UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Feb 04 - Feb 11

• Statement 1 is not correct. FCRA is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Statement 2 is not correct. Contributions made by a citizen of India living in another country (i.e., Non-Resident Indian), from his personal savings, through the normal banking channels, are not treated as foreign contributions. However, the PIO Card holders are excluded from the list.
• Statement 3 is not correct. The association should utilize such funds for the welfare purpose or activities for which it is received. The utilization should be in line with the objectives of the association. However, foreign contributions can be utilized for self-sustaining activities, not meant for commercial purposes.

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The Election Commission of India imposes limits on the expenditure incurred by a candidate, but not political parties, on their election campaign.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. Candidates have to keep a separate account and file the election expenses with the poll watchdog under the law. An incorrect account or expenditure beyond the cap can lead to disqualification for up to three years under Section 10A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• Statement 3 is correct. A candidate is not allowed to spend more than the maximum limit of election expenses.

• Keoladeo National Park, located in the State of Rajasthan, is an important wintering ground of Palaearctic migratory waterfowl and is renowned for its large congregation of non-migratory resident breeding birds.
• It is the only park in India that is completely enclosed by a 2 m high boundary wall that minimises the possibilities of any encroachment and biotic disturbances.
• The park was the only known wintering site of the central population of the critically endangered Siberian Crane, and also serves as a wintering area for other globally threatened species such as the Greater Spotted Eagle and Imperial Eagle.

• The Collective Security Treaty Organization originates from the conclusion of the Collective Security Treaty, which was signed in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) on May 15, 1992.
• The treaty entered into force upon completion of the national ratification procedures on April 20, 1994.
• The Organization today includes: the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan
• Article 4 of the Treaty states: “If one of the States Parties is subjected to aggression by any state or group of states, then this will be considered as aggression against all States Parties to this Treaty. In the event of an act of aggression against any of the participating States, all other participating States will provide him with the necessary assistance, including military, and will also provide support at their disposal in exercising the right to collective defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. ”

• Statement 1 is not correct, the first APMCHUD conference was held in New Delhi in 2006, with the theme, “A vision for sustainable urbanisation in the Asia-Pacific by 2020”, was aimed at galvanizing government action and political commitment at the regional level to improve the lives of 581 million slum dwellers.
• Statement 2 is not correct, the conference can be hosted by any of the member countries whose proposal to host needs to be approved by the members of APMCHUD in the previous conference.

• Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of the Bay of Bengal about 100 km south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in the Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian State of West Bengal.
• Nalbana Island is the core area of the Ramsar-designated wetlands of Chilika Lake in Odisha. It was declared a bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972.
• Hence Option B is Correct.
• Pamban Island, known as Rameswaram Island, is an island located between peninsular India and Sri Lanka, on the Rama Setu archipelago. Pamban Island belongs to India and forms the Rameswaram taluk of the Ramanathapuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu. Hence Statement 2 is not correct.
• Munroe Island is an inland island group located at the confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River, in Kollam district, Kerala. Hence Statement 4 is not correct.

• Ramanathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the God Shiva located on Rameswaram island in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is also one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples. 
• The temple was expanded during the 12th century by the Pandya dynasty, and its principal shrine’s sanctum was renovated by Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan and his successor Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan of the Jaffna kingdom. The temple has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India.
• Its Gopuram is NOT the biggest Gopuram in India.
• Hence, all the statements are incorrect.

• The Law Commission is not a statutory body. It is an executive body. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
• The first Law Commission was established during colonial rule in India, by the East India Company under the Charter Act of 1833, and was presided by Lord Macaulay. Hence Statement 2 is correct.

• As per the IUCN Red List, the Indian Pangolin is listed as ‘Endangered’. Hence Statement 1 is NOT correct.
• The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and a long muzzle with a nose pad similar in colour, or darker than, its pinkish-brown skin. It has powerful limbs, tipped with sharp, clawed digits. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings.
• The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its massive, scaled armour, which covers its upper face and its whole body with the exception of the belly and the inside of the legs. The pangolin has no teeth, but has strong stomach muscles to aid in digestion. Hence statements 2 and 3 are correct.

