UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Aug 20 - Aug 26

Extended troika consisting of Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan is scheduled to meet soon in Doha on the Afghanistan peace process.

• As per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the sovereignty of a coastal State extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea.
• The territorial sea extends seaward up to 12 nautical miles from its baselines and includes not only the surface but also the airspace over the territorial sea as well as to its bed and subsoil.
• As per the UNCLOS, all ships, including warships, regardless of cargo, armament or means of propulsion, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
• Foreign ships exercising the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea shall comply with all such laws and regulations and all generally accepted international regulations relating to the prevention of collisions at sea and in a manner not prejudicial to its peace, good order, or security.
• The U.S. has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

• Marburg virus is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the Filoviridae family of viruses.
• Marburg virus causes Marburg virus disease in humans and other primates, a form of viral hemorrhagic fever.

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission has taken special interest with regard to the promotion of higher education in the NER.
• For improving the GER, promoting higher education and encouraging children belonging to the economically weaker sections of the NE region, the UGC has launched the “Ishaan Uday” Special Scholarship Scheme for North Eastern Region.
• Only first-year undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

• TRAFFIC is a leading NGO working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• Established in 1976 by IUCN and WWF to respond to the growing threats posed by unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, TRAFFIC plays a leading role as a global wildlife trade specialist.

• The International Seabed Authority (ISA) based in Kingston, Jamaica is an intergovernmental body established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• It was established to organize, regulate and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
• The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf deals with the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. Under the UNCLOS, the coastal State shall establish the outer limits of its continental shelf where it extends beyond 200 M on the basis of the recommendation of the Commission.
• ISA is committed to contributing to the timely and effective implementation of the SDGs, in particular, SDG14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

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.

• Bisra Munda was a tribal freedom fighter hailing from the Munda tribe. He was also known as ‘Dharti Abba’ or the Earth Father.
• He was a spearhead behind the Millenarian movement that arose in the Bihar and Jharkhand belt in the early 19th century under British colonial rule.
• Birsa started a movement called ‘Ulgulan’, or ‘The Great Tumult’. His struggle against the exploitation and discrimination against tribals led to a big hit against the British government in the form of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act being passed in 1908. The act restricted the passing on of land from the tribal people to non-tribals.

• Nathu La: Sikkim
• Bomdi La: Arunachal Pradesh
• Muling La: Uttarakhand

The UNFCCC Secretariat launched its Climate Neutral Now initiative in 2015. The following year, the secretariat launched a new pillar under its Momentum for Change initiative focused on Climate Neutral Now, as part of larger efforts to showcase successful climate action around the world.

• Quality of Life for Elderly Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness at the request of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
• The index designed to shed light on problems faced by elderly citizens in India, includes four pillars of Financial Well-being, Social Well-being, Health System and Income Security.

• IRNSS-1A is the first navigational satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System series of satellites.
• The other four satellites mentioned are all earth observation satellites.
  • Megha-Tropiques is an Indo-French Joint Satellite Mission for studying the water cycle and energy exchanges in the tropics.
  • The Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA (SARAL) is a joint Indo-French satellite mission for oceanographic studies.
  • Oceansat-1 or IRS-P4 was the first Indian satellite built primarily for ocean applications. It was a part of the Indian Remote Sensing Programme satellite series.
  • Bhaskara-I was India’s first low orbit Earth Observation Satellite.

• The year 1921 is known as the demographic divide for India for the reason that before this year, the population was not constant, sometimes it increased and at other times it decreased.
• The growth scale of the population was usually low before 1921. But after this year, there has been a considerable and constant increase in the population.

• Sir Hugh Rose was the British officer who suppressed the 1857 revolt in Jhansi, while in Lucknow it was Sir Colin Campbell.

Médecins Sans Frontières, sometimes rendered in English as Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation of French origin best known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.

• The Central Vigilance Commission was set up by the Government in February 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam, to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance. Pursuant to the Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003, CVC became a Statutory Body.
• The CVC is not controlled by any Ministry/Department. It is an independent body that is only responsible to the Parliament.
• The Central Vigilance Commissioner is appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

• The  Stringency Index is a composite measure of nine of the response metrics: school closures; workplace closures; cancellation of public events; restrictions on public gatherings; closures of public transport; stay-at-home requirements; public information campaigns; restrictions on internal movements; and international travel controls.
• It evaluates how strict a country’s policies & curbs were, and at what stage of the pandemic spread it enforced these.
• It’s important to note that this index simply records the strictness of government policies. It does not measure or imply the appropriateness or effectiveness of a country’s response.

• The Constitution of India gives the government the right to levy taxes on individuals and organizations. An important restriction on this power is Article 265 of the Constitution which states that “No tax shall be levied or collected except by the authority of law.” This means that no tax can be levied if it is not backed by a legislation passed by either Parliament or the State Legislature.
• Seventh Schedule of the Constitution puts separate heads of taxation under the Union and State list. Union and the states do not have concurrent power of taxation.
• A State Legislature may by law authorise a Municipality to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls, etc. The law may lay down the limits and prescribe the procedure to be followed. It can also assign to a Municipality various taxes, duties, etc. collected by the State Government.

