Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 09-05-2023

Q1. With reference to the gold reserves of RBI, consider the following statements

1. Gold reserves are the largest part of the total foreign exchange reserves

2. All of the gold reserves are held domestically

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (d)

Explanation:

RBI gold reserves rose by 34 tonnes to 795 tonnes in FY23

• The Reserve Bank’s gold reserves increased by 34.22 tonnes year-on- year to reach 794.64 tonne at March-end 2023, central bank data showed on Monday. The Reserve Bank held 760.42 metric tonnes (MT) of gold (including gold deposits of 11.08 MT) at the end of March 2022.

• While 437.22 tonnes of gold are placed overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), 301.1 tonnes of gold are held domestically.

• In value terms, the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves increased from about 7.06% at September-end 2022 to about 7.81% at March-end 2023, as per the report.

Q2. Which of the following are considered part of Central Asian republics?

1. Kazakhstan

2. Kyrgyzstan

3. Azerbaijan

4. Iran

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only

b. 2, 3 and 4 only

c. 1, 2 and 4 only

d. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Xi Jinping to host first meet with all Central Asia leaders

• Chinese President Xi Jinping will host a two-day summit with the leaders of five Central Asian nations next week, Beijing said on Monday, as China moves to increase its influence in the region.

• Leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend the China-Central Asia Summit from May 18 to 19, China’s Foreign Ministry said.

• The summit in the historic city of Xi’an on the ancient Silk Road is the first of its kind since the establishment of formal relations 31 years ago, according to the ministry, and will focus on strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing.

• China has invested billions of dollars to tap natural gas reserves in Central Asia. Rail links connecting China to Europe criss-cross the region and are key to the success of Mr. Xi’s trillion-dollar global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative.

• The republics of Central Asia were part of the Soviet Union and have been dominated by Moscow since the mid-19th century.

Q3. With reference to the Cheetah reintroduction in India, consider the following statements

1. All of the Cheetahs have been brought from Namibia

2. These are asiatic cheetahs

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Five more cheetahs to be released into wild at Kuno

• They will be released into ‘free-roaming conditions’ before the onset of monsoon in June; twenty big cats have been brought from Namibia and South Africa since September 2022, two have died. These are African cheetahs.

• Five more cheetahs — three females and two males — will be released from the acclimatization camps to “free-roaming conditions at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh before the onset of monsoon in June, the Union Environment Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

• The statement was based on a report submitted by an expert committee to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is the nodal body for Project Cheetah. The committee members visited the KNP on April 30 and reviewed the current status of Project Cheetah.

• Twenty cheetahs have been brought from Namibia and South Africa since September 2022 as part of a translocation programme to reintroduce the wild cat into Indian habitat. As part of their acclimatisation, the animals were housed in special enclosures. However, two of them died — one of kidney infection and the other of heart failure, following a strenuous hunt.

Long-Term Plan

• The long-term plan to acclimatise the animals to Indian conditions is to gradually release them into the wild — though all the animals are radio-collared and the Madhya Pradesh State wildlife officials are tracking their movement — and keep adding more animals from Africa until a sizeable self-sustaining population is established in a decade or so, while accounting for natural mortality and acclimatisation-related challenges.

• So far, four of the cheetahs have already been released into the wild — with one of them even ranging outside the Kuno National Park and venturing into farms in Uttar Pradesh. It had to be tranquillised and returned to the sanctuary.

• The remaining cheetahs, the statement said, would remain in the acclimatisation camps for the duration of the monsoon season (June- September).

• After September, when the monsoon ends, more animals would be

released into the KNP or surrounding areas in “a planned manner” to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. The cheetahs would be allowed to move out of the KNP and not necessarily recaptured

unless they venture into areas where they are in “significant danger,” the statement added.

Q4. Consider the following statements

1. India imports only coking coal

2. India is among the top five coal-producing countries in the world

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (b)

Explanation:

Coal imports rose 30% in FY23 to 162 mt on demand

• India’s coal imports increased by 30% to 162.46 million tonnes (mt) in the 2022-23 financial year against 124.99 mt in the year-earlier period, according to a report. The import of coking coal rose 5.44% to 54.46 mt over 51.65 mt in FY22.

• In March alone, non-coking coal import stood at 13.88 mt against

12.61 mt a year earlier. Coking coal imports were 3.96 mt (4.76 mt). India is among the top five coal-producing countries in the world.

• However, some parts of its coal requirement are met through imports as the country is also among the major consumers of the dry fuel.

• For coking coal — a key raw material used in steel making — the country remains heavily dependent on imports.

• The persistently high demand for steam coal in India, coupled with the weakening of seaborne prices led to increased volumes during March. This trend is likely to continue in coming months in view of the above- normal average temperature expected this summer.

• Along with other varieties of coal like anthracite, pulverized coal injection (PCI coal), met coke and pet coke, total imports in FY23 were at 249.06 mt, up from 200.71 mt in FY22, a rise of more than 24%.

Q5. Recently seen in news “Kukis” and “Meiteis” ethnic groups belong to the state of

a. Sikkim

b. Kerala

c. Odisha

d. Manipur

Answer (d)

Explanation:

In Imphal, State relief camps lose tribals’ trust

• Lack of proper facilities and fear of being at the mercy of State police have had tribals — mostly Kukis — attempt to move to facilities run by the Army or CAPF as rehabilitation picks up slowly

• Even as residents in Imphal said the first batch of tribals stranded in the Valley had been sent back to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, many more tribals, mostly Kukis, stranded in camps run by the Manipur government are desperately trying to move into the camps run by the Central government — either Army camps or those run by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

• While security forces are trying to facilitate the rehabilitation of those stranded in Imphal (tribals, mostly Kukis) and Churachandpur (Meiteis) since the violence broke out on May 3, several tribals who have lost their homes and belongings in the mob violence are finding shelter in community halls and wherever else they can.