UPSC 2024: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz May 11 - May 17

Lal Bahadur Shastri translated the autobiography of Madam Curie, a French scientist who discovered Radium, into Hindi.

• Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder or red blood cell (RBCc) disorder.
  • Red blood cells contain hemoglobin which is a protein that carries oxygen through the body.
• Usually, the RBCs are disc-shaped and flexible in order to move easily through the vessels. In the case of Sickle Cell Disease RBCs are crescent or sickle-shaped thereby slowing or at times blocking the blood flow.
• Sickle Cells usually die in 10 to 20 days causing a shortage of RBCs.
• The Union Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget 2023-24 has announced that the government will work in “mission mode” to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Writs are a written order from the Supreme Court or High Court that commands constitutional remedies for Indian Citizens against the violation of their fundamental rights.
  • The Article 32 of the Indian Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to issue writs, whereas Article 226 empowers the High Courts.
  • Thus, both the Supreme Court as well as the High Courts can issue writs in India.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Supreme Court or High Courts issue “Quo Warranto” writ to prevent illegal usurpation of a public office by a person.
  • Quo-Warranto can be issued only when the substantive public office of a permanent character created by a statute or by the Constitution is involved
  • It can’t be issued against private or ministerial office
• Statement 3 is not correct, The feature of issuing writs are borrowed from English law where they are known as “prerogative writs”.

• Statement 1 is correct, A positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) neutralises the impacts of an El Niño.
  • Positive IOD acts like a mini La Niña over India.
• Statement 2 is correct, The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a periodic oscillation of sea surface temperatures in which:
  • Positive phase is associated with the warmer western Indian Ocean than the eastern Indian Ocean.
  • Negative phase is associated with the colder western Indian Ocean than the eastern Indian Ocean.
• Statement 3 is correct, The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is also known as the “Indian Nino”.

• Statement 1 is correct, Uthiramerur Inscription dated around 920 A.D. during the reign of Parantaka Chola is located in the present-day Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu
• Statement 2 is not correct, Uthiramerur Inscription provides details about how village assembly functioned 1,000 years ago
  • The inscription gives details of the functioning of the local sabha, i.e. the village assembly.
  • The inscription also provides details about how members were selected, the required qualifications, their roles and responsibilities, and how they could be removed.

• Thinning cirrus clouds would be achieved by injecting ice nuclei (such as dust) into regions where cirrus clouds form, making the ice crystals bigger and reducing the cirrus optical depth.
  • Thinning the clouds could allow more heat to escape into space and thereby cool the planet and reduce global warming.
• Stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection has been proposed to counter anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming.
  • Stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection increases the reflectivity of the lower stratosphere helps reflect inbound sunlight back into space and thus helps keep the planet cool.

• The “One Week One Lab” campaign highlights India’s global excellence in technology, innovation and start-ups.
• Each of the 37 Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Labs spread across the nation dedicated to a different exclusive area of work will be given an opportunity under the “One Week One Lab” to showcase the work being done by it.

Statement 1 is correct.

• Statement 1 is correct, Gold Exchange Traded Funds allow investors to buy gold in digital form as units of the ETF and the prices of Gold ETFs are based on the price of gold.
• Statement 2 is correct, Gold Exchange Traded Funds were introduced in India in 2007.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Gold ETFs can be sold at the stock exchange through the broker using a demat account and trading account and can be encashed by selling the units on the stock exchange.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Starship is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle which is being developed by SpaceX.
  • Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and satellite communications company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
• Statement 2 is correct, The U.S. space agency NASA has picked the Starship spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the Moon in late 2025 as a part of the Artemis III Mission.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Since its inception in 1950 and till October 1989, the Election Commission of India (ECI) was a one-member body with only the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) as its sole member.
  • In October 1989, the ECI became a three-member body as it now consists of a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs).
• Statement 2 is not correct, The Election Commission of India decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
• Statement 3 is correct, Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties.

• Statement 1 is correct, The applicability of the Act extends to the people of all faiths, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, across India.
• Statement 2 is correct, As per Section 5 of the Act, the parties must give written notice to the Marriage Officer of the District and at least one of the parties must have lived in the district for at least 30 days immediately before the date of such notification.
• Statement 3 is correct, Section 7 of the Act allows any person to object to the marriage before the expiration of 30 days from the date of the notice’s publication.

• Statement 1 is correct, A “civil union” refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred upon married couples.
• Statement 2 is correct, Although a civil union resembles a marriage and brings with it employment, inheritance, property, and parental rights, there are some differences between the two.
• Statement 3 is correct, As per Section 5(2)A of the Adoption Regulations, 2022 a child can be adopted only if “there is consent of both the spouses for the adoption in case of a married couple”, and “a single male shall not be eligible to adopt a girl child”.
  • Further, According to Section 5(3) of the Adoption Regulations, 2022 a couple cannot adopt unless they have at least two years of stable marital relationship, except in the case of relatives or step-parent adoption.

• Statement 1 is correct, India is a signatory to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) which came into effect in July 1997 and accounts for more than 95% of the world trade in products like computers, telecom equipment, semiconductors and scientific instruments.
• Statement 2 is correct, As a signatory to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), India is mandated to eliminate tariffs on these products.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The Nairobi Ministerial Conference was held in December 2015. At this conference, the member countries concluded the expansion of the Agreement, and named it Information Technology Agreement – II.

