Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 10, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the International Seabed Authority has decided that it will start taking permit applications from companies that want to mine the ocean floor.

• It is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• Mandate: It has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities.
• It has its headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.
• Its primary function is to regulate the exploration of poly-metallic nodules.
• Polymetallic nodules are rounded accretions of manganese and iron hydroxides that cover vast areas of the seafloor.
• These are most abundant on abyssal plains at water depths of 4000-6500 metres.
• They are mainly found in the north-central Pacific Ocean, the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and the northern Indian Ocean.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A ‘hybrid’ solar eclipse called the Ningaloo Eclipse is set to happen on April 20, 2023.

• A hybrid eclipse is a type of solar eclipse that looks like an annular solar eclipse or a total solar eclipse, depending on the observer's location along the central eclipse path.
• During a hybrid solar eclipse, the Earth's curvature brings some sections of the eclipse path into the Moon's umbra, the darkest part of its shadow that creates total solar eclipses, while other areas remain outside the umbra's reach, causing an annular eclipse.
• A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun while completely blocking the face of the Sun.
• It will be visible to the people located in the centre of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth.
• An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon is farthest from the Earth, which is why it seems smaller.
• In this type of eclipse, the moon does not block the sun completely but looks like a “dark disk on top of a larger sun-coloured disk” forming a “ring of fire.

Hence both statements are not correct.

Recently, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) issued an update to its Green Equity Approach (GEA) policy saying that it will no longer allow financial intermediary clients to support new coal projects.

• It was founded in 1956 with Washington, DC as its headquarters.
• It is a member of the World Bank Group.
• Mandate: Advance economic development and improve the lives of people by encouraging the growth of the private sector in developing countries.
• Functions: It helps countries develop their private sectors in a variety of ways
  • Investing in companies through loans, equity investments, debt securities and guarantees.
  • Mobilizing capital from other lenders and investors through loan participations, parallel loans and other means.
  • Advising businesses and governments to encourage private investment and improve the investment climate.
• Governance: The IFC is owned and governed by its member countries. It is a corporation whose shareholders are member governments that provide paid-in capital and have the right to vote on its matters.
• The President of the World Bank Group is also the President of the IFC.
• India is a member of this corporation but not a member of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of the world bank group.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, India has been elected to the highest statistical body of the United Nations for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2024.

• It was established in 1947(HQ: New York) and is the highest body of the global statistical system.
• It brings together the Chief Statisticians from member states from around the world.
• Functions:
  • It is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities, responsible for setting statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at the national and international levels.
  • The Statistical Commission oversees the work of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), and it is a Functional Commission of the UN Economic and Social Council.
• Membership: The Commission consists of 24 member countries of the United Nations elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council based on an equitable geographical distribution according to the following pattern:
• The term of office of members is four years.
• India was a member of the Statistical Commission last in 2004 and the country is returning to the UN agency after a gap of two decades.

Hence both statements are correct.

Hikikomori, a phenomenon of social withdrawal, is spreading rapidly in Japan.

About Hikikomori:

• It is a term used to describe people who have withdrawn from society, often for a period of six months or longer.
• It is associated with feelings of anxiety, depression, and social phobia.
• It is thought to be a response to the pressures of modern society, including high academic expectations, intense competition, and social isolation.
• Effects:
• It can lead to further mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, and can make it difficult for individuals to reintegrate into society.
• Hikikomori can also have long-term effects on individuals' social and economic prospects, making it harder for them to find work or form relationships.
• Hikikomori can lead to reduced productivity and can make it harder for individuals to contribute to the wider economy.
• It can also exacerbate demographic challenges, including an aging population and a declining birth rate.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A recent study carried out by the researchers were able to achieve the most accurate calibration of Cepheid stars.

About Cepheid star:

• It is a type of variable star which brigthen and dim periodically.
• Variable stars are essentially stars that experience fluctuations in their brightness
• Cepheids stars are special type of variable star in that they are hot and massive – five to twenty times as much mass as our Sun – and are known for their tendency to pulsate radially and vary in both diameter and temperature.
• Cepheid star's period (how often it pulsates) is directly related to its luminosity or brightness.
• They have luminosities 500-30,000 times greater than that of the Sun.
• They are used as cosmic yardsticks out to distances of a few tens of millions of light-years.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket (ER-ASR) designed by two Pune-based facilities of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was recently successfully test-fired for the first time.

About Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket (ER-ASR):

• It was designed and developed by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).
• It is designed to intercept submarines at specific depths.
• It will be deployed in anti-submarine operations and will be fired from an indigenised rocket launcher mounted onboard various Indian naval ships.
• It can be fired in single or in salvo mode depending on the tactical mission requirements
• It has been designed to replace the existing Russian origin RGB rockets which are already fitted in ships.
• While the RGB has a range of five kilometers, the ER-ASR can achieve a range over eight kilometers.
• It consists of two motor propulsion systems which can fire the rocket in Short Range mode and Long Range mode to achieve different range capabilities.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, a five-member committee of MLAs has been formed by the state government of Himachal Pradesh to conduct a thorough study of cannabis cultivation and submit a report within a month.

• What is cannabis? Cannabis refers to a group of three plants with psychoactive properties, known as Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.
• Cannabis is made up of more than 120 components, which are known as cannabinoids but experts have a pretty good understanding of two of them, known as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
• The Mexican term 'marijuana' is frequently used in referring to cannabis leaves or other crude plant material in many countries.
• The unpollinated female plants are called hashish. Cannabis oil (hashish oil) is a concentrate of cannabinoids obtained by solvent extraction of the crude plant material or of the resin.
• In India farming of cannabis has been legalised in Uttarakhand, and controlled cultivation of cannabis is also being done in some districts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• Legal Provisions in India
• The central law that deals with cannabis (weed or marijuana) in India is the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, of 1985.
• The NDPS Act prohibits the sale and production of cannabis resin and flowers, but the use of leaves and seeds of the cannabis plant is permitted.
• The states have the power to regulate and form the state rules for it.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the secretary of the Department of Biotechnology said that under the Genome India project, close to 7,000 genomes have been sequenced and 3,000 of these are already available for public access.

• The Genome India project is a Pan India initiative focused on the Whole Genome Sequencing of representative populations across India.
• Goal: The goal is to start with and executes whole genome sequencing and subsequent data analysis of 10,000 individuals representing the country’s diverse population. 
• This is a mission-mode, multi-institution consortium project, the first of its kind in India supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
• A genome is the complete set of genetic information in an organism.
• In living organisms, the genome is stored in long molecules of DNA called chromosomes.
• In humans, the genome consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes located in the cell’s nucleus, as well as a small chromosome in the cell’s mitochondria.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, a report of the committee of experts appointed by the Kerala High Court regarding human-elephant conflict stated that traditional settlements of the Muthuvan tribal community have coexisted with the wild animals in Chinnakkanal. 

• The Muthuvan people live on the border hill forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• They speak slightly two different dialects and call each other Malayalam Muthuvan and Pandi Muthuvan.
• Muthuvan are animists and spirit worshippers and also worship the forest gods.
• They believe that the spirits of their ancestors are to be the first migrants to the hill forests.
• The Muthuvan tribe has a unique system of governance called the 'Kani System'.
• Under this system, each village is headed by a 'Kani', who is responsible for the administration of the village.
• They have expertise in traditional medicines which are very effective and these medicines and the medicine men are confidentially preserved and passed on to the generations.
• Occupation: Agriculture is the main occupation of these Muthuvan tribes, producing quite a number of products like ragi, cardamom and lemon grass.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.