UPSC 2023: Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Sep 02 - Sep 08

• Pair 01 is correctly matched, The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile. India is in an “advanced stage” of negotiations with the U.S. to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones for over $3 billion.
• Pair 02 is incorrectly matched, The IAI Eitan is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed in Israel in the early 21st century by the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries. The aircraft is a newer version of the IAI Heron.
• Pair 03 is incorrectly matched, SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater to the most demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. It is developed by Indian tech firm Idea Forge.
  • It is a Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV that can be deployed at high altitudes and in harsh environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
  • It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, In the case of the central government, the review committee comprises the Cabinet Secretary and the Secretaries of the Departments of Legal Affairs and Telecommunications.
  • In the case of states, the committee comprises the Chief Secretary, Secretary, Law or Legal Remembrancer In-Charge, Legal Affairs, and a Secretary to the state government (other than the Home Secretary).
  • In “unavoidable circumstances”, the order can be issued by an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary or above, authorised by the Centre or the state Home Secretary.
• Statement 02 is correct, The Supreme Court of India has declared access to the internet a fundamental right.
• • The Supreme Court ruling is also in sync with the United Nations’ recommendation that every country should make access to the Internet a fundamental right.
  • In India, Kerala was the first state in 2017 to declare access to the Internet “a basic human right”.

• Statement 01 is correct, Subhash Chandra Bose considered Vivekananda as his spiritual teacher. Bose told, that under the “sacred influence” of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda his own life got awakened.
• Statement 02 is correct, Gandhi was anti-materialistic and hostile to modern technology, Bose saw technology and mass production as essential to survival and dignity.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, Gandhi wanted a decentralised society and disliked the modern state, Bose wanted a strong central government and saw the modern state as the only solution to India’s problems.

• Statements 01 and 02 are correct, The All India Forward Bloc is a left-wing nationalist political party that emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhash Chandra Bose.
• Statement 03 is incorrect,  In July 1939 Subhash Chandra Bose announced the Committee of the Forward Bloc. It had Subhash Chandra Bose as president, S.S. Kavishar from Punjab as its vice-president, Lal Shankarlal from Delhi, as its general secretary and Vishwambhar Dayalu Tripathi and Khurshed Nariman from Bombay as secretaries.

• Statement 01 is correct, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 states that every Wild Animal shall be the property of the State Government, and, where such animal is hunted in a sanctuary or National Park declared by the Central Government, such animal shall be the property of the Central Government.
• Statement 02 is correct,  Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, does not discriminate between animals found in protected areas and outside. It provides for equal protection for wild animals irrespective of where they are found.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 states that only if the wild animal becomes a danger to human life or is diseased or disabled beyond recovery can it be allowed to be captured or killed by the competent authority, the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Hydrogen is an energy carrier, not an energy source and can deliver or store a tremendous amount of energy. Hydrogen can be used in fuel cells to generate electricity, or power and heat.
• Statement 02 is correct, A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions.
• Statement 03 is correct, Fuel Cell Vehicles use a propulsion system similar to that of electric vehicles, where energy stored as hydrogen is converted to electricity by the fuel cell.

• Statement 01 is correct, Natural rubber is known for its properties as a strong, flexible and heat-resistant material used to create latex products. It is preferred over synthetic rubber due to its high tensile strength and vibration dampening properties, along with tear resistance.
• Statement 02 is correct, Thailand is the largest Producer of Rubber in the World followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, India, China etc.

Image Source: The science Agriculture

• Statement 03 is incorrect, India’s natural rubber production (NR) increased to a nine-year high in the 2021-22 fiscal. Kerala is the largest producer of natural rubber in India.

• Statement 01 is correct, The Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011 provides constitutional status and protection to the co-operative societies.
  • It added Part IXB regarding cooperative working in India right after Part IXA.
• Statement 02 is correct, The word “cooperatives” was added after “unions and associations” in Article 19(1)(c) under Part III of the Constitution.
• Statement 03 is incorrect,  A new Article 43B was added in the Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV) regarding the “promotion of cooperative societies”.

