Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 29, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Biohacking is picking up in India especially in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai and also slowly making inroads into Tier II and III cities too.

• It is a term used to describe various tips and tricks for enhancing the body’s ability to function at peak performance—and maybe even extend one’s lifespan.
• It includes the practice of employing methods drawn from fields like biology, genetics, neuroscience and nutrition to enhance physical or mental performance, improve overall health and well-being, or achieve a specific health outcome.
• Most types of biohacking generally fall into one of the following categories below:
• Lifestyle: This category focuses on making positive health and behavior choices. It is probably the most accessible way most people can start experiencing biohacking, as it includes factors like dietary shifts, breathwork, meditation and exercise
• Molecular: It involves the use of natural and synthetic molecules that can help shift one’s biology. Taking supplements would fall into this biohacking category.
• Biologics: These are biological products that are meant to improve or enhance biology. They could be cells, or they could be small little information packets like exosomes, which are basically biological bundles of DNA, mRNA proteins and growth factors. Biologics typically need to be ingested, injected (such as stem cells) or delivered intravenously (i.e. by IV transfusion).
• Technology: This category includes devices like wearables (such as smartwatches) and diagnostics (such as blood sugar monitors). In such cases, biohacking uses technology to gather data about the body and its functioning so an individual can use that information to adjust their health as they strive for improved performance.
• There are currently no laws in India that specifically address biohacking.

Hence option (b) is the correct answer.

Recently, Indian Air Force’s MI 17 V5 helicopter was deployed to extinguish the raging forest fires in Nainital and the helicopter used a “Bambi Bucket”.

• It is also known as helicopter bucket or a helibucket.
• It is a specialised aerial firefighting tool which has been in use since the 1980s.
• It is suspended by cable under a chopper, and which can be filled by lowering into a river or pond before being flown above a fire and discharged aerially by opening a valve at the bottom of the bucket.
• It is essentially a lightweight collapsible container that releases water from underneath a helicopter to targeted areas. The water is released by using a pilot-controlled valve.
• One of its key features is that it can be quickly and easily filled. The bucket can be filled from various sources, including lakes and swimming pools, which allows firefighters to swiftly refill it and return to the target area.
• Features: It can be stored within the helicopter until development and it discharges a solid column of water, “resulting in a more accurate and effective water dump, less evaporation on the descent, and greater impact force.
•  It is especially helpful in fighting wildfires that are difficult or impossible to reach from the ground.

Hence both statements are correct.

Palaeontologists from Argentina announced the discovery of a new medium-sized herbivorous dinosaur and named it as Chakisaurus nekul.

• Its name derived from Chaki, which is a word from the Aonikenk language, of the indigenous Tehuelche people, which means "old guanaco", a reference to a medium-sized herbivore mammal found in the region. Nekul means "fast" or "agile" in the Mapudungún language, of the local Mapuche people.
• It was a fast runner and lived about 90 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period in present day Patagonia.
• It was found in the Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve, in the southern province of Río Negro, an area rich in fossils where many mammals, turtles, and fish have been found along with other species of dinosaur.
• Studies of Chakisaurus yielded new findings indicating that it was a fast runner and had its tail curved unusually downward.
• This new species was a bipedal herbivore that among its most important characteristics had a tail that, unlike other dinosaurs, which was horizontal, had a downward curvature.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in a joint operation with Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), has busted a network of clandestine mephedrone manufacturing laboratories in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

• It also known as 4-methylmethcathinone, 4-MMC and 4-methylephedrone.
• It is a synthetic stimulant drug of the amphetamine and cathinone classes.
• Other names: drone, M-CAT, white magic, ‘meow meow’, and bubble.
• It has a role as a xenobiotic and an environmental contaminant.
• It has been linked to a range of adverse effects on both physical and mental health.
• Users commonly report increased alertness, euphoria, and enhanced sociability, but these positive effects come at a cost.
• Health impacts:
• Anxiety, paranoia, nausea, and insomnia are among the negative side effects experienced by individuals under the influence of this synthetic stimulant.
• Prolonged use of Mephedrone has been associated with more severe consequences, including cardiovascular issues, hallucinations, and even instances of aggressive behaviour.
• The drug's impact on mental health raises concerns about its potential for addiction and long-term psychological harm.
• It is banned in India under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A rare "super-sympathetic" solar flare event featuring four simultaneous eruptions, was recently observed by astronomers.

What are Solar Flares?

• A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots.
• Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events. 
• They are seen as bright areas on the sun, and they can last from minutes to hours.
• In a matter of just a few minutes, they heat the material to many millions of degrees and produce a burst of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, including from radio waves to x-rays and gamma rays.
• Although solar flares can be visible in white light, they are often more readily noticed via their bright X-ray and ultraviolet emissions.
• Effect of Solar Flare on Earth:
• The intense radiation emitted during a solar flare can affect satellite communications, disrupt radio signals, and even pose a risk to astronauts in space.
• Additionally, the increased solar radiation can lead to geomagnetic storms, which may impact power grids and cause auroras (northern and southern lights) at lower latitudes.

