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Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 9 February 2023

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2023

Q) Recently seen in news, the term ‘Bard’ is best related to which one of the following?

  1. An Earth observation satellite launched by NASA.
  2. A technology to date the archaeological remains.
  3. An artificial intelligence-powered chatbot.
  4. The new software to interpret the undeciphered Harappan script.

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 8 February 2023

Explanation:

  • Option (3) is correct: Google has announced a new AI Chatbot called ‘Bard’. Google Bard is an AI-powered chatbot that can respond to various inquiries in a conversational manner. Bard is based on the Google’s Language Model for Dialogue Application or LaMDA. LaMDA, introduced in 2021 by Google, is a generative language model for dialogue applications. It enables Google Assistant to converse on any topic. Bard will use artificial intelligence to generate answers in text when people type in queries, like what Chat GPT does. ChatGPT is a large language model chatbot developed by startup called OpenAI. It has ability to interact in conversational dialogue form and provide responses that can appear human-like. ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM). Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained with massive amounts of data to accurately predict what word comes next in a sentence. Chat GPT Cannot access real-time information from the Internet; while Bard draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.

Q) With reference to child marriage, consider the following statements:

  1. As per the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, all child marriages are both illegal and void.
  2. Those men who marry girls of age 14 to 18 are booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012.

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:

  • Both statements are incorrect: Men who married girls below 14 years of age would be booked under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and those marrying girls between 14 and 18 years would be booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA). The POCSO Act, of 2012criminalises sex between a minor and an adult. The law does not recognize a minor’s consent as valid. Sexual assault under POCSO is a non-bailable, cognisable offence (police can make an arrest without a warrant). So, a presumption of sexual assault is made in cases of child marriage involving minor girls below the age of 14. Sexual assault, which is not penetrative, carries a minimum imprisonment of three years that may extend to five years with a fine. Under Section 19, the Act imposes a “mandatory reporting obligation” which requires every person who suspects or has knowledge of a sexual offence being committed against a child must report it to the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit. Failure to do so will result in imprisonment, a fine, or both. PCMA, 2006 says that child marriages are illegal but not void. They are voidable at the minor’s choice if he/she petitions the court to declare the marriage null and void. The Act stipulates 18 years as the minimum marriageable age for women, while for men it is 21 years. The Act punishes child marriage with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to two years or with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or both. The punishment also extends to anyone who performs, conducts, directs, or abets any child marriage.

Q) Consider the following statements about ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ scheme:

  1. It is a voluntary settlement scheme for contractual disputes with government agencies.
  2. The organizations in which the Union government owns a Fifty percent stake are free to opt out of the scheme.
  3. Both domestic and foreign arbitration will be covered by this scheme.

Which of the statements given above is/are 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: Vivad Se Vishwas is a voluntary settlement scheme with all government agencies, proposed by the Finance Ministry. It has been named as Vivad se Vishwas II (Contractual Disputes) scheme and will bring finality to the contractual dispute settlement with government agencies, where an arbitral award is under legal challenge. It will be implemented through an online functionality on the Government-Marketplace (GeM) portal. The settlement will be done by offering graded settlement terms depending on pendency level of the dispute.
  • Statement 2 is correct but statement 3 is incorrect: The scheme will be applicable to Central government agencies, including autonomous bodies, public sector banks and financial institutions, central public sector firms, union territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi and their agencies. However, organisations like metro corporations, where the Union government has a 50% stake, can choose to opt out of the scheme at their discretion after securing board approvals. The Scheme will only cover domestic arbitration and not international arbitration. CPSEs are also eligible to submit their claims under the scheme if they are the contractors/ suppliers in a particular contract. It will cover disputes up to 30 September 2022. Claims which are raised against procuring entities along with some other party like the State Government or private party will not be eligible under the scheme.The dispute resolution will ensure fresh investment and also enhance the ease of doing business with the Government.

Q) Consider the following statements about ‘Raja Ram Mohan Roy’:

  1. The Mughal Emperor Farukhsiyar gave the title of ‘Raja’ to Ram Mohan Roy.
  2. He published his first book, Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin, in 1803.
  3. The Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award is given annually to only those individuals who have done exemplary social work.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

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

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is incorrect but statement 2 is correct: Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was bestowed with the title of Raja by Akbar II, the Mughal emperor. Gopal Krishna Gokhale called him the ‘Father of Modern India’.He advocated for the elimination of practices such as sati (widow immolation) and child marriage. He founded the Atmiya Sabha in 1814, the Calcutta Unitarian Association in 1821, and the Brahmo Sabha in 1828 which later became the Brahmo Samaj. In 1825, he established a Vedanta college where courses in both Indian learning and Western social and physical sciences were offered. He published his first book Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin (A Gift to Monotheism) in 1803. He wrote a book called “The Precepts of Jesus: The Guide to Peace and Happiness” in 1820. He translated the Vedas and the five Upanishads into Bengali to prove his conviction that ancient Hindu texts support monotheism. He started the first Bengali language weekly newspaper and the first newspaper in the Indian language, called SambadKaumudi, in 1821.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award is an annual award given in India in recognition of contributions made by individuals and organizations in the field of social change and reform. The award is given in various categories, including education, journalism, social work, and community service, and is usually presented by the President of India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy published English weekly called the Bengal Gazette and a Persian newspaper called Miratul-Akbar.

Q) With reference to ‘Bio-fertilizers’, consider the following statements:

  1. They are usually made up of living organisms such as mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria.
  2. They increase the crop yield by more than Forty percent and can also completely replace chemical fertilizers.
  3. The central government has made the use of bio-fertilizers compulsory for growing high-value agricultural commodities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is correct but statement 3 is incorrect: Biofertilizers are supplements that contain microbes, which help in promoting the growth of plants by increasing the supply of essential nutrients to the plants. They are usually made up of living organisms such as mycorrhizal fungi, blue-green algae, and bacteria. The micro-organisms present in biofertilizers restore the soil’s natural nutrient cycle and build soil organic matter, helping in the growth of plants. The Union government has recently informed the parliament that there are no proposals to make bio-fertilizers compulsory in agricultural practices.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect: Various benefits of bio-fertilizers are:
  • Bio-fertilizers can improve crop yields by 10-25% and supplement chemical fertilizers by nearly 20-25% without any reduction in production.
  • Biofertilizers promote healthy soil, leading to greater farming sustainability.
  • It can reduce fertilizer subsidies drastically.
  • Stimulate plant growth.
  • Activate the soil biologically.
  • Restore natural soil fertility.
  • Provide protection against drought and some soil borne diseases.

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FAQs

The term ‘Bard’ is best related to which?

An artificial intelligence-powered chatbot.

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