The National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App was launched by the Minister of Rural Development on May 21 2021.
This app is aimed at bringing more transparency and ensures proper monitoring of various schemes.
The NMMS App is applicable for the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers for all the States/Union Territories.
The NMMS App permits taking real-time attendance of workers along with geo-tagged photographs. The app also helps in increasing citizen oversight of the programme.

• The exact constitutional status of India on 26th January 1950 was ‘Sovereign Democratic Republic’.
• The Preamble was amended in 1976, by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, which added three new words – Socialist, Secular and Integrity – to the Preamble.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The responsibility of conducting the decadal census rests with the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
• Statement 2 is correct, The population census is a Union subject under Article 246 of the Constitution.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The information collected during the process of the Census is very confidential and it is not even accessible to the courts of law.
  • The confidentiality of the data is guaranteed by the Census Act, 1948.

• Statement 1 is correct, The FCRA was enacted during the Emergency period in 1976 amid concerns that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.
• Statement 2 is correct, FCRA registrations are granted to individuals or associations that have definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programmes.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Under the FCRA 2022 Rules, there is an exemption from intimation to the government for contributions less than Rs 10 lakh.
  • The earlier limit was Rs 1 lakh.

• Statement 1 is correct, The United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) is a subsidiary organ under the umbrella of the UN General Assembly and is the United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency.
• Statement 2 is not correct, UNFPA is working with governments, partners and other UN agencies to directly tackle many Sustainable Development Goals particularly:
  • Goal 3 on health
  • Goal 4 on education
  • Goal 5 on gender equality
• Statement 3 is correct, The United Nations Fund for Population Activities was established as a trust fund in 1967 and started its operations in 1969.
  • In 1987, it was officially renamed the United Nations Population Fund, reflecting its lead role in the United Nations system in the area of population. The original abbreviation, UNFPA, was retained.

Image Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

• Statement 1 is not correct,  Oil palm trees are native to Africa and were brought to South-East Asia as an ornamental tree crop.
• Statement 2 is correct, Palm oil is used as a raw material in the lipstick and perfumes industries.
  • Palm oil is one of the best options and most cost-effective cosmetics ingredients.
• Statement 3 is correct, Palm oil can be used to produce biodiesel.
  • Biodiesel from palm oil has significant potential as an alternative fuel in compression ignition (CI) engines.

• Statement 1 is correct, VVPAT is an independent verification printer machine and is attached to electronic voting machines.
  • When a voter presses a button in the EVM, a paper slip is printed through the VVPAT.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The printed slip contains the poll symbol and name of the candidate. 
• Statement 3 is correct, VVPAT machines can be accessed by polling officers only.

• Statement 1 is correct, IN-SPACe will act as an interface between ISRO and Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) and assess how to utilize India’s space resources better and increase space-based activities.
• Statement 2 is correct, As per New Space Policy 2023, the operational part of ISRO’s missions will be moved to the NewSpace India Limited, which is a public sector undertaking under the Department of Space.
• Statement 3 is correct, To encourage and nurture space research among young minds, ISRO launched its Student Outreach Program called SAMVAD at its Bengaluru facility.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Gautama Buddha attained ‘Bodhi’ – enlightenment after meditating for 49 consecutive days under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya in Bihar.
• Statement 2 is correct, Gautama Buddha died at the age of 80 in 483 BCE at a place called Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The event is named “Mahaparinibbana”.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The Buddha’s teaching was oral and not written as he wanted his teachings to be available to the common people, even the uneducated.

• The most prominent kingdoms that were holding power in Northern India from the decline of the Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana were the later Guptas of Magadha, Pushyabhutis of Thaneshwar, Maukharis of Kannauj, Maitrakas of Valabhi.
• The Paramaras of Malwa ruled the areas in west-central India between the 9th and 14th centuries.
• The Yadavas of Devagiri ruled the western part of the Deccan region between 850 A.D. to 1334 A.D.

• Statement 1 is correct: Small savings instruments are managed by the central government to encourage citizens to save regularly, irrespective of their age.
• Statement 2 is correct: They not only provide returns that are usually higher than bank fixed deposits but also come with a sovereign guarantee and tax benefits.
• Statement 3 is not correct: Interest rates are reviewed every quarter by the Government for these schemes.

• Statement 1 is correct: The NIA can investigate terror cases across the country without having to get permission from the states.
• Statement 2 is correct: The amendment (2019) allows the agency to investigate the following new offences like human trafficking, Counterfeit currency or bank notes, Sale or manufacture of prohibited arms, Offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and cyber-terrorism.
• Statement 3 is not correct: The Amendment Act authorizes the state governments to designate Special Courts. The Special Courts’ judges are appointed by the GOI in consultation with the High Court Chief Justices of the area.

• Statement 1 is correct: The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• Statement 2 is not correct: Greenhouse Gas Bulletin and State of Climate Services Report are released by WMO. The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is released by UNEP.
• Statement 3 is correct: Predicting the locust swarms and transport of various pollutants is another responsibility of the WMO.

• Statement 1 is correct: The National Statistical Office (NSO) launched the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in April 2017.
• Statement 2 is correct: The objective of PLFS is to estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ (ps+ss) and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.

A semiconductor laser (LD) is a device that causes laser oscillation by flowing an electric current to the semiconductor. It is used in Laser Printers.