Test: Current Affairs- 1 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, Surgical oncologist Padma Shri Dr R. Ravi Kannan, Director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC) in Assam, received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2023. Established in 1957, Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia's highest honor and premier prize. It celebrates individuals who demonstrate exceptional spirit in serving the people of Asia, regardless of their background. The award is presented annually on 31stAugust, which coincides with the birthday of Ramon Magsaysay, the third president of the Republic of the Philippines, who inspired its creation. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

Theaward initially featured six categories, including “Government Service”, “PublicService”, “Community Leadership”,“Journalism,Literature,and Creative Communication Arts”,“Peaceand International Understanding”, and “Emergent Leadership”. However,post-2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is nolonger being given in fixed Award categories, except for Emergent Leadership. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

In1958BhavewasthefirstrecipientoftheinternationalRamonMagsaysayAwardforCommunity Leadership. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Only one statement is correct from the above statements that is the PMJDY had indeed brought a significant number of people into the formal banking system, with women constituting a substantial portion of the account holders. The numbers regarding total accounts and the proportion belonging to women have been accurate in various reports, indicating the vast impact of PMJDY. Through Jan Dhan accounts, over 50crore people have been brought into the formal banking system, with half of these accounts belonging to women. 

One Nation, One Election (ONOE) Plan Panel: There has been discussion in India about moving towards a "One Nation, One Election" system, which proposes holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament) and state assemblies. However, as of my last update, no specific panel under the direction of former President Ram Nath Kovind was officially announced for this purpose. The government of India has considered the idea and discussed it in various forums, but any specific panel or committee's formation would need verification from the latest, credible sources.

Terms of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies: The terms of the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies in India are indeed set at five years, unless dissolved sooner. However, the specific articles of the Indian Constitution that set these terms are Article 83 for the Lok Sabha (Parliament) and Article 172 for the State Legislatures, not Articles 82(2) and 173 as mentioned. Article 82 deals with the readjustment of seats after each census, and Article 173 sets the qualifications for membership of the state legislatures.

The correct statement is 1 only.

The National eGovernance Division (NeGD), a branch of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is embarking on a mission to integrate Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL) into the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform. DIKSHA, overseen by the Ministry of Education, serves as an online repository of educational content for schools, but it is currently static. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

PAL, on the other hand, employs AI to offer students personalised learning experiences tailored to their individual needs and abilities. Hence, statement 1 is  correct.

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): The UNWTO is an intergovernmental organization based in Madrid, Spain, and has 159 Member States. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization. It ‎meets every two years to approve the budget and programme of work and to debate ‎topics of vital importance to the tourism sector. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

• The Global Fund is a worldwide movement to defeat HIV, TB and malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, more equitable future for all.
• The Global Fund pools the world’s resources to invest in ending AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics.
• It is a partnership of governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by the diseases.
• The Global Fund raises funds on a 3 year cycle, bringing longer term predictability in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria.
• The fund provides the advanced pill known as TLD for under 45 USD per person per year.

The Correct Answer is b 

Statement 1 is Correct

• Asbestos is a generic term for a group of six silicate minerals with similar but distinct properties.
• These are generally divided into two sub- groups; serpentine and amphiboles.
• Serpentine asbestos (chrysotile or white asbestos) was the most commonly used type of asbestos.

Statement 2 is Correct

Properties:

• These are resistant to heat and corrosion. It is non-flammable even at very high temperatures and is extremely flexible and durable.
• It has good tensile strength.
• It has low heat conductivity and high resistance to electricity.

Statement 3 is Incorrect

• India's asbestos requirement is met through imports from Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil and China.
• Russia and Kazakhstan produce the largest volumes of asbestos in the world, totaling 700,000 metric tons and 230,000 metric tons, respectively, in 2022.

• Pulikkali (Tiger Dance) is one among the folk art forms of Kerala.
• On the fourth day of Onam festival, artists paint their bodies like tigers with stripes of yellow, red and black and dance to the rhythm of traditional percussion instruments such as thakil, udukku and chenda.
• The Swaraj Ground in Thrissur district plays host to this carnival that has people appearing in various unique hues and masks.
• The main theme of this folk art is tiger hunting with participants playing the role of tiger and hunter.
• It was introduced by the erstwhile ruler of Cochin, Maharaja Rama Varma Sakthan Thampuran.

