Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 5, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed after their Pilatus PC-7 Mk II trainer aircraft crashed during a routine training sortie from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal, Telangana.

• It is a trainer aircraft.
• It is a low-wing, turbo-prop aircraft with tandem seating (the cadet sits in the front, the instructor behind him).
• While the original aircraft has been in service since the 1970s, the Mk II version was introduced in the 1990s, with a newer airframe and more advanced avionics.
• It is Powered by a Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engine, it has a maximum speed of 412 km/h and can fly to a height of slightly more than 10,000 m.
• It has a range of 1,200 km without external tanks, which translates to slightly more than 4 hours of flying time.
• There are 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II aircraft in service with the IAF.

Hence both statements are correct.

According to the report, ‘Global Drought Snapshot,’ launched by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at the outset of COP28 climate talks in the UAE, mentioned that drought causes more economic loss and affects more sectors of societies.

Key points about the report:

• Agriculture and forests
• 70% cereal crops damaged by drought in the Mediterranean, 2016–2018.
• 33% loss of grazing land in South Africa due to drought
• Five consecutive rainfall season failures in the Horn of Africa, caused the region’s worst drought in 40 years, contributing to reduced agricultural productivity, food insecurity and high food prices.
• Africa’s drought-related economic losses in the past 50 years at $70 billion.
• Water conditions
• 75% reduction of cargo capacity of some vessels on the Rhine due to low river levels in 2022, leading to severe delays to shipping arrivals and departures
• 5 million people in southern China affected by record-low water levels in the Yangtze River due to drought and prolonged heat
• Social dimensions
• 85% people affected by droughts who live in low- or middle-income countries
• 1.2 million people in the Central American Dry Corridor needing food aid after five years of drought, heatwaves and unpredictable rainfall

Key facts about UN Convention to Combat Desertification

• It is one of three Conventions originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (The other two address climate change (UNFCCC) and biodiversity (UN CBD).
• It is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.
• There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

Recently, the Climate Club was formally launched at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• It is led by Germany and Chile, the Club has garnered support from 36 member countries including Kenya, the European Union, Switzerland and others.
• It aims to make decarbonisation of industries successful for climate and businesses, through ambitious policies, alignment of methodologies and standards and improving finance and assistance for emerging and developed economies.
• The activities of the club are divided into three key pillars:-
• Pillar 1: Advancing ambitious and transparent climate change mitigation policies.
• Pillar 2: Transforming industries
• Pillar 3: Boosting international cooperation and partnership 
• Two co-chairs will be elected for two-year terms for the Club. Currently, Germany and Chile serve as the co-chairs.
• A body of members will determine the scope and approve the work programme, budget and amendments.
• Furthermore, a steering group will be formed to support the body of members when the Club reaches 40 members.
• A secretariat will be formed to implement the work program.
• Currently, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Energy Agency are the joint interim heads of secretariat.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) bagged the “International Social Security Association’s ISSA Vision Zero 2023” Award in the recently held 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Sydney, Australia. 

• It is the principal international institution bringing together social security agencies and organizations of the world.
• Aim: To promote dynamic social security as the social dimension in a globalizing world by supporting excellence in social security administration.
• It was founded in 1927 under the auspices of the International Labour Organization.
• It has over 320 member institutions from over 160 countries.
• Headquarters: Geneva (at the International Labour Office)
• It provides access to information, expert advice, business standards, practical guidelines and platforms for members to build and promote dynamic social security systems worldwide.
• The vision of dynamic social security provides a framework for the ISSA's actions.
• The Liaison Office of ISSA for South Asia is also functioning from the ESI Corporation at its headquarters.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

US and Japanese divers recently discovered the wreckage and remains of crew members from a crashed US Air Force CV-22B Osprey aircraft off southwestern Japan. 

About CV-22B Osprey:

• It is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff, hover, and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency, and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft.
• It was developed to fulfill the needs of the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy operational requirements worldwide.
• It is built by Boeing, an American aerospace company.
• It is used for a wide-range of missions, including long-range infiltration, exfiltration, medium-range assault, special operations, VIP transport, resupply, disaster relief, search-and-rescue, medical evacuation, and humanitarian missions
• Features:
• It is a multi-engine, dual-piloted, self-deployable, medium-lift aircraft.
• With its rotors in a vertical position, it can take off, land, and hover like a helicopter.  Once airborne, it can convert to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
• It is equipped with dual Rolls-Royce Liberty AE1107C engines.
• Up to 24 personnel can sit inside the aircraft.
• It travels nearly twice as fast as most average helicopters.
• It is equipped with integrated threat countermeasures, terrain-following radar, a forward-looking infrared sensor, and other systems that allow it to operate in various adverse conditions.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Army recently deployed double humped camels for logistical support to the troops in eastern Ladakh.

