UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jul 08 - Jul 14

• Statement 1 is correct, The Kalbelia are a snake charming tribe from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan.
• Statement 2 is correct, Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2010.
  • India has been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for the 2022-2026 cycle.
  • India has served as a member of the ICH Committee twice – from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018.
  • With 14 inscriptions on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, India also ranks high in the listing of intangible cultural heritage.

• Statement 1 is correct, Kathak is the only form of classical dance wedded to Hindustani or North Indian music.
• Statement 2 is correct, Kathak is the only classical dance of India having links with Muslim culture, it represents a unique synthesis of Hindu and Muslim genius in art.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The nineteenth century saw the golden age of Kathak under the patronage of Wajid Ali Shah who was the last Nawab of Oudh.

• Tata Vadya or Chordophones are Stringed instruments. The tata vadya is a group of musical instruments in which sound is made by the vibration of a chord or a string.
• The examples for Tata Vadya include Veena, Ektara, Kamaicha, Sitar, Sarangi, Sarod, Santoor, Tamboori, etc.
• Jhanj are a pair of hand cymbals made from bronze.
• Shehnai is a wind instrument made of wood and metal.

• Statement 1 is correct, Venkoji was the founder of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Shivaji, the son of Raja Serfoji was the last Maratha ruler of Thanjavur and reigned from 1832 to 1855.
• Statement 3 is correct, Serfoji was a patron of traditional Indian arts like dance and music. He authored famous works like “Kumarasambhava Champu”, “Mudrarakshaschaya” and “Devendra Kuruvanji”.
  • He also introduced western musical instruments like clarinet and violin in Carnatic Music.
• Statement 4 is correct, After the reign of Sivaji until 1855, Thanjavur was annexed under Dalhousie’s ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ as Shivaji had no male successor.

The Labour Bureau has been bringing out Statistics on Industrial Disputes, Closures, Retrenchments and Lay-offs in factories employing workers in India based on the voluntary returns received every month from the Labour Departments of the States and Union Territories and the Regional Labour Commissioners (Central).

• Statement 1 is correct, The origin of the Rajya Sabha can be traced to the Montague-Chelmsford report of 1918 and the Government of India Act, 1919, which provided for a second federal chamber or the “Council of States”.
• Statement 2 is correct, Members are elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies based on the Proportional Representation by means of a Single Transferable Vote. 
  • The population of the state is a factor that decides the representation of states in the Rajya Sabha.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Rajya Sabha exercises the ability to create new All-India Services under Article 312 by passing a resolution subject to support and voting by two-thirds of members.

• Statement 1 is correct, A 75-day-long awareness campaign, “Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar” has been launched on July 5 2022.
  • Under this, a massive coastal clean-up drive is undertaken that will cover 75 beaches across the country and there will be 75 volunteers for every kilometre of the coastline as a part of 75 years of Indian Independence.
• Statement 2 is correct, “Eco Mitram” is a mobile app that has been launched to spread awareness about the campaign and also for the common people for voluntary registration for the beach cleaning activity.
• Statement 3 is correct, SDG Goal 14 calls for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.
  • Target 14.1 seeks to “prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution” by 2025.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Indian Antarctic programme includes three permanent research base stations in Antarctica—named Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, and Bharati.
  • At present, India has two operational research stations in Antarctica named Maitri (since 1989) on the Schirmacher Oasis and Bharati (commissioned in 2012) in Larsmann Hill.
  • Himadri is India’s first permanent Arctic research station located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway
• Statement 2 is correct, Antarctica with an area of 14,200,000 sq. km. is the fifth-largest continent and is nearly twice the size of Australia and larger than Europe.
• Statement 3 is correct, India had been a signatory to the Antarctica Treaty since 1983.

• Statement 1 is correct, Insolvency and Bankruptcy code lays down clear-cut and faster insolvency proceedings to help creditors, such as banks, recover dues and prevent bad loans, a key drag on the economy.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Distressed Corporate Debtors (CDs) are permitted to initiate a PIRP with the approval of two-thirds of their creditors to resolve their outstanding debt under the new mechanism.
• Statement 3 is correct, Unlike in the case of the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), debtors remain in control of their distressed firm during the PIRP.

• Statement 1 is not correct, the Council of Ministers includes three categories of ministers, that is, Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, and Deputy Ministers.
  • Its size and classification are, however, not mentioned in the Constitution and is based on the conventions of parliamentary government as developed in Britain.
• Statement 2 is correct, According to the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003 the total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister in the Central Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha.

Read more on Chandra Shekhar Azad and HSRA.

India has imported 7.74 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers from Russia in the first three months of 2022. Out of the 7.74 lakh MT, urea comprised 47,000 MT. Therefore, statement 02 is incorrect.
For muriate of potash (MoP), India is completely dependent on imports. India imported 24.60 lakh MTs of MoP in 2020-21.
Major sources of muriate of potash are Israel and Lithuania.

Read more on Anglo Mysore war- First and Second war:  Third and Fourth War

• Pair 01 is correct, The Port of Odesa is the largest seaport of Ukraine and one of the largest ports in the Black sea basin.

