UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 17 - Jun 23

• Statement 1 is correct, Cess can be levied on both indirect and direct taxes.
• Statement 2 is correct, If the cess collected in a particular year goes unspent, it cannot be allocated for other purposes.
  • The amount gets carried over to the next year and can only be used for the cause it was meant for.
• Statement 3 is correct, The central government does not need to share the cess with the state government either partially or in full.

• Ramagundam Floating Solar PV Project at Ramagundam in Telangana is India’s largest Floating Solar PV Project.
• It is a 100 MW Floating Solar Power Project equipped with advanced technology and environment-friendly features.

• The Cabinet Committee on Accommodation is headed by the Union Home Minister.
• All committees except Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are headed by the Prime Minister.

• The Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides rapid and low-access financial assistance to member countries facing an urgent balance of payments (BoP) need, without the need to have a full-fledged program in place.
• The Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) of the IMF provides rapid concessional financial assistance to low-income countries (LICs) facing an urgent balance of payments (BoP) need with no ex-post conditionality where a full-fledged economic program is neither necessary nor feasible.

• Statement 1 is correct, Mahatma Gandhiji led the Champaran Satyagraha
• Statement 2 is correct, The farmers had revolted against the British against the conditions that they imposed for indigo cultivation.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The Indigo Commission was a commission set up in the late 1850s by the British to look into the grievances of the Indigo farmers following the movement of the raiyats of Bengal against the European indigo planters.
  • Whereas, the Champaran Agrarian Law was passed by the British Government in 1918 post the Champaran Satyagraha Movement which abolished the forcible cultivation of indigo on the land of farmers.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Konark Sun Temple is said to be built by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in the years around 1250.
• Statement 2 is correct, the Konark Sun temple represents the Kalinga Style of Architecture.
• Statement 3 is correct, The temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

• Pair 1 is not correct, Harangi is built across the Harangi river (a tributary of the Kaveri) in Karnataka.
• Pair 2 is correct, Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River in Odisha.
• Pair 3 is not correct, Maithon Dam is in Jharkhand and is built across River Barakar (a tributary of the Damodar River).
• Pair 4 is correct, Tehri Dam is built across the Bhagirathi River in Uttarakhand.
  • It is the tallest dam in India.

• Steel slag is an industrial byproduct obtained from the steel manufacturing industry.
• Steel slag finds its application in road construction material, landfill material, agricultural soil improvement, soil fertilizer and cement industry raw material.

• Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) is a fibre-yielding plant, and has become an important source of livelihood for the people in the remote villages of the Hindu Kush mountains.

• The categorization of a tribe as a Particularly vulnerable tribal group is done by the Ministry of Home Affairs and not by the Ministry of Tribal affairs.
• The people of Saharia tribe speak Munda language that belongs to the Austro-Asiatic language family.

• The Kai chutney is made mostly by the tribes of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha using the weaver ants.
  • Weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina, are abundantly found in Mayurbhanj throughout the year. They make nests with leaves of host trees. Kais feed on small insects and other invertebrates, their prey being mainly beetles, flies and hymenopterans.
• This dish is a rich source of essential nutrients and is known to boost the immune system and is also used a remedial cure to many diseases.
• In Odisha, research is underway to make a presentation for the Geographical Indications (GI) registry of Kai chutney under the food category. Currently, it does not have a GI tag.

The Yogyakarta Principles is a document about human rights in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity, published as the outcome of an international meeting of human rights groups in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in November 2006.

Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on the honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. This mite can reproduce only in a honey bee colony. It attaches to the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking fat bodies.

• Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulphuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms.  This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.
• Acid rain results when sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. The SO2 and NOX react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulphuric and nitric acids.  These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground.

• Digital India Bhashini – The Ministry of State for Electronics and Information Technology has held a brainstorming session with Researchers & Start-ups to shape strategy for Digital India BHASHINI. BHASHINI stands for BHASHa Interface for India, the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM).
• Digital India GENESIS – GENESIS stands for Gen-Next Support for Innovation Startups in Digital India. It is a project to help companies identify, assist, develop, and succeed in small towns across India.
• Meri Pehchaan – ‘Meri Pehchaan’ is a National Single Sign On for One Citizen Login. National Single Sign-On (NSSO) is a user authentication service in which a single set of credentials provides access to multiple online applications or services.
• Hence all the statements are correct.

• The Lithium Triangle is an area rich in lithium deposits that straddles Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• Chile has the world’s largest known lithium reserves. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
• The mining industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for more than two-thirds of global cobalt production in 2021. Hence statement 3 is not correct.

• The rich cultural history of the Tamils will be featured in a project relating to the new Parliament being constructed by the Union government in New Delhi.
• Soil samples from five ecological regions mentioned in ancient Tamil Sangam literature — Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithal and Paalai — have been collected and sent to the capital recently.
• Hence option A is correct.

