UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Oct 01 - Oct 07

• Nuclear powered submarines can be deployed for longer periods and need to surface less frequently.
• They have longer ranges and are more capable compared to the conventional diesel-electric submarines. Unlike conventional submarines, which are generally considered helpful for defensive purposes, the ability of a nuclear-powered submarine to go long distances, at a higher speed, without being detected gives a nation the ability to protect its interests far from its shores.
• Also given that they can stay put in deep waters for longer periods, they have higher chances of surviving a first nuclear strike.
• Given that they do not emit combustion products as in conventional diesel-based submarines during the surfacing phase, they have a low heat signature and hence are difficult to detect.
• Notably, the fact that nuclear-powered submarines do not give rise to emissions is not a reason for choosing them over conventional diesel-electric submarines.

• RS (Respiratory Syncytial) Virus primarily affects respiration function in humans.
• Respiratory syncytial virus, also called human respiratory syncytial virus and human orthopneumovirus, is a very common, contagious virus that causes infections of the respiratory tract.

• A bad bank is a bank set up to buy the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of another financial institution. The entity holding significant nonperforming assets will sell these holdings to the bad bank at market price.
• It will then manage and dispose of the assets to potential investors for eventual value realization. In other words, it will hold problem loans for public sector banks which can then be sold on to investors at a reduced price. This will ultimately help clean up the balance sheets of banks.

• The ‘Doing Business’ report is brought out by the World Bank.
• The World Bank Group has decided to discontinue publication of its ‘Doing Business’ rankings of country business climates after a review of data irregularities and ethical concerns in the 2018 and 2020 reports. The World Bank will work on a new approach to assessing countries’ business and investment climates.

• Butterflies pollinate plants and hence a fall in their population could result in a scenario where pollination of some plants could be adversely affected.
• Fungi is one of the foods which butterflies consume. Similarly, a butterfly is one of the agents which helps in the distribution of fungi spores. If there is a huge fall in the population of species of butterflies, the possibility of a drastic increase in the fungal infections of some cultivated plants is unlikely. “Drastic increase” and “some cultivated plants” are words that are vague and extreme and hence could be considered incorrect.
• Wasps, spiders and birds are predators of butterflies at some stage of their lifetime. The fall in the number of butterflies could reduce their number as well as forms a part of its food chain.

• Mitra Shakti exercise is a bilateral joint military exercise between the armies of India and Sri Lanka. It is also called the India-Sri Lanka Joint Training exercise.
• Surya Kiran is a bilateral Joint Military Exercise between Indian and Nepal.
• Exercise Maitree is a bilateral exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army, started off in 2006. It is an annual event between the troops of the armies of both countries. It is also called Indo-Thailand Joint Exercise.

• Millets are nutritionally superior to wheat and rice owing to their higher levels of protein with a more balanced amino acid profile, crude fibre and minerals such as Iron, Zinc, and Phosphorous.
• Millets provide nutritional security and act as a shield against nutritional deficiency, especially among children and women.
• Millets are termed as the ‘crops of the future’ as they can not only grow under harsh circumstances but are drought-resistant crops.
• Millets help in curbing obesity.
• Millets contribute to mitigating climate change as it helps reduce the atmospheric carbon.

The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Uzbekistan was formerly a member of CSTO but withdrew in 2012.

Following are the essential elements of the feudal system:

• The emergence of an administrative structure based on control and possession of land.
• Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord.

• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is one of the major missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

Components of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture:

• Soil Health Management (SHM)
• Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
• Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF)
• National Bamboo Mission (NBM)
• Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Monitoring, Modeling and Networking (CCSAMMN)

Green India Mission:

• The National Mission for a Green India or the commonly called Green India Mission (GIM), is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• It was launched in February, 2014 with the objective to safeguard the biological resources of our nation and associated livelihoods against the peril of adverse climate change and to recognise the vital impact of forestry on ecological sustainability, biodiversity conservation and food-, water- and livelihood-security.
• It aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change through adaptation and mitigation measures. It envisages a holistic view of greening that extends beyond tree planting. GIM focusses on multiple ecosystem services such as biodiversity, water, biomass, preserving mangroves, wetlands, critical habitats etc. along with carbon sequestration.

Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian independence activist who played a pivotal role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari.
Some of his important contributions include the following:
1. He founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York City
2. He established the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore.
3. He authored the book ‘Young India’.

• Makemake, Eris and Haumea are dwarf planets along with Pluto and Ceres.
  • Eris, the largest dwarf planet, is only slightly bigger than Pluto.
  • Haumea dwarf planet has an extremely elongated shape. Haumea rotates very rapidly and has the shortest day of all the dwarf planets.
  • Makemake, discovered in 2005, has no known moons
  • Ceres, first spotted by astronomers in 1801, was first called a planet and later an asteroid. In 2006 it was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to Earth.

• The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission, is Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children (0-6 years), pregnant women and lactating mothers.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development is the implementing agency of the POSHAN Abhiyan
• Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog is the Chairperson of the National Council on Nutrition set up under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.

• Desert National Park is a national park situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan. This is one of the largest national parks. It is spread over the two districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer.
• The endangered great Indian bustard is found in this national park.
• The given statement that there is no human habitation inside the Desert National Park seems like an extreme statement and hence incorrect.