• Stem cell therapy is a form of regenerative medicine designed to repair damaged cells within the body by reducing inflammation and modulating the immune system.
• Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the most common U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved stem cell-based therapy which treats blood cancers like leukaemia.
• Stem cells can also be regenerative therapy for severe skin burns and seriously damaged corneas.
• Stem cell therapy, a type of regenerative medicine, utilizes stem cells or their derivatives to stimulate the body’s own healing processes and repair damaged, diseased or injured tissue.
• Stem cell therapy to treat autism is very much at an experimental stage and currently there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Stem cells is characterized by their self-renewal capacity and ability to differentiate into various cell types, hold immense potential in the field of regenerative medicine and medical research.

It is a large, nocturnal, flightless, lek-breeding parrot
Appearance:

• It has a pale owl-like face.
• It consists moss green mottled with yellow and black above, and similar but more yellow below.
• The bill is grey, and the legs and feet grey with pale soles.
• These are remarkable and unusual birds, found only in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• They only breed every few years, triggered by the availability of certain forest foods such as the fruits of the native rimu tree.

Threats:

• This bird suffers from diseases such as the fungal infection aspergillosis and many of their eggs are infertile.

Conservation status

• IUCN: Critically Endangered
• A lek is an aggregation of males that gather to engage in competitive displays that may entice visiting females who are surveying prospective partners for copulation.
• Aspergillosis is a group of fungal infections caused by the Aspergillus species. These fungi are commonly found in the environment, particularly in soil, decaying vegetation, and compost piles.

Statement 1 Correct:

• The Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It was launched during 2020-21.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJ&E).

Statement 2 Correct:

The main objective of the Scheme is to enhance competency level of the target groups to make them employable both in self- employment and wage-employment for their socio-economic development.
It is a National Action Plan for skilling marginalized persons covering SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs, Sanitation workers including waste pickers.

Target Group:

• Artisans- who may be able to improve their revenue generation capacities within their practicing vocations;
• Women- who may be able to enter into self-employment and financially empower themselves without neglecting their domestic activities; and
• Youth- who may acquire long-term training and specialization in employable vocations and gain a better standing in the job market.
• The age criterion of scheme between 18-45 years and income criteria is no income limit for SCs, SafaiKaramcharis Including waste picker and DNT.
• The annual family income should be below Rs.3 lakh for OBCs and the EBCs (Economically Backward Classes) annual family income below Rs.1 lakh.

Statement 1 Correct:

• The term ‘Ecocide’ translates to ‘killing one’s home’ or ‘environment’.
• Such ‘killing’ could include port expansion projects that destroy fragile marine life and local livelihoods, deforestation, illegal sand mining, polluting rivers with untreated sewage.

Statement 2 Incorrect:

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court deals with 4 atrocities:

• Genocide
• Crimes against humanity
• War crimes
• Crime of aggression

The provision on war crimes is the only statute that can hold a perpetrator responsible for environmental damage, although if it is intentionally caused and during wartime situations.

There is no accepted legal definition of ecocide.

Ecocide is a crime in 11 countries which doesn’t include India.

Statement 1 Incorrect:

•  The Minister of State for Defence released the Maritime Infrastructure Perspective Plan (MIPP) 2023-37

Statement 2 Correct:

• MIPP aims to synchronize and enmesh the infrastructure requirements of the Navy through a comprehensive perspective plan model for the next 15 years.
• The Plan Document is aligned with the Government’s vision on creation of sustainable infrastructure.
• It is also in compliances with broader policy directives on PM Gati Shakti project, disaster resilience, transition to net zero, etc.

Gujarat Declaration

• The declaration reaffirmed global commitments towards indigenous knowledge, biodiversity and traditional complementary and integrative medicine.

Gujarat declaration talks about scaling up efforts to further implement:

• Evidence-based TCIM (Traditional complimentary integrative medicine) interventions,
• Approaches in support of the goal of universal health coverage (UHC) and
• All health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• It states the role of multi-regional, multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder collaborations demonstrated at the Global Summit.
• It is aligned with and complementary to the work of WHO major offices, to maximize evidence based benefits of TCIM in global health.
• It also strives enable the artificial intelligence (AI) in particular, to advance digital health resources on TCIM for people’s health and well-being.
• The 1st global summit on Traditional Medicine was organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and co-hosted by the Ministry of Ayush at Gandhinagar, Gujarat in august 2023.

Gilbert Hill:

• It is a 200-foot monolith column of black basalt rock located at Andheri in Mumbai.
• The rock has a sheer vertical face and was formed when molten lava was squeezed out of the Earth’s clefts during the Mesozoic Era about 66 million years ago.
• It was declared a National Park in 1952, while the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation categorised it as a Grade II heritage structure in 2007.
• The ‘hill’ is only one of three outcrops of volcanic rock worldwide.
• Arguably the oldest heritage site in the country in its original form, Gilbert Hill has a few temples and a small garden atop. These are accessed by a steep staircase carved into the rock.

