UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 16 - Dec 22

• Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have made it to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• Meizotropis pellita: Critically endangered
• Fritilloria cirrhosa: Vulnerable
• Dactylorhiza hatagirea: Endangered

• The Supplementary grant refers to the grant required to meet the required expenditure of the government.
• The Supplementary grant is granted when the amount authorised by the Parliament through the appropriation act for a particular service for the current financial year is found to be insufficient for that year.

• Statement 1 is correct, In India, the concept of single citizenship is adopted from the British Constitution that is from the United Kingdom.
• Statement 2 is not correct, There are five ways in which Indian citizenship can be acquired namely:
  • By Birth
  • By Acquisition or Incorporation of Territory
  • By Descent
  • By Registration
  • By Naturalization
• Statement 3 is correct, The Union Gov­ernment may, by order, deprive any such citizen of Indian citi­zenship if the citizen has been ordinarily resident out of India for a continuous period of seven years, and during that period has neither:
• • been at any time a student of any educational institution in a country outside India, nor
  • In the service of a Government in India, nor
  • In the service of an international organisation of which India is a member, nor
  • Registered annually in the prescribed manner at an Indian consulate

• Ramanuja was influenced by the Alvars and he firmly believed that intense devotion to Vishnu was the best means to attain salvation.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, The main instruments used in Carnatic music are Mridangam, Veena, and Mandolin.
• Statement 02 is correct, The tanpura is a drone instrument of Indian music prevalent in both the Hindustani and the Carnatic systems. It plays an important role in a concert of classical music by providing the base note (adharaswara) and by creating an aesthetic ambience on the stage.
• Statement 03 is correct,  Natyashastra is the earliest literature on music and drama – written somewhere around 500 BC by Bharata Muni. Comprising 6000 couplets in Sanskrit and spread over thirty-six chapters, Natyashastra’s focus was on dance and drama, with music as an aid.

Read more on the Difference between Hindustani and Carnatic Music.

Hornbill is the state bird of both Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala.

• Malampandaram tribe is a small, nomadic community living in the remote forest in Kerala.
• Fishing and collecting fruits and other edibles from the forest are the main occupations of this community that depends on the forest for all their needs.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, India is one of the leading producers of millets in the world with an estimated share of around 41 percent in the global production.
• Statement 02 is correct, Major Millets crops grown in India and their percentage share of production are Pearl Millet (Bajra) – 61%, Jowar (Sorghum) – 27%, and Finger Millet (Mandua/Ragi) – 10%.
• Statement 03 is correct, Millets are photo-insensitive and resilient to climate change. They are hardy, resilient crops that have low carbon and water footprint.
• Statement 04 is correct, Pellagra (niacin deficiency), Anaemia (iron deficiency), B-complex vitamin deficiency can be effectively tackled with intake of less expensive but nutritionally rich food grains like millets.

• Statement 01 is correct, Manipuri Sankirtana is a form of performing art involving ritual singing, drumming and dancing performed in the temples and domestic spaces in Manipur State of India. It is practised primarily by the Vaishnava community in Manipur.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, Cymbals are not the only musical instruments as Drums are also used in the performance.
• Statement 03 is correct, Through the performances which exhibit unparalleled religious devotion and energy, the performers narrate the many stories of Krishna.

The Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs was launched in October 2022.
Tele-MANAS aims to provide free tele-mental health services all over the country round the clock, particularly catering to people in remote or under-served areas.
The programme includes a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence, with NIMHANS being the nodal centre and International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIITB) providing technology support.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bengaluru and National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHRSC) will provide the technical support.

• Mahakavi Subramania Bharati, a poet, freedom fighter and social reformer from Tamil Nadu also known as Mahakavi Bharathiyar published “Sudesa Geethangal” in 1908.
• He is widely regarded as the pioneer of modern Tamil literature. He used simple but effective words and rhythm.
• As a poet, his themes ranged from patriotism to nature, from romance to philosophy, and from devotion to self-respect.
• He also wrote of the need for scientific advancements if the country was to move ahead.

• Pair 01 is correctly matched, INS Karmuk is a indigenously built Kora-class missile corvette, currently in active service with the Indian Navy.
• Pair 02 is correctly matched, INS Hansa is an Indian naval air station located in Goa, India. It is India’s biggest naval air base. The military air base has a civil enclave that operates as Dabolim Airport.
• Pair 03 is incorrectly matched, INS Jalashwa is an amphibious transport dock currently in service with the Indian Navy. It was formerly known as USS Trenton before its acquisition by the Indian Navy in 2005.

New species of songbird called ‘Lisu Wren babbler’ was discovered in Mugafi peak, Arunachal Pradesh.

• Pair 01 is correctly matched, The British Indian Association was formed on 31 October 1851. The President of the first committee of this organisation was Raja Radhakanta Deb, while Debendranath Tagore was its secretary.
• Pair 02 is incorrectly matched, Gazulu Lakshmi Narasu Chetty (1806–1868) was an Indian merchant and political activist who founded the Madras Native Association.
  • M. Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer, and P. Ananda Charlu founded the Madras Mahajana Sabha in May 1884.
• Pair 03 is correctly matched,  The Indian Association was the first avowed nationalist organisation founded in British India by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose in 1876.

• Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna (PMAAGY) aims to mitigate gaps and provide basic infrastructure in villages with significant tribal population in convergence with funds available under different schemes in Central Scheduled Tribe Component.
• Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) were started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) children in remote areas in order to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors.
• Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojna is an initiative targeting livelihood generation for tribals by harnessing the wealth of forest i.e. Van Dhan.
• Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) is a programme of the Ministry of Skill Development with loan assistance from the World Bank.
  • It aims to improve short term skill training qualitatively and quantitatively through strengthening institutions, bringing in better market connectivity and inclusion of marginalised sections of the society. 

• Statement 1 is correct, Zero Hour is the time when Members of Parliament (MPs) can raise Issues of Urgent Public Importance. Zero Hour is an Indian innovation in the field of parliamentary procedures and has been in existence since 1962.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for the day is taken up.
• Statement 3 is correct, Question Hour in both Houses is held on all days of the session. But there are two days when an exception is made which include:
  • There is no Question Hour on the day the President addresses MPs from both Houses in the Central Hall.
  • Question Hour is not scheduled on the day the Finance Minister presents the Budget.

• Statement 1 is not correct, New India Literacy Programme (NILP) aims to support the States and Union Territories in promoting literacy among non-literates in the age group of 15 and above, across the country covering 5 crore non-literates during the implementation period from 2022-23 to 2026-27
• Statement 2 is not correct, New India Literacy Programme (NILP) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
  • The scheme has been approved with a financial outlay of Rs.1037.90 crores which includes Central share of Rs.700 crores and State share of Rs.337.90 crores.
• Statement 3 is correct, Under NILP, school to be unit for implementation of the scheme.

• The G20 Development Working Group (DWG) was set up in 2010.
• The G20 DWG has become an essential forum to discuss and promote action on a broad range of issues directly affecting developing countries, especially low-income countries.
• In 2016, the G20 entrusted the DWG with coordinating and monitoring policy actions across all G20 countries related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• The amount of oxygen needed by biological organisms such as bacteria in a given water sample for a breakdown of organic matter by oxidation process is called the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
• BOD is often used in wastewater treatment plants and is used as an index of the degree of organic pollution in water.
• Therefore, BOD is a standard criterion for Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems.

• The 3200 Phaethon is an asteroid discovered in October 1983.
• It is named after the Greek mythological character Phaethon, son of the Sun God Helios.
• 3200 Phaethon takes about 1.4 years to complete one round of the Sun.

• Aurobindo Ghosh contributed articles to the magazine Jugantar which inspired many young people to take up revolutionary work during the Indian National Movement.
• Aurobindo Ghosh’s theory of nationalism was based on Vedanta philosophy which saw unity and oneness in man and God.
• Aurobindo Ghosh wrote ‘Savitri’ and it is considered his greatest literary achievement. He also developed a kind of Yoga called Integral Yoga.
• Read more on Aurobindo Ghosh in the linked article.

• The Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan is famous for the Great Indian Bustard.
• Apart from the Desert National Park, Great Indian Bustards are mostly found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

• Pair 1 is correct, Byssinosis is an occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of cotton or jute dust in inadequately ventilated working environments.
• Pair 2 is correct, Pneumoconiosis is an occupational lung disease caused by breathing in certain kinds of dust particles such as coal dust that damage the lungs.
  • The disease is also called coal worker pneumoconiosis.
• Pair 3 is correct, Asbestosis is a type of lung disease caused by breathing in asbestos dust and fibres. Construction workers have a high risk of occupational asbestos exposure.

• Statement 1 is correct, In tropical regions, the Zika virus is transmitted mainly through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito which are the same mosquitoes that spread the dengue and chikungunya viruses.
• Statement 2 is correct, Sexual transmission of Zika virus disease is possible.

• The Supreme Court in the Laxmi v. Union of India case issued guidelines for the betterment of acid attack survivors.
• Multiple orders were passed to prevent acid attacks and provide welfare to survivors. 

• Statement 01 is correct, Currently, in India, water dispute resolution is governed by the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956. The Act empowers the Central government to set up an ad hoc tribunal for the adjudication of a dispute and the decision of the tribunal would be final and binding on the parties to the dispute.
• Statement 02 is correct, Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall have or exercise jurisdiction in respect of any water dispute which may be referred to a Tribunal under this Act.

• Beypore Uru is a wooden dhow (ship/sailing boat/sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala.
• Kerala has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the  Beypore Uru recently.

• Pair 01 is correctly matched, The Bhutia are a community of Sikkimese people living in the state of Sikkim. The Bhutia also constitute a majority of the population of Bhutan, where they live mainly in the western and central regions of the country and form minorities in Nepal and India.
• Pair 02 is correctly matched, The Dhodia are the highest-ranking tribe and the third-largest tribal group in Gujarat. They speak Dhodia, a Bhil language.
• Pair 03 is correctly matched, The Gond are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group. They are one of the largest tribal groups in India. They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.
• Pair 04 is correctly matched, The Malasar tribal community lives in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They live in the Parambikulam reserve forest of the Palakkad district in Kerala and the adjoining forest of Tamil Nadu and they inhabit the foothills of the Anamalai hills in southern India.

• The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets. This can be seen in the mention of the Arasar (kings), Vaishiyar (traders), Vellalar (farmers) and Brahmanas.
• However, the four-fold varna classification had little application to ancient Tamil society.

Read more on Sangam Literature.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Agni-V is the most advanced surface-to-surface indigenously built ballistic missile.
• Statement 02 is correct, The missile, which uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine, has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
• Statement 03 is correct, The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) operates the Agni-5.
  • SFC is a key tri-services formation that manages and administers all the strategic assets and falls under the purview of the Nuclear Command Authority of India.