UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 10 - Dec 16

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Chief Justice of India as the “Master of Roster” is both the judicial as well as the administrative head of the Supreme Court.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The Chief Justice of India is responsible for the allocation of cases to particular benches.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Chief Justice of India decides the number of judges and even its composition of a bench that will hear a case.

• Rani Lakshmibai was the queen of the Maratha princely state of Jhansi.
• Rani Lakshmibai was one of the leading figures of the Rebellion of 1857 and became a symbol of resistance to the British Raj for Indian nationalists.
• The British East India Company’s rejection of the claim of an adopted son and the application of the Doctrine of Lapse and annexation of the state of Jhansi led Rani Lakshmibai to revolt against the colonial empire.

• India has become the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world and handles the largest domestic air traffic after USA and China.
• The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the UDAN scheme in 2016. UDAN is a regional airport development program of the Government of India and part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of upgrading underserviced air routes. Its goal is to make air travel affordable and widespread, to boost inclusive national economic development, job growth and air transport infrastructure development of all regions and states of India.

• India’s MSME sector plays a very significant role in terms of job creation, expanding manufacturing base and boosting Indian exports.
• The sector consists of over 6 crore units employing over 11 crore people and is a seminal contributor to the economic growth with over 30% of contribution to GDP and over 49% of overall exports from India. Also, MSMEs have a substantial role in ensuring more inclusive growth given that a large number of MSME units are located in rural areas.

• Russia has carried out another successful test of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile.
• Hypersonics can travel more than five times the speed of sound making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles.

• Green India Mission was launched in 2014.
• Green India Mission aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change through adaptation and mitigation measures.

• A law can be repealed either in its entirety, in part, or even just to the extent that it is in contravention of other laws.
• The government can bring legislation to repeal the laws. It will have to be passed by both Houses of Parliament, and receive the President’s assent before it comes into effect.
• In case an ordinance is used, it would need to be replaced by a law passed by Parliament. If the ordinance lapses because it is not approved by Parliament, the repealed law can be revived. Hence only statements 1 and 2 are correct.
• Laws cannot be repealed through a resolution adopted by the Lok Sabha. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

• India has funded the Northern housing project, Jaffna cultural centre, Palaly civilian airport and Kankesanthurai port revival project in Sri Lanka. Hence statements 1, 2, 3, 5 are correct.
• The Mattala airport was funded through high interest Chinese commercial loans. Hence statement 4 is incorrect.

• HAMAS was formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising).
• Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is supported by a robust sociopolitical structure inside the Palestinian territories.
• HAMAS’ strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and areas of the West Bank.
• Hence option C is correct.

• The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 came into force on May 1, 2016. The Central and state governments are liable to notify the Rules under the Act within a statutory period of six months.
• The establishment of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority in every Indian state in order to monitor as well as adjudicate and arbitrate any disputes with respect to real estate projects is the significant feature of the RERA Act.
• The RERA allows home buyers to withdraw previous/pending cases that come under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) as the CPA was inadequate to address the needs of home-buyers.
• Hence All statements are correct.

• Pandharpur – This is a holy place of Shri.Vitthal and Shri.Rukmini. It is also known as the Southern Kashi of India and Kuldaivat of Maharashtra State. The Chandrabhaga (Bhima) river flows through the City. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Tiruchirappalli – Tiruchirappalli, situated on the banks of the river Cauvery is the fourth largest city in Tamil Nadu. It was a citadel of the early Cholas which later fell to the Pallavas. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Hampi – Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in India located near Hospet town in Karnataka state, India. It is located near the Tungabhadra river. (Not Malaprabha) Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

The Four Most Important Pilgrimage sites of Buddhism are as follows:

1. Lumbini, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Location in 1997, is the sacred site where Lord Buddha was born in 623 BCE from Queen Maya Devi.
2. Bodh Gaya is one of the holiest and most sacred places in the world, where Lord Buddha received “Enlightenment” under a pipal tree. That pipal tree is referred to as the Bodhi tree.
3. Sarnath, one of the four holiest locations in the world, is located in Uttar Pradesh, India, to the north-east of Varanasi.
4. Kushinagar is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations and is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Kushinagar is the sacred spot where Lord Buddha chose to die and achieve “Parinirvana.”

Hence Option B is correct.

• Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Compulsory licenses can be used by countries for both domestic and export products. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect

• Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there are insufficient healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Normally, red blood cells are flexible and spherical, and they travel readily through blood channels. Red blood cells in sickle cell anaemia are shaped like sickles or crescent moons.
• These stiff, sticky cells can become lodged in tiny blood veins, slowing or blocking blood flow and oxygen delivery to various regions of the body. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The Teesta River flows from the Pahunri glacier (not from the Brahmaputra). Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
• River Rangeet originates in Sikkim and is the state’s biggest river as well as a tributary of the Teesta. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The Brahmaputra River flows from the Angsi glacier near Mount Kailash. Teesta is a right tributary of the Brahmaputra. Teesta runs through West Bengal and Sikkim before reaching the Bay of Bengal via Bangladesh. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.