Key Facts about Mesozoic Era:

• It is one of the major geologic eras in Earth’s history, lasting approximately from 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago.
• It is also known as the “Age of Dinosaurs” because dinosaurs were the dominant land animals during this time.
• The Mesozoic Era was divided into three periods:
• Triassic Period (252 to 201 million years ago)
• Jurassic Period (201 to 145 million years ago)
• Cretaceous Period (145 to 66 million years ago)

Kangra Paintings

• Kangra painting is the pictorial art of Kangra, named after Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, a former princely state, which patronized the art.
• It became prevalent with the fading of Basohli school of painting in mid-18th century, and soon produced such a magnitude in paintings both in content as well as volume, that the Pahari painting school, came to be known as Kangra paintings.

Cheriyal Scroll Paintings

• Cheriyal Scroll Painting is a stylized version of Nakashi art, rich in the local motifs peculiar to the Telangana.
• They are at present made only in Hyderabad, Telangana,  The scrolls are painted in a narrative format, much like a film roll or a comic strip, depicting stories from Indian mythology, and intimately tied to the shorter stories from the Puranas and Epics.
• Painted in vivid hues, mostly primary colors, with a predominance of red in the background, the paintings are characterised by the unbridled imagination of the local artisans who were not constrained by the academic rigour that characterised the more classical Tanjore painting and Mysore painting.
• Cheriyal scroll painting received Intellectual Property Rights Protection or Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2007
• Rogan
• The word Rogan means “Oil” in Persian. With origins in Persia, it came to Kutch around 300 years ago.
• This rare craft is practised by a lone Muslim family, the Khatris of Nirona Village, Gujarat.

Technique:

• Rogan is a form of textile painting which uses a rich, brightly coloured paint made from castor oil and natural colors. Castor is a crop commonly grown in the Kutch region of Gujarat and the artists source it from the local farmers.

Warli

• Warli is a traditional art form of Maharashtra.
• Its roots can be traced to as early as the 10th century A.D.
• These paintings are distinctive with their vivid contrast expressions.
• These paintings are mainly dominated by basic geometric shapes like circles, triangles and squares.
• These geometric shapes stand as a symbol of natural elements in our environment.
• People and animals are represented by two inverted triangles joined together, where the upper triangle is the torso and the lower triangle is the pelvis.

Statement 1 Correct:

• It is an India-led Initiative to develop an alliance of Governments, International organizations and Industry to facilitate adoption of biofuels.
• A total of 19 countries and 12 international organizations have so far agreed to join the alliance, including both G20 members and non-member countries.
• India, Brazil and the US are the founding members of the alliance.

Statement 2 Incorrect:

• India proposed the creation of a Global Biofuels Alliance during the G20 summit.
• This Alliance will be aimed at facilitating cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector.

• It is the bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France.
• This bilateral exercise between the two navies was initiated in 1993.
• It was named ‘VARUNA’ in 2001 and has become a hallmark of India France strategic bilateral relationship.
• The exercise witnessed participation of guided missile frigates, tanker, Maritime Patrol Aircraft and integral helicopters from the two sides.
• The exercise was conducted over three days and witnessed joint operations, underway replenishment and various tactical manoeuvres.
• Units of both navies endeavoured to enhance and hone their war fighting skills, improve interoperability and demonstrate their ability to promote peace, security and stability in the region.
• The first phase of ‘Varuna-2023’ was conducted off India’s Western Seaboard from 16 to 20 Jan 23.
• The exercise also facilitates operational level interaction between the two Navies to foster mutual cooperation for good order at sea, underscoring the shared commitment to ensuring security, safety and freedom of the global maritime commons.

• It is a mountainous country of western North Africa that lies directly across the Strait of Gibraltar.
• It retains much of its ancient architecture and even more of its traditional customs.
• Morocco’s largest city and major Atlantic Ocean port is Casablanca, an industrial and commercial centre.
• Capital: Rabat
• It borders Algeria to the east and southeast, Western Sahara to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.
• It is the only African country with coastal exposure to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
• Two small Spanish enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, are situated on the country’s northern coast.
• Major mountain ranges: Atlas and Rif
• Spoken Languages: Arabic and Amazigh (Tamazight).
• Religion: Predominantly Islam with a rich Islamic heritage.
• Political System: Morocco has a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses.
• Economy: The Moroccan economy remains heavily dependent on the export of raw materials.

