December 31 2024 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

• On March 20, 1927, some prominent Muslim leaders met in Delhi and put forward certain proposals on the Hindu-Muslim problem. These proposals laid down that Muslims were prepared to agree to joint electorates in all provinces and the central legislature, provided that the following conditions were met:

Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct, but statement 3 is incorrect

1. The Muslims were to be given a minimum of one-third representation in the central legislature.
2. In the Punjab and Bengal (Muslim-majority provinces), representation was to be given in proportion to the population.
3. Three Muslim-majority provinces should be formed – Sindh, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and Baluchistan.
   • Sindh was to be made into a Muslim-majority province separated from Bombay presidency.
   • The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan should be raised to the status of self–governing provinces.

• Jinnah played an important role in preparing this list of demands.
• These proposals were communicated to Congress, and the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution the next day appreciating the decision of the Muslim Conference to accept joint electorates.

Answer: (c) 1, 2 and 4; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement I is not correct, but Statement II is correct

• Karnataka HC upheld a transgender woman’s right to update her name and gender on her birth certificate under the Transgender Persons Act 2019, overriding older restrictive laws.
• The Transgender Persons Act, 2019:
  • Allows transgender individuals to affirm their gender identity legally (Section 6).
  • Under it, post-sex-reassignment surgery, individuals can obtain a revised identity certificate (Section 7).
  • It mandates reflecting revised identity and name on all official records, including birth certificates.
  • The 2020 Rules clearly list birth certificates as eligible for changes under the Act’s provisions.
• The challenges in Legal and Social Recognition of transgenders include:
  • Restrictive 1969 Act Provisions which allows changes in birth certificates only for errors, fraud or incorrect entries (Section 15).
  • Failure to Harmonize Laws such as the older general laws (1969 Act) and newer specific laws (2019 Act) lack alignment, causing inconsistencies.
  • Authorities often miss prescribed timelines for updating records leading to inconsistent Implementation.
  • Officials and transgender individuals lack knowledge of rights and procedures and have Limited Awareness.
  • Hesitation to align older enactments like the 1969 Act with the 2019 Act.
  • Document discrepancies lead to a “dual life,” causing harassment, missed opportunities, and social stigma

Answer: (d) Statement I is not correct, but Statement II is correct; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The SpaDeX mission demonstrates India’s ability to control spacecraft at high velocities, which is essential for future deep space missions.
• Docking is crucial for heavy payload missions, Bharatiya Antariksh Station assembly, Chandrayaan-4’s re-entry and sample return, and the proposed Indian Space Station.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• ISRO successfully launched its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission on December 30, 2024, aiming to make India the fourth country to demonstrate orbital docking.
  • Only the US, Russia & China have successfully demonstrated space docking.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• Dr. Vikram Sarabhai is referred to as the “Mahatma Gandhi of Indian Science” because of his significant contributions to the field of science. He was revered so by the Former President APJ Abdul Kalam.
• Legacy and contributions of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai include:
  • The establishment of the ISRO was one of his greatest achievements. He was also Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
  • Dr. Sarabhai had a huge role in setting up the first rocket launching station in India at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) near Thiruvananthapuram.
  • He started a project to fabricate and launch an Indian Satellite. As a result, the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian Cosmodrome.
  • His dialogue with NASA in 1966 led to the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) launch between July 1975 and July 1976.
• In 1974, the International Astronomical Union at Sydney decided that a Moon Crater BESSEL in the Sea of Serenity would be known as the Sarabhai Crater.
• He was honoured with several awards including Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Medal (1962), Padma Bhushan (1966), and Padma Vibhushan (1972, posthumous).

Answer: (b) Dr. Vikram Sarabhai; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The survey, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), presents insights into household spending patterns across rural and urban India.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Key Findings:
• Food Expenditure:
  • Increased Share: Rural food expenditure rose to 47.04% in 2023-24 from 46.38% in 2022-23; urban share grew to 39.68% from 39.17%.
  • Beverages & Processed Foods: Highest spending share — 11.09% (rural) and 9.84% (urban).
  • Milk & Milk Products: Second highest — 8.44% (rural) and 7.19% (urban).
  • Vegetables & Cereals: Significant contributors, with rural areas prioritising cereals and urban areas emphasising fruits.