• The Monroe Doctrine was a key part of U.S. foreign policy issued in 1823 by President James Monroe. It stated that North and South America were no longer open to colonization.
• It also declared that the United States would not allow European countries to interfere with independent governments in the Americas and it treated any such intervention by external powers in the politics of the Americas as a potentially hostile act against the US.

• A preamble is an introductory statement in a document that explains the document’s philosophy and objectives. In a Constitution, it presents the intention of its framers, the history behind its creation, and the core values and principles of the nation.

Preamble of the Indian Constitution:

We, the people of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign socialist secular democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens:

Justice, social, economic and political;

Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

Equality of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all,

Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

In our Constituent assembly this 26th day of November 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution.

• Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body. The Commission was established under the provisions of the Competition Act 2002.
• The members of the CCI are appointed by the Central Government.
• It consists of a chairperson and three members.
• Earlier, the Commission used to consist of one chairperson and a minimum of two members and a maximum of six members.
• It is the duty of the Commission to protect the interests of consumers.

Read more Competition Commission of India (CCI).

• The Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme is aimed at encouraging people to scrap their old vehicles and replace them with modern, more fuel-efficient and less-polluting ones.
• Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (V-VMP) policy has proposed to push 28 million decade-old vehicles off the roads.
• The Government’s aim is to create a viable circular economy and bring value for all stakeholders while being environmentally responsible.
• It aims at minimising the use of resources, generation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.

• IBSA brings together India, Brazil and South Africa.
• In 2003, the foreign ministers of these three countries met at Brasilia and issued the Brasilia Declaration which led to the establishment of IBSA.

• Salma Dam is currently known as the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.
• Zaranj-Delaram highway project also known as Route 606 was totally financed by India.
• In 2016, the Afghanistan’s parliament  relocated to a new building of Indian construction in Kabul.
• Stor Palace (also known as the Qasre Storay) was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in collaboration with the governments of Afghanistan and India.

• Ceylon Frogmouth also known as Sri Lanka Frogmouth is a nocturnal Small Bird from Sri Lanka.
• Coppersmith Barbet is an Asian barbet.
• Gray-Chinned Minivet is a bird from the Campephagidae family.
• White throated redstart is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Nepal, Bhutan, central China and far northern areas of Myanmar and Northeast India.

The Khyber Pass is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.

• Ambiguity in the laws triggers litigation – causing inconvenience to citizens, courts and other stakeholders. This not only leads to increased litigations but also delays in the judicial process.
• Inadequate number of judges is one reason behind delay in judicial process. With low judges to population ration, the system would not be able to keep pace with new cases.
• Unfilled judicial vacancies lead to mounting arrears of cases pending in the various courts leading to judicial delays.
• A parliamentary democracy is a system of government in which citizens elect representatives to a legislative parliament to make the necessary legislations and decisions for the country. This does not have any direct link to the delay in judicial processes.

• Operation Meghdoot was the codename for an Indian military operation to take control over the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir.

Read more on Operation Meghdoot | Siachen Conflict

• River Vamsadhara is an important east flowing river between Rushikulya and Godavari, in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states in India. Vansadhara Water Dispute Tribunal (VWDT) was set up in 2010 to look into the dispute between the two states.
• Ravi and Beas Waters have been a source of Inter-state river water dispute between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan regarding their shares in the remaining waters.
• The dispute over the sharing of the water of the Mahadayi river involves the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.
• The conflict over the Mahanadi involves the governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

• In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around: age of consent and restitution of conjugal rights.
• She was the first practising female doctor in colonial India. She was involved in the case that contributed to the enactment of the Age of Consent Act, 1891.
• Long back, the concept of restitution of conjugal rights faced its first legal test in 1885 in the case of Dadaji Bhikaji vs Rakhmabai.
• Rakhmabai Raut was married to Dadaji Bhikaji at the age of 11. However, she stayed at the house of her widowed mother after her marriage.
• Rakhmabai’s step-father supported her when she refused to stay with Bhikaji and his family at his house. This led to Dadaji Bhikaji vs Rakhmabai case in 1885.
• Bhikaji asked for “restitution of conjugal rights”.
  • Justice Pinhey gave judgment in favour of Rukhmabai and said, “Rakhmabai was a young woman and was married off in helpless infancy and therefore cannot be forced”.
• After many criticised the judgment as diminishing Hindu customs, the case came up for retrial.
• There were debates around internal reforms vs external reforms, Hindu vs English law and respecting ancient customs and traditions.
• The final judgment in 1887 had asked Rakhmabai to live with her husband or face imprisonment for six months instead.
• Finally, Queen Victoria settled the matter by overruling the court order and dissolved her marriage.