UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 15 - Jun 21

• National Highway 44 (NH 44) is a major north–south National Highway in India and is the longest in the country.
  • It passes through the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
• Maharashtra has the largest network of National Highways with 17,757 km (13.4%) followed by Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan with 11,737 km (8.9 %) and 10,342km (7.8 %) respectively.
• The Leh–Manali Highway is a 428 km long highway in northernmost India connecting Leh, the capital of the Union Territory of Ladakh, to Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It connects the Kullu Valley of the upper Beas River to the Chandra and Bhaga river valleys of Lahaul via the Atal tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, then crosses over a series of high Himalayan passes into the Indus river valley in Ladakh.
  • It is the world’s second-highest-altitude motorable highway.

• NPS was made mandatory for all new recruits to the Central Government service (except the armed forces) from 1st January 2004.

FIELDS instrument is a part of the Parker Solar Probe by NASA. Read more on Aditya L1 Mission.

• Pair 01 is incorrectly matched, The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Gadgil Commission after its chairman Madhav Gadgil, was an environmental research commission appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
• Pair 02 is correctly matched,  The Punchhi Commission was constituted by the Government of India in 2007 as a Commission on Centre-State relations.
• Pair 03 is incorrectly matched, T.S.R Subramanian committee was set up in August 2014, to review the country’s green laws and the procedures followed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• Pair 04 is incorrectly matched, Narasimham Committee was established to examine India’s banking sector and recommend reforms when the banks were underperforming during the 1991 economic liberalization of India. The Narasimham Committee was formed two times for economic reforms, once in 1991 and again in 1998.

• Arunachal Pradesh is commonly referred to as the “Orchid State of India.”
• This nickname stems from the region’s incredible richness and diversity of orchids, which are found in abundance throughout the state.
• Arunachal Pradesh is blessed with a favourable climate and varied topography, including lush forests, hills, and valleys, providing an ideal habitat for orchids to thrive. It is estimated that around 500 species of orchids can be found in this region, making it a paradise for orchid enthusiasts and researchers.
• The richness of orchids in Arunachal Pradesh has also contributed to its tourism industry.
• Orchids also hold a special place in the traditions, customs, and festivals of the indigenous communities residing in the state. These flowers are often used for decoration, religious ceremonies, and as symbols of beauty and elegance.

• Statement 01 is correct, Most reefs are located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
  • Corals are also found farther from the equator in places where warm currents flow out of the tropics, such as in Florida and southern Japan.
• Statement 02 is correct, They are found in the Atlantic, Pacific , the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf.
• Statement 03 is correct,  Coral reefs have declined by over half since the 1950s as they suffer from the effects of climate change and overfishing. Across the world, the area that coral reefs occupy has fallen by 50% in the half century from 1957.

• Statement 01 is correct, France is one of the  57 founding members of The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• Statement  02 is incorrect,  China is the largest shareholder with 26.61 % voting shares in the bank, followed by India (7.6%), Russia (6.01%), and Germany (4.2 %).
• Statement 03 is incorrect, It has its headquarters in Beijing, China.
• Statement 04 is correct, Unlike other MDBs (multilateral development bank), the AIIB allows for non-sovereign entities to apply for AIIB membership, assuming their home country is a member.

Irula, also known as Iruliga, are a Dravidian ethnic group inhabiting the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

• People of Irula ethnicity are called Irular, and speak Irula, which belongs to the Dravidian family.
• Irula tribesmen are world-renowned for their ability to catch snakes and rats.

Read more on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

• Statement 01 is correct, Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency.  Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body.  Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, Bacterial infections are one of the most common causes of sepsis. Fungal, parasitic and viral infections are also potential sepsis causes.

• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to any rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work.
• All adult members of the household, male or female, who are willing to do unskilled manual work are eligible to benefit from the scheme, regardless of their caste, religion or community.

