INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 27 March 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Who was Lachit Borphukan?
  • He was a commander in the Ahom kingdom.
  • Known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I to take over Ahom kingdom.
  • The battle of Saraighat was fought on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
  • The National Defence Academy (NDA), ever since 1999 has been conferring the best passing out cadet with the Lachit Borphukan gold medal.
• Background:
  • During the last phase of the Battle of Saraighat, when the Mughals attacked the Assamese forces through the river in Saraighat, many Assamese soldiers began losing their will to fight. It was Lachit’s clarion call to all the soldiers that made them fight till their last breath, ultimately resulting in the defeat of the Mughals.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/lachit-borphukan-2/

Ans: (d)

Explanation: What are electoral bonds?

• Announced in the 2017 Union Budget, electoral bonds are interest-free bearer instruments used to donate money anonymously to political parties.
• A bearer instrument does not carry any information about the buyer or payee.
• The holder of the instrument (which is the political party) is presumed to be its owner.
• The bonds are sold in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 1 crore, and State Bank of India is the only bank authorised to sell them.
• Donors can buy and subsequently donate bonds to a political party, which can encash the bonds through its verified account within 15 days.
• There is no limit on the number of bonds an individual or company can purchase.
• If a party hasn’t enchased any bonds within 15 days, SBI deposits these into the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/how-the-electoral-bonds-scheme-has-worked-so-far-and-why-it-has-been-challenged-in-sc/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, one of the best examples of temples preserved from the medieval period in India, is the largest of the western group of temples in the Khajuraho complex which was built by the Chandela rulers.
• Karla Cells are a complex of ancient Indian Buddhist rock-cut cave shrines located in Maharashtra. The caves house a Buddhist monastery dating back to the 2nd century BC.
• The Dashavatara temple is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples still surviving today. Vishnu Temple shows the ornate beauty seen in Gupta style architecture.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/development-of-iconic-tourist-destinations-scheme/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• In the central India, the Chandela rulers developed a distinct style of temple making of their own – known as Khajuraho school. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
• In these temples, both the interior and exterior walls were lavishly decorated with carvings.
• The temples were made of sandstone.
• Panchayatan style of temple making was followed. The temples were built on relatively high platform and belong to Hindu as well as Jain religion.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/development-of-iconic-tourist-destinations-scheme/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• About NISAR:
  • The satellite will be launched in 2022 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, into a near-polar orbit.
  • It will scan the globe every 12 days over the course of its three-year mission of imaging the Earth’s land, ice sheets and sea ice to give an “unprecedented” view of the planet.
  • It will detect movements of the planet’s surface as small as 0.4 inches over areas about half the size of a tennis court.
  • NASA will provide one of the radars for the satellite, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers and a payload data subsystem.
  • ISRO will provide the spacecraft bus, the second type of radar (called the S-band radar), the launch vehicle and associated launch services.
  • NISAR will be equipped with the largest reflector antenna ever launched by NASA and its primary goals include tracking subtle changes in the Earth’s surface, spotting warning signs of imminent volcanic eruptions, helping to monitor groundwater supplies and tracking the rate at which ice sheets are melting.
• Synthetic aperture radar:
  • The name NISAR is short for NASA-ISRO-SAR. SAR here refers to the synthetic aperture radar that NASA will use to measure changes in the surface of the Earth.
  • Essentially, SAR refers to a technique for producing high-resolution images. Because of the precision, the radar can penetrate clouds and darkness, which means that it can collect data day and night in any weather.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/what-is-nisar-the-joint-earth-observing-mission-of-nasa-and-isro/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: What are Cryptocurrencies?

• Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank.
• Examples: Bitcoin, Ethereum etc.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/why-centre-wants-cryptocurrency-holdings-mandatorily-disclosed-in-roc-filings/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: What is the Satkosia Tiger Reserve and why was it chosen?

• Located in Odisha.
• Satkosia falls under reserves where “there is a potential for increasing tiger populations”.
• Declared as a Tiger Reserve in 2007, Satkosia had a population of 12 tigers then. The numbers reduced to two in 2018.
• The purpose of the relocation was to repopulate tigers in the reserve areas.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/what-was-the-tiger-relocation-project/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• India’s first inter-state tiger translocation project was initiated in 2018 wherein two big cats, a male (Mahavir) from Kanha Tiger Reserve and a female (Sundari) from Bandhavgarh from Madhya Pradesh were relocated to Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, to shore up the tiger population in the state.
• Kanha National Park is nestled in the Maikal range of Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India that forms the central Indian highlands.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/what-was-the-tiger-relocation-project/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Shigmo is the celebration of a ‘rich, golden harvest of paddy’ by the tribal communities of Goa. It is a vibrant celebration full of colour, song and dance rooted in Goan culture and traditions.
• Agricultural communities including the Kunbis, Gawdas and Velips celebrate the festival that also marks the onset of spring.
• Folk dances like Ghodemodini (a dance of equestrian warriors), Gopha and Phugadi are among the many dances performed by the participating communities.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/03/27/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-27-march-2021/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• S1: The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.
• S2: Uttarakhand’s Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) has reported the highest tiger density among India’s 50 reserves with 14 tigers per 100 sq km, followed by Kaziranga, Nagarhole and Orang tiger reserves, according to the 656-page report ‘Status of Tigers Co-predators and Prey in India’, released by Union environment minister.
• S3: Two of the largest snakes in the world, the reticulated python and rock python, as well as the longest venomous snake in the world, the king cobra, inhabit the park. Other snakes found here include the Indian cobra, monocled cobra, Russell’s viper, and the common krait.

Refer: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-political-parties-are-invoking-rhinos-in-assam-7247802/