UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jul 22 - Jul 28

• Statement 1 is not correct, The ED director is appointed as per provisions of the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The Centre appoints the ED director on recommendation of a committee with the Central Vigilance Commissioner as chairperson and other members comprising of Vigilance Commissioners, Home Secretary, Secretary DOPT and Revenue Secretary.
• Statement 3 is correct, The ED director has a fixed two-year tenure which can be extended by one year each time, provided the total term does not exceed five years.

• Statement 1 is not correct, All the North-eastern states of India except Assam (34%) have more than 70% of the geographical area under forest cover.
• Statement 2 is not correct, All the North-eastern states of India except Assam have witnessed decline in forest area over the past decade.

Image Source: The Hindu

Image Source: The Hindu

• Statement 1 is correct, the Supreme Court collegium system evolved through judgments of the Supreme Court and not by an Act of Parliament or by a provision of the Constitution.
• Statement 2 is not correct, the Supreme Court collegium consists of the Chief Justice of India and four other senior-most judges of the SC.

Read more about the collegium system.

• Statement 1 is correct, Tobacco is one of the most economically significant agricultural crops in the world as it is a drought tolerant, hardy and short duration crop which can be grown on soils where other crops cannot be cultivated profitably.
• Statement 2 is not correct, India is the second largest producer and exporter after China and Brazil respectively.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Crop Diversification Programme (CDP), a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to encourage farmers to shift to alternative crops/cropping systems since 2015-16 has been implemented in 10 tobacco-growing states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

• The government has set up the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under the NITI Aayog in 2016.
• The objective of establishing AIM is to create a scientific temper and cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation among young minds.

Read more about Atal Innovation Mission.

Image Source: News18

• The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners are appointed by the President based on the recommendation of a Committee consisting of:
  • Prime Minister
  • Minister of Home Affairs (MHA)
  • Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (Lower House)

• Statement 1 is not correct, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah who was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golkonda founded the city of Hyderabad.
• Statement 2 is correct, the Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled for 171 years until the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s army conquered Golconda in 1687 and jailed Sultan Abul Hasan Qutb Shah for the rest of his life.

• The Sunderlal Committee, appointed by Jawaharlal Nehru reported about the killings in the Hyderabad region post-Operation Polo.
• Operation Polo was the codename for the police action against the Princely State of Hyderabad which led to the Annexation of Hyderabad.

• Minerals Security Partnership is a US-led partnership to secure supply chains of critical minerals, aimed at reducing dependency on China.
• Minerals Security Partnership includes Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the UK, the US, and the European Commission.
  • India is currently not part of the Minerals Security Partnership. 

• CAG compiles and maintains the accounts of state governments.
• In 1976, CAG was relieved of the responsibilities regarding the compilation and maintenance of accounts of the Government of India due to the separation of accounts from audit, through departmentalization of accounts.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Among UTs Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir have their own High Courts.
• Statement 2 is not correct, According to Article 230 of the Constitution, Parliament may by law extend the jurisdiction of a High Court to, or exclude the jurisdiction of a High Court from, any Union territory.
  • There is no need for the Parliament to take the consent of the State.

• Tilka Majhi rebelled against the atrocities of the British East India Company. He mobilised the Pahadia tribe to which he belonged and raided the Company treasury.
• Thalakkal Chanthu of the Kurichiyar tribe was an invaluable part of Pazhassi Raja’s war against the East India Company.
• Budhu Bhagat of the Oraon tribe was shot down in one of his many encounters with the British, along with his brother, seven sons and 150 men from his tribe.
• Raghoji Bhangre belonged to the Mahadeo Koli tribe. He revolted against the British and continued his struggle even though his mother was imprisoned.
• Laxman Naik of the Bhuyan tribe, was also inspired by Gandhi and campaigned extensively to get tribes to join the freedom movement.

• Statement 1 is correct, NavIC helps in
  • Navigation (Aerial, marines and terrestrial)
  • Maps (Charting, Plotting and Geodetic data capture)
  • Disaster Management
  • Fleet Management and Vehicle Tracking (important during mining and transport operations)
  • Mobile phone integration
  • Precise timing (useful for power grids and ATMs)
• Statement 2 is correct, NavIC satellites are placed at a higher orbit than the GPS of the US.
  • NavIC satellites are placed in geostationary orbit (GEO) & geosynchronous orbit (GSO) with an altitude of about 36,000 km. Whereas the GPS satellites are placed in medium earth orbit (MEO) with an altitude of about 20,000 km.
• Statement 3 is not correct, It is designed to give precise position data service to users located in India and also to users in the area out-spreading up to 1500 Km from India’s boundary.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Indian Constitution does not categorize ministers into ranks, however, in practice seen in India, ministers are of four types:
• Statement 2 is correct, According to the 91st Constitutional Amendment the total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha.

• Statement 1 is incorrect, This privilege is only granted in civil matters and not in criminal or preventive detention situations.
• Statement 2 is incorrect, courts are not empowered to inquire into any proceedings that happen inside the Parliament.

• Statement 1 is correct, Any MP who is not a Minister is referred to as a private member.
• Statement 2 is correct, both kinds of bills are governed by the same general procedure and stages in both houses.
• Statement 3 is incorrect, the introduction of a private member’s bill requires one month’s notice whereas a public bill can be introduced with 7 days’ notice.

Read more on the Private Member Bill.