• The Cytochrome c (cyt c) is a small heme protein found loosely associated with the inner membrane of the mitochondria where it plays a critical role in cellular respiration.
• Cytochrome c is a small, water-soluble protein of molecular weight about 12,000.
• Cytochrome c is functionally involved in the electron transport chain of mitochondria.
• Google doodle honours Kamala Sohonie who was the first Indian woman to get a PhD degree in a scientific discipline
  • Kamala Sohonie worked on potatoes and discovered the enzyme ‘Cytochrome C’, a type of protein in the mitochondria which plays an important role in cellular respiration.

• Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki endowed the Miyawaki technique to create dense forests with native plants.
• This unique method is used worldwide for urban afforestation by growing a forest in someone’s backyard.
• The Miyawaki method helps create self-sustaining vegetation within 2 to 3 years, whereas a traditional procedure takes nearly 100 years.

• Statement 1 is correct, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) is a Mini Ratna (Category–I) Government of India enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• Statement 2 is correct, IREDA has been notified as a “Public Financial Institution” under section 4 ‘A’ of the Companies Act, 1956 and registered as Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• Statement 3 is not correct, The key objectives of IREDA are:
  • To give financial support to specific projects and schemes for generating electricity and / or energy through new and renewable sources and conserving energy through energy efficiency.
  • To maintain its position as a leading organisation to provide efficient and effective financing in renewable energy and energy efficiency / conservation projects.
  • To increase IREDA`s share in the renewable energy sector by way of innovative financing.
  • Improvement in the efficiency of services provided to customers through continual improvement of systems, processes and resources.
  • To strive to be a competitive institution through customer satisfaction.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
  • The Gandhi Peace Prize is awarded annually as a tribute to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Statement 2 is correct, The award is conferred to individuals, associations, institutions or organizations who have worked selflessly for peace, non-violence and amelioration of human sufferings especially of the less-privileged section of society contributing towards social justice and harmony.
  • The Gandhi Peace Prize is open to all persons irrespective of their nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The jury comprises of:
  • The Prime Minister of India,
  • Chief Justice of India,
  • Leader of the Single Largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha, and
  • Two eminent members

• The Permanent Settlement of Bengal was brought into effect by the East India Company headed by the Governor-General Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
• Post the introduction of this system, the tendency for increased litigation was visible mainly because the Court fees which were imposed in the judicial plan of 1787 were abolished.
• Thus people could now drag anybody to courts.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Attorney General’s (AG) consent is mandatory when a private citizen wants to initiate a case of contempt of court against a person.
  • Before such a plea can be filed, the AG must sign off on the complaint, determining if it requires the attention of the court at all.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, has a limitation period of one year for bringing in action against an individual.
  • According to Section 20 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, “No court shall initiate any proceedings of contempt, either on its own motion or otherwise, after the expiry of a period of one year from the date on which the contempt is alleged to have been committed”.
• Statement 3 is correct, Article 129 of the Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to initiate contempt cases on its own, independent of the motion brought before it by the AG or with the consent of the AG.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna River in Central and Northern India.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Chambal River originates at Janapav, south of Mhow town, near Manpur, Indore, on the south slope of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Chambal River flows through three Indian states namely Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
• Statement 4 is not correct, The main left bank tributaries of Chambal include the Banas and Mej rivers on the left
  • The Parbati, Kali Sindh and Shipra Rivers are the main right-bank tributaries of the Chambal River.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has regulatory oversight over Insolvency Professionals, Insolvency Professional Agencies, Insolvency Professional Entities and Information Utilities.
• Statement 2 is not correct, A competitor of the corporate debtor along with a promoter of the corporate debtor and a creditor of the corporate debtor are allowed to submit a resolution plan in a corporate insolvency resolution process.
  • A wilful defaulter is prohibited to submit a resolution plan in a corporate insolvency resolution process.
• Statement 3 is not correct, A pre-pack envisages the resolution of the debt of a distressed company through a direct agreement between secured creditors and the existing owners or outside investors, instead of a public bidding process.
  • A corporate debtor with a minimum default of INR 10 lakhs can initiate a pre-packaged insolvency resolution process.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Cornwallis Code of 1793 contained provisions for governing the civil, policing and judiciary administration in British India.
  • Cornwallis Code of 1793 established the Permanent Settlement system.
• Statement 2 is correct, Cornwallis wanted Separation of Power and the Cornwallis Code divested the collector of all the judicial and the magisterial powers.
  • Thus the Collectors were given only the power of the revenue administration according to the Cornwallis Code.

