Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 22, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “VAJRA PRAHAR 2023” commenced at the Joint Training Node, Umroi , Meghalaya.

• It is a joint exercise conducted between Indian Army and US Army Special Forces.
• It aims at sharing best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics.
• It is the 14th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “VAJRA PRAHAR 2023” commenced at the Joint Training Node, Umroi
• The US contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) of US Special Forces. The Indian Army contingent is led by Special Forces personnel from the Eastern Command.
• The first edition was conducted in the year 2010 in India and the 13th edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise was conducted at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS), Bakloh (HP).
• The current edition is being conducted in Umroi Cantonment, Meghalaya from 21st November to 11th December 2023.
• Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR has evolved as a mechanism to exchange ideas and share best practices between the Special Forces of both the nations.
• It is also a platform to enhance inter-operability and strengthen defence cooperation between the armies of India and the United States of America.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the cost of funds for banks and non-bank financial companies (NBFCs), by increasing the risk weight of such loans.

• It is the every rupee lent by the bank is a cost or has an implication on its capital position. 
• Risk-Weighted Assets: These are used to determine the minimum amount of capital a bank must hold in relation to the risk profile of its lending activities and other assets.
• The Reserve Bank of India decided in April 1992 to introduce a risk asset ratio system for banks (including foreign banks) in India as a capital adequacy measure in line with the Capital Adequacy Norms prescribed by Basel Committee.
• Impacts
• Lower the risk weight, lower the rate of interest. Therefore, risk weights impact borrowers indirectly and is felt through the pricing of loans.
• The increase in risk weights by the RBI will elevate funding costs for NBFCs and impact capital requirements.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, various government and non-governmental organisations in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab have released Gambusia fish into local water bodies to address a mosquito menace.

• It is known as mosquito fish, is widely used as a biological agent for controlling mosquito larvae.
• It is native to the waters of the south-eastern United States.
• It has been a part of mosquito-control strategies for over a century in various parts of the world, including India.
• A single full-grown fish eats about 100 to 300 mosquito larvae per day.
• Also, it has been part of various malaria control strategies in India since 1928, including the Urban Malaria Scheme.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature declare Gambusia one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world. 

Key points about Malaria

• It is a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
• The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
• Transmission
• The plasmodium parasite is spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which are known as "night-biting" mosquitoes because they most commonly bite between dusk and dawn.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to launch the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) to study ‘air glow’ to understand space weather.

• It is a first-of-its-kind NASA experimental attempt aimed at studying the interactions between terrestrial and Space weather.
• It is planned under NASA’s Heliophysics Explorers Program, this mission will study the links between how waves in the lower layers of the atmosphere impact the upper atmosphere, and thus, Space weather.
• It will be launched and mounted on the exterior of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
• From the vantage point, it will look down at the Earth and record the colourful light bands, commonly known as airglow.
• The new NASA mission will try to understand the combination of forces that drive the Space weather in the upper atmosphere.
• It will measure the airglow at mesopause (about 85 to 87 km above the Earth’s surface), where the atmospheric temperatures dip to minus 100 degrees Celsius.
• At this altitude, it is possible to capture the faint airglow in the infrared bandwidth, which appears the brightest enabling easy detection.
• It will be able to resolve waves at finer horizontal scales than what satellites can usually see at those altitudes, which is part of what makes the mission unique.
• The health of the ionosphere, whose lower layers sit at the edge of Space, is important for maintaining seamless communication.

What will NASA’S AWE do?

• It will perform focused mapping of the colourful airglows in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Onboard AWE is an Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (ATMT), an instrument that will scan or map the mesopause (a region between the mesosphere and thermosphere).
• Using the four identical telescopes comprising an imaging radiometer, scientists hope to obtain the brightness of light at specific wavelengths. 
• This information can then be converted into a temperature map, which could reveal the airglow movement and ultimately, give clues on their role in the upper atmosphere and Space weather.

Hence both statements are correct.

Trade in precious timber and sharks and conservation of elephants and big cats were among the many critical matters reviewed during the 77th Meeting of the Standing Committee (SC77) of the CITES in Geneva recently.

About Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):

• It is an international agreement between governments that aims to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• CITES was adopted in 1973 and entered into force in 1975.
• There are 184 member parties, and trade is regulated in more than 38,000 species.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words, they have to implement the Convention–it does not take the place of national laws.
• The CITES Secretariat is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is located in Geneva, Switzerland. 
• Representatives of CITES nations meet every two to three years at a Conference of the Parties (or COP) to review progress and adjust the lists of protected species, which are grouped into three categories with different levels of protection:
• Appendix I:
• It includes species threatened with extinction and provides the greatest level of protection, including a prohibition on commercial trade.
• Appendix II:
• It includes species that are not currently threatened with extinction but may become so without trade controls. 
• Regulated trade is allowed if the exporting country issues a permit based on findings that the specimens were legally acquired and the trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species or its role in the ecosystem.
• Appendix III:  
• It includes species for which a country has asked other CITES parties to help control international trade. 
• Trade in Appendix III species is regulated using CITES export permits (issued by the country that listed the species in Appendix III) and certificates of origin (issued by all other countries).
• Countries may list species for which they have domestic regulations in Appendix III at any time.
• CITES also brings together law enforcement officers from wildlife authorities, national parks, customs, and police agencies to collaborate on efforts to combat wildlife crime targeted at animals such as elephants and rhinos.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Ministry of Education (MoE) recently said they would write to all States to encourage aspirants to utilise the newly launched portal for exam preparation — SATHEE (Self Assessment Test and Help for Entrance Exams).

