[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 17 March 2023

Solution: c)

“Seaweed” is the common name for countless species of marine plants and algae that grow in the ocean as well as in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.

Some seaweeds are microscopic, such as the phytoplankton that live suspended in the water column and provide the base for most marine food chains. Some are enormous, like the giant kelp that grow in abundant “forests” and tower like underwater redwoods from their roots at the bottom of the sea. Most are medium-sized, come in colors of red, green, brown, and black, and randomly wash up on beaches and shorelines just about everywhere.

Seaweed is chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Solution: b)

The Mekong River is a trans-boundary river, flowing in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

It is the longest river in Southeast Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau, it runs across China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

It drains into the South China Sea.

Solution:  b)

Scientists have recorded four species of azooxanthellate corals from Indian waters. These non-reef building, solitary corals were found from the waters of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Azooxanthellate corals are a group of corals that do not contain zooxanthellae and derive nourishment not from the sun but from capturing different forms of plankton. These groups of corals are deep-sea representatives, with the majority of species reporting from between 200 m to 1000 m. Their occurrences are also reported from shallow coastal waters.

Zooxanthellate corals, meanwhile, are restricted to shallow waters.

Solution: a)

• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is India’s first-ever Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).
• It is a state-owned fund set up by the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India in 2015.
• The NIIF is an alternative for providing long-term capital for the infra-related projects.
• It is registered under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) under Category II Alternative Investment Fund.
• It is a collaborative investment platform for both international and Indian investors.

Currently, the NIIF is managing the Master Fund, Fund of Funds, and Strategic Fund.

Strategic Fund: This fund is registered as an Alternative Fund II under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in India. Strategic funds invest primarily in equity and equity-linked instruments.

Solution: b)

The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.