UPSC 2021: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Aug 14 - Aug 20

Both statements about GLOFs are correct.

Both statements about the NDMA are correct.

Both statements about e-RUPI are incorrect. It can be redeemed either by the QR code or by an SMS string. Also, it is person-specific and purpose-specific, which means, it can be used only for the intended purpose.

Only 2 is correct. Banks Board Bureau is not a statutory body.

The first statement is incorrect. This is India’s eighth stint. Read more on the United Nations Security Council.

World Economic Outlook is released by the IMF.

All four are correct. Read more on WIPO in the link.

Both are correct. Read more on the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Programme (NOTP).

Only statement 1 is correct. Ujjawala Scheme was launched in 2007 and is under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Vatsalya Maatri Amrit Kosh

1, 2 and 3 only. The Indian Embassy is in Kabul. Indian consulates are there in Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad.

Iran

INDRA Exercise is held between India and Russia.

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. It is located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Statement 3 is only correct. African Swine Fever (ASF) is different from swine flu. The virus does not affect people and there is no impact on human health. Swine influenza or swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs, which is caused by the type A influenza virus. ASF is a severe viral disease that affects wild and domestic pigs typically resulting in an acute haemorrhagic fever. ASF is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family.

The Sixth Schedule consists of provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Special Mention Accounts are those assets/accounts that show symptoms of bad asset quality before it is identified as Non-Performing Asset (NPA).
SMA or special mention accounts are ones where the principle or interest payment is delayed. It is classified as SMA 0 for delays from 0 to 30 days, SMA 1 for 31 to 60 days and SMA 2 for 61 to 90 days. Payments not made beyond 90 days are classified as NPAs. It is a classification brought in by the RBI to detect early signs of stress among bank borrowers and monitor accounts that run the risk of turning into bad loans or NPAs.
Special Mention Accounts are usually categorized in terms of duration. SMA loans — divided into three baskets (SMA-0, SMA-1 and SMA-2).

Statements 1 and 3 only are correct. Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is chaired by the Defence Minister.

Statements 1 and 2 only are correct. A Loya Jirga (grand council in Pashto) is a mass national gathering that brings together representatives from the various ethnic, religious, and tribal communities in Afghanistan. Loya Jirga is not an official decision-making body. Its decisions are not legally binding and its verdicts must be approved by the two houses of the Afghan Parliament and the president. Unofficially, however, the Loya Jirga’s decision is seen as final, with the president and Parliament expected to rubber-stamp it.

Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect. Teachings of Buddha are known as Dhamma. The First Buddhist Council was convened at the Sattapanni caves in Rajgriha. It was held under the patronage of King Ajatashatru. Buddha’s first sermon is called ‘Dharmachakrapravartan’ or ‘Turnin of the wheel of law.’

All the statements are correct. River Tungabhadra originates in the Western Ghats at Gangamula. It is a right bank tributary of River Krishna. The river Tungabhadra flows east across the Deccan Plateau, joins the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh state and then empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Statement 2 only is correct. The core of the Sun is at a temperature of about 15 million degrees, while its outer layer, the photosphere is only 5700 degrees hot. The sun’s corona or outer atmosphere, which stretches up to several million kilometres beyond its surface, is much hotter than the surface (one million degrees or more). This is unusual given that while the surface is cooler than the interior, the atmosphere of the Sun (corona) rises substantially. Magnetic reconnection is a process where opposite polarity magnetic field lines connect and some of the magnetic energy is converted to heat energy and also kinetic energy which leads to the generation of heating, solar flares, solar jets, etc.

Both are incorrect. Read more on NFSA in the linked article.

Statements 1 and 3 only are correct. Qualified institutional placements (QIPS) are a way to issue shares to the public without going through standard regulatory compliance. It follows a looser set of regulations; however, the allottees are highly regulated. Qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) are the only entities allowed to purchase QIPs. QIBs include mutual funds, domestic financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies, venture capital funds, foreign institutional investors, and others. In a QIP, a listed company can issue equity shares, fully and partly convertible debentures, or any security (other than warrants) that is convertible to equity shares.

All the statements are correct.

• The Sarayu originates from Lake Mansarovar in the Himalayas and is also known as the Ghaghra and the Manas Nandini. It merges with the Ganga in Bihar’s Saran district.
• Sarayu flows through Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• Ayodhya is situated on the banks of this river.

All the statements are correct. Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee, administering the GEF Trust Fund. The GEF serves as a financial mechanism to five conventions: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Minamata Convention on Mercury.

2 and 3 only are correctly matched. Cyclone Nisarga and Fani were both named by Bangladesh. Cyclone Amphan was named by Thailand.

All three are correct.

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS): Established by the UNCLOS, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an independent judicial body that adjudicates disputes arising out of the convention.

International Seabed Authority: It was formed in 1994 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) for regulating the exploration and exploitation of marine non-living resources of oceans in international waters.

Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS): Established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, CLCS is responsible for facilitating the implementation of UNCLOS with respect to the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.

1, 2 and 4 only are correct. There are three tiger reserves in Uttar Pradesh. They are Amangarh in Bijnor, Pilibhit and Dudhwa in Lakhimpur-Kheri.

SPG was formed in 1985 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as an executive body on the recommendation of the Birbal Nath committee. The SPG Act was enacted by Parliament in 1988.