Current Affairs MCQs – June 01

The original stupa was commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE as a brick structure enshrining relics of the Buddha.
The stone toranas depicting Jataka tales and events from the Buddha’s life were added during the Satavahana period.
The Buddha is predominantly represented in human form on the toranas of Sanchi.

Sanchi Stupa is located in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated in 1989).
Its structure features a hemispherical dome called the anda, symbolising the cosmos, crowned by a harmika and chhatri.
Mauryan Emperor Ashoka built the Great Stupa in the 3^rd century BCE as a brick mound over Buddha’s relics. During the Shunga period, the brick core was encased in sandstone and nearly doubled in size.

The Satavahanas contributed four stone gateways, ‘Toranas’, which narrate Jataka tales and the Buddha’s life through aniconic symbols, like the Bodhi tree, lotus, and dharma wheel.
Modern Discovery: British officer General Taylor rediscovered Sanchi Stupa in 1818, and Sir John Marshall later spearheaded major restoration works.

The survey is funded and overseen by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, serving as the nodal agency.
Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12–23 months exceeded 85%.
The prevalence of women aged 20–24 years who were married before the age of 18 increased compared to the previous survey.

NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round household survey designed to gather reliable, district-level data on population, health, nutrition, and family welfare.
Scope: It tracks a broad spectrum of clinical and demographic indicators, ranging from maternal health, biomarkers, and nutrition to digital inclusion and women’s empowerment.
The survey is fully funded and directed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, serving as the primary nodal agency.

Child Immunity: Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months reached 87.1%, while rotavirus vaccine coverage increased from 36.4% to 85.4%. Childhood stunting dropped to 29.3%, severe acute wasting declined to 5.2%, and underweight prevalence fell marginally to 31.8%.

Family Planning: Women aged 20-24 who married before 18 decreased to 20.1%. The overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) improved to 69.1%. Physical or sexual spousal violence against married women decreased to 22.3%.

They are issued by Not-for-Profit Organisations (NPOs) to raise funds for social development projects through the Social Stock Exchange.
They pay no interest and do not return the principal amount at maturity.
They are transferable securities that can be freely traded on stock exchanges after issuance.

Financial instrument issued by Not-for-Profit Organisations to raise capital for social development projects.
It is exclusively listed on Social Stock Exchange segments of recognised stock exchanges such as BSE & NSE.

Unlike conventional bonds, the instrument pays no interest (Zero Coupon) and returns no principal at maturity (Zero Principal).
ZCZP functions as a transparent, regulated, and tax-deductible donation rather than a traditional financial investment. Returns are measured solely in social impact.
Legal Status: They are classified as ‘securities’ under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, bringing them under the full regulatory jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Holding & Transferability: ZCZPs must be issued exclusively in dematerialised (demat) form and remain strictly non-transferable from the original subscriber until the project’s tenure expires.

It proposes the creation of a National Frontier Semiconductor Research Programme and a National Design Hub to strengthen indigenous semiconductor innovation.
It aims to achieve complete semiconductor self-sufficiency and capture over 50% of the global semiconductor market by 2035.

NITI Aayog launched the “Future of India’s Semiconductor Industry,” a 10-year roadmap to develop a USD 120–150 billion domestic semiconductor value chain by 2035.

It focuses on deepening the ecosystem, aligning with India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0.
Key Targets: Capture 10–13% of the global semiconductor market; increase chip self-sufficiency to 15–25% by 2030 and to 35–50% by 2035.
Five Pillars:
1. Pioneering: Creating a National Frontier Semiconductor Research Programme, over 100 advanced semiconductor design IPs by 2035, and a National Design Hub.
2. Policy & Investment: Forming an autonomous National Semiconductor Nodal Agency and mandating strategic domestic procurement in defence, smart grids, telecom, and railways.
3. Production: Focusing on areas of structural advantage like advanced packaging, mature-node fabrication and compound semiconductors.
4. People: Establishing specialised institutions like the National Fab Academy to develop a skilled workforce across the entire semiconductor value chain.
5. Partnership: Building alliances with global leaders (US, Japan, South Korea, EU) to secure critical minerals and integrate India into the semiconductor network.