• The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
• Israel and Pakistan are non-signatories to the NPT.
• While North Korea acceded to the treaty in 1985, it gave notice of withdrawal from the treaty in 2003 following U.S. allegations that it had started an illegal enriched uranium weapons program.
• Iran is a party to the NPT since 1970 but was found in non-compliance with its NPT safeguards agreement, and the status of its nuclear program remains in dispute.

• Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are meant to be pegged to a reserve asset, such as gold or the U.S. dollar, to keep their value stable.
• A stablecoin is a new class of cryptocurrencies that attempts to offer price stability and are backed by a reserve asset. Stablecoins have gained traction as they attempt to offer the best of both worlds—the instant processing and security or privacy of payments of cryptocurrencies, and the volatility-free stable valuations of fiat currencies.

• Sea cucumbers are echinoderms. They are marine animals with leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the seafloor worldwide.
• In India, the commercial harvesting and transportation of sea cucumbers is banned.
• The Dr KK Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber Conservation Reserve is the first sea cucumber conservation area in the world. It is located in the Cheriyapani Reef in the Indian Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It was formed in 2020. It covers an area of 239 km².

• The Humboldt penguin is a South American penguin living mainly in the Humboldt National Reserve in the North of Chile, although its habitat comprises most of coastal Peru and Chile.
• In South America, the Humboldt penguin is found only along the Pacific coast.
• It is named after the Humboldt oceanic current.
  • The Humboldt Current is a cold water ocean current that flows north from Antarctica along the west coast of South America, bringing nutrient-rich water to the Galapagos Islands and helping to sustain the island’s rich biodiversity.
• Humboldt penguins are medium-sized penguins.
• It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.

Opening up to more of the volatile short term foreign borrowing, opening up to more foreign banks or the full capital account convertibility will only increase India’s vulnerability to any future global financial crisis as this will entail large scale withdrawal of foreign investments in India which will adversely impact its macro-economic stability.

In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths or the four Arya satyas are the truths or realities for the spiritually worthy ones. The truths are:

Dukkha – The truth of suffering
Samudaya – The truth of origin of suffering
Nirodha – The truth of the end of suffering
Magga – The truth of the path to the end of suffering

• Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ was conceived in 2018 as a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Indonesia.
• The maritime exercise was conceived in pursuance of India’s Act East Policy.

• The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation.
• GII was published for the first time in 2007. It is published annually.
• It is published by INSEAD, Cornell University and World Intellectual Property Organization.
• India has been ranked 46th in the Global Innovation Index 2021 rankings. It has improved by 2 spots from the last ranking. India was ranked 81 in 2015. It has consistently been on a rising trajectory in the GII rankings.

Plant Discoveries 2020 by the Botanical Survey of India has added 267 new taxa/species to India’s flora. Among the new discoveries this year are:

• Musa pradhanii from Darjeeling, which is a species of wild banana.
• Syzygium anamalaianum, a species of wild jamun from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
• Selaginella odishana from Kandhamal in Odisha.

• The holy town of Srisailam is located on top of Nallamala Hills.
• Omkareshwar is located on the island of Mandhata, next to the banks of the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh.
• Pushkar temple is located atop Ratnagiri hill in Rajasthan.

• Periyar E. V. Ramasamy was a Dravidian social reformer and politician from India, who founded the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.
• In 1919 Periyar Ramaswamy joined the Indian National Congress. In 1922, Periyar was elected the President of the Madras Presidency Congress Committee during the Tirupur session where he advocated strongly for reservation in government jobs and education.
• He quit the Congress in 1925 owing to some differences with the working of the Congress.
• In Vaikom, a small town in Kerala state, then Travancore, there were strict laws of untouchability in and around the temple area. Dalits, also known as Harijans, were not allowed into the streets around and leading to the temple. In 1924 Vaikom was chosen as a place for an organised Satyagraha.  Periyar and his wife Nagamma arrived in Vaikom for the satyagraha.

• The Concurrent List is a list of subjects given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. It includes the power to be considered by both the union and state government.
• The subjects of marriage and divorce, criminal procedure and charities and charitable institutions come under the concurrent list while Public health and sanitation is a state subject.

For detailed information on the contents of the various lists of the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution refer to the following article:

Seventh Schedule of Indian Constitution – Article 246

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established in 1966 and headquartered in Manila, Philippines. India is a founding member of the Asian Development Bank.
• Japan holds the largest share in ADB with 15.677%, followed by U.S.A (15.567%), China (6.473%), and India (5.812%).
• From 31 members at its establishment in 1966, ADB has grown to encompass 68 members—of which 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.

For more information refer to the following article:

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

• Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Nerve agents are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors used as poison.
• The main nerve agents are the chemicals sarin (GB), soman (GD), tabun (GA) and VX.

• IceCube, the South Pole neutrino observatory, is a cubic-kilometer particle detector made of Antarctic ice and located near the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. It is buried beneath the surface, extending to a depth of about 2,500 meters. A surface array, IceTop, and a denser inner subdetector, DeepCore, significantly enhance the capabilities of the observatory, making it a multipurpose facility.
• It is the world’s largest neutrino detector. It is a powerful telescope to search for dark matter.