India-Middle East-Europe Economic corridor:

• The project includes India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and the US.
• The project will aim to enable greater trade among the involved countries, including energy products.
• The IMEC comprises an Eastern Corridor connecting India to the Gulf region and a Northern Corridor connecting the Gulf region to Europe.
• It will include a railway and ship-rail transit network and road transport routes.
• The corridor will include a rail link as well as an electricity cable, a hydrogen pipeline and a high-speed data cable.
• In the coming times, it will be a major medium of economic integration between India, West Asia and Europe.
• The rail and shipping corridor is part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment (PGII)

Significance

• It would increase prosperity among the countries involved through an increased flow of energy and digital communications.
• The project would help deal with the lack of infrastructure needed for growth in lower- and middle-income nations.

Statement 1 Correct:

• Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA) is a collaborative digital public good which provides open access to key geospatial datasets pertinent to climate resilient agriculture.
• It is curated by UNDP and partner organizations to inform public investments in agriculture, and already provides intelligence on climate resilience for 50 million hectares of farmland across India.
• It is guided by the digital public good principles of open access, open software, open code and open APIs.
• It uses cutting edge data science and machine learning to identify farms that are resilient to climate change and those that are highly vulnerable.

Statement 2 Incorrect:

• By partnering for enhancing and scaling its use, NABARD will host and maintain the DiCRA platform and use its key geospatial datasets for policy making, research and development activities, with UNDP’s technical support.
• This five-year technical cooperation is envisaged to foster collective climate action, create innovative platforms and new product offerings to enhance economic empowerment in rural India.
• Such open data innovations can highlight best practices, optimize agriculture investments and shelter populations from risk.

• The OIML stands for International Organisation of Legal Metrology. Established in 1955 and headquartered in Paris.
• The OIML is an international standard-setting body.
• It develops model regulations, standards and related documents for use by legal metrology authorities and industry.
• It is an intergovernmental treaty organization that provides mutual recognition systems which reduce trade barriers and costs in a global market.
• OIML has 63 Member States.
• It plays a crucial role in harmonising national laws and regulations on the performance of measuring instruments such as:
  • Clinical thermometers
  • Alcohol breath analysers,
  • Radar speed measuring instruments,
  • Ship tanks found at ports and
  • Petrol dispensing unit.
• OIML is a single certificate accepted worldwide.
• OIML-CS is a system for issuing, registering and using OIML certificates, and their associated OIML type evaluation/test reports, for instruments like digital balance, clinical thermometers, etc.
• With the addition of India, the number of countries authorised to issue OIML certificates has increased to 13.
• India
• India became a member of the OIML in 1956.
• India signed the metric convention in 1956.
• India has recently became OIML certificate issuing authority which will help the Indian economy in several ways, including:
• Increase in exports,
• Earning of foreign exchange and
• Generation of employment.
• Since only 13 countries are authorised for OIML certification, neighbouring countries and manufacturers can come to India to get their certification done.

• Harami Nala is a 22-kilometer tidal channel that serves as a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. The channel carries water and mud and is inhabited by protected marine species. Vast marshy mudflats surround it, with temperatures reaching above 50° Celsius in summer.
• Sir Creek, originally Ban Ganga, is a 96-km tidal estuary in the uninhabited marshlands of the Indus River Delta on the border between India and Pakistan. The creek flows into the Arabian Sea and separates Gujarat state in India from Sindh province in Pakistan.

Statement 1 Correct:

• National Judicial Data Grid portal (NJDG) is the national repository of all case related information pertaining to the Supreme Court, High Courts, District and Taluka Courts.
• NJDG has been developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) in close coordination with the in-house software development team of the Computer Cell, Registry.

Statement 2 Correct: 

• It is the flagship project under the e-Courts project.
• The entire database shall be periodically updated on the NJDG portal.
• The portal provide access to case related information, statistics such as institution, pendency and disposal of cases, case-types, year-wise break-up of the Supreme Court of India.
• NJDG is the only website which offers single window access to the entire information relating to cases and Courts starting from the Taluka level Courts to the Apex Court of our country in a searchable manner.

