UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 03 - Jun 09

• The The UNESCO’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize is associated with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the field of Education.
• The theme of the 2021 edition is the “use of technology to enable inclusive crisis-resilient learning systems”.

• All the above rivers are transboundary rivers between India and Bangladesh.
• The two countries share about 54 rivers.

• Statement 1 is not correct, India’s agri-exports in FY22 reached $50.3 Billion against agri-imports of $32.4 Billion. This means that India has a net surplus in terms of trade in international agricultural commodities.
• Statement 2 is correct, Vegetable oils account for the highest import in terms of value in recent years and India relies heavily on imports for 70% of its edible oil consumption.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Article 169 of the Constitution provides provisions for abolition or creation of Legislative Councils in States.
  • The article states – The Parliament can abolish a Legislative Council or create it by a simple majority, if the Legislative Assembly of the State passes a resolution to that effect by a special majority i.e majority of the total membership of the Assembly and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Assembly present and voting.
• Statement 2 is not correct, According to Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have more than one-third of the total strength of the State Assembly, and not less than 40 members.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Currently, 6 states in India have the Legislative Council. They are: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

• CRISPR/CAS9 is a gene editing tool that allows scientists to essentially cut-and-paste DNA.
• CRISPR is a dynamic, versatile tool that helps target genomic location and potentially repair broken genes. It can remove, add or alter specific DNA sequences in the genome of higher organisms.

• As per the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016, there is a complete ban on sachets using plastic material used for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala. As per PWM (Amended) Rules, 2021, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic less than seventy-five microns has been banned with effect from 30th September 2021 as opposed to fifty microns recommended earlier under PWM Rules, 2016. Additionally, the notification of 12th August 2021, prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of select single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential with effect from the 1st July 2022.
• In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to ban thinner plastic bags after they were found to have choked the drainage system during devastating floods.
• Only two countries, Vanuatu and Seychelles, have so far banned plastic straws outright.

A black swan is a rare, unpredictable event that comes as a surprise and has a significant impact on society or the world.

• The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has voted against allowing transgender athletes to participate in female competitions. In October 2021, World Rugby became the first international sports governing body to institute a ban on transgender women competing in global competitions.
• Quinn is a Canadian professional soccer player and Olympic gold medallist who plays for the Canada national team.

The Central American country of El Salvador had adopted Bitcoin as an official currency in September 2021.

• The Laureus Sports award honours the greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs of the year.
• The American golfer, Tiger Woods was the first winner of this award.
• The award has been mostly won by Tennis players so far and Roger Federer has received this award the maximum number of times so far (5 times).

On June 21 every year, the Northern hemisphere has summer solstice, when the day is the longest.

A 5% inflation implies the general price level in April this year was 5% more than what it was in April last year.

• There are vaccines available to prevent Typhoid. There are two vaccines to prevent typhoid fever. One is an inactivated (killed) vaccine and the other is a live, attenuated (weakened) vaccine.
• It’s caused by a bacterium called Salmonella typhi, which is related to the bacteria that cause salmonella food poisoning.

The Motto of the Indian Navy is ‘May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us’.

Lemongrass oil (Cymbopogon citratus) is an effective repellent against mosquitoes and house flies.

• Statement 1 is correct, Article 174(2)(b) of the Constitution gives powers to the Governor to dissolve the Assembly on the aid and advice of the cabinet.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Governor can apply his mind when the advice comes from a Chief Minister whose majority could be in doubt.
• Statement 3 is correct, When the House is in session, the Speaker can call for a floor test.
  • However, when the Assembly is not in session, the Governor’s residuary powers under Article 163 allow him to call for a floor test.

• Statement 1 is correct, With the introduction of Section 194S in the Income-tax Act through the Finance Act, 2022, a tax deducted at source (TDS) of 1 per cent will be levied on the transfer of VDAs effective July 1 if the value of transactions exceeds Rs 10,000 in a year.
• Statement 2 is correct, the CBDT has defined four primary VDAs namely bitcoin, ether, USD Tether and USD Coin for the purpose of tax deduction on lesser-known cryptocurrencies.
• Statement 3 is not correct, if two different cryptocurrencies say bitcoin and ether, are being exchanged, both the persons would be considered buyers as well as sellers.
  • Therefore, both will need to pay tax with respect to the transfer of the cryptocurrency.

