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

Recently, the ‘A-HELP’ (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production) programme was launched in the State of Uttarakhand. 

• It is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and the Ministry of Rural Development.
• ‘A-HELP’ are community-based women activists, who assist veterinarians in local departmental activities help livestock farmers to take loans for entrepreneurship development, fill out applications, mark the ear tagging of animals and register them in the INAF portal and help with insurance etc.
• They assist in implementing various schemes and in providing information to the farmers at the grassroots level.
• They will give vital contributions to preventing various infectious diseases of animals, artificial insemination under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), tagging animals and animal insurance.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Prime Minister of India referred to the Uttaramerur inscription in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, while discussing India’s democratic history.

• The famous inscription from Parantaka I’s (who belongs to the Chola dynasty)reign is found on the walls of the Vaikunda Perumal Temple.
• The inscription gives details of the functioning of the local Sabha, i.e., the village assembly.
• A Sabha was an assembly exclusively of Brahmans and had specialised committees tasked with different things.
• This gave details about how members were selected, the required qualifications, their roles and responsibilities, and even the circumstances in which they could be removed.
• Required qualifications:
  • It includes ownership of a certain amount of land, having a house, being between the age of 35 and 70 and “knowing mantras and Brahmanas” (from the Vedic corpus).
  • An exception can be made on land ownership if the person has learnt at least “one Veda and four Bhashyas”. One must also be “well-versed in business” and “virtuous”.

Hence both statements are correct.

1. Incorrect. Malaria can spread from one person to another through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. When the mosquito bites an infected person, it picks up the malaria parasites (Plasmodium species). When the same mosquito bites another person, it can transmit the parasites, causing malaria in the new host.

2. Correct. Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium species, which are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. There are five different species of Plasmodium that can cause malaria in humans, but the majority of cases are caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. The female Anopheles mosquito is the primary vector for transmitting the parasites to humans.

In conclusion, only statement 2 is correct. Malaria is caused by the female Anopheles mosquito, but it can indeed spread from one person to another through the bite of an infected mosquit

Recently, to ensure the timely disposal of criminal cases, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) e-prosecution portal (which is a part of the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System) has added a new feature that will also fix the accountability of government lawyers.

• What it is? It is a national platform for enabling the integration of the main IT system used for the delivery of Criminal Justice in the country by five pillars.
• Objective: It seeks to enable the seamless transfer of data and information among different pillars of the criminal justice system, like courts, police, jails and forensic science laboratories, from one platform.
• This system would be made available through a dedicated and secure cloud-based infrastructure with high-speed connectivity.
• Implementation: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) will be responsible for the implementation of the project in association with the National Informatics Center (NIC). 
• The project will be implemented in collaboration with the States and Union Territories.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) observed World Chagas Disease Day to raise awareness about this little-known disease that affects millions every year.

• It is also called American trypanosomiasis and is a communicable parasitic disease.
• It is caused by the parasite protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi.
• The disease is named after physician Carlos Chagas who first detected it in a Brazillian child in 1909.
• Symptoms:
• Fever, headaches, rashes and inflammatory nodules, nausea or diarrhoea and muscle or abdominal pain.
• Transmission of the disease:
• The parasites are mainly transmitted by a family of bugs called ‘triatomines’, also known as the ‘kissing bug’.
• An individual can also contract this disease through congenital transmission (pregnant woman to their baby), blood transfusions, organ transplantation, consumption of uncooked food contaminated with the faecal matter of infected bugs or even accidental laboratory exposure.
• The disease cannot propagate by casual contact with infected humans or animals. 
• There are currently no vaccines available for Chagas disease

Hence only statement 2 is correct

China recently tested a new hypersonic missile called DF-27. 

About DF 27:

• It is an hypersonic ballistic missile developed by China.
• Range: 5,000 to 8,000 kilometers meaning that it can  hit any target in the Asia-Pacific region.
• It has a “hypersonic glide” capability making it able to maneuver to escape missile defences.
• It is capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) will be held in Varanasi from 17 to 19 April 2023 which will feature MAHARISHI Initiative.

• The first meet of MACS was held in Mexico in 2012.
• The members of the MACS include ministries or governmental bodies responsible for agricultural research in the respective G20 states as well as leading research institutions which strategically advise these decision-makers.
• The theme of the 2023 meeting: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems for Healthy People and Planet.
• The MACS will discuss food and nutrition security, resilience to climate change, One Health approaches, digital agriculture, and public-private partnerships for research, education and extension.
• The meeting will also feature the MAHARISHI Initiative i.e., Millets And OtHer Ancient Grains International ReSearcH Initiative.

Hence both statements are correct.

India is going to buy 250 more Pralay ballistic missiles for the services to strengthen them on the northern borders, further boosting the firepower of the defence forces.

• It is a quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile.
• Range: It can hit targets 150-500 km away.
• Capacity: The missile can carry 350-700 kg of high-grade explosives.
• It is developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO)
• It is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor and other new technologies.
• The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation and integrated avionics.
•  It can change its path after covering a certain range in mid-air.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has been accorded the status of Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).

• It is the primary implementing agency of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India for Renewable Energy schemes/projects.
• It was established in the year 2011.
• It has awarded Renewable Energy (RE) project capacities of over 56 GW.
• It enjoys the highest credit rating of AAA by ICRA.
• Criteria for grant of Miniratna status to CPSEs
  • Miniratna Category-I status: The CPSEs which have made a profit in the last three years continuously, with a pre-tax profit is Rs.30 crores or more in at least one of the three years and have a positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna-I status.
  • Miniratna Category-II status: The CPSEs which have made a profit for the last three years continuously and have a positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna-II status.
  • Miniratna CPSEs should have not defaulted in the repayment of loans/interest payments on any loans due to the Government.
  • Miniratna CPSEs shall not depend upon budgetary support or Government guarantees.

Hence both statements are correct

Prime Minister recently said that with the help of the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) portal, the farmers will be able to decide the place, time and price of selling their products, and reduce the burden on the consumers.

About National Agriculture Market (e-NAM):

• It is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
• It was launched on 14th April 2016, and is completely funded by the Government of India.
• Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing eNAM under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.
• Vision: To promote uniformity in agriculture marketing by streamlining procedures across the integrated markets, removing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers and promoting real-time price discovery based on actual demand and supply.
• Mission: Integration of APMCs across the country through a common online market platform to facilitate pan-India trade in agriculture commodities, providing better price discovery through a transparent auction process based on the quality of produce along with timely online payment.
• Features:
• A National e-market platform for transparent sale transactions and price discovery in regulated markets, kisan mandis, warehouses and private markets.
• Liberal Licensing of traders/buyers and commission agents by State authorities without any pre-condition of physical presence or possession of shop/premises in the market yard.
• One license for a trader is valid across all markets in the State.
• Harmonization of quality standards of agricultural produce and provisions of assaying (quality testing) infrastructure in every market to enable informed bidding by buyers.
• Restriction of agriculture Produce Marketing Committee’s (APMC) jurisdiction to within the APMC market yard/sub yard instead of a geographical area (the market area) at present.
• Single point levy of market fees, i.e. on the first wholesale purchase from the farmer.

Hence both statements are correct.