• Statement 1 is incorrect, PMFBY provides a comprehensive insurance cover against crop failure. It is optional for the farmers who have not availed of institutional credit and mandatory for those who have borrowed institutional loans from banks
• Statement 2 is incorrect,  farmers have to pay a 2% premium for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all rabi crops. It is 5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops.

Read more on Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

• ‘Mission Raftaar’ was announced in the Railway Budget 2016-17 with a view to increasing the speed of trains in Indian Railways.
• The mission envisages a target of doubling the average speed of freight trains and increasing the average speed of all non-suburban passenger trains by 25 kmph in the next 5 years.

• Statement 1 is correct, Nannuka was the founder of the Chandela dynasty of India. He ruled in the Jejakabhukti region, present-day Madhya Pradesh.
• Statement 2 is incorrect, Jayashakti was a 9th-century ruler from the Chandela dynasty of Central India.
  • The Paramara dynasty was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between the 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of Rajputs.
• Statement 3 is correct, Nagabhata II  was an Indian emperor from the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty.
  • He was designated with imperial titles – Parama Bhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja, and Paramesvara after the conquest of Kannauj.
  • He finds a mention in the Gwalior inscription.
• Statement 4 is incorrect,Mihira Bhoja or Bhoja I was a king belonging to the Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty in the 9th century. He adopted the title of Adivaraha as he was a devotee of  Lord Vishnu.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Life imprisonment was added to Indian Penal Code (IPC) through an amendment in 1955.
  • It applies to serious crimes. Compared with legal alternatives to the death penalty, life imprisonment is generally considered more humane and less harsh.
  • Life imprisonment means staying in prison until the offender dies, that is, until the offender stops breathing and it is not just 14 years.
• Statement 02 is correct, Section 432 in The Code Of Criminal Procedure, 1973 gives government the power to suspend or remit sentences.

• Statement 01 is correct,  Public authorities which includes all authorities and bodies under the union government, state government or local bodies. The civil societies that are substantially funded, directly or indirectly, by the public funds also fall within the ambit of RTI and they have to maintain and proactively disclose information on suo moto basis.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, information in normal course is to be given within 30 days from the receipt of application by the public authority.
  • If information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, it shall be supplied within 48 hours.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, according to section 24 , the act does not apply to the intelligence and security organizations specified in the Second Schedule of the act. But, information regarding allegations of corruption and human rights violations shall not be excluded under this sub‑section.

Read more on RTI ACT.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Kondapalli Toys, made of wood belongs to Kondapalli village in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
  • These toys are decorated in the households during the festivals of Navratri and Sankranti and are referred as Bommala Koluvu.
• Statement 02 is correct, they have been granted the Geographical Indications (GI) tag.

• Statement 01 is correct, An amicus curiae literally translates to “friend of the court”. He/She is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court  by offering expertise that has a bearing on the issues in the case.
  • The decision on whether to consider an amicus brief lies within the discretion of the court.
• Statement 02 is correct, The most common area of need of amicus curiae is in cases that are under appeal, or issue of public interest litigation and they can be appointed in both civil and criminal cases.

• Statement 01 and 02 is correct, The UNGA may grant international organizations, non-member states and other entities Permanent Observer Status.
• Statement 03 is correct, Permanent Observers may participate in the sessions and workings of the UNGA and maintain missions at the UN Headquarters.

Read more on UNGA.

• Pair 01 is correct, The Borra Caves are located on the East Coast of India, in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh. They distinctly exhibit irregularly shaped stalactites and stalagmites and are considered the deepest caves in India.
• Pair 02 is correct, The Lomas Rishi Cave is one of the man-made in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills of Bihar. It was built in the 3rd century BC, as part of the sacred architecture of the Ajivikas sect.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

• Pair 03 is correct, Mawsmai Cave is a limestone cave found near Cherrapunji, Meghalaya.
• Pair 04 is incorrect, The Mandapeshwar Caves is an 8th Century rock-cut shrine dedicated to lord Shiva located in Maharashtra.
• Pair 04 is incorrect, Tabo Caves are located in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh.

• Statement 01 is correct, It is a 126-year-old masonry gravity dam located on the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala’s Idukki district.
• Statement 02 is correct, The dam is owned, operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu.

• Statement 01 is correct,  Nalanda University was founded by Kumaragupta – I of the Gupta Dynasty in the 5th Century C.E. It was also supported by the famous ruler King Harshavardhana of Kannauj.
• Statement 02 is correct, Nalanda University got inscribed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2016.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, Hiuen Tsang or Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk is said to have visited Nalanda in the 7th century.He studied for about 05 years at Nalanda.During his time at Nalanda, Hiuen Tsang studied logic, grammar, Sanskrit, and the Yogacara school of Buddhism.
• Statement 04 is incorrect, in 1193, Nalanda was destroyed by a military general of the Ghurid Dynasty from Turk called Bakhtiyar Khilji.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Hansen’s disease/leprosy is an infection caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae.
• Statement 02 is correct, it affects the skin, nerves, and mucous membranes (the soft, moist areas just inside the body’s openings).
• Statement 03 is correct, It is not transmitted from a casual contact with a person who has Hansen’s disease.
  • Hansen’s disease is also not passed on from a mother to her unborn baby during pregnancy and it is also not spread through sexual contact.

• The Miyawaki Method is one of the most effective tree planting methods for creating forest cover quickly on degraded land that has been used for other purposes such as agriculture or construction.

Image Credit: Pinterest