About Double Humped Camels:

• Double Humped Camels or Bactrian camels, have two humps on their backs where they store fat.
• Scientific Name: Camelus bactrianus
• Distribution:
• They are native to the harsh and arid regions of Central Asia.
• They occupy habitats in Central Asia from Afghanistan to China, primarily up into the Mongolian steppes and the Gobi desert.
• A small population of Bactrian camels exists in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh.
• Features:
• They are up to 10 feet (3.0 m) long and weigh 590-1000 kg.
• They are smaller and more slender than the one-humped dromedary camels found in Africa and the Middle East.
• Their fur color varies from beige to dark brown.
• They have thick, wooly coats that provide warmth during the cold months and insulation from the desert heat, and they shed this for the summer months.
• Lifespan: 50 years
• They typically live in herds of 6-20 members, although they can occasionally be solitary or in groups of up to 30 individuals.
• Diet: They are omnivores but are primarily herbivores that constantly graze on grasses.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

India's permanent representative to the UN recently chaired an insightful member-state briefing in preparation for the 62nd UN Commission for Social Development.

About UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD):

• CSocD, formerly known as the Social Commission, is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
• It has been in existence since the very inception of the United Nations, advising ECOSOC and governments on a wide range of social policy issues and from the social perspective of development.
• Purpose:
• Its primary purpose is to advance social development and formulate policies and recommendations to address global social issues.
• It focuses on topics such as poverty eradication, social inclusion, and the promotion of equitable and sustainable development.
• Since the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the CSocD has been the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.
• Membership:
• Originally 18, membership has been increased several times, most recently in 1996, and now stands at 46.
• Members are elected by ECOSOC based on equitable geographical distribution for four-year terms. 
• Meetings:
• The CSocD meets every year at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, typically in February.
• During its meetings, member states, international organisations, and civil society representatives come together to discuss and address various social development issues.

Hence both statements are correct.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) delivered INS Sandhayak to the Indian Navy on the occasion of Navy Day.

About INS Sandhayak:

• It is the largest survey vessel ever built in India.
• It is fully designed and built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
• It is the first in the series of four Survey Vessels (Large), or SVLs, being built by GRSE.
• It is the reincarnation of another ship by that name. The previous warship, also a survey vessel, was commissioned into the Navy in 1981 and decommissioned in 2021. 
• The new INS Sandhayak and the remaining ships in the series are far more advanced than their predecessors. 
• Features:
• It is a 110-metre-long ship propelled by two marine diesel engines combined with fixed-pitch propellers.
• It is fitted with bow and stern thrusters to help the ships maneuver at low speeds during surveys.
• It is capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of port and harbour approaches and the determination of navigation channels and routes.
• It can also undertake surveys of maritime limits and the collection of oceanographic and geographical data for defence applications.
• It can carry a helicopter, participate in low-intensity combat, and function as a hospital ship.
• It can also be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

For the first time Bru refugees will not participate in elections in Mizoram as they were given permanent settlement in Tripura under a Central government sponsored rehabilitation arrangement.

• Bru, also known Reang is a community indigenous to the Northeast, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam.
• In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
• They belong to Indo-Mongoloid racial stock. Their languages have an affinity with Austro-Asiatic groups under the Tibeto-Burman family.
• Ethnically they are divided into 2 major clans namely Meska and Molsoi.
• They speak a language known as “Kaubru” which has a tonal effect on the Kuki language though broadly it is the Kok-Borok dialect.
• Occupation: They are still a nomadic tribe and a large number among them maintain their livelihood involving Hilltop Jhum Cultivation and other food gathering activities.
• They believe in spirits and the existence of a soul.
• By religion they are Hindus and most of their deities are akin to gods and goddesses of the Hindu faith.
• They are traditionally endogamous and does not marry outside their community.
• In their tradition the village council chief known as “RAI” permits Divorce and Widow marriage.

Hence both statements are correct.

The forest department of Tamil Nadu is preparing to augment waterbodies to attract more birds as the migratory season at Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary set to peak.

• Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary was established in the year of 1967 and is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu.
• It houses the famous bird sanctuary of Vedaranyam and the Talaignayar forests.
• It is flanked by the Bay of Bengal in the east, and Palk Strait in the south.
• It primarily focuses on the protection and conservation of the black antelopes, an endangered and endemic species that are found in this region. 
• It is designated as a Ramsar site.
• Flora: It has mangroves, tropical evergreen forests, and grassland ecosystems.
• Fauna: Wild boar, macaque, black buck, chital, Great flamingo, Painted Stork, Little Stint, Seagull and Brown-headed gull are normally found in the sanctuary.

Hence option (b) is the correct answer.