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) corresponds to an encrypted & secure network that enables you to securely use network resources.
• VPN allows users to work from home in a secure manner to connect to remote corporate servers with the help of routing infrastructure given by the public internetwork.
• VPNs allow employees to securely access their company’s intranet while travelling outside the office.

• Statement 1 is correct, Jagannath Rath Yatra is an annual chariot festival dedicated to Lord Jagannath who is considered a form of Lord Krishna; the festival is held in the city of Puri in the state of Odisha.
• Statement 2 is correct, The festival is also known as Gundicha Yatra as it symbolises the journey of Lord Jagannath from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Jagannath Temple authorities require over 1,100 big logs of 12 species of wood for the construction of the Ratha and the logs of three species namely Phasi, Bhaunra and Asana are the major components of the chariots.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Statement 2 is correct, Gandhi Peace Prize is announced by the Ministry of Culture.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The award is conferred to individuals, associations, institutions or organizations who have worked selflessly for peace, non-violence and amelioration of human sufferings especially of the less-privileged section of society contributing towards social justice and harmony.

• Titan is a 22-foot carbon-fibre and titanium craft deployed by a Canadian expedition ship, the M.V. Polar Prince, to travel nearly 13,000 feet down to explore the site of the Titanic shipwreck in the North Atlantic.
• However, this submersible watercraft with five people on board has been missing after it set out to explore the shipwreck site.

• Pair 1 is correct, Chashma is located in Mianwali District near Kundian, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Pakistan and China signed an MoU to build a new unit of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant.
• Pair 2 is correct, Newfoundland is a province of Canada composed of the island of Newfoundland.
  • An underwater submersible “Titan” which was to travel to the site of the Titanic shipwreck on the ocean floor off Newfoundland is missing.
• Pair 3 is correct, Kherson is a port city in Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast.
  • The Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was destroyed recently which has caused extensive flooding along the lower Dnieper River in Kherson and Kherson Oblast region.

• Schedule VI of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 focuses on plant species, including rare or threatened plants, and imposes restrictions on their collection, cultivation, or trade.
• Cultivation and trade of such plants are only permitted with a license or prior approval of a competent authority.

India ranks 127 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 released by the World Economic Forum.
India has shown an improvement of 1.4% points & 8 positions from 135 in 2022.

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• Statement 2 is correct. Russia, Iran & India signed the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project in 2002.
• Statement 3 is correct. It connects Russia with Iran and India via the Caspian Sea.

• US Senate India Caucus will introduce legislation to give India ‘NATO plus five’ defence status.
• Currently, NATO Plus 5, is a security arrangement that brings together Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and South Korea.

• Queen Durgavati is the most famous warrior queen of the Garha-Mandla/Garha Kingdom.
• In the tribal belts of the Vindhyas and Mahakoshal regions, Queen Durgavati is revered.

• River Mahadayi or Mandovi is a west-flowing inter-state river in the Western Ghats.
• Mahadayi or Mandovi or Mhadei River originates in the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary located in the Belagavi district of Karnataka.
• Major Tributaries of River Mahadayi are Kalasa Nala, Banduri Nala, Surla Nala, Haltar Nala, Poti Nala, Mahadayi Nala, Pansheer Nala, Bail Nala, Andher Nala.