UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Dec 23 - Dec 29

• 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 Difference between Hindustani and Carnatic Music.

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

Read more on State Birds Of India

• 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.

• Pair 01 is incorrectly matched, Kakrapar Atomic Power Station is a nuclear power station in Gujarat which lies in the proximity of the Mandvi and Tapi rivers.
• Pair 02 is correctly matched, Kalpakkam/Madras Atomic Power Station is situated in the northern part of Tamil Nadu on the east coast about 70 km south of Chennai.
• Pair 03 is correctly matched, Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) is a nuclear power plant located in Narora in Uttar Pradesh.
• Pair 04 is incorrectly matched, Tarapur Atomic Power Station is located in Tarapur, Maharashtra. It was the first commercial nuclear power station built in India.

Read more on the List of Nuclear Power Plants in India.

• Statement 01 is correct, Zero Hour is the time when Members of Parliament (MPs) can raise Issues of Urgent Public Importance. It is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.
• Statement 02 is correct, The zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for the day is taken up.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, Zero Hour is an Indian innovation in the field of parliamentary procedures and has been in existence since 1962.

An aneurysm is a bulging, weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning greater than 50% of the vessel’s normal diameter (width). An aneurysm may occur in any blood vessel, but is most often seen in an artery rather than a vein.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan, with a capacity of 2245 MW, is the world’s largest solar park.
• Statement 02 is correct, Cochin International Airport, Kerala is the first airport in the world that operates completely on solar power. It is India’s first airport built under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. This plant is also the first Megawatt scale installation of a Solar PV system in the State of Kerala.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, Andhra Pradesh has India’s largest floating solar power plant. State-run National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) started operations at India’s largest floating solar PV project at its Simhadri thermal station in Visakhapatnam.

• Statement 01 is correct, Every person’s DNA, except for identical twins, is unique. By analyzing selected DNA sequences (called loci), a crime laboratory can develop a profile to be used in identifying a suspect.
• Statement 02 is correct, DNA can be extracted from many sources, such as hair, bone, teeth, saliva, and blood.
  • Because there is DNA in most cells in the human body, even a minuscule amount of bodily fluid or tissue can yield useful information. Samples may even be extracted from used clothes, linen, combs, or other frequently used items.

The (Equal Access to Green Card for Legal Employment) EAGLE Act of 2022 will allow US employers to focus on recruiting immigrants based on ‘merit’ over ‘birthplace’ by eliminating the “per country” limitation on employment-based immigrant visas (green cards).

• A green card, issued to immigrants, allows them to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. The card serves as evidence that the holder has been accorded the privilege of residing permanently.

• Statement 01 is correct, High Courts have the power to structure their calendars according to the service rules. The Supreme Court has 193 working days a year for its judicial functioning, while the High Courts function for approximately 210 days, and trial courts for 245 days.
• Statement 02 is correct, Vacation Benches are Special Benches designated by the Chief Justice of India during summer and winter holidays to hear ‘urgent matters’, which include pleas concerning bail, habeas corpus and other fundamental rights issues.
• Statement 03 is correct. In 2000, the Justice Malimath Committee suggested that the period of vacation should be reduced by 21 days, keeping in mind the long pendency of cases.
  • It suggested that the Supreme Court work for 206 days, and High Courts for 231 days every year.

• Nine new items, including gamocha of Assam, Tandur red gram of Telangana, Raktsey Karpo apricot of Ladakh, Alibag white onion of Maharashtra and  Kodungalloor Pottuvellari (snap melon) from Kerala have been given the GI tag recently.

5th Schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with the administration and control of certain areas called Scheduled and Tribal Areas in all Indian states except Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Assam.

• Under this, the Governor can make regulations for the peace and good government of a scheduled area after consulting the tribes advisory council. Such regulations may prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by tribal to non-tribal members or among members of the scheduled tribes, and regulate the allotment of land to members of the scheduled tribes.

Read more on the 5th and 6th Schedules.

• Statement 01 is correct, Sustainable Reporting is the disclosure and communication of environmental, social, and governance(ESG) goals. It also includes the company’s progress towards ESG goals. It was launched by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to ensure an organisation’s commitment to sustainability and its reporting at par with financial reporting.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, SEBI has mandated that the BRSR will be applicable to the top 1,000 listed entities by market capitalisation for reporting on a voluntary basis for FY 2021–22 and on a mandatory basis from FY 2022–23.
• Statement 03 is incorrect,  the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) will replace the existing Business Responsibility Report (BRR).

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has restricted the use of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, citing health hazards for humans and animals.

• Herbicide is an agent, usually chemical, for killing or inhibiting the growth of unwanted plants, such as residential or agricultural weeds and invasive species

• Protection Status of Olive Ridley Turtles
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Scheduled 1
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I

• Pair 01 is correctly matched, Chaliha is the most important festival for the Sindhi community. Chailo Sahib or Chaliha is a forty-day festival which falls in the months of July – August when Sindhis observe fast for forty days to please their God Jhulelal.
• Pair 02 is incorrectly matched, The three-week-long Nanda Devi Raj Jat is a pilgrimage and festival of Uttarakhand. Only the deities of Garhwal Division took part in it. Gonds are not native to Uttarakhand.
• Pair 03 is incorrectly matched, Wari- Warkari is a religious movement within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the Indian state of Maharashtra celebrated by Marathas.

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a maternity benefit programme being implemented in all districts of the country since 2017.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at pregnant or lactating women aged 19 years or above for the first live birth.
• The programme provides partial compensation for wage loss during childbirth and afterwards during childcare.
•  It also aims to provide information on good feeding and nutrition for mother and child pursuant to the National Food Security Act, 2013.

• Statement 1 is correct: DMFs are statutory authorities that a State Government sets up in districts affected by mining. These bodies get their legality from Section 9B under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and its amendment in 2015.
• Statement 2 is correct: A District Mineral Foundation (DMF) is responsible for implementing the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) and other schemes in areas where mining is carried out.
• Statement 3 is correct: Mining companies contribute 30% on the royalty amount that they pay to the government to DMF Trust in the district they are operating in.

• Statement 1 is correct: UNCCD was established in 1994. It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
• Statement 2 is correct: The UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions, the other two being Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• Statement 3 is incorrect: India has hosted only one edition (UNCCD COP 14) of the UNCCD Conference of parties in 2019. This was the first time that India hosted an edition of the UNCCD COP.

• Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. However, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in only Tripura.

• Dyarchy means Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
• Dyarchy system of double government introduced by the Government of India Act (1919) for the provinces of British India. The provincial subjects were divided into two categories viz. reserved and transferred. The reserved subjects were kept with the Governor and transferred subjects were kept with Governor acting with the Indian Ministers.

• India is a signatory to:
  • UN Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs 1961
  • Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971
  • Convention on Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988
  • United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), 2000