India was established in 1999. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • The objective of the creation of the NSSF was to de-link small savings transactions from the Consolidated Fund of India and ensure their operation in a transparent and self-sustaining manner.
    • Since NSSF operates in the public account, its transactions do not impact the fiscal deficit of the Centre directly.
• The Fund is administered by the Government of India, Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) under National Small Savings Fund (Custody and Investment) Rules, 2001, framed by the President of India under Article 283 (1) of the Indian Constitution. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

• Indian Navy has launched Operation Samudra Setu-II for shipment of Oxygen-filled containers to India. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • Seven Indian Naval ships viz. Kolkata, Kochi, Talwar, Tabar, Trikand, Jalashwa and Airavat have been deployed for shipment of liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from various countries.
  • Two ships, the INS Kolkata and INS Talwar, have entered the Port of Manama, Bahrain, to carry back 40 tonnes of liquid oxygen to Mumbai.
  • The INS Jalashwa is enroute to Bangkok while the INS Airavat is on its way to Singapore on a similar mission.
• Operation Samudra Setu was launched in May 2020 as part of the national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.