Read more on Cooperatives in India.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest against the massacre. He was the first Indian to receive this award in 1915 for his contribution to literature.
• Statement 02 is correct, The government of India formed a commission called the Hunter Commission to inquire into the massacre and other events in Punjab. It was officially called ‘Disorders Inquiry Committee’.
  • The commission found that Colonel Reginald Dyer was guilty of ‘a mistaken notion of duty’. He was relieved of his command although no penal or disciplinary action was recommended.
• Statement 03 is correct, The Rowlatt Act was passed by the British government to increase their grip on power over the common folk. This law was passed in March 1919 by the Imperial Legislative Council based on the report of Justice S.A.T. Rowlatt’s committee of 1918.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. It is a model for high-speed data communication systems, also called 4G. This means you can utilise internet service at the 4G speed. It has the capacity to provide a download speed of 100 Mbps and an uploading speed of 50 Mbps.
  • VoLTE stands for Voice over Long Term Evolution. Like LTE, it also holds 4G networks, and you can enjoy the high-speed internet service with it. Even with VoLTE, you can enjoy voice calling with data service.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, under LTE, the infrastructure of telecom players only allows transmission of data while voice calls are routed to their older 2G or 3G networks.
• • VoLTE is both data and voice technology. Basically VoLTE systems convert voice into the data stream, which is then transmitted using the data connection.

• Project 17A was designed to launch a series of guided-missile frigates to strengthen the marine defence system of the country.
• Taragiri, the third stealth frigate of Project 17A, was launched recently.
• The first ship of Project 17A, Nilgiri, was launched on September 28, 2019, and is expected to begin sea trials in 2024.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, Any prospective adoptive parents, irrespective of his marital status and whether or not he has biological son or daughter, can adopt a child subject to following, namely,
  • the consent of both the spouses for the adoption shall be required, in case of a married couple;
  • a single female can adopt a child of any gender;
  • a single male shall not be eligible to adopt a girl child;
• Statement 02 is correct, The age of prospective adoptive parents, as on the date of registration, shall be counted for deciding the eligibility.
• • In case of a couple, the composite age of the prospective adoptive parents shall be counted.
  • The minimum age difference between the child and either of the prospective adoptive parents shall not be less than twenty-five years.
  • The age criteria for prospective adoptive parents shall not be applicable in case of relative adoptions and adoption by step-parent.
• Statement 03 is incorrect, Couples with three or more children shall not be considered for adoption except in case of special need children , hard to place children and in case of relative adoption and adoption by step-parent.

• Statement 01 is correct, SFIO starts an investigation only after receiving an order from the Union government in this respect and it cannot take up cases on their own initiative.
  • Once a case has been assigned by the Central Government to the SFIO for investigation under the Indian  Companies Act, 2013 no other investigating agency of the Central Government or any State Government can commence the investigation in such cases.
  • In case any such investigation has already been initiated, it cannot be proceeded further with, and the concerned agency has to transfer the relevant documents and records in respect of such offences to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, SFIO have the powers to arrest people for violations of companies law

Read more on Serious Fraud Investigation Office.

• The MAARG Portal by Startup India is a one-stop mentorship platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies, and backgrounds.
• Startups can connect with academicians, industry experts, successful founders, seasoned investors, and others to get personalised advice on growth strategy, seek clarity, and get practical advice.
• All Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade recognized startups, from all sectors and stages of the startup lifecycle, are eligible to apply for mentorship on the platform all year-round.

• Statement 01 is correct, Writ of Mandamus is a command issued by the court to a public official asking him to perform his official duties that he has failed or refused to perform. It won’t be granted against private individuals and companies that have no public duty to perform.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, it can also be issued against any public body, a corporation, an inferior court, a tribunal, or a government.
• Statement 03 is correct, Quo Warranto is issued by the court to enquire into the legality of the claim of a person to a public office. Hence, it prevents illegal usurpation of public office by a person.
  • Unlike the other writs, this can be sought by any interested person and not necessarily by the aggrieved person.

Read more on Types of Writs in India.

• Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh has been identified for the Cheetah reintroduction project by the Indian Government.

• Statement 1 is not correct, UN World Food Programme (WFP) was established in 1961.
• Statement 2 is correct,  FAO and WFP are both members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
• Statement 3 is correct, The World Food Programme (WFP) won the 2020 Nobel Prize for Peace, for its work in the field of combating hunger and ‘its efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict’.

• Both fuel (Hydrogen), as well as Oxidiser, are continuously replaced in a Hydrogen Fuel Cell.
• Read more about – Fuel Cell.

• The Banni buffaloes are acclimatized to the desert conditions and are bred and preserved by a local community called “Maldharis” found in the Kutch region.
• Banni buffaloes are also known as “Kutchi” or “Kundi”.
• Banni buffaloes are trained to graze on Banni grassland during the night as the days are very hot and sunny and are brought to the villages in the morning for milking.
• Banni buffaloes have unique qualities of adaptation such as the ability to survive water scarce conditions, to cover long distances during periods of drought and disease resistance.

