March 06 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• The Microsoft has introduced Dragon Copilot.
• About Dragon Copilot:
  • Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, it is a voice-activated AI assistant to streamline clinical documentation and reduce doctors’ administrative workload.
  • Primary Function: Automates transcription, drafts paperwork, and retrieves medical information.
  • Built on Existing Tools: Developed using Nuance Communications’ Dragon Medical One and DAX.

Answer: (a) Microsoft; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (d) is correct

• The Rajgond (ruling class among the Gond) tribe was in the news.
• About the Gond Tribe:
  • Ethno-linguistic Group: Gonds are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic tribal community.
  • Geographical Distributions: Largest populations in MP, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Odisha, with presence in several other states like Gujarat, Telangana, UP, and Karnataka.
  • Four Major Subgroups: Raj Gonds, Madia Gonds, Dhurve Gonds, and Khatulwar Gonds.
  • Native Language: Gondi, an unwritten Dravidian language.
  • Economic Practices: Agriculture, animal husbandry, and forest produce gathering.
  • Spiritual Practices: Worship clan and village gods, along with ancestor worship.
  • Major Festivals: Keslapur Jathra and Madai are traditional festivals; also celebrate Dussehra.

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

Explanation

Pairs 2 and 3 are incorrect

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

Explanation

Option (c) is incorrect, all other options are correct

• Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme approved in 2020 as a Central Sector Scheme, active till FY2032.
• Provides medium to long-term financing for post-harvest management and community farming assets.
• Total Fund Allocation: Rs. 1 lakh crore through banks & financial institutions. Need-based refinance support by NABARD is available to all eligible lending entities as per its policy.
• Financial Support: 3% interest subvention on eligible loans and credit guarantee under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) for loans up to Rs. 2 crores.
• Private entities like farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and startups can apply for up to 25 projects, each eligible for a ₹2 crore loan, while state agencies, cooperatives, FPOs, and SHGs have no such limit.
• Eligible Beneficiaries: Farmers, FPOs, PACs, SHGs, startups, agri-entrepreneurs, cooperative societies.
• Exclusions: Public Sector Undertakings (PSU’s) are directly not eligible under the scheme, but projects sponsored by them under PPP are eligible.
• Scope of Projects: Covers primary & secondary processing, modern storage, logistics & value addition.
• Monitoring: District, state, and national committees ensure timely project execution within 60 days.

Answer: (c) Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and Public Sec-tor Undertakings (PSUs) are directly eligible under the scheme; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct

• Two ropeway projects in Uttarakhand were approved under the Parvatmala Pariyojana.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Being executed by National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a special purpose vehicle of NHAI.
• Launched in: Union Budget 2022-23 as the National Ropeways Development Program.
• Objective: Development of ropeway and alternative mobility solutions technology. To improve connectivity and convenience for commuters, besides promoting tourism esp. in Hilly areas.
• Scope: 250+ ropeway projects covering 1,200+ km in the next five years.
• Implementation: Public-Private Partnership (PPP) under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).
• Funding for Parvatmala Pariyojana: 60% contribution by the Govt of India, 40% by private players.

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

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect and statement 3 is correct

• Civet Cats: Small, nocturnal mammals belonging to the family Viverridae. Civets are not cats. In fact, they are more closely related to mongooses than cats.
  • There are about 15 to 20 species of civets in the world.
• Distribution: Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe. They are Common in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Habitat: Tropical forests, grasslands etc.
• Physical Description: Thickly furred tail, small ears, and a pointed snout.
  • The colouration varies widely among the species but commonly is buff or greyish with a pattern of black spots or stripes or both.
• Diet: They are omnivorous (Eats fruits, small mammals, insects, and coffee cherries).
• Threat: Loss of habitat, commercial use etc.
  • Civets are historically known for their musky scent used in perfumes.

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Information 1 is correct

• Scientists confirmed that a man’s brain turned into glass during the 79 AD Mount Vesuvius eruption, marking the only known case of human brain vitrification.
• Vesuvius: It is a composite stratovolcano made up of pyroclastic flows, lava flows, and debris from lahars that accumulated to form the volcanic cone.
• Location: An active volcano in southern Italy, rising above the Bay of Naples on the Campania plain and the only active volcano on the European mainland.
• Geological Formation: Part of the Campanian volcanic arc, a line of volcanoes that formed over a subduction zone created by the convergence of African and Eurasian plates.
  • It is also a source of volcanoes like Mount Etna, Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei), Stromboli, etc.
• 79 AD Eruption: Vesuvius is most famous for the 79 AD eruption which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
• Distinctive Feature: A slab window (a gap/tear in a subducting tectonic plate where a section of the plate breaks away, creating an opening in the Earth’s mantle) beneath Vesuvius causes its rocks to be chemically different from other Campanian volcanoes.

Information 2 is incorrect

• New Zealand’s Mount Taranaki has been granted legal personhood, recognizing it as a living entity with rights, responsibilities, and powers, in a landmark agreement with Maori tribes.
• Mount Taranaki (Taranaki Maunga), also known as Mount Egmont, is located on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
• It is part of the Taranaki region, surrounded by lush forests and farmland, and is located within the Egmont National Park.
• It is a dormant stratovolcano, with a conical shape often compared to Japan’s Mount Fuji.
• Geologically, Taranaki Maunga is a relatively young mountain, formed by volcanic activity, and remains an active feature in the region’s seismic activity.

Information 3 is incorrect

• Mount Etna was exhibiting a rare phenomenon known as volcanic vortex rings, which resemble smoke rings produced by cigarette smokers.
• These rings are formed when the volcano emits gases in a specific manner, creating circular patterns in the atmosphere.
• It is an active volcano located on the east coast of Sicily, Italy.
  • Sicily: Largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
• It is the largest volcano in Europe and the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps.
• The volcano has five craters at its summit, which are responsible for most of its eruptions.
• Mount Etna has been designated as a World Heritage Site since 2013.

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

• Key Supreme Court Rulings:
  • Officers Enjoy Analogous Powers: Officers under the Customs Act and CGST Act have investigation, arrest, and seizure powers similar to police officers.
  • Bound by CrPC Restrictions: These officers must follow procedural safeguards under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973. In 2023, CrPC was replaced by Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
  • Extension of PMLA Safeguards: SC extended procedural protections from Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, to prevent misuse.
• Police vs. GST/Customs Officers:
• Legal Provisions Governing Arrests:
  • Customs Act: Cognizable offences like smuggling and duty evasion over ₹50 lahks allow arrest without a warrant, while non-cognizable offences need prior Magistrate approval.
  • CGST Act: Differentiates cognisable & non-cognizable offences based on the seriousness of tax evasion.
  • BNSS Sections 4 & 5: Applies to all arrests unless a specific provision in special laws states otherwise.
• Mandatory Safeguards for Arrests:
  • Evidence Requirement: Arrests must be based on sufficient material evidence, not mere suspicion.
  • Extension of DK Basu Guidelines (1997): Customs and GST officers must maintain detailed arrest records and wear visible identification badges for accountability.
  • Written Justification: Officers must document written reasons for arrest to ensure transparency.
  • Family Notification: A family member or authorised person must be informed immediately.
  • Legal Representation: Right to consult a lawyer, who must be present during interrogation.
  • Magistrate Oversight: The individual must be presented before a Magistrate within 24 hours.
  • Anticipatory Bail Allowed: Available in GST and Customs cases to prevent arbitrary detention.
  • No Forced Tax Payments: Tax officials cannot coerce payments under arrest threats.

Answer: (d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct; Difficulty Level: Hard