Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 27-01-2023

Q1. Which of the following are ecological services of the Aravallis

1. Habitat
2. Climate regulation
3. Groundwater recharge

Select the correct answer from codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Reverse the damage done to the Aravallis:

• For hundreds of thousands of years, the Aravalli mountain ranges have endured assault by lava flows, submergence by seas, collision with landmasses and erosion by wind and rain.
• But today, the Aravallis are fighting a battle of another kind. According to a report published in this newspaper, a ground survey by Haryana found 6,793 unauthorised structures in 729 locations, protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), in four villages in the Faridabad district.
• In its July 21, 2022 judgment, the Supreme Court held that the land covered under PLPA must be protected under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the state cannot permit their use for non-forest activities without a prior central nod.

• From mining to illegal encroachment and a recent plan to set up a zoo safari, authorities seem to pay no heed to environmental concerns about the destruction of a range that is not only home to a wide range of biodiversity but also works as a climate regulator and a groundwater recharge

Q2. Fukushima nuclear reactor is situated in

1. South Korea
2. China
3. Japan
4. North Korea

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Japan to flush Fukushima wastewater:

• Japan is expected to start flushing 1.25 million tonnes of wastewater from the embattled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean this year, as part of a $76-billion project to decommission the facility which could take three decades to complete.
• The idea has been controversial for its suspected impact on the water, marine life, fishers’ livelihoods and other countries in the area.

Why is the water a problem?

• In March 2011, after an earthquake of 9 magnitude, a tsunami flooded the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant leading to a nuclear disaster.
• The water that the Japanese government wants to flush from the plant was used to cool the reactors, rainwater and groundwater. It contains radioactive isotopes from the damaged reactors and is thus itself radioactive.

Q3. Consider the following statements with regard to the National Mission for a Green India (GIM)

1. It is one of the missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change
2. The target under the mission is 40 million hectares (mha) of forest and non-forest lands for increasing the forest and tree cover and improving the quality of existing forests.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (b)

Explanation:

‘States fall short of target to improve forest cover, quality’

• India is lagging behind in the targets to increase the number and quality of tree- and forest-cover plantations set in the Green India Mission, according to data accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
• The National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. It aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s forest cover and responding to climate change.

• The target under the mission is 10 million hectares (mha) of forest and non-forest lands for increasing the forest and tree cover and improving the quality of existing forests.

Forest cover increase:

• As per the India State of Forest Report-2021, forest and tree cover in the country increased by 2,261 square kilometres since the last assessment in 2019. India’s total forest and tree cover was 80.9 million hectares, which accounted for 24.62% of the geographical area of the country.
• However, critics said the increase in green cover was almost entirely via commercial plantations, that, in an ecological sense, could not compensate for natural forests and their biodiversity and, being monocultures, were susceptible to pest attacks.

Q4. Consider the following statements with regard to the nasal vaccine iNCOVACC

1. It is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India
2. The vaccine paints the mucous membrane in the nasal pathway with a layer of antibodies, preventing an infection at the very source
3. Vaccination requires a lot of materials and logistical efforts

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 and 2 only.
   2. 2 only.
   3. 1 and 3 only.
   4. 1, 2 and 3.

Answer (b)

Explanation:

The centre rolls out the first nasal vax as booster:

• India rolled out the first nasal vaccine against Covid-19, to be administered as a primary or booster dose for adults, potentially widening the pool of people who may take a third vaccine against the infection.

• The vaccine is manufactured by Bharat Biotech and branded The vaccine was designed to be economical and is targeted at low- and middle-income countries.
• The vaccine has been approved for use as a primary series vaccine and heterologous booster in India.

Working principle:

• Scientists and health experts have long viewed nasal vaccines as a vital means to end the pandemic. These sprays aim to protect the site that the Sars-CoV-2 virus first targets — the nasal pathway.
• The vaccine paints the mucous membrane in the nasal pathway with a layer of antibodies, preventing an infection at the very source.
• Conventional vaccines work differently: they trigger antibodies that circulate in the bloodstream; these antibodies are best suited to preventing the disease from taking hold, but are usually unable to avert an infection or transmission.
• Nasal vaccines might be able to prevent even asymptomatic Covid because it generates local IgA antibodies (first line of defence), cutting chain of transmission and possibly bringing an end to this pandemic.

Administrative benefits:

• Administered as a nasal spray, it does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandages, etc, saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, routine requirements for intravenous injections.
• The vaccine can be stored in a regular refrigerator temperature of 2- 8°C, making it easy to store and distribute across the country.
• According to the company, the vector-based platform can be easily updated with emerging variants for mass production within a few months.

Q5. Which of the following  are possible negative impacts of the invasive species on ecology?

1. Higher ground water consumption
2. Pushing out native species
3. Emission of toxic chemicals that inhibit growth of native plants

Select the correct answer from codes given below

1. 1 2, and 3
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 2 and 3 only

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Removing invasive species from ridge forests of Delhi

Q6. Consider the following statements with regard to the end of Mughal Empire

1. Aurangzeb was the last of the powerful Mughal rulers
2. After Aurangzeb there was no powerful Mughal ruler, but Mughal emperors continued to be symbolically important
3. Bahadur Shah Zafar and his sons were arrested by Captain Hodson after revolt of 1857

Select the answer from the codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Aurangzeb was the last of the powerful Mughal rulers. He established control over a very large part of the territory that is now known as India. After his death in 1707, many Mughal governors (subadars) and big zamindars began asserting their authority and establishing regional kingdoms. As powerful regional kingdoms emerged in various parts of India, Delhi could no longer function as an effective centre. By the second half of the eighteenth century, however, a new power was emerging on the political horizon – the British.

After Aurangzeb there was no powerful Mughal ruler, but Mughal emperors continued to be symbolically important. In fact, when a massive rebellion against British rule broke out in 1857, Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal emperor at the time, was seen as the natural leader. Once the revolt was put down by the company, Bahadur Shah Zafar was forced to leave the kingdom, and his sons were shot in cold blood. Bahadur Shah Zafar and his sons were arrested by Captain Hodson.