About Sympathetic Solar Flare:

• This type of solar outburst occurs when sunspots or filaments are invisibly linked by massive magnetic field loops that arch above the solar surface. When one flare detonates, the others follow in rapid succession.
• Sympathetic solar flares typically involve just two linked flares, ranging in intensity from minor outbursts to X-class flares, the most powerful class of solar flares.
• They are more likely to happen during or around the solar maximum, the most active phase of the Sun's approximately 11-year solar cycle.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) recently marked its 10-year anniversary.

About Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN):

• It is the operational arm of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Climate Change Technology Mechanism.
• It is hosted by UN Environment (UNEP) in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and with the support of 11 independent organizations having expertise in climate technologies.
• It was established to accelerate the development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies for low-carbon and climate resilient development at the request of developing countries.
• The CTCN provides technology solutions, capacity building, and advice on policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks tailored to the needs of individual countries by harnessing the expertise of a global network of technology companies and institutions.
• The CTCN is a demand-driven mechanism as its services are offered upon request by developing countries, and the volume and specific nature of activities ultimately depends on countries’ requirements and needs.
• The CTCN consists of two parts: a centre—a coordinating entity located in UN City Copenhagen—and a worldwide network of organizations that delivers CTCN services—both virtually and actually.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently released a master direction for asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).

About Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs):

• An ARC is a specialized financial institution that purchases the bad debts of a bank at a mutually agreed value and attempts to recover those debts or associated securities by itself.
• ARCs are registered under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and regulated under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act, 2002).
• They function under the supervision and control of the RBI.
• As per the RBI, ARC performs the functions namely Acquisition of financial assets, Change or takeover of Management or Sale or Lease of Business of the Borrower, Rescheduling of Debts, Enforcement of Security Interest and Settlement of dues payable by the borrower.
• ARCs take over a portion of the bank's debts, which qualify as Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Therefore, ARCs are involved in the business of asset reconstruction, securitisation, or both.
• All the rights previously held by the lender (the bank) in regard to the debt are transferred to the ARC.
• The required funds to purchase such debts can be raised from Qualified Buyers.
• Qualified Buyers include Financial Institutions, Insurance companies, Banks, State Financial Corporations, State Industrial Development Corporations, trustee or ARCs registered under SARFAESI and Asset Management Companies registered under SEBI that invest on behalf of mutual funds, pension funds, FIIs, etc.
• The Qualified Buyers are the only persons from whom the ARC can raise funds.

Hence both statements are correct.

In a world of hyper-connectivity, network as a service promises to deliver a better day-to-day user experience.

About Network as a Service (NaaS):

• NaaS is a cloud service model in which customers rent networking services from a cloud vendor instead of setting up their own network infrastructure.
• NaaS allows customers to operate their own networks without maintaining their own networking infrastructure.
• Like other cloud services, NaaS vendors run networking functions using software, essentially allowing companies to set up their own networks entirely without hardware. All they need is Internet connectivity.
• NaaS is a flexible, scalable and affordable option for organizations since it enables them to allocate network resources as needed. 
• NaaS can replace other networking systems that often require more work and provide less agility, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS).
• In addition, by using NaaS, you can shift your networking system to your provider, who can also give you security services to keep your network environment safe. This means you don’t have to invest in on-premise firewalls and other security appliances.
• The provider may offer customers a range of different options, such as:
• Managed services, where the customer pays to use hardware on a subscription basis while the provider operates and maintains it
• Rented hardware, which is when the provider owns networking hardware and allows the customer to rent it from them. In this situation, customers have to install and operate the equipment themselves.
• Full NaaS, where the provider handles everything in relation to the networking hardware, including installing and operating it.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions under the Department of Personnel & Training (Do&PT) has forwarded a letter from the Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association to the Department of Expenditure regarding the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission for the further action.

• Pay commission is a body set up by the Central government that reviews and recommends changes to the salary structure of the employees. This panel also reviews the bonuses, allowances and other benefits of the employees.
• It recommends changes for central government employees and pensioners as well as the defence forces.
• History: Pay commissions are usually constituted every 10 years and the first pay commission was set up in 1946. Since Independence, a total of seven pay commissions have been formed.
• The latest pay commission was set up in 2014 and its recommendations came into effect in 2016.
• It is not mandatory for the government to accept the recommendations of the pay commission. The government may choose to accept or reject the recommendations.
• The Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance is responsible for the implementation of the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

This year, 2024, marks 150 years of tea production in the Dooars area, as the first tea plantations in the region were set up in 1874, a few decades after Darjeeling.

• These are the alluvial floodplains in northeastern India that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and Brahmaputra plain.
• This region is about 30 km wide and stretches over about 350 km from the Teesta River in West Bengal to the Dhansiri River in Assam.
• The region forms the gateway to Bhutan, Sikkim and Eastern Nepal. There are 18 passages or gateways between the hills in Bhutan and the plains in India.
• This region is divided by the Sankosh River into Eastern and Western Dooars. The Western Dooars are also known as the Bengal Dooars, and the Eastern Dooars also as the Assam Dooars.
• Significance of Dooars:
• The deep, well drained and fertile soil rich in humus of the Dooars has been used for the development of the tea plantations.
• The main industry of the Dooars region is the tea industry. Thousands of people are engaged in the tea estates and factories. 

Hence both statements are correct.