• The Service area approach (SAA) introduced in April 1989 is a developed version of the ‘area approach’ structure of the Lead Bank Scheme.
• SAA aims to bring about an orderly and planned development of rural and semi-urban areas of the country.

• Statement 1 is not correct, Exercise Kakadu is a multinational naval exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Exercise Kakadu has been conducted since 1993.
  • Exercise Kakadu derives its name from Kakadu National Park, in the northern territory of Australia.
• Statement 3 is correct, The exercise is held biennially in Darwin and the Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA). 

• Statement 1 is not correct, The first NLEM was compiled in 1996 and has been revised thrice earlier in 2003, 2011, and 2015 before the NLEM 2022
• Statement 2 is correct, This list has been prepared based on the recommendations of the independent Standing National Committee on Medicines constituted by the Union Health Ministry.
• Statement 3 is not correct, Vaccines included in the Universal Immunization Program is one of the criteria for inclusion of drugs in NLEM.

• SRIJAN is the Ministry of Defence’s portal which acts as a one-stop-shop online portal that provides access to the vendors to take up items that can be taken up for indigenization.
• The Department of Defence Production has developed the SRIJAN Portal.

• Statement 1 is not correct, The register of RUPPs is maintained by the Election Commission under section 29A of Representation of People Act, 1951
• Statement 2 is correct, According to the guidelines for registration of political parties issued by the Election Commission, a party must contest an election conducted by the Election Commission within five years of its registration and thereafter should continue to contest barring which the Party shall be taken off the list of registered parties.

• Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic compounds in the absence of oxygen.
• Plasma gasification is a high-temperature thermal process that uses plasma to transform organic materials into a syngas (synthesis gas) largely composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Pyrolysis transforms organic materials into a solid residue including ash and carbon, as well as minor amounts of liquid and gases.
• Plasma gasification is used commercially as a waste-to-energy system, converting municipal solid trash, tyres, hazardous waste, and sewage sludge into synthesis gas (syngas), which contains hydrogen and carbon monoxide and this may be used to create electricity.

• Statement 01 is incorrect, The Hoysala temple structure is an aspirant for the tag of World Heritage Site given by UNESCO.
• Statement 02 is correct, Hoysaleswara temple is a 12th-century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva built on the banks of a large man-made lake and sponsored by King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Empire.
• Statement 03 is correct, The temple was carved from soapstone.

• Statement 01 is correct, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was a civil engineer and statesman.
  • He was responsible for significant engineering projects in India, including the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya, Laxmi Talav dam in Kolhapur.
  • He patented and installed an irrigation system with water floodgates at the Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune to raise the food supply level and storage to the highest levels known as the ‘block system’ in 1903.
• Statement 02 is incorrect, He served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore and not Hyderabad.
• Statement 03 is correct, Some of the books authored by Sir M Visvesvaraya include,
  • Planned Economy for India
  • Memoirs of My Working Life, Bangalore (1954)
  • Unemployment in India: Its Causes and Cure
  • Reconstructing India
  • Nation Building: A Five-Year Plan for the Provinces

• All four rivers are transboundary rivers between India and Bangladesh.
• India and Bangladesh share 54 common rivers of which agreement has been reached only on sharing of waters of the river Ganga.
• Teesta River rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal. It joins the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh. It is the largest river of Sikkim and the second largest river in West Bengal after the Ganges.
• Feni River is a transboundary river in Tripura state and Bangladesh. The Feni River originates in the South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh.
• The Kushiyara River is a distributary river in Assam and Bangladesh. It forms on the India-Bangladesh border as a branch of the Barak River when the Barak separates into the Kushiyara and Surma.
• The Umngot River, also known as the Dawki River and Wah Umngot, is a river which flows through Dawki, a little town located at the bottom of the Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya. The town serves as a trade route between India and Bangladesh.

• NITI Aayog, with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India’s support, on September 15, 2021, launched the Shoonya Campaign.
• It is an initiative to promote zero-pollution delivery vehicles by working with consumers and the industry.
• The campaign aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the urban deliveries segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution delivery.

• Statement 01 is correct, Swadeshi Movement focused on self-reliance thus contributing to the revival of indigenous artisans’ crafts and industries.
• Statement 02 is correct, In August 1906 the National Council of Education was established to provide an impetus to the program of national education.

Read more on Swadeshi Movement.