• Statement 1 is correct, The azooxanthellate corals are a group of corals that do not contain zooxanthellae and derive nourishment from capturing different forms of planktons and not from the sun. 
• Statement 2 is correct, Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch contains some of the most northerly coral reefs in the world.
• Statement 3 is correct, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands are rich with flourishing island corals.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Keibul Lamjao National Park is home to the endangered brow­ antlered deer (Sangai).
• Statement 2 is not correct, The Keibul Lamjao National Park is located in the Bishnupur district of Manipur.
• Statement 3 is correct, The national park is characterized by floating decomposed plant material locally called Phumdi.
  • Phumdis are a series of floating islands, exclusive to the Loktak Lake in KNLP.

• Bollgard1 and Bollgard 2 help in developing genetically modified crop plants.
• Bollgard cotton provides in-built protection for cotton against destructive Bollworm infestations, and contains an insecticidal protein from a naturally occurring soil microorganism, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
• Bollgard Bt cotton (single-gene technology) is India’s first biotech crop technology approved for commercialization in India in 2002.
• Bollgard II technology contains a superior double-gene technology – Cry1Ac and Cry 2Ab which provides protection against bollworms and Spodoptera caterpillar.

• Statement 1 is correct, Kaliningrad is Russia’s westernmost federal entity.
• Statement 2 is correct, It shares no borders with Mainland Russia and is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.

Image Source: Britannica

• Statement 1 is correct, Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited disorder.
• Statement 2 is not correct, In this disorder, the red blood cells contort into a sickle shape.
  • The cells die early, leaving a shortage of healthy red blood cells and can block blood flow causing pain (sickle cell crisis).
• Statement 3 is not correct, India has been ranked the country with the second-highest number of sickle cell disease cases in the world.
  • Nigeria has the highest incidence of sickle cell disease in the world.

• NIRYAT stands for National Import-Export for Yearly Analysis of Trade.
• NIRYAT has been pegged as a one-stop platform for stakeholders for easy access to critical information related to India’s foreign trade by the Centre.

• Pair 1 is correct, Lakadong turmeric is grown in Meghalaya’s Jaintia hills.
• Pair 2 is not correct, Chakhao or Chak Hao (Black aromatic rice) is a species of paddy plant associated with Manipur.
• Pair 3 is correct, Queen pineapple is the state fruit of Tripura.
• Pair 4 is not correct, Thuku elaichi is associated with Sikkim.

• Social capital is a measure of the value of resources, both tangible (eg: public spaces, private property) and intangible (eg: actors, human capital, people), and the impact that these relationships have on the resources involved in each relationship, and on larger groups.
• Social capital consists of trust, mutual understanding, shared values and behaviour that bind together the members of a community and make cooperative action possible.
• Social capital has advantages in terms of health, preventing crime and violence, education, environment, economic development, water use and sanitation.

• Statement 1 is correct, A species is termed invasive if it’s previously absent in that ecosystem and has been introduced in that area from outside mostly by human intervention.
• Statement 2 is correct, The invasive growth of the grass Paspalum distichum has changed the ecological character of large areas of Keoladeo National Park, reducing its suitability for certain waterbird species including the Siberian Crane.
• Statement 3 is correct, Under the articles of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC) issues approval and quarantine certificates to export wild animals.

• Statement 1 is correct,  Intelligence Bureau (IB) was founded on December 23, 1887, as the “Central Special Branch” by the Secretary of State for India in London.
  • The IB is considered the oldest surviving intelligence organization in the world.
• Statement 2 is correct, IB technically falls under the authority of the Ministry of Home
• Affairs.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Director of the Intelligence Bureau (DIB) has always been an IPS officer.

• VL-SRSAM stands for Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile.
• VL-SRSAM has been designed and developed jointly by three facilities of the Defence Research and Development Organisation for the deployment of Indian Naval warships.
• The VL-SRSAM system has been designed to strike at the high-speed airborne targets at the range of 40km to 50km and at an altitude of around 15km.

• Statement 1 is correct, The ex-officio chairman of the NITI Aayog is the Prime Minister.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The Prime Minister appoints the Vice-Chairperson of NITI Aayog.
• Statement 3 is correct, The CEO of NITI Aayog will be in the rank of the Secretary to the Government of India.

• The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency to ensure the effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.