Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (20 November 2023)


Current Affairs MCQs Quiz for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, MPPSC. BPSC, RPSC & All State PSC Exams

Date: 20 November 2023


1. Consider the following statements, with reference to Pahari painting:

1. Pahari painting is a style of miniature painting that developed in the independent states of the Himalayan foothills in India.
2. The roots of the miniature painting tradition traces back to the Buddhist Pala dynasty.
3. Pahari paintings is confined to religious epics such as Mahabharat and Ramayana, Puranas, and Gita.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Pahari denotes ‘hilly or mountainous’ in origin. Pahari painting is a style of miniature painting that developed in the independent states of the Himalayan foothills in India. The roots of the miniature painting tradition go back to the Buddhist Pala dynasty, which ruled Bengal and Bihar from the 8th century until the end of the 11th century. Pahari paintings demonstrate challenges in their territorial classification. Pahari paintings featured both religious and secular subjects. Detailed paintings based on religious epics such as Mahabharat and Ramayana, Puranas, and Gita were frequently painted in the style. Basohli painting is a school of Pahari miniature painting that flourished in the Indian hill states during the late 17th and the 18th centuries, known for its bold vitality of colour and line. Miniature painting also flourished in the Deccan region between the 16th and 19th centuries. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.


2. Consider the following statements, with reference to PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya MahaAbhiyan:

1. It aims to ensure last-mile welfare scheme delivery and protection for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
2. Under the scheme, monthly cash assistance will be provided for tribal children's education.

Which of the above statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (A)

Explanation:
PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya MahaAbhiyan aims to ensure holistic development of tribal groups. It is meant to ensure last-mile welfare scheme delivery and protection for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The scheme aims to benefit and saturate the families and habitations with basic facilities. It is a 24,000-crore project for vulnerable tribal groups. It was launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (Tribal Pride Day). Modi also launched the Visksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, a nationwide programme to reach out to all villages and include those eligible for various central schemes. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.


3. Consider the following statements, with reference to Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978:

1. . It is a preventive detention law where a person can be held under preventive detention up to two years.
2. The Act extents to all over India.
3. Article 22(a) of the Constitution states that no person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed.

How many of the statements given above are not correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

Answer: (A)

Explanation: Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978 is also called as The Jammu And Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978. The act extents only to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a preventive detention law where a person can be held under preventive detention up to two years. It is very similar to the National Security Act that is used by other state governments for preventive detention. A person can be detained for the following reasons:
- Threat to the maintenance of the public order to the state.
- Smuggling or abetting the smuggling of liquor.
- Engaging in transporting or concealing or keeping smuggled liquor.
When a person is detained under the PSA, the District Magistrate or Divisional Commissioners communicates the reason for the detention in writing, within 5 days. In exceptional circumstances, the DM can take 10 days to communicate these grounds. Article 22(a) of the Constitution states that no person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.


4. With reference to the Global TB Report 2023, consider the following statements:

1. TB is the world’s highest leading cause of death from a single infectious agent in 2022.
2. India’s TB mortality increased in the year 2022 as compared to year 2021.
3. There was an increase in reporting of TB cases in 2022.
4. India accounts for approximately one-fourth of the total TB cases in the world

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

Answer: (B)

Explanation: TB remained the world’s second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent in 2022. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
This reduced India’s contribution towards global mortality from 36 per cent in the previous years to 26 percent in 2022. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
There was an increase in reporting of TB cases, crossing even the pre-pandemic high with 24.2 lakh cases in 2022. Hence, statement 3 is correct. India accounts for 27 percent of the total TB cases globally, according to the recently released Global TB Report 2023 by the World Health Organisation. Hence, statement 4 is correct.
India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, which accounted for a large share (60%) of global reductions in the number of people newly diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2020 and 2021, all recovered to levels higher than in 2019.


5.Midhili, Hamoon and Mocha were in the news recently, they are:

(a) Recent Earthquake epicenters in Nepal
(b) Cyclones in the Indian Ocean Region
(c) Mountain ranges in the Atlantic Ocean
(d) Volcanic region in Hawaii Island

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Cyclone Midhili, which crossed the Bangladesh coast weakened from a ‘deep depression’ into a ‘depression’, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). “Deep Depression (remnant of Cyclonic Storm “Midhili”) over Tripura & adjoining Bangladesh weakened into a Depression and about 50 km east-southeast of Agartala and 160 km southwest of Silchar. Mizoram, Tripura, and Assam witnessed rainfall of varied intensity through Friday. Meanwhile, the first day of the three-day Meghalaya Cherry Blossom Festival was canceled due to bad weather conditions. The cyclonic storm was also expected to bring heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and some parts of Odisha but no major impact was felt in these areas, according to the IMD. Cyclone Midhili is the second cyclonic formation to hit the Bangladesh coast quickly after cyclone Hamoon. The name ‘Midhili’ was given by the Maldives. Countries affected by the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal cyclones rotationally give names of cyclones in a sequence. Hence, option (b) is correct.