• Windfall taxes are primarily levied on the companies in the targeted industry that have benefited the most from the economic windfall, most often commodity-based businesses. It is a tax levied by governments against certain industries when economic conditions allow those industries to experience above-average profits.
• Recently, the Union government of India has imposed a windfall tax on domestic oil producers and refiners.
• Hence both the statements are correct.

• Kanaganahalli is a town in Karnataka near Sannati. The emperor, his queen, and attendants are engraved on a slab in this sculptural representation, with Ranyo Ashoka (Raja Ashoka) named alongside the stone picture of Ashoka. It is the first sculpture of Ashoka with his name engraved on it.
• Hence option A is correct.

• Section 69(A) of the IT Act allows the government to issue blocking orders to social media intermediaries “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state….” Such a request must be based on reasons given in writing.
• Blocking orders issued under the Act are usually confidential in nature.

Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan. It occupies the whole northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital is Nukus.

• Union Food Minister released the first State Ranking Index for implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013. Among the 20 big states and Union Territories (UTs), Odisha topped the list while Goa came last. Tripura ranked first and Ladakh came last among the 14 smaller states and UTs.
• The State Ranking Index for NFSA report was prepared by the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
• The states and UTs were ranked based on three parameters for 2022. The first measures “coverage of NFSA, rightful targeting, and implementation of all provisions under NFSA” while the second “analyzes the delivery platform while considering the allocation of foodgrains, their movement, and last-mile delivery to Fair Price Shops (FPS)”. The third “focuses on nutrition initiatives of the department”.

• The Fields Medal often described as the Nobel Prize in mathematics, is a prize awarded to mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union.
• The International Mathematical Union is an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organisation.

• Palm oil is derived from the oil palm tree, which is native to West Africa and grows best in tropical climates with abundant water. It was imported into SE Asia in the mid-19th century. Oil palm flourishes in the humid tropics and produces high yield when grown 10 degrees north and south of the equator. So, statement (1) is not correct.
• Palm Sludge Oil (PSO) is the floating residual oil that separates during the initial stage of POME discharge to the pond. The PSO is currently being categorised under sludge oil as it exhibits high Free Fatty Acids (FFA) and very low Deterioration of Bleachability Index (DOBI) values. Due to the inferior quality of PSO, this residual oil cannot be used directly as food source but normally being used for low-grade laundry soap formulation to substitute palm fatty acids distillate.
• Conventionally, Volatile short chain fatty Acid (VSCFA) has been widely used as raw material in the fragrant industry for the production of perfume via esterification process. So, statement (2) is correct.
• If refined, the PSO can be applied directly as boiler fuel, raw material for biodiesel production So, statement (3) is correct. Therefore, the correct answer is (b).

• Statement 1 is correct, The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat or Headquarters.
• Statement 2 is correct, The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
• Statement 3 is correct, The finance ministers and central bank governors began meeting in 1999 and in 2008, the U.S. President invited the leaders of the G20 countries thereby creating the first-ever G20 summit.

• Statement 1 is correct, Critical minerals are elements that are the building blocks of essential modern-day technologies, and are at risk of supply chain disruptions.
  • These minerals are now used in making mobile phones, computers, batteries, electric vehicles and green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines.
• Statement 2 is correct, Based on their individual needs and strategic considerations, different countries create their own lists.
• Statement 3 is not correct, India and Australia have recently decided to strengthen their partnership in the field of projects and supply chains for critical minerals.

• Statement 1 is correct, Generally, there has been a gradual decline in per capita cereal consumption in India.
• Statement 2 is not correct, According to the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) Household Consumption of Various Goods and Services in India, 2011-12 report, rice consumption per person per month has fallen in rural India from 6.38 kg in 2004-05 to 5.98 kg in 2011-12, and in urban India from 4.71 kg to 4.49 kg.
• Statement 3 is correct, According to the Foodgrains Stocking Norms of the Food Corporation of India, a stock of 275.80 lakh tonnes has to be maintained on July 1 every year.

• Statement 1 is not correct, India did not launch the EV30@30 initiative. However, it is a part of this global initiative.
• Statement 2 is correct, India does not have enough lithium reserves for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries and most of the electric vehicles in the country run on batteries imported mostly from China.
• Statement 3 is correct, According to the Ministry of Power guidelines, there shall be at least one charging station at every 25 km on both sides of the highways and at least one charging station to be present in a grid of 3 km.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The motto of Tokyo Olympics 2020 was ‘United By Motion’. However, on 20th July 2021, the Olympic motto was updated to “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”.
  • This updating was done to show solidarity around the globe at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Statement 2 is correct, Five new games were introduced along with fifteen new events including Baseball/Softball, Karate, Skateboarding, Surfing and Sport Climbing.