[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 14 March 2023

Solution: b)

Astronomers have found a ring around a dwarf planet, located in the Kuiper Belt at the solar system’s edge, called Quaoar, according to a new study.

With an estimated radius of 555 km, Quaoar is roughly half the size of Pluto and orbits beyond Neptune. It also has a moon of its own, which is known as Weywot.

Kuiper Belt is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending beyond the orbit of Neptune. Similar to the asteroid belt, the Kuiper Belt is a region of leftovers from the solar system’s early history. 

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Solution: c)

A stellar occultation occurs when, as seen from Earth, a bright star passes behind a planet. This allows astronomers or anybody on Earth to observe the sharp silhouette of the planet for a brief period of time. The phenomenon, which rarely occurs, is used by researchers to analyse a planet’s atmosphere and determine if it has a ring around it — in 1977, scientists discovered the Uranian ring system with the help of stellar occultation.

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Solution: d)

Who are payment aggregators?

Online payment aggregators can onboard digital merchants and accept payments on their behalf after getting a licence from the RBI. The central bank introduced a framework for such entities in March 2020.

Under the payment aggregator framework, only firms approved by the RBI can acquire and offer payment services to merchants, which brings them under the direct purview of the regulator.

According to RBI rules, a company applying for aggregator authorisation must have a minimum net worth of Rs 15 crore in the first year of application, and at least Rs 25 crore by the second year. It also must fulfil the “fit and proper” criteria, and be compliant with global payment security standards.

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Solution: d)

Lavani, a folk song-and-dance performance that is popular in Maharashtra.

The word Lavani comes from ‘lavanya’ or beauty. Lavani is a traditional folk art form in which women dancers wearing nine-yard-long sarees in bright colours, make-up, and ghunghroos perform on dholak beats on a stage before a live audience.

As an indigenous art form, Lavani has a history going back several centuries, and it attained particular popularity in the Peshwa era in the 18th century. Traditionally, performances were held in front of kings or lords, and for the entertainment of tired soldiers resting during breaks in fighting.

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Solution: c)

Punjab saw its first state-level ‘shrimp mela’ (shrimp fair) recently.

Shrimp farming is an aquaculture-based activity in marine or freshwater environments to produce shrimp for human consumption. 

Why was shrimp farming introduced in Punjab?

South-west Punjab has saline underground water not fit for agriculture. Also, waterlogging is a perennial issue in this belt. Therefore, shrimp farming was proposed as a solution for farmers whose land was lying unutilised.

What are the various schemes for shrimp farmers?

At present, various schemes are being run under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), which started in 2021 and will run till 2025 to promote ‘blue revolution’.