• The Kakatiyas’ famous commercial harbour was Motupalli.
• Marco Polo, the famed Venetian adventurer, passed through this port on his way to Kakatiya and published a travelogue on the richness and strength of Andhra Desha.
• The port of Machilipatnam functioned as the Golconda Kingdom’s main seaport.
• Hence Statement 2 is correct.

• The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines that are issued by India’s Election Commission (EC) for candidates and political parties during elections. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• The code goes into effect when the election timetable is announced and continues in effect until the procedure is completed. It is not a legally enforceable document. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.
• Kerala is the first state to implement the model code of conduct in India in its 1960 elections. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.

• Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
• There are four North-Eastern states that have ILP:

1. Arunachal Pradesh
2. Nagaland
3. Mizoram
4. Manipur

• Hence Option C is correct.

• The gharial is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, occurring in the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Mahanadi River systems. It is believed that the gharial is now extinct from Myanmar, Bhutan and Pakistan.
• The gharial is a keystone species of the running freshwater ecosystem and plays an important role in aquatic ecosystems.
• The gharial, once widespread, is now listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List.
• Hence All the Statements are correct.

• Sudan is a country located in northeastern Africa. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Sudan is bounded by Egypt, on the east by the Red Sea, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, on the south by South Sudan, on the west by the Central African Republic and Chad, and on the northwest by Libya. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Sudan is the country with the maximum number of pyramids in the world.  Hence Statement 3 is correct.

Source: – africanews.space

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development of India created the Vidyanjali Yojana, a school volunteer initiative.
• Vidyanjali is a project of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, with the goal of strengthening schools across the nation via community and private sector engagement.
• The scheme aims to strengthen Schools through community and private sector involvement in schools across the country.
• This programme will bring together schools and volunteers from the Indian Diaspora, including young professionals, retired teachers, retired government officials, retired professionals, and others.
• Hence Option A is correct.

• AIIB is a development bank with a mission to improve the economic and social outcomes in Asia. It focuses on investment in sustainable infrastructure and developmental projects. Hence Statement 1 is not correct.
• The largest contributor to AIIB is China and the second-highest shareholder is India.
• AIIB has approved financing projects in India in a host of sectors like energy, transport and water including the Bangalore metro rail project, Gujarat rural roads project and Phase 3 of the Mumbai urban transport project. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank with headquarters in Beijing, China. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 is an aircraft carrier constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian navy. It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India. INS Vikrant (R11) was the first aircraft carrier to ever grace the arsenal of the Indian Navy. Initially starting life as the HMS Hercules of the British Royal Navy, the ship was re-christened as ‘Vikrant’ after purchase by the Indian Navy.
• The motto of the ship is “Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah”, which is taken from Rigveda(NOT Atharva Veda) and can be translated as “I defeat those who fight against me”.
• Hence Option B is correct.

• Adi Shankaracharya is widely recognised as a religious reformer in the early 8th century and is considered one of the most prominent thinkers and religious leaders in Indian history.
• Adi Shankaracharya was born in Kaladi, Kerala, near Kochi.
• He was a devotee of Shiva and Maya Theory, Advaita Vedanta (Non-Dualism), and Tarak Brahma are all related to him. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Its major beliefs are thoroughly expressed in the Upanishads and systematized by the Brahma-sutras, according to its adherents (also known as the Vedanta-sutras). Its origins can be traced back to the 7th-century CE thinker Gaudapada, who wrote the Mandukya-karika, a verse-based commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad.  Hence Statement 3 is correct.
• At the age of 33, he died (took samadhi) at Kedar tirth.  Hence Statement 1 is correct.

• The bacterium that causes tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which belongs to the Mycobacteriaceae family, which has roughly 200 members.
• By manipulating a strain of Mycobacterium bovis, two Frenchmen, Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin, produced BCG.
• In 1921, it was used for the first time in humans.
• BCG was first used on a small basis in India in 1948, and it became part of the National Tuberculosis Control Program in 1962.
• One fascinating feature about BCG is that it works well in certain places but not so well in others. The efficiency of a country increases as it moves further from the equator.
• Hence All the Statements are correct.

