Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 10 January 2023

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2023

Q) Recently seen in news, the place ‘Juna Khatiya’ is located in which one of the following state of India?

1. Gujarat
2. Maharashtra
3. Rajasthan
4. Karnataka

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 9 January 2023

Explanation:

• Option (1) is correct: Recently Archaeologists unearthed several skeletal remains from a cemetery-like burial site at Juna Khatiya village of Kutch district of Gujarat. The rectangular graves, each of varying dimensions and assembled using stones, contained skeletons that were placed in a specific manner. They were oriented east-west with the heads positioned on the eastern side. Next to the legs on the western side, the archaeologists found earthen pots and pottery shards and other artefacts, including conch-shell bangles, beads made of stones and terracotta, numerous lithic tools and grinding stones. The discovery shed light on the custom and burial rituals that were prevalent during the early Harappan phase. The majority of burial pits had five to six pots.

Q) Consider the following statements about Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD):

1. Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa on the same day in 1912.
2. PBD is an annual event organized by the Ministry of External Affairs.
3. The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention was organized in the city of Indore.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9th as it was the date when Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915. It is an event celebrated in India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. Over the years, Mahatma Gandhi has often been described as the first non-resident Indian.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: PBD is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry and other organisations. It is celebrated once every two years. A High-Level Committee on Indian Diaspora had recommended in 2002 that the Government must renew and strengthen linkages of overseas Indians to their place of origin, and with each other. The idea of a day to have the Government recognize the community flowed from this and was held in 2003. It provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and enable the diaspora to interact with each other.
• Statement 3 is correct: 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was organized in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. To highlight the contribution of Indian diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence, the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on the theme ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle’ was inaugurated. The theme of this PBD Convention is ‘Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal’. The feeling of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’ and Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat was underlined.

Q) With reference to airglow, consider the following statements:

1. Airglow is a slight emission of light by the atmosphere that causes distinct colours in the sky.
2. The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite was specifically launched to study airglow phenomena.
3. The primary atmospheric gas that causes the airglow phenomenon is nitrogen.

Which of the statements given above are not correct?

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

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The faint emission of light by the planetary atmosphere causes Airglow, which results in distinct colours in the sky. Airglow is a form of chemiluminescence, which is the result of atoms and molecules releasing particular amounts of energy (quanta) in the form of light. In the visible light spectrum, oxygen produces green and red light, hydroxyl (OH) molecules produce red light, and sodium produces a sickly yellow.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) was a NASA scientific research satellite within NASA’s Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) Research Program, a three-satellite mission. ERBS was launched in 1984 aboard the space shuttle Challenger and deactivated in 2005. It is designed to investigate the Earth’s radiation budget. It also carried an instrument that studied stratospheric aerosol and gases. An instrument on board ERBS, the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) collected data that confirmed the ozone layer was declining on a global scale. Recently, SAGE III on the International Space Station collects data on the health of the ozone layer.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Nitrogen, while far more abundant in the air than sodium, does not contribute much to airglow. This phenomenon results in the sky not always remaining blue, while at the same time resulting in a glow-in-the-dark night sky with a mix of green, yellow and red.

Q) With reference to the election process of the speaker in India and the USA, consider the following statements:

1. Both need to be a member of the lower house in order to be elected as the speaker.
2. Both are elected by the lower house for a period of five years.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The US Congress, i.e. the legislative Branch, consists of the House of Representatives (lower chamber), along with the Senate (upper chamber). In the USA the full House of Representatives votes for the speaker on the first day of a new Congress. A candidate must gain a majority of votes cast. If no candidate reaches the threshold of majority votes, the House will continue voting until someone does. The record for the longest vote was set in 1856 when it took 133 ballots and two months to choose a speaker. The speaker in the USA is not required to be a House Member but all the speakers elected till date has always been a house member. In India, Lok Sabha Speaker needs to be a Lok Sabha member to be elected.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: In India the speaker holds office from his/her election till immediately before the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after the dissolution of the one to which he/she was elected. But in the USA the speaker is elected by the house every 2 years. The Speaker in the USA is second in line for the presidency, following the Vice-President, in the event of the President being incapable of continuing in office. The Vice President serves as presiding officer and President of the Senate by virtue of his/her office. While the Speaker serves as the political and parliamentary leader of the House of Representatives.

Q) Consider the following statements:

1. In 1848, Fatima Sheikh and Savitribai Phule founded the first girls’ school in India.
2. The Parshuram Kund is situated on the Bhagirathi River in the state of Uttarakhand.
3. Ottanthullal is recite-and-dance art-form of Kerala introduced by Kunchan Nambiar.
4. The Indian government started the Saharsh Initiative to promote social and emotional learning in school-going children.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

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

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Fatima Sheikh was the pioneer of girls’ education in India and also a pioneering teacher, anti-caste activist, supporter of girls’ education, and social reformer in 19th-century Maharashtra. She is considered to be India’s first Muslim woman teacher. Along with Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule, she started the first girls’ school in the country in 1848. Fatima and Savitribai visited individual families across the town in an attempt to persuade them into enrolling their children. In her attempt to educate girls, Fatima faced opposition from orthodox sections of both Hindus and Muslims.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Parshuram Kund is situated on the Brahmaputra Plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River, within the Kamlang Reserve Forest area, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is said to be the place where the sage Parshuram washed away his sins. It is a sacred pilgrimage site for Hindus. Every year, the site attracts pilgrims from Nepal and nearby states such as Manipur and Assam. Lohit is the Brahmaputra River’s farthest east tributary. The river originates in the Tirap Phasi Ranges of Eastern Tibet and flows for about 200 kilometres from Tibet to Arunachal Pradesh before merging with the Brahmaputra River in Assam.  The river flows through the red laterite soils of the Lohit Basin, and hence it is given the name “the river of blood”.
• Statement 3 is correct: Ottanthullal (or Thullal, in short) is recite-and-dance art-form of Kerala. It was introduced in the 18th century by the famous Malayalam poet Kunchan Nambiar. He used it as a medium to protest against the prevalent socio-political structure and prejudices of the society in his time. It went on to become the most popular folk art presented in Kerala temples. The performer himself sings and plays the story, and another person recites the same verses. The accompanying instruments for Ottanthullal are Mridangam and Idakka. Ottanthullal follows the classical principles of Natyasasthra.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The Tripura government has introduced a special education programme titled ‘Saharsh’, in an effort to encourage social and emotional learning. Under Saharsh Initiative, children won’t be pressured to study, rather they would be encouraged for social and emotional learning. Its initiatives are aimed at empowering children to learn with happiness.

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