UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Mar 09 - Mar 15

• The balance of payments summarises the economic transactions of an economy with the rest of the world.
• The balance of payments include exports and imports of goods, services and financial assets, along with transfer payments such as foreign aid.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The Union Health Ministry has announced a major change in the organ donation policy of India.
  • The clause that people aged over 65 years could not receive cadaver organ transplants has now been removed.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Further, an organ recipient was also required to register for a transplant only in the domicile State which the Gujarat High Court had quashed saying that such a policy was discriminatory in nature.
  • In line with the High Court judgment, the Union government has removed this clause and now a patient irrespective of domicile State can register in any other State for a transplant.

• Statement 1 is correct, India has a target to install 500 GW of electricity capacity from non-fossil by 2030.

• Statement 2 is correct, Under the National Solar Mission, India was to install 100 GW of Solar Power by 2022.
  • The 100 GW solar power capacity has been divided into:
  • Rooftop solar electricity generation – 40 GW
  • Large and Medium Scale grid-connected solar projects – 60 GW
• Statement 3 is correct, The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Uttham Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) scheme aims to aid farmers to tap reliable daytime solar power for irrigation which reduces power subsidies and helps decarbonise agriculture.

• Dew is formed when moisture is deposited as water droplets on cooler surfaces of solid objects (rather than nuclei in the air above the surface) such as stones, grass blades, and plant leaves.
• When the sky is clear and the trees and plants are cooler at night, more water evaporates, resulting in more dew formation. However, when the sky is cloudy, the trees and plants do not cool down at night, resulting in less dew formation.
• Clear skies, calm air, high relative humidity, and a cold and long night are ideal conditions for its formation. The dew point must be higher than the freezing point in order for dew to form.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The SCO 2023 summit will be held in Goa, India.
  • The SCO summit 2022 was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
• Statement 3 is correct, Both India and Pakistan joined SCO in 2017.
  • SCO Members: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

• Statement 1 is correct, UNESCO in 1999 announced that February 21 would be observed worldwide as International Mother Language Day.
• Statement 2 is correct, There are 22 official languages in India and they are covered under the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Statement 3 is correct, As per Article 350A of the Indian Constitution,
  • It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.
  • The President may issue such directions to any State as he/she considers necessary or proper for securing the provision of such facilities.

• Statement 1 is not correct, After introducing the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, the Union Government is now in the final stages of notifying an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that would require polluting industries to achieve certain standards of energy efficiency and permit them to ‘trade’ these improvements.
• Statement 2 is correct, India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity (emissions per unit of GDP) of our GDP by 45% (of 2005 levels) by 2030.

• Wetlands are called the ‘kidneys of the earth’ because of the ability of aquatic plants to absorb heavy metals and nutrients.
• The plants use these nutrients to grow and support the whole of the ecosystem.

• Statement 1 is correct, India has started the production of 22 active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or bulk drugs used for the manufacturing of life-saving drugs and high-end medical devices under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs)/Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) In India.
  • The objective of the Scheme is to attain self-reliance and reduce import dependence in critical APIs.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Department of Pharmaceuticals launched the PLI scheme for Pharmaceuticals in 2021.
  • The scheme is based on the strategy of “Atmanirbhar Bharat- Strategies for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and enhancing exports in ten sectors”.
• Statement 3 is correct, The PLI Scheme for Promoting Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices aims to provide financial incentives to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the Medical Device Sector.

• HD 3385 is a high-yielding wheat variety suitable for the North Western and North Eastern Plain Zones.
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed HD 3385 wheat varieties.

• Statement 1 is correct, The New START treaty was signed by the then U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.
  • Following its ratification by the US Senate and the Federal Assembly of Russia, the treaty entered into force in 2011.
• Statement 2 is correct, The New START limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia suspended its participation in the New START treaty which is the only remaining nuclear arms control pact with the US.

Pink Flamingos can be seen in:

• Thol Lake, Gujarat
• Thane Creek, Maharashtra
• Sewri Mudflats, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Nal Sarovar, Gujarat
• Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat
• Najafgarh Lake, Delhi
• Chilika Lake, Odisha
• Pulicat Lake, Andhra Pradesh

• Statement 1 is correct, Alauddin Muhammad, the Khwarizm Shah, had to flee due to the Mongol menace under the leadership of Changez Khan.
  • He came looking for help from Iltutmish, who denied it.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Amir Timur crossed the Indus and laid siege to Multan in September 1398.
  • But, Mahmud Tughlaq was on the throne of Delhi from 1325 to 1351.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut in 1498.
  • The reign of Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire ended in 1446.

• Statement 1 is correct, India is the world’s largest producer of raw jute and jute goods, contributing to over 50 percent and 40 percent respectively of global production.
  • India is followed by Bangladesh, China and Thailand.
• Statement 2 is correct, Government of India approved Reservation Norms for the mandatory use of jute in the packaging of rice, wheat and sugar for the Jute Year 2022-23.
  • The Mandatory norms provide for full reservation for packaging of foodgrains and 20% reservation for packaging of sugar in jute bags.
• Statement 3 is correct, For proper growth and development, jute requires a humid tropical to warm subtropical climate, and about 500 mm of well-distributed rainfall.
  • Jute requires high temperatures varying from 24°C to 35°C and heavy rainfall of 120 to 150 cm and 80% to 90% relative humidity.
• Statement 4 is correct, India has imposed anti-dumping duty on the import of certain jute products from Nepal and Bangladesh.
  • Further, the government has recently extended anti-dumping duty for five years to protect domestic players from cheap inbound shipments.

