Daily Current Affairs MCQ- March 16, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Marakkanam police seized 46 live Indian Black Turtles ( Melanochelys trijuga ) from two persons who were allegedly smuggling them on a two-wheeler, from neighbouring Puducherry.

• The Indian black turtle is a medium-sized found across the Indian subcontinent. 
• It is an aquatic species, mainly associated with standing water bodies, sometimes rivers.
• The species is an omnivore, consuming both aquatic macrophytes and invertebrates.
• The species shows a crepuscular to a nocturnal lifestyle, with individuals seen foraging after dark along the edges of water bodies.
• The distribution in India includes the hill ranges of the Western Ghats, south of Gujarat, and the southeast coast, and then a separate disjunct distribution in northern and northeastern India.
• Conservation status:
• IUCN: Least concern

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Minister of State for Jal Shakti informed Rajya Sabha about the Water Heritage sites of India.

• The Committee under the Ministry of Jal Shakti has recommended 75 water heritage structures, which include 5 Water Heritage structures from Gujarat and 4 Water Heritage structures from Andhra Pradesh respectively.
• In this connection, the "Jal-Itihas" sub-portal under the India-WRIS portal, showcasing the 75 WHS, was launched at the 1st All India State Ministers Conference on Water at Bhopal. 
• India-WRIS portal is a web-enabled Water Resources Information System popularly known as India-WRIS.
• It was initiated through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), under the National Hydrology Project, launched the first version of the India Water Resources Information System (India-WRIS) in July 2019.
• The MoJS has established a dedicated organization, National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) to maintain and update India WRIS.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare approved a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Dragon Fruit (Kamalam Fruit) to be established by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• Dragon Fruit is a herbaceous perennial climbing cactus widely known as Pitaya, has its origin in Southern Mexico, Central America and South America.
• Its flowers are hermaphrodites (male and female organs in the same flower) in nature and open at night.
• It grows in all kinds of soil and does not require much water.
• The plant sustains yield for more than 20 years, is high in nutraceutical properties (medicinal effects) and good for value-added processing industries.
• It is widely cultivated in South-East Asia, India, the USA, The Caribbean Islands, and Australia throughout the tropical and sub-tropical world.
• The world’s largest producer and exporter of dragon fruit is Vietnam, where the plant was brought by the French in the 19th century.
• In India, the cultivation of Kamalam Fruit is done in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Hence both statements are not correct.

According to a recent report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the five largest arms importers in the world during 2018-22 were India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, and China.

About India’s Arms Imports:

• India remained the world’s largest arms importer for the five-year period between 2018-22.
• India accounted for an 11 percent share of total global arms imports in 2018–22.
• Russia accounted for 45% is India’s imports, followed by France (29%) and the US (11%).
• Russia was the largest supplier of arms to India in both 2013–17 and 2018–22, but its share of total Indian arms imports fell from 64% to 45%.
• India has seen an 11 percent drop in its arms import between 2013-17 and 2018-22.
• India was the biggest arms export market to three countries — Russia, France, and Israel and the second largest export market to South Korea.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Russia recently agreed to extend the Black Sea grain deal following talks with the United Nations for an additional 60 days.

About Black Sea Grain Initiative:

• It was set up to resume vital food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world.
• It was brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey. 
• The Initiative allowed exports of grain, other foodstuffs, and fertilizer, including ammonia, to resume through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor from three key Ukrainian ports: Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, to the rest of the world.
• Joint Coordination Centre (JCC):
• A  JCC was established to monitor the implementation of the Initiative.
• JCC Centre is hosted in Istanbul and includes representatives from Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Nations. 
• The UN acts as the Secretariat for the Centre.
• Procedure:
• Vessels wishing to participate in the Initiative will undergo inspection off Istanbul to ensure they are empty of cargo.
• They then sail through the maritime humanitarian corridor to Ukrainian ports to load. 
• The corridor is monitored 24/7 to ensure the safe passage of vessels.
• Vessels on the return journey will also be inspected at the inspection area off Istanbul.

Hence both statements are not correct.

As many as 129 species of butterflies were recorded during a citizen science-based survey at Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra's Nagpur district.

• It is located in the Nagpur district of Maharashtra which derives its name from its lifeline - the River Pench.
• Pench River divides the reserve into almost two halves.
• The Reserve is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hills in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts in Madhya Pradesh and continues in Nagpur district in Maharashtra as a separate Sanctuary. 
• Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Sloth bear, Indian gaur, Wild dog, wolf etc.
• Flora: It has a mixture of Southern dry broadleaf teak forests and tropical mixed deciduous forests are present.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

NITI Aayog recently launched ATL Sarthi, a comprehensive self-monitoring framework to strengthen the ever-growing ecosystem of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).

• ATL Sarthi will enable the Atal Tinkering Labs to be efficient and effective. 
• The initiative has four pillars ensuring the performance enhancement of ATLs through regular process improvements like MyATL Dashboard, Compliance SOPs, Cluster-based Approach and Performance-Enablement (PE) Matrix.
• It is an initiative to promote creativity and innovation in the minds of school children.
• Under this initiative Children as young as 12 years of age gain access to technological innovation.
• The concepts of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are taught through various tools and equipment of the like.
• Financial aid of Rs. 20 lakh is given to each school.
• This includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and an operation cost of Rs. 10 lakh over a period of five years.
• It is administered under the guidance of the NITI Aayog.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted a maiden flight test of the Power Take off (PTO) Shaft on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) Limited Series Production (LSP) -3 aircraft in Bengaluru. 

• It is the lightest, smallest and tailless multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its class.
• This aircraft is designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided, weapons.
• It has the air-to-air refuelling capability.
• The maximum payload capacity of Tejas is 4000 kg.
• Speed: Mach 1.8.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Pi Day was recently celebrated worldwide to recognize the mathematical constant, Pi.

About Pi Day:

• International Day of Mathematics, or Pi Day, is celebrated on March 14 every year to recognize the mathematical constant, Pi.
• Why March 14?
• The approximate value of Pi is 3.14. 
• The date, when written in the format of month/day (3/14), matches the first three digits of the mathematical constant. 

What is Pi (π)?

• Pi is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. 
• It is an infinitely long, irrational number, and its exact value cannot be known.
• Pi is roughly equal to 3.14 or 22/7.
• History:
• Pi has been known for nearly 4,000 years and was discovered by the ancient Babylonians.
• One of the first calculations of pi was carried out by Greek mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse (287 B.C. to 212 B.C.)
• It also has a symbol, ‘π.’ The symbol π was devised by British mathematician William Jones in 1706.
• Applications: It is used in a wide variety of mathematical and scientific calculations, including geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and more.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Hyderabad-based Svaya Robotics has developed India’s first indigenous quadruped (four-legged) robot and exoskeleton for the defense sector as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

About India’s first indigenous quadruped robot and exoskeleton:

• The indigenous robots and wearable exoskeletons were developed by Hyderabad-based Svaya Robotics in collaboration with the DRDO Labs,  Research and Development Establishment (R&DE), Pune, and the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bengaluru, as technology demonstrators with their design inputs.
• Both are dual-use robots and have multiple use cases in both Industry and healthcare.
• Quadruped robots:
• They are four-legged robots that can walk or run on uneven and rough terrains.
• The robots can carry 25 kg in payload and walk along with the soldier.
• It is made for navigating in unstructured terrains to provide remote reconnaissance and inspection, which otherwise are not safe for humans to operate in.
• Exoskeleton:
• It is developed to suit Indian soldiers’ anthropometry and augment soldier strength for walking long distances.
• These active exoskeletons, when worn by soldiers, can carry heavy loads without expending much effort.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.