• The Indira Gandhi Prize (alternatively known as Indira Gandhi Peace Prize or the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development) is a prestigious award given by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
• The prize carries a cash award of 2.5 million rupees and a citation.
• The Indira Gandhi Prize is awarded to individuals or organisations to honour their efforts in promoting international peace, development and a new international economic order. Additional endeavors include scientific discoveries used for the benefit of humanity and enlarging the scope of freedom
• The recipients are chosen from a pool of national and international nominees.

• A surface-to-surface missile is a missile that is launched from the ground to strike land or sea targets. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicles, from a ship or ground installations.
• There are different surface to surface missiles developed by India.
  • Prithvi series of missiles
  • Agni series of missiles
  • Nirbhay
  • Brahmos
  • Prahar
• Spyder and Trishul are surface- to- air missiles

Nanotech detectors for heart attack
Nanochips to check plaque in arteries
Nanocarriers for eye surgery, chemotherapy, etc.
Diabetic pads for regulating blood sugar levels
Nanoparticles for drug delivery to the brain – for therapeutic treatment of neurological disorders
Nanosponges – are polymer nanoparticles coated with a red blood cell membrane, can be used for absorbing toxins and removing them from the bloodstream
NanoFlares – used for detection of cancer cells in the bloodstream
Nanopores – use in making DNA sequencing more efficient.

• Like bees, butterflies are plant pollinators
• They also eat plenty of weedy plants and also act as a food source for other animals like spiders and birds.
• However, second statement is wrong as there is no conclusive evidence to show that there could be a drastic increase in the fungal infections of some cultivated plants. It seems a extreme statement without adequate evidence to back it.

• Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. The minimum support prices are a guaranteed price for their produce from the Government.
• The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• Currently, MSP for 23 crops is recommended by CACP, which comprise seven cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, barley and ragi), five pulses (gram, tur, moong, urad, lentil), seven oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soyabean, sesamum, sunflower, safflower, nigerseed), and four commercial crops (copra, sugarcane, cotton and raw jute).
• However, currently, MSP does not have any legal backing.

• Article 22 of the Constitution deals with protection against arrest and detention in certain cases. It states that no person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the grounds for such arrest nor shall he be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice.
• Not all laws in India assume an accused to be innocent until proven otherwise. Example – Atrocity act.

• The draft Bill on personal data protection was prepared by the Justice Srikrishna Committee and submitted to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 2018.

• Gallantry Awards have been instituted by the Government of India to honour the acts of bravery and sacrifice of the officers/personnel of the Armed Forces, other lawfully constituted forces and civilians.
• Post-independence, three gallantry awards namely the Param Vir Chakra, the Maha Vir Chakra and the Vir Chakra were instituted by the Government of India on 26th January 1950 which were deemed to have effect from 15th August 1947.
• These gallantry awards are announced twice a year – first on the occasion of Republic Day and then on the occasion of Independence Day.
• Ministry of Defence invites recommendations twice a year from the Armed Forces and Union Ministry of Home Affairs for gallantry awards.

The concentration of wealth violates the directive principles of state policy. Under Article 39 of the Constitution of India, the State shall direct its policy towards securing that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.

• India had initially set a target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2030. Later this was advanced by 5 years to 2025 and now it has been further advanced to 2023-24.
• Since ethanol contains oxygen in its molecule, it helps in the complete combustion of fuel, resulting in lower emissions. Thus the blending of ethanol with conventional fuels helps ensure lower emission of carbon monoxide.
• Even as many developed countries debate limiting policy support for grain-based biofuels amid reports of food-price increases and greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, India is promoting grain-based biofuels. It is promoting ethanol derived from rice, corn and sugar.

Udham Singh was an Indian Marxist revolutionary belonging to the Ghadar Party and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, best known for assassinating Michael O’Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of Punjab in India in 1940. The assassination was done in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919.

The scheme allows the borrowers to avail of collateral-free business loans at low rates of interest. Under the scheme, MUDRA has created three products – ‘Shishu’, ‘Kishore’ and ‘Tarun’ to signify the stage of growth and funding needs of the beneficiary.
Under the scheme, eligible borrowers can borrow up to ₹10 lakh from the banks. The Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) refinances such loans back to the banks. Hence MUDRA is not involved in directly lending to the borrowers under the scheme.

• Birsa Munda was an Indian tribal freedom fighter and religious leader who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) in the late 19th century and even started his own faith. He was popularly known as Dharti Abba or the Earth Father among his followers.
• 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.
• In honour of his contributions to India’s freedom struggle, his birth anniversary is recognised as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.