UPSC 2022: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jan 15 - Jan 21

World Bank releases the Global Financial Inclusion Database or Global Findex Report.

• It is a four-nation group launched in 2016 consisting of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the USA.
• Aims to initiate a reconciliation process between the civilian government in Afghanistan and the Taliban to preserve peace, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

• The concept of judicial review was borrowed from the United States of America.
• The power of judicial review can be exercised by both the Supreme Court and the High Courts.

• The Nagi and Nakti bird sanctuaries are two sanctuaries in Bihar, so close to each other that they can be taken as one bird area.
• Nagi is 7 km from Jhajha in the Jamui District, and Nakti is a further 4 km from Nagi, occupying similar habitat.
• Bihar’s first state-level bird festival ‘Kalrav’ will be held at the world-famous Nagi-Nakti bird sanctuaries from January 15, 2021.

• Signed in 1992, the Open Skies Treaty permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others’ entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
• It is an agreement that allows the signatory-countries to monitor arms development by conducting unarmed surveillance flights over each others’ territories.
• India is not a member of this treaty.

• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was a nuclear arms-control accord reached by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987 in which the two nations agreed to eliminate their stocks of intermediate-range and shorter-range (or “medium-range”) land-based missiles which could carry nuclear warheads.
• It also covered all land-based missiles, including those carrying nuclear warheads but did not cover sea-launched missiles.
• The United States withdrew from the Treaty on 2nd August 2019.

All the statements are correct.

Read more on the Central Pollution Control Board in the link.

• The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
• The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
• The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

Gadwall, little cormorant and common teal were spotted recently at the Harike wetlands.

• Jallikattu is a sport conducted as a part of Mattu Pongal.
  • Mattu Pongal is the 3rd day of the four-day-long festival Pongal.
• It is an ancient sport aimed to embrace the bull.
• The sport involves a natively reared stud that is set free inside an arena filled with young participants.
• The challenge lies in taming the bull with bare hands.
• It is also known as Manju Virattu or Eru Thazhuvuthal.

• Lumbini was the birthplace of Buddha.
• Kapilavastu was the capital of the Shakyas where Siddhartha lived with his parents until he renounced his family life and left the palace at the age of 29.
• Sarnath is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment.
• Rajgir is the place where the first Buddhist council was held.
• Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar.

• Swadesh Darshan is a Central Sector Scheme. It is 100% centrally funded.
• Under the scheme, theme-based tourist circuits in the country are identified and developed. These tourist circuits will be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner.
• The Tourism Ministry launched the scheme in 2015.

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was constituted under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008. It is a statutory body.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.
• It is the Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency in the country.
• The NIA can investigate terror cases across the country without having to get permission from the states.
• It has the authority to investigate offences that are committed outside Indian territory subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other nations.

• Indian Start Tortoise is a threatened species that is found in dry areas and scrub forests of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• It is classified as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List.
• The Indian star tortoise was upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 2019 (threatened with extinction) giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade.

• The Char Dham as defined by Adi Shankaracharya consists of – Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram.
• Another small circuit in Uttarakhand of four pilgrimage sites – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath is referred to as Chota Char Dham.

Ashtanga Hridaya by Vagbhata, Sushruta Samhita by Sushruta and Charaka Samhita by Charaka are considered the Great Trilogy of Ayurvedic Medicine.

• The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
• It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.
• Its members are elected by the members of the General Assembly.
• The UNHRC has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis.
• No member may occupy a seat for more than two consecutive terms.

All the statements are correct.

Global Food Policy Report is the International Food Policy Research Institute’s flagship report.

• Subhas Chandra Bose authored the book ‘The Indian Struggle’ which covers the Indian independence movement from 1920 to 1942. The book was banned by the British government.
• He also started a newspaper called ‘Swaraj’.
• Naujawan Bharat Sabha was founded in 1926 by Bhagat Singh.

• Exercise Desert King-21 is a bilateral air exercise between India and France.
• As part of Indo-French defence cooperation, Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force have held six editions of Air Exercises named ‘Garuda’, the latest being in 2019 at Air Force Base Mont-de-Marsan, France.

• International Labour Organization is a United Nations specialized agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice through setting international labour standards.
• It was founded in 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and oldest specialised agency of the UN.
• It has 187 member states and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• In 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for improving fraternity and peace among nations, pursuing decent work and justice for workers, and providing technical assistance to other developing nations.
• Its annual flagship publication is called “The World Employment and Social Outlook”.   It is an annual report that summarizes the labour market performance around the world.

• Sanaa is the largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate.
• The city is not part of the Governorate, but forms the separate administrative district of “Amanat Al-Asemah”.
• Under the Yemeni constitution, Sanaa is the capital of the country, although the seat of the Yemeni government moved to Aden, the former capital of South Yemen in the aftermath of the Houthi occupation.
• Aden was declared as the temporary capital by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in March 2015.
• Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, is near the eastern approach to the Red Sea.

• Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) is a benchmark interest rate for dollar-denominated derivatives and loans.
• It is based on transactions in the Treasury repurchase market. The daily secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) is based on transactions in the Treasury repurchase market, where investors offer banks overnight loans backed by their bond assets.
• The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) in April 2018 as part of an effort to replace LIBOR, a long-standing benchmark rate used around the world.
• It is a replacement for USD LIBOR that may be phased out by end-2021.
  • The US Dollar LIBOR interest rate is the average interbank interest rate at which a large number of banks on the London money market are prepared to lend one another unsecured funds denominated in US Dollars.

• Particularly vulnerable tribal group is a government of India classification created with the purpose of enabling improvement in the conditions of certain communities with particularly low development indices.
• Kattunayakan is a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Todas are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Tamil Nadu.
• Reangs are the only Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Tripura.
• Great Andamanese, Jarawas, Onges, Sentinelese and Shom Pens are PVTGs in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• Instances where a simple majority is needed:
  • To elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
  • To declare a financial emergency
  • To declare President’s Rule (state emergency)
  • Constitution Amendment Bill under Article 368 which needs to be ratified by the states needs only a simple majority at the State Legislatures.
• Instances where an effective majority is needed:
  • Removal of the Chairman (Vice President of India), Deputy Chairman in the Rajya Sabha (Article 67(b)).
  • Removal of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the State Legislatures.

• During the Question hour, Members of Parliament ask questions to ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries.
• The questions can also be asked to the private members (MPs who are not ministers).
• 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.
• Question Hour is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure of the House.