• The concept of AoR was introduced by the SCwith the power given to it under Article 145(1) of the Indian Constitution, which states that the SC may, from time to time, make rules for regulating the practices and procedures in the court.
• “Advocate on record” is a title given to an advocate who can represent a cause or pleading before the SC.
• Only these advocates are entitled to file any matter or document before the SC. They can also file an appearance or act for a party in the SC.
• No other High Court in India has a similar provision.
• Order IV rule 5 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 lays down the requirements to be fulfilled to become an AoR. They are as follows:
  • The Advocate is required to be enrolled with any State Bar Council.
  • The Advocate is required to have a prior experience of at least 4 years.
  • The Advocate has undergone a training of 1 year under a senior AoR.
  • The Advocate has appeared for the examination conducted by the SC.
  • The Advocate is required to have an office in Delhi within a radius of 10 miles from the SC house and give an undertaking to employ a clerk, who shall be a registered clerk, within one month of being registered as an advocate on record.
• Once registered, an AOR is issued a unique identification number that must be used on all documents filed in the SC.
• Whether an Advocate is allowed to assist in a matter held before the SC?
• An advocate is allowed to assist, brief, collect all documents related to the case and help in the drafting as well.
• He can also argue and plead a case with the instructions of an AoR.
• Only the filing of a case under his Vakalatnama is restricted.

• It is a multi-disciplinary organization under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• It consists of experts in the fields of accountancy, forensic auditing, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital market and taxation.

Objective: For detecting and prosecuting or recommending for prosecution white-collar crimes and frauds.

History: It was setup in 2003 on the basis of recommendations of Naresh Chandra Committee on corporate governance in the backdrop of stock market scams, failure of non-financial banking companies and the phenomena of vanishing companies and plantation companies.

Investigation into the affairs of a company is assigned to SFIO, where the Government is of the opinion that it is necessary to investigate into the affairs of a company-

• On receipt of a report of the Registrar or inspector under section 208 of the Companies Act, 2013
• On intimation of a special resolution passed by a company that its affairs are required to be investigated
• In the public interest or on request from any department of the Central Government or a State Government
• Function and Roles:
• Section 211 of the Companies Act, 2013, has accorded statutory status to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
• SFIO also has powers to arrest people for the violation of the Company law.

Statement 1 Correct:

• The Psyche mission is a journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
• What makes the asteroid Psyche unique is that it appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, one of the building blocks of our solar system.

Statement 1 Corect: 

• As per the Outer Space Treaty, a state or other legal entity cannot own a planet or space object (such as an asteroid), but such entities can extract and sell resources derived from these objects for private profit.

Liptako-Gourma Charter

• The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger has recently signed a mutual defence pact, Liptako-Gourma Charter in Mali’s capital Bamako.
• AES – The Charter established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
• Aim – It aims to establish architecture of collective defence and mutual assistance.
• Binding – The charter binds the signatories to assist one another — including militarily — in the event of an attack on any one of them.
• It also binds the 3 countries to work to prevent or settle armed rebellions.

Liptako-Gourma Region

• The region is the meeting point of the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger
• Armed rebellion – The region has been ravaged by jihadist insurgency which erupted in northern Mali in 2012 and later spreaded to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Statement 1 Incorrect:

• It is located in the state of Kerala.
• It is surrounded by Eravikulam National park, Pampadum Shola National park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Mathikettan Shola Park.
• Flora: The place is home to around 174 species of herbs and shrubs, 62 species of trees and around 40 species of climbers of which quite a few of them are endemic.

Statement 1 Correct:
Vegetation:

• It consists of southern subtropical hill forests, southern montane wet temperate forests and moist deciduous forests.
• The unique thing in the dense shola woods that houses a dense patch of stunted trees will be the luxurious presence of lichen, mosses, and climbers.
• Fauna: Leopards, civet cats, wolves, Indian bison, wild boars, elephants, tigers, Panther, and sloth bears etc.

• It is a manned submersible vehicle developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai.
• It was developed under the Samudrayaan mission to facilitate humans in the deep ocean in exploring mineral resources.
• It would make India only one among six countries (US, Russia, Japan, France, and China) to have piloted a crewed under-sea expedition beyond 5,000 metres.

Objectives:

• It will look at chemosynthetic biodiversity in hydrothermal vents and low-temperature methane seeps in the ocean.
• It will also promote tourism and ocean literacy.

Features:

• It is designed with the capability of operating in the deep sea for 12 hours, while in case of emergency, it can also operate up to 96 hours with all the necessary measures for human safety.
• Made of 80mm-thick titanium alloy, it will be able to withstand a pressure 600 times greater than that at sea level.
• It relies only on gravity, water, and lithium-ion batteries for power.
• It will also feature the ultra-short baseline acoustic positioning system (USBL). This will allow the mothership carrying the transponder to send information and the submersible to respond, which will then let the mothership know where the submersible is.
• This is a flotation device that will rise to the top of the ocean — thus helping to find the submersible even in case it cannot resurface.