UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 22 - Jun 28

• Statement 1 is correct. In 1991, the Government of India issued a notification regarding the CRZ under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 administered by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to protect and conserve the environment and ecosystem on the coastline of the country.
• Statement 2 is correct.  The CRZ rules and regulations have been formulated with the objective of protecting coastal ecosystems, by regulating human and industrial activities near the coastline.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. Coastal areas are categorised into four different types by the CRZ notification.

Matsya 6000 is an Indian crewed deep-submergence vehicle intended to be utilised for deep-sea exploration of rare minerals under the Deep Ocean mission.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access & facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation. It was founded by Unitaid, which continues to be MPP’s main funder.

Statement 1 is correct. International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC) was established on the 1st of November 2006 on account of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL).
Statement 2 is correct. ITUC is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

The provisions of these Directions shall apply to every Scheduled Commercial Bank – including Small Finance Banks (SFBs) and excluding Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) licensed to operate in India by the Reserve Bank of India.

Only Three. Egypt is bordered by Libya, Sudan, Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Image Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

Statement 2 is incorrect. India has climbed eight places from last year in the annual Gender Gap Report, 2023, and is now ranked 127 out of 146 countries. In 2022 it was ranked 135.

• The Cabinet Committee on Security is chaired by the Prime Minister.

The India Semiconductor Mission was launched in 2021 with a total financial outlay of Rs76,000 crore under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).

• L-20 or Labour 20 summits are summits of labour and employment leaders or trade unions from the G20 countries.
• It represents the labour unions from G20 member countries and serves as a platform for discussions and recommendations on labour-related issues.
• The L-20 focuses on promoting decent work, workers’ rights, social protection, and inclusive economic growth within the G20 agenda.

The Wagner Group also known as PMC Wagner is a Russian paramilitary organisation. It is believed to have been founded in 2014.

All three statements are correct.

The Veeracholapuram temple in Kallakurichi district is famous for its Shiva Temple. It was in news as steps are being taken to retrieve some idols that were stolen or went missing from Chola-era temples.

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is a protected area and tiger reserve in the Eastern Ghats in the Erode District of Tamil Nadu.

• Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), as commonly understood, comprises procedures such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI), oocyte and sperm donation, cryopreservation and includes surrogacy as well.

The Climate Shift Index model has been developed by a U.S Non-profit organization called Climate Central.  It reveals how much climate change influences the temperature on a particular day.

The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, separating Africa and Asia.

Image source: Encyclopedia Britannica

Meira Paibi is a women’s social movement in the state of Manipur. Referred to as the “guardians of civil society”, it dates to 1977 in present Kakching district.

India plans to procure 31 General Atomics MQ­9B High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV). The MQ­9B has two variants — the SkyGuardian and the SeaGuardian, its maritime variant. MQ-9B is the first hunter-killer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance.

Only 2 statements are correct. Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is located in the Dawodang depression in China.

All three statements are correct.

NHRC is a statutory body established in 1993, under the provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is also a quasi-judicial body. It is partly judicial in character, as it has powers that resemble those of a court of law.

The NDB is a multilateral financial institution established by the BRICS countries, namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. NDB was founded in 2014 at the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution applies to the Northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram (3 Councils each), and Tripura (1 Council).

Paris Club is an informal group of official creditors from 22 wealthy countries who find sustainable solutions for challenges faced by debtor countries.

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was approved by the Ministry of Education (Erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development) in September 2015 to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Equalisation Levy was introduced in India in 2016. It is a direct tax on digital services withheld at the time of payment by the service recipient.

The Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai has given tags to 7 products from Uttar Pradesh – Amroha Dholak, Mahoba Gaura Patthar Hastashlip, Mainpuri Tarkashi, Sambhal Horn Craft, Baghpat Home Furnishings, Barabanki Handloom Product and Kalpi Handmade Paper.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Chinar Corps is responsible for guarding the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir Valley.

India is neither a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) Treaty regime nor the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.