Daily Current Affairs for UPSC

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2023

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

A deadly fungus
A rare Earth element
An artificial sweetener
A bacteria used in plastic recycling

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 29 June April 2023

Explanation:

Option (3) is correct: The cancer research arm of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to list the popular sugar substitute aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Chemically, aspartame is a methyl ester of the dipeptide of two natural amino acids, L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine. It was discovered by James M Schlatter, a chemist at the American pharmaceutical company G D Searle & Co. (which is now a subsidiary of Pfizer) in 1965. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar. This makes aspartame far less sweet than other artificial sweeteners like advantame and neotame. 1 gram of aspartame has the sweetness intensity of roughly 2 teaspoons (about 8 g) of sugar. Aspartame is one of the world’s most common artificial sweeteners and is used in a wide range of diet soft drinks, sugar-free chewing gum, sugar-free ice cream, sugar-free breakfast cereals, etc. Aspartame is preferred by people trying to cut calories or lose weight, or by diabetics, because while 2 teaspoons (8 g) of sugar provides about 32 kcals of energy, 1 g of aspartame is only 4 kcals.

Q) Consider the following statements about groundwater extraction:

Excessive groundwater extraction is one of the contributing factors to global sea level rise.
The Earth’s axis of rotation can be affected by the over-extraction of groundwater for agriculture.
The greatest impact on the Earth’s rotation is caused by groundwater extraction in regions close to the poles.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

Only one
Only two
All three
None

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct but statement 3 is incorrect: The excessive extraction of groundwater for drinking and irrigation has shifted the Earth’s axis of rotation, according to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The study noted that humans pumped out around 2,150 gigatons of groundwater between 1993 and 2010, and the planet’s axis has drifted at the rate of 4.36 cm per year towards the east. Although the shift isn’t significant enough to have real-life consequences, the study observed that excessive groundwater extraction contributes to global sea level rise. The study also noted that the groundwater extraction from North America and northwestern India, both located at the Earth’s midlatitudes, had an outsized impact on Earth’s rotational axis in comparison to the extraction taking place in poles or equators.
Statement 2 is correct: When humans extract groundwater from underground reservoirs, the water is typically used for irrigation or as a freshwater source. Eventually, a significant portion of this extracted water finds its way back into the oceans, resulting in sea level rise. Hence, the extraction of groundwater changes the distribution of mass on Earth’s surface. This alteration in mass distribution affects the planet’s moment of inertia, which is a measure of how mass is distributed around the axis of rotation. Any changes in moment of inertia can lead to shifts in the rotational axis of the Earth.

Q) With reference to Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), consider the following statements:

GMRT aims to study rapidly rotating Pulsars in the galaxy.
GMRT functions within the frequency bandwidth of more than 3000 MHz.
It is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

Only one
Only two
All three
None

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) was among the world’s six large telescopes that played a vital role in providing evidence confirming the presence of gravitational waves. GMRT is a very versatile instrument for investigating a variety of radio astrophysical problems. Two of its most important astrophysical objectives are:
To detect the highly redshifted spectral line of neutral Hydrogen expected from protoclusters or protogalaxies before they condensed to form galaxies in the early phase of the Universe.
Redshift represents the change in wavelength of the signal depending on the object’s location and movement.
To search for and study rapidly-rotating Pulsars in our galaxy.
Statement 2 is incorrect but statement 3 is correct: GMRT is a unique facility functioning within the frequency bandwidth of 100 MHz-1,500 MHz. GMRT has made a number of path-breaking discoveries and continues to remain a unique global facility. GMRT is a low-frequency radio telescope that helps investigate various radio astrophysical problems ranging from nearby solar systems to the edge of the observable universe. GMRT is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), located in Pune. The NCRA is a research institution in India in the field of radio astronomy and a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. GMRT is a project of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), operating under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

Q) Consider the following statements:

It is situated near the Hirakud Dam.
The vegetation in this area is predominantly dry deciduous forest, with a mix of teak, sal and bamboo.
Four-horned antelope, Indian leopard, Indian elephant, sambar, chital, gaur are some of the prominent faunal species found here.
It has been recently made completely free of any human settlement.

Which one of the following wildlife sanctuary is best described in the statements given above?

Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Kotagarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Explanation:

Option (2) is correct: Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary has been made completely free of any human settlement following one of the country’s largest ‘peaceful’ relocations of forest-dwellers. Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Bargarh district of Odisha and situated near the Hirakud Dam. Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River. It is the longest earthen dam in the world. The vegetation in the sanctuary is predominantly dry deciduous forest, with a mix of teak, sal, bamboo, and other plant species. Four-horned antelope, Indian leopard, Indian elephant, sambar, chital, gaur, etc. It is an important site for in situ conservation of wildlife and its habitat in the state of Odisha. In 2016, Union government has approved the Odisha government’s proposal to declare boundary periphery areas of Sunabeda and Debrigarh wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones (ESZ).

Q) With reference to First Information Report (FIR), consider the following statements:

A FIR is the information given to a police officer in writing as per the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In contrast to a regular FIR, which must be submitted within its jurisdiction, a “zero FIR” may be filed at any police station.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: A First Information Report (FIR) is the information given to a police officer in writing as per the provisions of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). From the point of view of an informant, the main purpose of an FIR is to set criminal law into motion. But for the police, the main purpose of an FIR is to obtain information about alleged criminal activity and take necessary steps to produce the perpetrator(s) before a court. All an informant must do to file an FIR is to visit the local police station and furnish information, orally or in writing, about the commission of an offence.
Statement 2 is correct: Unlike an FIR, which is restricted by jurisdiction, a zero FIR can be filed in any police station, regardless of whether the offence was committed under the jurisdiction of that particular police station. Whereas FIRs have serial numbers assigned to them, zero FIRs are assigned the number ‘0’. After a police station registers a zero FIR, it must transfer the complaint to a police station that has the jurisdiction to investigate the alleged offence. Once a zero FIR is transferred, the police station with the appropriate jurisdiction assigns it a serial number, thereby converting it into a regular FIR.