Image Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

• Pair 02 is correct, The Port of Rotterdam is the largest Seaport in Europe and is located on the North sea.
• Pair 03 is incorrect, Hongkong port is located on South china Sea.

Image Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

• Pair 04 is incorrect, Dakar port is located on the North Atlantic ocean in the country of Senegal.

Image Source: CGTN, Africa

Read more on the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Anushilan Samiti was established by Satish Chandra Basu with the patronage of Calcutta barrister Pramathanath Mitra on March 24th 1902.
• Statement 2 is correct, Anushilan Samiti propounded revolutionary violence for ending the British Raj in India. Its two arms were the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti centered in Dhaka, and the Jugantar Group centered at Calcutta.
• Statement 3 is incorrect, Pulin Bihari Das was the founder and member of the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti, not Jugantar group.

• Statement 1 is correct, Established under Article 323, CAT provides for adjudication of disputes and complaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or other authorities under the control of the Government.
• Statement 2 is correct, CAT’s members are drawn from legal and administrative fields to provide the benefit of expertise in both domains.
• Statement 3 is incorrect, appeals against the orders of a tribunal could be made in the High Court (and not the SC directly – Chandra Kumar Case, 1997).

• Statement 1 is correct, The Sun Temple dedicated to the solar deity Surya is located at Modhera village of  Gujarat. It is situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati. It was built during the rule of Bhima I of Chalukya dynasty after 1026-27 CE.
• Statement 2 is correct, the temple complex is built in Maru- Gurjara style also called Chalukyan Style.
  • The temple complex has three axially aligned components; the garbhagriha in a hall (gudhamandapa), the outer or assembly hall (sabhamandapa) and a sacred reservoir (kunda).

Image source: Gujarat Tourism

India is the largest producer of mangoes, followed by China and Thailand. Almost 20 million tonnes of mangoes are cultivated every year in India.

• Statement 01 is correct, Cauvery basin is home to two varieties of Mahseers—Blue finned Mahseer and orange-finned, hump-backed Mahseer.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, Irrawaddy dolphins are found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in 03 rivers:
  • the Mahakam river in Indonesian Borneo, Mekong river in China and the Irrawaddy river in Myanmar.
• Statement 03 is correct, the rusty spotted cat inhabits the forests of Andhra Pradesh in the Eastern Ghats.

• Statement 1 is correct, Under standard conditions, Lithium is the least dense metal and the least dense solid element.
• Statement 2 is correct, Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly flammable and reactive, therefore it must be stored in vacuum, inert atmosphere, or inert liquid. Moist air corrodes the metal quickly.
• Statement 3 is correct, Lithium is present in trace quantities in biological systems.
  • Certain Lithium salts are used as psychiatric medicines, primarily for bipolar disorder and other major depressive problems that do not improve following the use of common antidepressants. Lithium is taken orally.

• Statement 1 is incorrect, 2016 Amendment prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in all occupations and processes.
• Statement 2 is correct, in order to protect the health and ensure children’s well-being, children could work in their family businesses only if it is safe for them. Earlier it was allowed for hazardous and non-hazardous work.

Read more on Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016.

• The Indian government has not approved any Genetically Modified (GM) food crop for commercial cultivation. Therefore, options 1, 3 and 4 are incorrect.
  • However, confined field trials have been allowed for at least 20 GM crops.
• Option 2 is correct, Bt cotton is the only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation in India.
  • Bt Brinjal and HtBt Cotton and are already being grown commercially without any authorization despite a government ban.

Image source: Go2andaman.com

• Statement 1 is incorrect, A Constituent Assembly would be formed to frame a new constitution for the country. This Assembly would have members elected by the provincial assemblies and also nominated by the princes.
• Statement 2 is correct, Any province unwilling to join the Indian dominion could form a separate union and have a separate constitution.

• D-8, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
• The establishment of D-8 was announced through the Istanbul Declaration of Summit of Heads of State/Government on June 15, 1997.
• Sri Lanka is not a member of the D-8 grouping. Hence option a is the correct answer.

• Statement 1 is correct, World Economic Outlook report is published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• Statement 2 is correct, World Economic Outlook report presents IMF economists the analyses of global economic developments during the near and medium term.
• Statement 3 is not correct, It is usually published two times a year.

• Statement 1 is not correct, According to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)  Statistics 2022, India is currently ranked fourth in terms of certified area of organic agriculture globally.
• Statement 2 is correct, India is ranked first in the number of certified organic farmers in the world.
• Statement 3 is not correct, the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) launched in 2015 aims to promote organic farming and provides technical assistance along with financial assistance of Rs. 50,000 per hectare/3 years.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The International Space Station (ISS) is a manmade space station or artificial satellite that is habitable for humans in space.
  • ISS is jointly run by NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), European Space Agency (ESA-Europe), JAXA (Japan) and the Canadian Space Agency (Canada).
• Statement 2 is not correct, ISS is placed in low earth orbit.

• Jahangir was especially fond of art and architecture.
• He commissioned, catalogued and preserved many artworks. He also kept a zoo where he documented each species of animal. He was exposed to European artworks through the Jesuits who visited his court and encouraged his court painters to adopt European styles as well.