UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 17 - Dec 23

In 1870 Sasipada Banerji founded the workers’ organisation Sramajivi Samiti and established the newspaper Bharat Sramajivi.
Narayan Meghaji Lokhande published the Deenbandhu from Bombay.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was associated with Mahratta (English) and Kesari (Marathi) newspapers.

• Lithium is considered to be the lightest or one of the least dense metals on earth. It has a density of 0.534 g/cm3. This makes lithium nearly half as dense as water which means lithium would float on the surface of water.
• Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly reactive and flammable, and must be stored in vacuum, inert atmosphere or inert liquid such as purified kerosene or mineral oil.
• Lithium is a comparatively rare element, although it is found in many rocks and some brines, but always in very low concentrations.

• English Channel is one of the smallest of the shallow seas covering the continental shelf of Europe and it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

• India’s Strategic crude oil storages are located in Mangalore, Visakhapatnam and Padur. India stores 5.33 Million tonnes of crude oil in these reserves.

A private member bill is introduced by any member of parliament other than ministers. ·
Around 14 private member’s bills have been passed so far by the Parliament.

• The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an informal forum for dialogue and cooperation, bringing together partners from across Europe and Asia. Its main purpose is to provide a platform for fostering political dialogue, strengthening economic cooperation and tackling together global challenges. ASEM is conducted as an informal and flexible process on the basis of equal partnership, mutual respect and benefit.
• Currently, ASEM comprises 51 partner countries: the 28 Member States of the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland on the European side and the 10 ASEAN countries plus Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Russia on the Asian side. It also includes two institutional partners: the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat.
• 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the ASEM process. Cambodia currently holds the rotating ASEM presidency.

• INS Vela is the fourth of the Indian Navy’s six submarines under Project 75.
• It is a Scorpene-Class Submarine. It is a diesel-electric attack submarine of Kalvari-class.

• Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha is an annual evergreen shrub in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that grows in India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. It is a very revered herb of the Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine as a Rasayana (tonic).

• Rashtriya Gokul Mission is one of the components of the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development.
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) was launched in 2014 for the development and conservation of indigenous breeds through selective breeding in the breeding tract and genetic up-gradation of non-descript breeds.
• The mission envisages the establishment of integrated cattle development centres, Gokul Grams and breeder’s societies (Gopalan Sangh) to develop indigenous breeds.

• Article 51 of the Indian Constitution deals with the promotion of international peace and security. It states that the State shall endeavour to—
  • promote international peace and security;
  • maintain just and honourable relations between nations;
  • foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organized peoples with one another; and
  • encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.

• Rabindranath Tagore was not only the first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, but also the first non-European to do so.
• Tagore was the author of two national anthems. For India, “Jana Gana Mana” and for Bangladesh, “Amar Sonar Bangla.”
• He played an important part in modernising Bengali poetry and prose. Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, Gora, Manasi, Balaka, and Sonar Tori are among his major works. He is also known for his song ‘Ekla Chalo Re.’
• Hence Option B is correct. 

• Every year on November 26th (Not on 26th January), Constitution Day, also known as ‘Samvidhan Divas,’ is commemorated in our nation to honour the promulgation of the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly of India enacted the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949, and it went into force on January 26, 1950. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect. 
• On November 19, 2015, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced that the Government of India has decided to commemorate the 26th of November each year as ‘Constitution Day’ in order to promote constitutional principles among citizens. Hence Statement 2 is correct. 

• The Supreme Court can grant special leave to appeal from any judgement rendered by any court or body in the country at its discretion (except military tribunal and court martial). Hence Statement 1 is incorrect. 
• As a result of such a special leave appeal, the Supreme Court can either approve or reject the appellant’s application, because the Supreme Court has the discretionary ability to accept or reject such an application. Hence Statement 2 is correct. 
• In matters of right for parties in civil, criminal, and constitutional proceedings, the supreme court gives special permission to special appeal.  Hence Statement 3 is correct. 

• The sovereignty of the four southernmost Kuril Islands is the subject of a territorial dispute between Japan and the Russian Federation.
• The Senkaku Islands dispute is a territorial dispute between Japan and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
• South Korea and Japan have a territorial dispute over the Liancourt Rocks. Both nations claim ownership over the Liancourt Rocks, a collection of tiny rocks in the Sea of Japan. It is known as “Dokdo” in the Korean language.
• Hence All the Statements are Correct.

• In 1934, Mahatma Gandhi was affiliated with “Songs from Prison,” an English translation of traditional Indian devotional hymns.
• Hence Option C is Correct. 

• Recently, the French company EDF and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) are working together to take the Jaitapur project off the ground.
• EDF, a French corporation, recently submitted a binding offer for the Jaitapur project to NPCIL.
• Hence Option D is correct.

