UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Apr 15 - Apr 21

• Ajeya Warrior: UK
• Indra: Russia
• Yudh Abhyas: US

• The National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) has been organised jointly by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

• United States, China, France and Russia rank among the largest producers of nuclear energy in the world. As per available data, India does not come even in the top ten nuclear energy producers currently.

• The cabinet committees are an extra-constitutional body, which means they are not mentioned in the Constitution.
• The Prime Minister sets up different cabinet committees with selected members of the Cabinet and assigns specific functions to these committees.
• All committees except Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are headed by Prime Minister.

• At the national level, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency to ensure the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

• Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan is a National Campaign for Dignity and Eradication of Manual Scavenging.
• It aims to eradicate the inhuman practice of manual scavenging and comprehensive rehabilitation of manual scavengers in India.
• Hence Option D is correct.

• Concurrent List has 52 subjects enumerated under it.
• 42nd amendment Act 1976 shifted below mentioned five subjects from State list to Concurrent List:
• Education
• Forests
  • Protection of wild animals and birds
  • Weights and measures and
  • Administration of justice, constitution and organization of all courts except the Supreme Court and the High Courts
• State List (List II) contains 66 items: state court fees, prisons, local government, public order, police, public health and sanitation, hospitals and dispensaries, pilgrimages within India, intoxicating liquors, relief of disabled and unemployable, libraries, communications, agriculture, animal husbandry, water supply, irrigation and canals, fisheries, road passenger tax and goods tax, taxes on luxuries, including taxes on entertainments, capitation tax and others.
• Hence Option A is correct.

• Nomination of members to Rajya Sabha, DPSP and method of election of President are the features borrowed from the Irish Constitution. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The 104th amendment of the Indian Constitution removed the reserved seats for the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Hence statement 2 is not correct.

• The inverse relationship between the unemployment rate and inflation when graphically charted is called the Phillips curve. It is a single-equation economic model named after William Phillips.
• The Phillips curve remains the primary framework for understanding and forecasting inflation used in central banks.
• Hence Option B is correct.

• The State is the politically organized people of a definite territory.
• State is “a community of persons, more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory, independent, or nearly so, of external control, and possessing an organized government to which the great body of inhabitants render habitual obedience.”
• Hence Option A is correct.

• SARAS-3 is an indigenously built telescope that was developed by the researchers of Raman Research Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology.  It is not mounted on India’s first multi-wavelength astronomical observatory AstroSat. Hence Statement 1 is not correct.
• SARAS-3 is a niche high-risk high-gain experimental effort to detect extremely faint radio wave signals from the depths of time, from our ‘Cosmic Dawn’. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Its chief distinguishing characteristic is that it can be deployed on water bodies. The many layers of soil were themselves a source of radio wave contamination for ground based telescopes. Given that the purpose is to detect a highly elusive signal, water would be an ideal medium, the group reckoned, to make such a sensitive measurement. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• The NASA Perseverance Rover is a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars 2020 Mission. It is nicknamed ‘Percy’.Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Perseverance carries a radioisotope power system. This power system produces a dependable flow of electricity using the heat of plutonium’s radioactive decay as its “fuel.”Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Perseverance also carried the Ingenuity helicopter (nicknamed Ginny). Ingenuity is a technology demonstration to test the first powered flight on Mars. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• Nasik caves are ancient rock-cut caves built on the Trirashmi hill about 3004 feet above the sea, hence are called Trirashmi Caves. They are also known as Pandavleni Caves.
• The Pandavleni caves are a group of 24 caves which are Hinayana Faith Buddhist Caves.Hence Statement 1 is not correct.
• The caves have the magnificent idols of Buddha and the popular Jain Tirthankaras such as Vrishabhdeo, the icons of Bodhisattva, Veer Manibhadra Ji and Ambikadevi are also there. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Trirashmi caves are great examples of intricate carving and craftsmanship with outstanding sculptures.
• The Inscriptions in the Nasik Caves belong to the Kshatrapa dynasty, Satavahana dynasty. Hence Statement 3 is not correct.

• The River Umiam takes its origin from Shillong Peak, the highest point in Meghalaya.
• The Kiling/Umiam flows through the states of Assam and Meghalaya. It is a north-flowing river originating from the northern slopes of the Khasi hill range.
• The river passes through Mawphu, Thieddieng, Nongsteng areas and enters the River Umiam Shella Basin, crossing the international border into Bangladesh.
• Hence Option A is correct.

Article 50 of the Constitution of India is a directive principle of state policy. It gives a direction to the State to keep Judiciary independent of the Executive, particularly in judicial appointments.

Hence option B is correct.

• Mangalajodi bird sanctuary in Odisha located on the northern edge of Chilka. Hence Statement 1 is not correct
• Lake Chilika is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia and the second largest coastal lagoon in the world. Hence Statement 2 is correct
• This salt lake has the highest single lagoon population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the world.Tourists gather around the year to enjoy sighting Irrawaddy dolphins near Satpada Island.Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• Most palladium is used in catalytic converters for cars. It is also used in jewellery and some dental fillings and crowns. It is used in the electronics industry in ceramic capacitors, found in laptop computers and mobile phones. Hence Statement 1 is correct
• In the electronics sector, most palladium is used for multi-layer ceramic (chip) capacitors (MLCC). MLCCs store energy in electronic devices such as broadcasting equipment, mobile telephones, computers, electronic lighting and high-voltage circuits. Hence Statement 2 is correct
• Russia is the leading global producer of palladium in recent years. Hence Statement 3 is not correct.

GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care)

• It is a research study done by Scientists in the United Kingdom that brings together clinicians and scientists from around the world to find the genetic factors that lead to critical illnesses.Hence Statement 1 is not correct
• Researchers from the GenOMICC consortium, led by the University of Edinburgh in partnership with Genomics England, sequenced the genomes of 7,491 patients from 224 intensive care units in the United Kingdom. Hence Statement 2 and 3 are not correct
• GenOMICC has been studying infections such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), flu and other forms of critical illness.
• The overarching aim of genome association studies is to not only correlate genes but also design treatments.

• Harshavardhana was born in 590 AD to King Prabhakaravardhana of Sthaneshvara (Thanesar, Haryana). He belonged to the Pushyabhuti also called the Vardhana dynasty.
• Hiuen Tsang has given a very favorable account of king Harsha and his empire.
• Hundis refer to financial instruments evolved on the Indian subcontinent used in trade and credit transactions. They were used
  • as remittance instruments (to transfer funds from one place to another),
  • as credit instruments (to borrow money [IOUs]),
  • for trade transactions (as bills of exchange).
  • Hence Option C is correct

Fundamental Rights available only to citizens and not to foreigners are:

• Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of race, religion, caste, gender or place of birth (Article 15).
• Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment (Article 16).
• Protection of freedom of speech & expression (Article 19).
• Protection of the culture, language and script of minorities (Article 29).
• Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions (Article 30).

Hence Fundamental Rights available to both citizens and foreigners are Article 14, Article 21 and Article 25. Hence option A is correct.

Ministry of Home Affairs

• The Ministry of Home Affairs looks after the creation of border infrastructure. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Department of Border Management under the MHA deals with the management of borders, including coastal borders, strengthening of border guarding mechanisms and creation of related infrastructure, border areas development, etc. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The Department is further organized into two divisions –
  • Border Management Division – I
  • Border Management Division – II

• The Iran Nuclear Deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. Hence Statement 1 is not correct.
• It was signed in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany).  Hence Statement 2 is not correct.
• The Iran Nuclear Deal has often been in the news from time to time, primarily focusing on the frosty relationship between Iran and the United States.  Hence Statement 3 is not correct.

The PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on June 01, 2020, for providing affordable Working Capital loans to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.

• It is a Central Sector Scheme. No funds are released to the States for disbursal to beneficiaries. The loan amount is directly released to the beneficiaries by the Lending Institutions.
• Street Vendors can avail of a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.
• On timely/early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on a quarterly basis.
• There will be no penalty on the early repayment of the loan.
• Implemented by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
• Hence option C is correct.

• A demand deposit account is one in which funds are maintained in a bank account and can be withdrawn at any time.
• Demand Deposit Accounts include Current and Savings Accounts.
• The entire currency in circulation plus the public’s demand deposits with banks make up the money supply.
• Hence, Money Supply = Currency with public + Currency in the bank.
• When you withdraw money from the bank, it is converted into the currency you have on hand, but it has no effect on the money supply’s value. Hence, there will be no change in the aggregate money supply.
• Hence option D is correct.

Bills have been passed against mob lynching in the past four years by at least 4 States.

They have not been implemented, with the Union government taking a view that lynching is not defined as a crime under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Hence Option ‘d’ is correct.

• The Ministry of Culture has released the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle in 2019. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• It contains an account of the martyrs from India’s First War of Independence in 1857 to India’s Independence in 1947. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The project was compiled by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the uprising of 1857. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
• It includes ex-INA or ex-military personnel who died fighting the British.
• It includes the martyrs of the 1857 Uprising, Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919), Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22), Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34), Quit India Movement (1942-44), Revolutionary Movements (1915-34), Kisan Movements, Tribal Movements, Agitation for Responsible Government in the Princely States (Prajamandal), Indian National Army (INA, 1943-45), Royal Indian Navy Upsurge (RIN, 1946), etc.
• Information of about 13,500 martyrs has been recorded in these volumes.

• FCRA was enacted with an aim to regulate the utilization of foreign contributions/hospitality by individuals, associations to keep it consistent with the values of a sovereign, democratic republic.
• The FCRA was enacted in 1976 in order to maintain strict control over voluntary organizations and political associations that received foreign funding.
• It is an act passed for regulating and prohibiting the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by companies, associations or individuals for such activities that could prove to be detrimental to the national interest and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• Hence Option A is correct.

• In 2015, PM Narendra Modi and former President of France, Francois Hollande announced the launch of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the 2015 Paris summit. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• The aim of this organization is to increase the use of solar energy. This organization was backed by 120 countries present in the tropical belt.
• The International Solar Alliance is a group of nations that lie within the Tropics (Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn) and receive sunshine for more than 300 days. Hence Statement 2 is not correct.
• The World Bank, in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), launched the Global Solar Atlas. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
  • It is a free, web-based tool to help investors and policymakers identify potential sites for solar power generation virtually anywhere in the world.

• The state Agriculture Department in Kerala ordered a ban on the use of several dangerous pesticides in agriculture in 2019 in order to encourage organic farming.
• During this time, the Kerala Agriculture University was urged to come up with alternatives to pesticides including carbofuran, phorate, methyl parathion, monocrotophos, methyl demethon, prophenophos, and triazophos, which are all banned. Pesticides including acephate, carbaryl, dimethoate, and flubendiamide, according to Kerala Agriculture University, are less dangerous.
• Hence Option A is correct.