UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Aug 27 - Sep 02

• The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is published by Germanwatch in cooperation with the NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network International.
• The CCPI evaluates 57 countries and the European Union, which together generate 90%+ of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Using standardised criteria, the CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the overall score), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%).
• The CCPI’s unique climate policy section evaluates countries’ progress in implementing policies working towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals. It creates transparency in climate policy, makes it possible to compare climate protection efforts, and lets evaluate progress and setbacks. Thus as an independent monitoring tool, the CCPI has a leading role in informing on the Paris Agreement’s implementation phase.
• India remains in the top 10 for the second year in a row in CCPI 2021, occupying rank 10.

• Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and is associated with high fatality.
  • It is the second most parasitic killer after malaria.
• Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites which are transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies.
• It is one of the neglected tropical diseases. The disease affects some of the poorest people and is associated with malnutrition, population displacement, poor housing, a weak immune system and lack of financial resources.
• It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
• In India, humans are the only known reservoirs of the infection.

• The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), formerly the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), had its origin as the Central Malaria Bureau in 1909. NICD was transformed into the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with a larger mandate of controlling emerging and re-emerging diseases in 2009.
• The Institute is under the administrative control of the Director-General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The institute has its headquarters in Delhi.
• It functions as the nodal agency in the country for disease surveillance facilitating prevention and control of communicable diseases.
• The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) is a nationwide disease surveillance system in India incorporating both the state and central governments aimed at early detection and long term monitoring of diseases for enabling efficient policy decisions. It was started in 2004 with the assistance of the World Bank. A central surveillance unit has been set up at the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi. All states, union territories, and district headquarters of India have established surveillance units.

• As per Section 3(1) of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010, foreign contribution cannot be accepted by any:
  • Candidate for election
  • Correspondent, columnist, cartoonist, editor, owner, printer or publisher of a registered newspaper
  • Judge, government servant or employee of any Corporation or any other body controlled or owned by the Government
  • Member of any legislature
  • Political party or office bearer thereof
  • Organization of a political nature as may be specified by the Central Government
  • Association or company engaged in the production or broadcast of audio news or audio-visual news or current affairs programmes through any electronic mode, or any other electronic form
  • Correspondent or columnist, cartoonist, editor

• Mahatma Gandhi founded the All India Anti Untouchability League in 1932, to remove untouchability in the society, which was later renamed as Harijan Sevak Sangh (“Servants of Harijan Society”).
• All India Kisan Sabha was a peasant movement formed by Sahajanand Saraswati in 1936.
• The Self-Respect Movement had the aim of achieving a society in which backward castes have equal human rights. It was founded in 1925 by S. Ramanathan who invited E. V. Ramasamy (also known as Periyar by his followers) to head the movement in Tamil Nadu. The movement was extremely influential not just in Tamil Nadu, but also overseas in countries with large Tamil populations, such as Malaysia and Singapore.

Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index):

• The Reserve Bank of India’s composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) would help capture the extent of financial inclusion across the country.
• The FI-Index has been conceptualised as a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal as well as pension sectors in consultation with the Government and respective sectoral regulators.
• The FI-Index will be published annually in July every year.
• The index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value ranging between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100 indicates full financial inclusion.
• The FI-Index comprises of three broad parameters viz., Access (35%), Usage (45%), and Quality (20%). The Index is responsive to ease of access, availability and usage of services, and quality of services, comprising, in all, 97 indicators.
• A unique feature of the Index is the Quality parameter which captures the quality aspect of financial inclusion as reflected by financial literacy, consumer protection, and inequalities and deficiencies in services.
• The FI-Index has been constructed without any ‘base year’ and as such it reflects cumulative efforts of all stakeholders over the years towards financial inclusion.

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative of the NITI Aayog.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) envisions the creation and promotion of a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our country. AIM’s objective is to develop new programmes and policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy, provide platforms and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders, and create an umbrella structure to oversee the innovation & entrepreneurship ecosystem of the country.
• The Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-ANIC program is a national initiative to promote research & innovation and increase the competitiveness of Indian startups and MSMEs.
• Atal Tinkering Labs aim to promote a creative, innovative mindset in schools. These ATLs are dedicated innovation workspaces of 1200-1500 square feet where do-it-yourself (DIY) kits on latest technologies like 3D Printers, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Miniaturized electronics are installed using a grant of Rs 20 Lakhs from the government so that students from Grade VI to Grade XII can tinker with these technologies and learn to create innovative solutions using these technologies. This will enable create a problem solving, innovative mindset within millions of students across the country.

• Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) has created products/schemes. The interventions have been named ‘Shishu’, ‘Kishore’ and ‘Tarun’ to signify the stage of growth/development and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit/entrepreneur and also provide a reference point for the next phase of graduation/growth to look forward to:
  • Shishu: covering loans up to  50,000/-
  • Kishor: covering loans above  50,000/- and up to 5 lakh
  • Tarun: covering loans above  5 lakh and up to 10 lakh

• Operation Sadbhavana (Goodwill) is a unique initiative undertaken by the Indian Army in Jammu & Kashmir to address the aspirations of people affected by terrorism.
• The focus of Operation Sadbhavana is to improve the overall core social indices of Education, Women & Youth Empowerment, and Healthcare with simultaneous thrust on capacity building through the implementation of community/infrastructure development projects.

• Paramitas is a Buddhist term often translated as “perfection”. It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated with enlightened beings or the attainment of the Bodhisattva path.

• The Vienna Convention, concluded in 1985, is a framework agreement in which States agree to cooperate in relevant research and scientific assessments of the ozone problem, to exchange information, and to adopt “appropriate measures” to prevent activities that harm the ozone layer.
• The objective of the 1985 Vienna Convention is to preserve human health, and to protect the environment from any harmful effects of the depletion of the ozone layer.
• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the Montreal Protocol) is an international agreement designed to stop the production and import of ozone-depleting substances and reduce their concentration in the atmosphere to help protect the earth’s ozone layer.
• Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol envisages phasing out of Hydro Fluoro Carbons (HFC) by 80-85% of present levels by 2040 in a phased manner. India has committed to phasing down HFC in four steps from 2032 with a 10% reduction in 2032, 20% in 2037, 30% in 2042 and 80% in 2047.
• Hydrofluorocarbons were introduced as a non-ozone-depleting alternative to Hydrochlorofluorocarbons. Hydrofluorocarbons are potent greenhouse gases but are not ozone destructive.

In India, it is not mandatory for the Speaker to resign from the political party soon after he/she is elected.
While the Speaker is empowered to place a Member under suspension, the authority for revocation of this order is not vested in the speaker.
Whenever the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker shall not vacate his office until immediately before the first meeting of the Assembly after the dissolution.

• The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), is an international organisation consisting of 23 states bordering the Indian Ocean. It was formed by an initiative of India and South Africa.
• Not all QUAD members are among the IORA member nations.
• The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), with its origins in the 13th Council of Ministers meeting, held in November 2013 in Perth, Australia.
• The IORA is tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and Academia, for promoting cooperation and closer interaction among them.
• The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram is a domestic initiative of India and has nothing to do with the IORA. The IFC-IOR was set up in 2018 to coordinate with regional countries on maritime issues and act as a regional repository of maritime data. It presently has linkages with 21 partner countries and 22 multi-national agencies across the globe.

• The Wanchuwa festival is celebrated by Tiwa tribesmen of Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The festival is celebrated to mark a good harvest and involves prayers for protection from pests and natural calamities. It involves songs, dances and a bunch of rituals performed by people clad in their native attires.
• Nyokum is a festival celebrated by the Nyishi tribe of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The festival is commonly celebrated by people from all classes and walks of life for better productivity, prosperity and happiness of all human beings.
• The Myoko Festival is an annual celebration in Ziro Valley, by the Apatani tribes.

• The broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) is a proposed treaty between India and the EU.
• Through this agreement, India and the EU expect to promote bilateral trade by removing barriers to trade in goods and services and investment across all sectors of the economy.

• In India, sugarcane is grown as a Kharif Crop. A hot and humid climate is favourable for sugarcane cultivation.
• Sugarcane prices are determined by the Centre as well as States.
  • The Centre announces Fair and Remunerative Prices (FRP) which are determined on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and are announced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which is chaired by the Prime Minister.
  • The State Advised Prices (SAP) are announced by key sugarcane producing states which are generally higher than FRP.
• India is a sugar surplus nation i.e., it produces more sugar than it consumes.

• National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change taken by the Indian government to promote the market for energy efficiency by fostering innovative policies and effective market instruments.
• NMEEE includes the following four specific energy efficiency initiatives.
  • Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT): Assigning energy reduction targets to large energy-intensive industries and distributing Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts) on achievement of the targets. These ESCerts can then be traded.
  • Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency (MTEE): Promoting the adoption of energy-efficient equipment and appliances through innovative business models.
  • Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP): Increasing the confidence of financial institutions and investors to support energy efficiency initiatives.
  • Framework for Energy Efficiency Economic Development (FEEED): Promoting energy efficiency initiatives by hedging against investment risks.

