Daily Current Affairs MCQ - February 4, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh informed Lok Sabha about the Safforn Bowl Project.

• North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) under Saffron Bowl project has identified few locations in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya for saffron cultivation.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, there is a good growth of organic saffron with flowers. In Meghalaya, sample plantations were grown at Cherrapunji, Mawsmai and Lalingtop sites.
• The total cost of the whole project is Rs. 17.68 lakhs for Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Out of which, a tentative amount of Rs.6.00 lakhs has been earmarked for Barapani (Meghalaya) site.
• The following sites have been identified in Meghalaya under the said project:
  • Barapani,
  • Cherrapunji,
  • Mawsmai,
  • Shillong, and
  • Lalingtop.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The Union Government has approved continuation of Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs) with an outlay of Rs. 1575 crore for XV Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26).

• The Scheme of Assistance to NSFs is the flagship Central Sector Scheme.
• It is the main source of funding for preparation of national teams for all major national and international competitions, including the Olympic Games, Para-Olympics, Asian Games, Para Asian Games, Commonwealth Games (CWG) and other major international tournaments.
• The outlay in the cycle will be extended to NSFs to train and field national teams for national and international competitions between 2022 and 2026, prime among them, the Commonwealth and Asian Games of 2022, Olympics and Paralympics 2024 and Asian and Commonwealth Games in 2026.
• The financial support extended by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through this Scheme will be used by NSFs to conduct national coaching camps, procure sports equipment and consumables, provide training of international standards to athletes etc.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of the Digital Rupee — a central bank digital currency (CBDC) — 2022-23 onwards.

• The Reserve Bank of India will launch the CBDC from the upcoming financial year. This follows the government’s plans to launch the CBDC that will be backed by blockchain technology.
• CBDC is a legal tender issued by a central bank in a digital form. It is similar to a fiat currency issued in paper and is interchangeable with any other fiat currency.
• The goal is to provide users with convenience and security of digital as well as the regulated, reserve-backed circulation of the traditional banking system.
• he RBI has on several occasions flagged concerns of money laundering, terror financing, tax evasion, etc with private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether, etc and had planned to announce its own CBDC.
• Hence both statements are correct.

Five persons were found dead after part of an open cast coal mine caved in, in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand.

• Officials said the deceased persons had illegally entered the open cast mine located at the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) in Mugma.
• Open cast mining is a traditional ‘cone-shaped’ excavation done for surface mining of coal that does not deep shafts.
• Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow.
• This form of mining differs from extractive methods that require tunnelling into the earth, such as long wall mining. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface.
• Hence both statements are correct.

The Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education launched YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors, an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors (below 30 years of age).

• The launch of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is in tune with PM’s vision to encourage young writers to write about India's freedom struggle.
• YUVA is a part of India@75 Project (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generation of writers on themes like Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places and their role in National Movement, and other related themes in an innovative and creative manner.
• The National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education as the Implementing Agency will ensure phase-wise execution of the Scheme under well-defined stages of mentorship. ​
• The books prepared under this scheme will be published by National Book Trust, India; and will also be translated into other Indian languages ensuring the exchange of culture and literature, thereby promoting 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.

Highlights of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors):

• A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest to be conducted through https://www.mygov.in/ from 1 June - 31 July 2021.
• The winners will be announced on 15 August 2021.
• The young authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors.
• Under the mentorship, the manuscripts will be readied by 15 Dec. 2021 for publication.
• The published books will be launched on 12 January 2022 on the occasion of National Youth Day (Yuva Diwas).
• A consolidated scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the Mentorship Scheme

Hence both statements are correct.

In a major boost to India’s non-basmati rice exports potential, two consignments 4.5 MT of patented ‘village rice’ sourced from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu by a start-up Udaya Agro Farm was exported today to Ghana & Yemen via air & sea routes.

• Enriched with protein, fibre, and a variety of minerals, ‘village rice’ is sourced directly from farmers of Thanjavur, also known as rice bowl of Tamil Nadu.
• In March, 2021, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ from Assam was exported to the USA.
• Iron rich ‘red rice’ is grown in Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. The rice variety is referred as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of the Assamese food.

Hence both statements are correct.

Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted permission of “No-Permission-No-Takeoff' (NPNT) compliant drone operations at 166 additional green zones to facilitate, smoothen, and promote drone operations in the country.

• The approved sites allow drone usage up to 400 ft Above Ground Level (AGL). These zones are in addition to the Sixty-Six green zone sites approved earlier.
• The list of the approved green zone sites can be accessed from the Digital Sky Platform (https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in).
• As per DGCA, under “NPNT or ‘No Permission – No Take-off’ compliance, every Remotely Piloted Aircraft (except Nano) has to obtain valid permission through the Digital Sky platform before operating in India.
• The framework mandates users to register on the online portal that acts as the national unmanned traffic management system for remotely piloted aircraft.
• Flying in these approved ‘green-zones’ will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the Digital Sky portal or the app.
• Drone flights in the green zone sites shall be compliant with the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 dated 12th March 2021 and other relevant orders/ guidelines issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Hence both statements are correct.

In a major relief announcement extending much needed support for the children who have lost their parents due to COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved slew of measures under PM-CARES for Children scheme, including free education and an amount of Rs. 10 lakh on attaining the age of 23, among others.

• All children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 will be supported under PM-CARES for Children scheme.
• Under the PM-CARES for Children scheme contribution will be done through the PM CARES Fund till the age of 18 years to create a corpus of Rs. 10 lakh for each child orphaned due to COVID-19.
• The beneficiary will be given a monthly stipend for five years from 18 years of age till he completes 23 years.
• On attaining the age of 23, the full amount of Rs. 10 lakh will be transferred to the beneficiary for his professional or personal use.
• Ensuring free education to such Kids, under this scheme, children under 10 years of age will be given admissions in Kendriya Vidyalayas and private schools whereas provision has been made for educating kids between 11 to 18 years of age in residential schools including Sainik Schools and Navodaya Vidyalayas.

Hence both statements are correct.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval commissioned Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag and dedicated it to the nation for safeguarding the maritime interests on May 29, 2021. OPV Sajag is constructed by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited.

• The concept of forming ICG came into being post 1971 war, when it was assessed that maritime borders are equally vital as land borders.
• The blueprint for a multi-dimension Coast Guard was conceived by the visionary Rustamji Committee even as the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was being negotiated and India’s assets off Mumbai high were growing.
• The ICG was created through an Act of Parliament in 1978.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday asked for forgiveness for his country’s role in the 1994 Rwandan massacre in which about 8,00,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed.

• Rwanda is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley, where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge.
• Its capital city is Kigali.
• Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• It is highly elevated, giving it the soubriquet "land of thousand hills".

Rwandan genocide

• The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were slaughtered by armed militias.
• The most widely accepted scholarly estimates are around 500,000 to 800,000 Tutsi deaths.
• France, which enjoyed close ties with Rwanda’s Hutu-led government of President Juvénal Habyarimana, has long been criticised for its role in the killings of the Tutsi minorities in the months of April to June 1994.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.