• Statement 1 is correct, Tejas is a Light Combat Aircraft variant and a supersonic aircraft used by the Indian military.
• Statement 2 is not correct, LCA Tejas is being designed and developed indigenously by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).
• Statement 3 is correct, LCA Tejas is equipped with advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and a network warfare system comprising software-defined radio (SDR) and can carry out beyond visual range (BVR) missiles.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Mohiniyattam is a classical dance form of India belonging to the State of Kerala.
• Statement 2 is correct, Mohiniyattam dance is performed by women to honour lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Mohini.
• Statement 3 is correct, Mohiniyattam is based on Natya Shastra’s lasya style.
• Statement 4 is correct, Temple jewellery is an important part of the dancer’s attire.

• Statement 1 is correct, The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 empowers the Election Commission (EC) to recognise political parties and allot symbols.
• Statement 2 is correct, A symbol given to a state party can be allocated to another party in a different state.
  • Such parties are allowed to contest on their election symbols as long as they are not pitted against each other in an assembly seat.
  • If they are contesting against each other, then they will not be able to use their party symbols, and will be allotted free symbols in those constituencies.

• Only bacteria and fungi can be cultured through an artificial or synthetic medium.
• Viruses replicate only within living cells and some viruses are restricted in the kinds of cells in which they replicate.
• Thus viruses cannot be grown in standard microbiological broths or on agar plates, instead, they have to be cultured inside suitable host cells.

• Statement 1 is correct, Sangeet Natak Akademi is India’s national academy of music, dance and drama and is the first national academy of the performing arts set up by the Republic of India.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Dr P.V. Rajamannar was the first Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi.
• Statement 3 is correct, Sangeet Natak Akademi is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture.

• Statement 1 is correct, Lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) are man-made diamonds that are grown in labs using advanced technologies.
  •  LGDs have physical, chemical and optical properties similar to that of natural diamonds.
• Statement 2 is correct, As per reports it takes ten times more energy to extract a natural diamond from the earth than it takes in creating one above the ground (lab-grown diamond).
  • Furthermore, the manufacturing of lab-grown diamonds has a lesser environmental impact than natural diamond extraction.

• Operation AAHT: It is an RPF operation against Human Trafficking with the aim of rescuing victims, mainly women and children.
• Operation Amanat: Under this initiative, the RPF looks to make it easier for passengers to get back their lost luggage.
• Operation Nanhe Farishte: This operation aims to rescue children.
• Operation WILEP: Under this operation, RPF has been taking action against the smuggling of wildlife, animal parts and forest products through rail.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker originated in India under the Government of India Act of 1919 (Montague – Chelmsford Reforms).
• Statement 2 is correct, Vithalbhai J Patel was the first elected Indian and President (Speaker) of the Central Legislative Assembly in 1925.
• Statement 3 is not correct, According to Article 94 of the Constitution, the Speaker may be removed from his office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House, that is, by effective majority.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The annual range of temperature is lesser in the Pacific Ocean than that in the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The bigger the size of the ocean (Pacific), the lesser will be the annual range of temperature.
• Statement 2 is correct, The annual range of temperature is greater in the northern hemisphere than that in the Southern Hemisphere because of larger land masses.

Former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan will chair an expert committee formed by the Kerala government to conduct field studies and record details of houses, commercial establishments and other structures that exist in the 1 km buffer zones that surround wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

• Sabang city in Aceh province, Indonesia consists of Weh Island and several smaller islands off the northern tip of Sumatra.
• Sabang port is located 710 km southeast of the Andaman Islands and less than 500 km from the entrance of the Malacca Strait, through which over 40% of India’s trade passes. The Malacca Strait is considered one of six choke points, or narrow channels, along widely used global sea routes.

• Statement 01 is correct, The scheme aims to promote tourism and encourage people to explore the rich cultural heritage and diversity of India.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, It was launched by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
• Statement 03 is correct, The scheme is intended to offer financial help to tourists travelling to different parts of India. The government has set aside a substantial budget for the implementation of this scheme, which will be used to promote travel and build tourist infrastructure around the nation.

Operation Sukoon was an operation launched by the Indian Navy to evacuate Indian, Sri Lankan and Nepalese nationals, as well as Lebanese nationals with Indian spouses, from the conflict zone during the 2006 Lebanon War.

• Recently, Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India’s (TRIFED) TRIBES India store products were tagged with One District One Product (ODOP) and Geographical Indication (GI)
• The ODOP and GI tagging was done for a range of products, including Kullu Shawl from Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Darjeeling Tea from Darjeeling, West Bengal, Blue Pottery from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Bidriware from Bidar, Karnataka, Pattachitra paintings from Puri, Odisha, Bagh Prints from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, Coffee from Wayanad, Kerala, Bastar Craft from Kondagaon, Chattisgarh & Rice-Jeeraphool from Balrampur, Chhattisgarh.
• The tagging is intended to create awareness about the sources of products representing different districts of India.