[MISSION 2022] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 8 December 2021 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS – INSIGHTSIAS

Ans: (c)

Explanation: Significance of Raigad fort:

• The fort, which was earlier called Rairi, was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12th century.
• The fort changed hands a number of times from the dynasty of Bahaminis to the Nizamshahis and then the Adilshahis.
• In 1656, Chhatrapati Shivaji captured it from the More’s of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate.
• In 1662, Shivaji formally changed the fort’s name to Raigad and added a number of structures to it. By 1664, the fort had emerged as the seat of Shivaji’s government.
• The fort not only helped Shivaji challenge the supremacy of the Adilshahi dynasty but also opened up the routes towards Konkan for the extension of his power.
• Why is it significant?
  • The fort was known to early Europeans as the Gibraltar of the East. Its decisive feature is a mile and a half flat top which has adequate room for buildings. In its prime, the fort had 300 stone houses and a garrison of 2,000 men.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/12/08/significance-of-raigad-fort/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• NASA has launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD).
  • It is the agency’s first-ever laser communications system.
  • The LCRD will help the agency test optical communication in space.
• LCRD is a technology demonstration that will pave the way for future optical communications missions.
  • The LCRD payload is hosted onboard the US Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6).
  • It will be in a geosynchronous orbit,over 35,000km above Earth.
• The LCRD mission is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/12/08/what-is-nasas-new-communications-system-lcrd/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Gadgil Commission after its chairman Madhav Gadgil, was an environmental research commission appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of India. The commission submitted the report to the Government of India on 31 August 2011. The Expert Panel approached the project through a set of tasks, such as:
  • Compilation of readily available information about Western Ghats
  • Development of Geo-spatial database based on environmental sensitivity, and
  • Consultation with Government bodies and Civil society groups.
• The Kasturirangan Commission has sought to balance the two concerns of development and environment protection, by watering down the environmental regulation regime proposed by the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel’s Gadgil report in 2012.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/12/08/kasturirangan-committee-on-western-ghats/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Western Ghats is an extensive region spanning over six States. It is the home of many endangered plants and animals. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• It is one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world.
• According to UNESCO, the Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/12/08/kasturirangan-committee-on-western-ghats/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force of the Indian Army, dating back to 1835 under the British Raj, raised under the name Cachar Levy. The present name of “Assam Rifles” has been used since 1917.
• It is the only paramilitary force with a dual control structure. While the administrative control of the force is with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), its operational control is with the Indian Army, which is under the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/12/08/assam-rifles-dual-control-structure/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1:  Matters of urgent importance can be raised in Adjournment motion.
• S2 and S3:  MPs hold the executive accountable by asking questions, and supplementary questions.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2017

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Motupalli famous trading seaport, now in the Krishna district, was an important sea-port in the kingdom of Ganpati (an important Kakatiya ruler), frequented by foreign merchants.
• Marco Polo- the famous Venetian traveler visited Kakatiya kingdom through this port and wrote about the prosperity and power in Andhra Desha in his travelogue.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2017

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1: The GCCA was established by the European Union (EU) in 2007 to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).
• Statement 2: By fostering effective dialogue and cooperation on climate change, the Alliance helps to ensure that poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change increase their capacities to adapt to the effects of climate change, in support of the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).
• Statement 3: There is no mention of WRI and WBCSD at the official partners page of GCCA, even though a lot of other institutions are mentioned like FAO, UNDP etc.
• http://www.gcca.eu/about-the-gcca/partners

Refer: UPSC CSE 2017