• The operation codenamed ‘HAECHI-II’ was conducted by INTERPOL  underlining the global threat of cyber-enabled financial crime.
• It is the second such operation in a three-year project launched to tackle cyber-enabled financial crime.
• Hence Option D is correct.

• According to a study provided by the US State Department, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) is the world’s sixth deadliest terrorist organisation. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• It was founded on 21 September 2004, through the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI). Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.
• Since 2009, India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has branded the CPI (Maoist) as a terrorist organisation. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• The Indian Constitution establishes a unified, integrated judicial system.The Indian Constitution establishes a separation of powers between the judiciary and the other two branches of government, i.e. executive and legislative. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• The President has the ability to nominate the Chief Justice of India (C.J.I.) and Supreme Court Judges under Article 124. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The appointment of judges by the Collegium system is criticised for being opaque, and there was no method for verifying the appointment’s reasonableness. There is a complete absence of responsibility on the part of the Judiciary. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.

• According to a Indian Nitrogen Assessment study:
  • Agricultural soils contributed to over 70% of N2O emissions from India in 2010, followed by waste water (12%) and residential and commercial activities (6%).
  • Cattle produce 80% of the ammonia, despite the fact that their yearly growth rate is only 1% due to a constant population.
  • The poultry business, on the other hand, had an annual growth rate of 6%  and excreted 0.415 tonnes of reactive nitrogen compounds in 2016.
• Hence All Statements are correct.

• The MSP system was introduced in 1965 to encourage farmers to grow foodgrains.
• It was initially declared for paddy and wheat, but later extended to 23 crops, including 7 cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, barley and ragi); 5 pulses (gram, tur, moong, urad, lentil); 7 oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soyabean, seasmum, sunflower, safflower, nigerseed); and 4 commercial crops (copra, sugarcane, cotton and raw jute).

• Yelagiri is a hill station in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. t is situated in the district of Vellore close to city Krishnagiri. Yelagiri has plenty of spectacular green valleys, rose-gardens, and orchards and is fast emerging as a popular tourist destination.

Drugs Controller General of India is the head of department of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of the Government of India responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines, and sera in India.
Drugs Controller General of India, comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. DCGI also sets standards for manufacturing, sales, import, and distribution of drugs in India.
The DCGI also regulates medical and pharmaceutical devices.
DCGI is also responsible for the training of Drug Analysts deputed by State Drug Control Laboratories and other Institutions.

• Valley of Flowers National Park is situated in the state of Uttarakhand. It is situated at an altitude of about 3352 to 3658 metres above sea level and so lies completely in the temperate alpine zone.

• The presiding officer (NOT President) is permitted to suspend a member of Parliament (MP). The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has the authority to force a Member to resign from the House or to suspend him or her. The Rajya Sabha Chairman, unlike the Speaker, does not have the authority to suspend a member. Hence Statement 1 is not correct.
• The act of ‘naming’ such a member opens the door for a motion to be introduced in that House requesting that the member thus ‘named’ be “suspended from the service (of the House) for a time not exceeding the remainder of the session.” Hence Statement 2 is not correct.

• According to Articles 102(1)(a) and 191(1)(a) of the Constitution, an MP or MLA is prohibited from holding a profit-making post since it places them in a position to profit financially. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Articles 102 and 191 also safeguard a legislator who holds a government position if the office in issue is protected from disqualification by law. The provision does not apply to the executive. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The notion of the office of profit was derived from the British Parliamentary model and is in line with the English Act of Settlement 1701. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• The Krishna is the second largest eastward draining interstate river basin in Peninsular India covering large areas in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. 
• Hence Option A is correct.

Source: Springerlink

• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suggested revisions to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, allowing it to introduce a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
• The CBDC is a digital form of fiat currency that can be traded using blockchain-backed wallets and is governed by the central bank.
• It differs from decentralised virtual currencies and crypto assets, which are not issued by the government and do not have the status of ‘legal tender.’
• CBDCs allow users to perform domestic and cross-border transactions without the involvement of a third party or a bank.
• Hence Option B is correct.

• Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic compounds in the absence of oxygen.
• Plasma gasification is a high-temperature thermal process that uses plasma to transform organic materials into a syngas (synthesis gas) largely composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
• Pyrolysis transforms organic materials into a solid residue including ash and carbon, as well as minor amounts of liquid and gases.
• While plasma gasification is used commercially as a waste-to-energy system, converting municipal solid trash, tyres, hazardous waste, and sewage sludge into synthesis gas (syngas), which contains hydrogen and carbon monoxide and this may be used to create electricity.
• Hence Option D is correct.