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• RBI has constituted a committee to develop a Framework for Responsible and Ethical Enablement of Artificial Intelligence (FREE-AI) in the Financial Sector to ensure the ethical use of AI.
• It is an eight-member committee chaired by Professor Pushpak Bhattacharyya from IIT Bombay.
• The Committee will assess the current level of adoption of AI in financial services globally and in India.
• It will recommend an evaluation, mitigation, and monitoring framework and consequent compliance re-quirements for financial institutions, including banks, NBFCs, FinTechs, PSOs, etc.

All four options are correct

• Initiatives by India to Promote Ethical Use of AI in the Financial Sector:
  • MuleHunter.ai: The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) developed this AI/ML-based solution to detect and mitigate money mule accounts used for financial fraud.
  • Regulatory Sandbox Initiatives: RBI introduced this framework in 2019. This initiative allows FinTech companies to test innovative financial products in a controlled environment under regulatory supervision.
  • National Strategy on AI (NSAI): It was released by NITI Aayog in 2018. It aims to harness AI for inclu-sive growth and outlines a roadmap for adopting AI in various sectors, including finance.
  • Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023: The act outlines principles such as data minimisation, lawful data collection, and accountability, ensuring that personal data is handled responsibly.

Answer: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Kashmir Valley experienced its coldest winter night in five decades, with temperatures dropping to -8.5 degree celsius, marking the start of Chillai Kalan.

• The name “Chillai Kalan” comes from the Mughal era in Kashmir, when Persian was the official language.
• “Chila Kalan” is a Persian word where “Chila” means to stay indoors.

Statement 2 is correct

• International Pheran Day is celebrated in Kashmir on December 21, marking the start of Chillai Kalan.
• The sun is hardly seen during this period, so Kashmiris rely on the traditional fire pot called ‘Kanger’ for warmth.
• Despite the harsh winter, this period benefits farmers, especially apple growers.

Statement 3 is correct

• The cold wave continues even after Chilai Kalan in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• Turkey has tested firing of supersonic missile from the Bayraktar Akinci drone.
• Bayraktar Akinci is a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) manufactured by the Turkish defence company Baykar.
• It is capable of conducting operations that are performed with fighter jets.
• It carries electronic support systems, dual satellite communication systems, air-to-air, collision avoidance & synthetic aperture radar.
• It is equipped with dual artificial intelligence avionics, which supports signal processing, sensor fusion, and situational awareness in real-time.
• It can also be used in air-to-ground & air-to-air attack missions.
• Other Features: Error-Resilient System Architecture, Cross-Redundant Ground Control Station, precise auto take-off and Landing with built-in Sensor Fusion, and Fully Autonomous Take–Off and Landing In-dependent of Ground Control Systems.

Answer: (b) Turkey; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Information 1 is correct

• The Kerala government was in the news for being penalized due to its failure to protect both the lakes.
• Ashtamudi Wetland:
  • It is a natural backwater in the Kollam district. National Waterway 3 passes through it.
  • It is the second-largest estuarine ecosystem in Kerala.
  • It forms an estuary with the sea at Neendakara (a famous fishing harbour in Kerala).
  • River Kallada and Pallichal drain into it.
• Vembanad-Kol Wetland:
  • It is the largest brackish lake of Kerala, spanning across Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts.
  • It is the second-largest Ramsar Site in India after Sundarbans.
  • It is also the longest lake in India. It is below sea level and is famous for paddy fields that are below sea level.

Information 2 is incorrect

• Kaas Plateau, located in Maharashtra, is in the news for its unique environmental characteristics and a study on the shift of the Indian monsoon.

Information 3 is correct

• Yaya Tso, located in Ladakh, is in the news as it has been declared Ladakh’s first Biodiversity Heritage Site.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Medium