Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 14-03-2023

Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

1. LDCs enjoy duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) access to the markets of developed countries

2. LDCs are also eligible for loans with special terms for development like “Official Development Assistance” (ODA)

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 (c)

Explanation:

Advantages of being an LDC

Being an LDC confers certain economic benefits to the listed country. As such, advancing out of the list is often only the first step in overall development. As Celestin Monga, the Chief Economist at the African Development Bank, notes, “graduation from LDC status is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new journey. It is a time when a country needs to redouble its efforts to build its productive capacities, diversify its economy, and create new opportunities for employment and income generation.

To begin with, due to their reliance on exports of raw materials, LDCs are suffering badly from the most recent decline in raw material prices. Moreover, LDCs continue to be significantly more vulnerable to catastrophic natural and economic disasters, including threats from climate change and, are significantly less prepared to handle such difficulties. Small island developing States, which make up 10 of the LDCs, are amongst the most affected by this.

Importantly, LDCs also enjoy duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) access to the markets of developed countries. This means that LDCs are not restricted by trade restrictions or tariffs when exporting their goods to wealthier nations. For LDCs, this is a significant advantage because it enables them to expand their exports and get access to new markets, which can boost their economic development.

However, a nation can lose access to the DFQF as it transitions from being an LDC to a middle-income developing nation. As a result, a nation that leaves the category of LDC may encounter new trade obstacles that it had not previously encountered, making it more challenging for it to expand its exports and get access to new markets.

LDCs are also eligible for loans with special terms for development, which include loans with a lower interest rate and a longer repayment time than those given to other nations. The term “Official Development Assistance” (ODA) or “aid” is frequently used to describe this form of support. This money is intended to aid LDCs in their initiatives to meet their fundamental requirements, promote sustainable economic growth and development, and fight poverty.

However, in the case of some LDCs, these special privileges do not contribute significantly to their economy. For instance, 56 percent of Nepal’s total exports are sent to India, and the majority of this commerce is conducted in accordance with a bilateral free trade agreement, meaning that India is not entitled to the LDC privileges. Additionally, petroleum oils make up about 60 per cent of Angola’s exports to China, and they too are not subject to any LDC privileges.

Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to hypersonic missiles

1. A hypersonic missile is capable of flying at least at the speed of Mach 5 i.e. five times the speed of sound

2. The hypersonic missiles follow a fixed ballistic trajectory

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 (a)

Explanation:

Russia’s latest airstrike against Ukraine: What are hypersonic missiles and can they help Moscow win the warOut of the 81 missiles that Russia fired across Ukraine, six were hypersonic missiles, known as Kinzhals, or Daggers. Capable of flying at least at five times the speed of sound, these missiles are very difficult to detect and shoot down.

What Is A Hypersonic Missile?

A hypersonic missile, such as Kinzhal, is capable of flying at least at the speed of Mach 5, i.e. five times the speed of sound, and is manoeuvrable. The manoeuvrability of the hypersonic missile is what differentiates it from a ballistic missile, as the latter follows a set course or a ballistic trajectory. Thus, unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles do not follow a ballistic trajectory and can be manoeuvred to the intended target.

This makes them extremely lethal because by the time they are detected by ground-based radars, they are already quite near to their target.

There are two types of hypersonic weapons systems: Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) and Hypersonic Cruise Missiles. The HGVs are fired from a rocket before gliding to the intended target while the hypersonic cruise missile is powered by air-breathing high-speed engines or ‘scramjets’ after acquiring their target.

What Are The Benefits Of Hypersonic Missiles?

As per a former Commander of US Strategic Command, General John Hyten, hypersonic weapons can enable responsive, long-range strike options against distant, defended or time-critical threats (such as road mobile missiles) when other forces are unavailable, denied access or not preferred. He made this statement while testifying before the US Congressional Committee on armed services. Conventional hypersonic weapons use only kinetic energy i.e. energy derived from motion, to destroy unhardened targets or even underground facilities.

What Do We Know About Kinzhal?