• The total of the Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to farmers, including procurement incidentals and distribution costs, is the economic cost of food grains procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
• The procurement cost, procurement price, and distribution cost are the three primary components of FCI’s economic cost.
• Freight, handling charges, storage charges, transit losses, and establishment fees are all included in the distribution costs.
• The initial costs incurred during the procurement of foodgrains are known as procurement incidentals. 
• Hence Option C is correct.

• The Krishna River is the fourth-largest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India. (The Godavari is the largest in peninsular India.) Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
• The river rises near Mahabaleshwar in western Maharashtra state, in the Western Ghats range. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Major tributaries of Krishna River are as follows:
  • Left: Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Halia, Musi, Paleru, Munneru.
  • Right: Venna, Koyna, Panchganga, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra.
• Hence Statement 3 is correct.

• Mekedatu River Project: Mekedatu is a multipurpose (drinking and electricity) project that entails the construction of a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district.
• Karnataka – Tamil Nadu Dispute: Tamil Nadu has protested Karnataka’s plan to build a reservoir at Mekedatu on the Cauvery River. The Karnataka government, on the other hand, has stated that there is no “compromise” on the Mekedatu project and that the state intends to proceed with it.
• Hence Option C is correct.

• Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri signed the Tashkent Agreement on 10 Jan 1966 with Pakistan’s president to put an end to the 17-day war between India and Pakistan. Hence Statement 1 is incorrect.
• The agreement was mediated by the Soviet Union which helped restore peace at the borders. Despite being regarded as a huge diplomatic achievement, the Tashkent Declaration did not prevent India and Pakistan from fighting in the future. Hence Statement 2 is correct.

• Swami Vivekananda was influenced by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who became his Guru.
• He established many Mathas in India, the most important being the Belur Math in Belur, Howrah district.
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had called Vivekananda the “maker of modern India.”
• In his honour, the government of India in 1984 declared his birthday ‘National Youth Day’.
• Hence Option A is correct.

• National Intellectual Property Rights Policy strives to create an ecosystem in the country that promotes innovation and creativity. The nodal department has been designated as the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
• India’s commitment to the Doha Development Agenda and the TRIPS Agreement was announced with the introduction of this policy.
• The National Intellectual Property Rights Policy includes all IPRs and puts them together on a single platform. Its goal is to apply global best practices to the Indian situation.
• Hence both the statements are correct.

• The PM KUSUM Scheme has been announced by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• It aims to establish solar pumps and grid-connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.
• Renewable energy-based power plants (REPP) of capacity 500 kW to 2 MW will be set up by individual farmers/groups of farmers/cooperatives/panchayats/Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO). Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• These power plants can also be installed on cultivable land on stilts where crops can also be grown below the solar panels. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

WTO Ministerial Conferences

• The topmost decision-making body of the WTO is the Ministerial Conference, which usually meets every two years. 
• It brings together all members of the WTO, all of which are countries or customs unions.
• The Ministerial Conference can take decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements.

Hence Option B is the correct answer since it’s the wrong statement.

• The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a multilateral export control regime that prevents ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems from being utilised in chemical, biological, or nuclear strikes.
• India had officially joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) as a full member.
• The extended-range version of BrahMos was developed after India’s full membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which removed caps on the range of the cruise missile.

Hence Option C is correct.

• Mamallapuram is also called Mahabalipuram or Seven Pagodas and it is situated in Tamil Nadu along the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• The town’s religious centre was constructed by a Hindu Pallava ruler named Narasimhavarman, also known as Mamalla, in the 7th century CE. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• The sculptured rock relief, known as “Arjuna’s Penance,” or “Descent of the Ganges,” a series of sculptured cave temples, and a Shiva temple on the coast are among the many surviving 7th and 8th-century Pallava temples and monuments. Hence Statement 3 is correct.

The Global Competitiveness Report is a yearly report published by the World Economic Forum. It ranks countries based on the Global Competitiveness Index. It measures the prosperity and competitiveness of countries by examining four factors: Economic performance, Government efficiency, Business efficiency and Infrastructure.

Hence Option C is correct.