Daily Current Affairs MCQ- March 18, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Prime Minister of Inida has paid homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Jayanti.

About Chhatrapati Shivaji:

• The founder of the Maratha Kingdom, Shivaji was born to be a natural leader and fighter on 19th February, 1630 in the prestigious Shivneri Fort.
• He was known as the Father of Indian Navy, Shivaji was the first to realise the importance of having a naval force, and therefore he strategically established a navy and forts at the coastline to defend the Konkan side of Maharashtra.
• The secular ruler was very accommodating of all religions. He had numerous Muslim soldiers in his army.
• Shivaji was a dependable supporter of women and their honour. Anyone under his rule caught violating woman's rights was severely punished.
• He had a council of ministers (Asht Pradhan) to advise him on the matters of the state but he was not bound by it.

He was called as the 'Mountain Rat' and was widely known for his guerrilla warfare tactics. He was called so because of his awareness in geography of his land, and guerrilla tactics like raiding, ambushing and surprise attacks on his enemies.

Hence both statements are correct.

The government is going to set up north India's first nuclear plant in Haryana.

About Gorakhpur Nuclear Power Plants:

• It is located at Gorakhpur village of Fatehabad district in Haryana, which is about 150 km north of the national capital.
• It will have two units of 700 MWe capacity each of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) indigenous design.

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR)

• It is a nuclear power reactor, commonly using unenriched natural uranium as its fuel, that uses heavy water (deuterium oxide D2O) as its coolant and moderator.
• The heavy water coolant is kept under pressure, allowing it to be heated to higher temperatures without boiling, much as in a typical pressurized water reactor.
• While heavy water is significantly more expensive than ordinary light water, it yields greatly enhanced neutron economy, allowing the reactor to operate without fuel enrichment facilities (mitigating the additional capital cost of the heavy water) and generally enhancing the ability of the reactor to efficiently make use of alternate fuel cycles.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairy said in a statement that Phase-III, "Sagar Parikrama," will start from Surat, Gujarat's Hazira Port.

About Sagar Parikrama:

• It is an initiative of Government of India, aiming to resolve the issues of the fishers and other stakeholders and facilitate their economic upliftment through various fisheries schemes and programs being implemented by the Government of India such as PMMSY.
• Sagar Parikrama is an evolutionary journey envisaged in the sea across the coastal belt demonstrating solidarity with all fisherfolk, fish farmers and concerned stakeholder’s as a spirit of 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
• The Parikrama shall be accompanied by the State Fisheries officials, Fishermen representatives, Fish-Farmers entrepreneurs, stakeholders, professionals, officials and Scientists from across the nation.
• Phase III program of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ will cover mainly the coastal areas of Maharashtra and Gujrat.
• The Phase –I and Phase- II programmes of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ has been organized in March 2022 and September 2022 respectively.

Hence both statements are correct.

The latest publication of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) reveals that Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas are home to more than one-third of all types of rhododendrons found in India.

Key facts about Rhododendrons:

• What is it? They are a diverse genus of about 1,000 species of woody flowering plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), notable for their attractive flowers and handsome foliage.
• Distribution: They are native to the temperate regions of Asia, North America, and Europe, as well as to the tropical regions of southeast Asia and northern Australia. 
• Habitat: They occur in a variety of habitats, including alpine regions, coniferous and broadleaved woodlands, temperate rain forests, and even tropical jungle conditions. 
• They also require a slightly acid soil to grow well.
• They exhibit an enormous diversity of size and shape, from prostrate ground covers growing no more than a few inches high to trees more than 100 feet tall. 
• There are 132 taxa (80 species, 25 subspecies and 27 varieties) of rhododendrons found in India.

Rhododendron, also known as "Lali Guras" in local language, is the national flower of Nepal and the state tree of the state of Uttarakhand in India.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Russia has recently proposed to manufacture its Sukhoi Superjet civil aircraft in India.

About Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100):

• It is a twin-engined regional aircraft with a capacity of maximum 98 passengers.
• It is developed by the Russian manufacturer Sukhoi JSC.
• It had its maiden flight in 2008 and its first commercial service three years later.
• It has maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.81 and maximum altitude of 12,500m. 
• The SSJ100 is available in basic (95B) and long range (95LR) variants, serving short to medium range routes between 3,279-4,620 km.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

According to the latest data from the forest department, the count of the Sarus Cranes has increased by 98 per cent from around 500 in 2015 to nearly 992 in 2022 in the wetlands of Matar Taluka in Kheda.

About Sarus Crane:

• It is the tallest flying bird in the world.
• Scientific name: Grus Antigone
• Distribution: They live in Southeast Asia, northern India and in northern Australia.
• Habitat: They live mainly in wetlands such as canals, marshes and ponds, sometimes near humans.
• Features:
• It is 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan of 240cm.
• It has a predominantly grey plumage with a naked red head and upper neck and pale red legs.
• It weighs 6.8-7.8 Kgs.
• They are regarded as the least social crane species, found mostly in pairs or small groups of three or four. 
• They are monogamous birds and pairs mate for life.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972:  Schedule IV 

Hence both statements are not correct.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council recently accepted the Group of Ministers’ (GoM) recommendations on long pending constitution of GST appellate tribunal in the country.

About GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT):

• The Central Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017 (CGST Act) in Section 109 mandates for the constitution of a GSTAT and its Benches.
• The GSTAT will be the specialized appellate authority for resolving disputes under the GST laws.
• Composition:
• The GST Tribunal will have one principal bench in New Delhi and as many benches or boards in states as decided by each state, subject to approval of the council.
• North-eastern states could opt for one bench for 2-3 states and an additional bench for very far-flung areas.
• The principal bench and state boards would have two technical and two judicial members each, with equal representation from the Centre and states.
• All four members would not sit for hearing each case. It depends on the threshold or value of dues involved.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The first meeting of the digital competition law committee will be held on February 22.

• The Government of India has constituted a committee to study the requirement of the digital competition law and give suggestions regarding competition norms.
• The panel will be headed by the secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). 
• Committee Members: It is a 16-member committee of union secretaries, law experts, and industry stakeholders.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) will provide secretarial and research assistance and logistic support to the panel.
• The Competition Commission of India has been established to enforce the competition law under the Competition Act of 2002.
• The Commission consists of a Chairperson and not more than 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, one of the instruments on NASA's Parker Solar Probe powered down unexpectedly and the mission team expects it to come back online soon.

• It was launched in 2018 and will travel through the sun’s atmosphere, closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it.
• It will trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind.
• Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind.
• Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

According to the recent water bird census, the Harike wetland witnessed a decline in migratory birds' arrival this year.

• Harike Wildlife Sanctuary also locally known as "Hari-ke-Pattan" is one of the largest wetlands in northern India.
• It is situated at the confluence of two major rivers of Punjab Sutlej and Beas.
• Harike wetland came into existence in 1953 due to the construction of a barrage on River Sutlej.
• It has been designated as one of the Ramsar sites in India.
• This is a man-made, riverine wetland spreads across three districts of Punjab i.e., Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Kapurthala.

Hence both statements are correct.