Indian Navy recently undertook bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ with UAE Navy off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

• Al Duqm Port is a seaport located in Oman. The Port of Duqm is situated on the southeastern seaboard of Oman, overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

• In a strategic move to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean region, India has secured access to the key Port of Duqm in Oman for military use and logistical support. This is part of India’s maritime strategy to counter Chinese influence and activities in the region.
• With the Assumption Island being developed in Seychelles and Agalega in Mauritius, Duqm fits into India’s proactive maritime security roadmap.

• Arasavalli in the Srikakulam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is famous for its Suryanarayana temple dedicated to Lord Surya (sun god).
• Amarkantak is a well-frequented Hindu pilgrimage centre that is popularly known as “Teerthraj” – “the king of pilgrimages”. It is popular for its ancient temples of Kalachuri and the Sarvodaya Jain temple. Three rivers – the holy Narmada, the Sone and the Johila emerge here from the womb of Amarkantak. A rising stream of Narmada can be seen at the Narmada Udgam Temple which is the most visited place in Amarkantak.
• Omkareshwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva.

• Green hydrogen – also referred to as “clean hydrogen” – is produced by using clean energy from surplus renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, to split water into two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom through a process called electrolysis.
• This is the cleanest form of hydrogen generation since the by-products are just water and water vapour.
• Green hydrogen is produced in a climate-neutral manner and it could play a vital role in global efforts to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.
• Pyrolysis process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere (absence of Oxygen)

• Mahabalipuram, Konark Sun Temple and Hampi are known for the stone chariots.
• Pattadakal, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka. Pattadakal represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India.

• The Central government has increased the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the defence sector from 49 to 74 per cent under automatic route and beyond 74 per cent through the government route
• In order to promote indigenization in the defence sector, the government has also introduced the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework and also come out with a positive indigenisation list for defence products.
  • The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework aims at the creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes & academia.
  • It provides them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs.
  • iDEX will be funded and managed by the ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’.

• Majuli is a river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam and in 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India.
• It is among the world’s largest. The island is also the hub of spiritualism in Assam because of a number of ‘satras’ or Vaishnav monasteries established by the 15th-16th century saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva and his disciples.
• There are two geo heritage sites in Assam. Other than Majuli it includes the Umananda island. It is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the Brahmaputra. The island is actually an inselberg, composed of the rocks of the Assam-Meghalaya gneissic complex.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

• Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act views drug offences very seriously and penalties are stiff. The quantum of sentence and fine varies with the offence. For many offences, the penalty depends on the quantity of drug involved – small quantity, more than small but less than commercial quantity or commercial quantity of drugs. Small and Commercial quantities are notified for each drug.
• Power to add to or omit from the list of psychotropic substance is available only with the Central Government.

• Madur mats are unique to West Bengal.
• ‘Masland’ a fine quality madur mat.
• Madur mats are made of natural fibres. Madurkathi is a rhizome-based plant (Cyperus tegetum or Cyperus pangorei) found abundantly in the alluvial tracts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal.
• Madurkathi was awarded the geographical indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indication Registry in April 2018.
• About 80% to 90% of the entire workforce engaged in this traditional craft comprise of women.

• Cirque is an erosional landform formed by the action of glaciers. Cirques are bowl-shaped depressions that glaciers carve into mountains and valley sidewalls at high elevations.
• Eskers and moraines are depositional landforms created by glacial action.
  • Eskers are ridges made of sands and gravels, deposited by glacial meltwater flowing through tunnels within and underneath glaciers, or through meltwater channels on top of glaciers.
  • Moraines are accumulations of dirt and rocks that have fallen onto the glacier surface or have been pushed along by the glacier as it moves. The dirt and rocks composing moraines can range in size from powdery silt to large rocks and boulders

• Panjshir valley is located in North-central Afghanistan, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range.
• The Panjshir Valley is Afghanistan’s last remaining holdout where anti-Taliban forces seem to be working on forming a guerrilla movement to fight against the Taliban.

• Strength of the legislative council is from 40 to one third that of the legislative assembly. The constitution has fixed the maximum and minimum limits but actual strength is fixed by parliament.
• The legislative Council elects its Chairman, who plays the role of presiding officer and Deputy Chairman from amongst its members.