Unveiled in 2018, Kinzhal, according to the Russians, is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 10 and greater, with a range of about 1,250 miles. The missile is also believed to be nuclear-capable and usually launched by MiG- 31 warplanes, The New York Times said. As mentioned before, it was first used against Ukraine last year.

Apart from Kinzal, Moscow reportedly has two other types of hypersonic missile systems. One is the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, which can fly at speeds as high as Mach 27, as per Russian officials. And the other is the Zircon anti-ship missile. However, there have been no reports of Zircon or Avangard being used in a war.

Q3. Which of the following countries are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)?

1. Iran

2. Belarus

3. Pakistan

Select the correct answer from codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only

b. 1 and 3 only

c. 3 only

d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (c)

Explanation:

SCO countries should collectively strive to make judiciary more accessible, says CJI Chandrachud Except Pakistan, representatives of all other SCO member states, two observer states — Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of Belarus — the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) and SCO Secretariat were present at the two-day event. Pakistan joined through videoconferencing.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Great Indian Bustard

1. It is a critically endangered species in India

2. Conversion of grassland to the forest will safeguard the Great Indian Bustard

Which of the above is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (a)

Explanation:

The loss of grasslands even through afforestation endangers the life of the Great Indian Bustard.

The great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) — one of the flagship species of grassland birds — has been climbing the charts to extinction, threatened by habitat loss and hunting. In India, the bird is found only in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. According to most experts, the grasslands in India are not appreciated for their ecological value but seen as wasteland. In many areas, grasslands are being converted to forest/agricultural stretches or being taken over for commercial purposes. Such conversions are not only destroying the resident fauna (birds, deer, fox, other animals), but also the fragile ecological balance.

The Great Indian Bustard is an indicator species of the grasslands, says Sujit Narwade, who is researching on the birds of the Deccan Plateau in Maharashtra with focus on the Great Indian Bustard. According to him, “Grasslands provide services such as water purification and regulation, pollination and seed dispersal, climate regulation (local through grass cover and global through carbon sequestration), fuel, food, sanitation, soil development (conservation, formation), water regulation, primary production, nutrient cycling, fodder for cattle grazing, and tourism in selective areas; if the GIB is critically endangered, it means the grassland ecology of that area is also under threat.”

Of late, the various state governments are waking up to the urgency to protect the bird. The Union ministry of environment and forest has also put forth a species recovery plan for the bird, but most experts feel that to protect the Great Indian Bustard one has to work closely with the local people.

Q5. Consider the following statements about the spiders

1. They help farmers in controlling pest

2. The spider is very human-friendly as they feed on various vectors of diseases

Which of the above is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

The spider is very human-friendly in the sense that it feeds voraciously on insects, bees and mosquitoes that spread malaria and other diseases.

Pest management of crops is all the more being recognised now in view of the ill-effects of chemical pesticides. Following this trend, entomologists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines have recently recorded 7 species of spiders in rice fields of Asia that protect the crops from pests by devouring them (Pesticide Post, Vol 3, No 3).

Known for increasing crop yield by decreasing pest population in the fields, spiders mostly prey on pests like thrips, caterpillars, aphids, plant bugs, leaf hoppers and flies. Thus, conservation and augmentation of spiders in fields obviate the need for chemical pesticides. That in turn helps avoid the associated risk of a health hazard and the undesirable elimination of useful insects by pesticides.

Agriculturists are concerned that chemical pesticides not only kill pests harmful to crops but some useful insects like spiders also.

Conservation of spiders has thus been suggested to sustain a simple, efficient and economical method of pest control by these predators. Measures like abandoning pesticides or rational use by resorting to spot treatment, where only selected areas heavily infested with pests are treated with pesticides, are being suggested.

Moreover, rearing spiders in bundles of straw and grass in vantage points in fields, shifting these bundles to infested sites and carrying egg sacs into infested areas are some of the Safe storage ways by which spiders are sought to be augmented in the fields. Using windbreaks around fields to capture and retain spiders that tend to spread by ballooning has also been suggested.