UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Jun 24 - Jun 30

• Statement 1 is not correct, Central Information Commission was established in 2005, as a statutory body under the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of:
  • The Prime Minister as Chairperson
  • The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha
  • A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners are not eligible for reappointment.

• A derecho is “a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm”.
• Derecho is associated with a “band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms”.

• Sabizabulin is a drug which was initially developed to fight against Cancer.
• New reports have shown that Sabizabulin drug cuts risk of death in patients hospitalized with moderate to severe Covid-19.

• In 2021, Gujarat government renamed the dragon fruit as “Kamalam” as the fruit resembles a lotus.
• The fruit is also known as Pitaya, Pitahaya, strawberry pear, noblewoman and queen of the night belongs to the Cactaceae family.

• The hot and humid conditions make tropical rainforests an ideal environment for bacteria and other microorganisms. Because these organisms remain active throughout the year, they quickly decompose matter on the forest floor.
• In the tropical rainforest, plants grow so fast that they rapidly consume the nutrients from the decomposed leaf litter.

Hence option d is correct.

• Statement 1 is not correct, A “Monument of National Importance” is designated by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The highest number of monuments of national importance are in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Kisan Credit Scheme (KCC) was introduced in 1998 based on a model scheme prepared by NABARD.
• Statement 2 is correct, The KCC also covers post-harvest expenses, consumption requirements, investment in credit requirements for agricultural and allied activities.
• Statement 3 is correct, Individual farmers who are owners/cultivators, Sharecroppers, tenant farmers, Self-Help Groups of sharecroppers, farmers, tenant farmers etc are all eligible under this scheme.

• Pair 1 is correct, Lymphatic filariasis which is commonly known as elephantiasis, is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos.
• Pair 2 is not correct, Japanese encephalitis is a viral brain infection and it spreads through mosquito bites.
• Pair 3 is correct, Kala azar (Black Fever) spreads through female phlebotomine sandfly bites.

• The features of the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy include
  • A single licensing format for exploration, production and subsequent marketing of all hydrocarbons.
  • Open acreage policy for granting exploration blocks.
  • Graded system of reduced royalty rates 
  • Provides a revenue sharing model
  • Easy to understand revenue sharing model which is also easy to administer.
  • Freedom from government regulation in pricing and marketing on hydrocarbons produced from such exploration.

• On 21st June (Summer Solstice), the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun.
• The sun rays fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer. As a result, these areas receive more heat.
• Further, the sun does not set below the horizon at the Arctic circle and the places beyond the Arctic Circle experience continuous daylight.

• Statement 1 is correct, IUCN status of Red Panda: Endangered.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Red panda is the state animal of Sikkim.
• Statement 3 is correct, Red pandas are listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• Pair 1 is correct,  Singalila National Park is located in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
• Pair 2 is not correct, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is located in Darjeeling, West Bengal.
• Pair 3 is not correct, Neora Valley National Park is a national park in Kalimpong district, West Bengal.

• Statement 1 is correct, Sannati is an ancient Buddhist site located on the banks of the Bhima River in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka.
• Statement 2 is correct, The only available sculpture of Emperor Ashoka, in a limestone relief along with his consort, was found in Sannati.

• Operation Blue star was a military operation carried out in 1984 to eliminate armed militants who were holed up in the Golden Temple.
• It was launched on the orders of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi to eliminate Jarnail Singh. Bhindranwale and his followers who had sought cover in the Amritsar Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).

Image Source – Britannca

• North Macedonia emerged from the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
• North Macedonia has been an EU candidate for 17 years.
• North Macedonia is a landlocked country.

• Pair 1 is not correct, The Hokera wetland is located near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Pair 2 is correct, Renuka Wetland is located in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Pair 3 is correct, Rudrasagar Lake, also known as Twijilikma, is located in Melaghar, Tripura.
• Pair 4 is not correct, Sasthamkotta lake is located on of Kollam district of Kerala.

• Although India was one of the first countries to extend recognition to Israel, it held back from establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel for fear of antagonizing other West Asian countries.
• Though the PV Narasimha Rao government of the 1990s established full diplomatic relations with Israel, there were no prime ministerial visits between the two countries.
• Narendra Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Isreal. Notably, PM Narendra Modi also visited Palestine in 2018 to show India’s solidarity with the Palestine cause as well. It was a case of dehyphenation policy in foreign relations with the West Asian region.

The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient sculpture dating back to 280 BCE during the reign of the Maurya Empire.

The Forest Settlement Office is appointed by the state government.

Nord Stream is a pair of offshore natural gas pipelines in Europe that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

• The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is appointed by the Central government. Their names are cleared by Cabinet Committee on appointments. So, 1 is correct.
• Section 7 of the RBI Act, 1934 provides authority to the Central Government to give directions to the Central Bank in public interest from time to time with the consultation of the RBI governor. So, statement 2 is not correct.
• The Governor of the RBI draws his power from the RBI Act. So, statement 3 is correct. Therefore, the answer is (c).

• Of late, the European Union has emerged as a major export destination for Indian goods and services. In the last decade, India’s exports to EU countries have grown at a faster pace than the country’s overall exports.
• Under the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, 40% value addition or substantial processing of up to 40% in the exporting country is required to qualify for lower tariffs. This is to help ensure that other countries like China do not make use of this agreement to dump their products into one of the countries through another country.
• US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement has a “sunset” clause.

• The CrPC does not define the word bail but only categorises offences under the Indian Penal Code as ‘bailable’ and ‘non-bailable’.
• The CrPC empowers magistrates to grant bail for bailable offences as a matter of right.
• In the case of non-bailable offences, two authorities are empowered to consider the question of bail, namely (1) a court and (2) an officer-in-charge of the police station who has arrested or detained without warrant a person accused or suspected of the commission of a non-bailable offence.
• In the case of non-bailable offences, the police officer can arrest without a warrant.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed primarily to conduct infrared astronomy.

Rivers Chenab, Jhelum, and Ravi pour into Sutlej River. Sutlej river is the one that directly joins the River Indus.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Simla Agreement was signed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan
• Statement 2 is correct, It was signed in the year 1972.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The agreement was signed in Barnes Court (Raj Bhavan) at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

• I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE, and the US.
• It is referred to as the “West Asian Quad”.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Fundamental duties extend to every citizen of India and not to foreigners residing in India.
• Statement 2 is correct, The fundamental duties are enforceable by law.

• Statement 1 is correct,  The design of the Indian tricolour is largely attributed to Pingali Venkayya.
• Statement 2 is correct, The ratio of the length to the height (width) of the Flag shall be 3:2.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Supreme Court of India in a judgment affirmed that the right to fly the national flag is protected by the Indian Constitution and in particular the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

• Statement 1 is not correct, In India, credit rating agencies are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
• Statement 2 is correct, ICRA is a Public Limited Company, with its shares listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
  • ICRA was set up in 1991 by leading investment institutions, commercial banks and financial services companies as an independent and professional investment Information and Credit Rating Agency.
• Statement 3 is correct, Brickwork Ratings (BWR) is a SEBI-registered Indian Credit Rating Agency.