About SATHEE (Self Assessment Test and Help for Entrance Exams) Portal:

• It is a new initiative by the Ministry of Education to provide a free learning and assessment platform for students. 
• It will help students gain access to training and coaching for competitive examinations for free.
• The aim of the platform is to bridge the gap for students in society who are not able to afford the costly entrance exam guidance and coaching.
• It will have preparation materials for students in English, Hindi, and other regional languages of India so that students can prepare for exams like JEE and NEET.
• It will be useful for candidates who will be preparing for CAT, GATE, UPSC, etc. It will also allow candidates to gain experience in coaching centres.
• The platform will have videos made by the faculty members of IITs and IISC to help students prepare for the competitive examinations. The videos would also help students learn concepts and revise topics they are weak at.
• It makes use of an indigenously developed AI programme called Prutor, which was developed by IIT-Kanpur.
• SATHEE Features:
• Preparation material for entrance exams including JEE and NEET
• Video solutions in regional languages for entrance exams
• JEE and NEET entrance exam preparation ideas webinars
• Students' stories of struggles and achievement
• Solve with me sessions
• Motivational sessions

Hence option b is the correct answer.

Researchers in China recently discovered a previously unknown dinosaur species named ‘Qianlong shouhu’ alongside dozens of its unhatched eggs.

About Qianlong shouhu:

• It belongs to a group of dinosaurs known as sauropodomorphs, which contains sauropods and their ancestors. 
• It lived in what is now China during the Early Jurassic epoch, between 200 and 193 million years ago.
• The name of the new species roughly translates to "a dragon in Guizhou that protects its embryos."
• It was a medium-sized sauropodomorph that measured roughly 20 feet in length and likely weighed 1 ton.
• Their eggs were elliptical in shape and relatively small. The eggshells may have had a texture similar to leather. It provides "strong evidence" for the earliest known "leathery" eggs.

What are Sauropods?

• Sauropods were the dominant herbivores of the Jurassic period and were characterized by their long necks, long tails, and four-legged stance.
• They were some of the largest land animals ever to walk on Earth. They often reached lengths of up to 40 to 150 feet or more from head to tail.
• Sauropods typically weigh between 20 and 70 tons, which is equivalent to 10 to 35 elephants.
• They had relatively small skulls and brains and erect limbs reminiscent of the limbs of elephants.
• They were also one of the longest-living groups, existing for approximately 1040 million years in a wide variety of habitats around the world.
• Fossilized bones or footprints belonging to sauropods have been found on every continent except Antarctica.
• Their greatest abundance was during the Jurassic Period, but they continued to exist until the Upper Cretaceous period, when many other dinosaur species went extinct. 

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Indian Navy, in association with DRDO, successfully undertook Guided Flight Trials of the first indigenously developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile Short Range (NASM-SR) from a Sea King 42B helicopter recently.

About Naval Anti-Ship Missile Short Range (NASM-SR):

• It is the first indigenous air-launched anti-ship cruise missile developed for the Indian Navy. 
• It was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It can be launched from attack helicopters.
• This missile will replace the Sea Eagle missiles, which are currently in use with the Navy.
• With the Sea King helicopters also being phased out, it is expected that the NASM-SR will be used with the new MH-60R multi-role helicopters, which are being inducted into the Navy.
• Features:
• The missile’s new guidance system includes a state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.
• It employs several new technologies, including an indigenously developed launcher for the helicopter.
• With a strike range of around 60 km, the air-launched anti-ship missile can travel at a speed of Mach 0.8 (slower than the speed of sound).
• It would have an imaging infrared seeker, which would home in on the heat emissions of its targets.
• It can have a warhead of 100kg and is capable of sinking patrol boats and damaging larger warships. 
• The NASM-SR, on approach to its target, can cruise at just 5metres above sea level, making it difficult for enemy radars to detect, track, and shoot down with surface-to-air missiles or guns. This low-level capability of anti-ship missiles is known as sea skimming.

Hence both statements are not correct.

• The UNCCD is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.
  • There are currently 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• According to the UNCCD, sand and dust storms are caused by both natural and human factors.
  • About 75% of global dust emissions originate from natural sources in the world’s drylands, such as hyper-arid regions, topographic depressions, and dry ancient lake beds.
  • The remaining 25% are attributed to human activities, mainly agriculture.
  • Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Emission Gap Report 2023:

• The Emissions Gap Report is UNEP's spotlight report launched annually in advance of the annual Climate negotiations. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
• The EGR tracks the gap between where global emissions are heading with current country commitments and where they ought to be to limit warming to 1.5°C. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Each edition explores ways to bridge the emissions gap.
• As global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions break records, the latest Emissions Gap Report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that current pledges under the Paris Agreement put the world on track for a 2.5-2.9°C temperature rise above pre-industrial levels this century, pointing to the urgent need for increased climate action.