UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | January 28 to February 03, 2024Premium Story

UPSC Weekly Quiz is a current affairs-based quiz on relevant topics from the past week, curated for the aspirants of competitive examinations. Attempt the weekly quiz every Saturday and find answers to the MCQs with explanations at the end of the article.

Consider the following statements:

1. These are the second-largest land mammals and also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros.

2. The scientists announced the first-ever rhino pregnancy achieved by transferring a lab-made rhino embryo into a surrogate mother.

3. Its status is near threatened.

The above-mentioned statements refer to which rhino?

(a) Woolly rhinoceros

(b) Javan rhinoceros

(d) White rhinoceros

With reference to the blue economy, consider the following statements:

1. It refers to economic activities related to the sea and the coasts.

2. A scheme for restoration and adaptation measures for promoting climate resilient activities for blue economy has been launched during the Interim budget.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Consider the following statements:

1. The post of Deputy CM is equivalent in rank to that of Cabinet Minister (in the state).

2. The provision of Deputy CM is mentioned in the Constitution of India.

3. The first Deputy CM in India was Karpoori Thakur.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

Which of the following banks has been bared by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from accepting deposits?

(a) Airtel Payment Banks

(b) Paytm Payments Bank

(d) HDFC Bank

Consider the following states:

1. Assam

2. Manipur

3. Nagaland

4. Mizoram

How many of the states given above share a boundary with Meghalaya?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) All four

Chushul region was in the news due to conflict between India and China. The region is located in:

(a) Arunachal Pradesh

(b) Himachal Pradesh

(d) Sikkim

With reference to the Multidimensional poverty in India, consider the following statements:

1. Multidimensional poverty in India declined from 2013-14 to 2022-23.

2. Rajasthan has topped the list of escaping poverty.

3. Maternal health is not covered under the Indian Multidimensional Poverty Index.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

Consider the following statements about Snow Leopard:

1. It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List.

2. Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) has estimated maximum number of snow leopards in Arunachal Pradesh.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Which of the following countries are involved in the negotiations for the supply of 31 MQ-9B Predator long endurance drones?

(a) India-Russia

(b) India-Australia

(d) India-France

Consider the following states:

1. Madhya Pradesh

2. Gujarat

3. Rajasthan

4. Haryana

5. Uttar Pradesh

How many of the states given above are associated with Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal-ERCP (Modified PKC-ERCP) Link Project?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(d) All five

Recently seen in the news ‘Vyas ji ka Tehkana’ is situated in which city:

(a) Ujjain

(b) Varanasi

(d) Prayagraj

Which of the following state governments has attempted to revive traditional practices of buffalo and bulbul (songbird) fighting?

(a) Arunachal Pradesh

(b) Sikkim

(d) Assam

With reference to lab-grown fish meat, consider the following statements:

1. Singapore is the front-runner in pioneering this technology.

2. Lab-grown fish meat has significant potential for ensuring food security and environmental benefits.

3. Recently, a government lab in Kochi with a private-sector start-up has taken up a project of growing seafood outside the sea, the first initiative of its kind in the country.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

With reference to the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22, consider the following statements:

1. Female enrolment is lesser than male.

2. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) programme has the highest enrolment.

3. At PhD level, social sciences stood at first spot.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

There has been a growing pressure on European museums to return artifacts taken from Southeast Asia during colonial times. With reference to the legal basis for returning artifacts, consider the following statements:

1. The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property is the principal legal source when a country makes a claim to have its possessions returned.

2. The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property applies retrospectively, so it includes the peak phase of colonialism too.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

FYI:

— White rhinos are the second-largest land mammal and their name comes from the Afrikaan’s, a West Germanic language, word “weit” which means wide and refers to the animal’s mouth. Also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros.

— It is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List.

— The scientists announced the first-ever rhino pregnancy achieved by transferring a lab-made rhino embryo into a surrogate mother. It took 13 attempts for the breakthrough with a southern white rhino.

— The majority (98.8%) of the southern white rhinos occur in just four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.

— The international consortium of scientists, named BioRescue, is confident that the success can be replicated with 30 embryos of the northern white stored in liquid nitrogen.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2024, stressed on environment-friendly development through the promotion of ‘blue economy’.

— To promote climate resilient activities for blue economy 2.0, a strategy for restoration and adaptation measures, as well as coastal aquaculture and mariculture, will be introduced using an integrated and multi-sectoral approach. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Restoration and adaptation will ensure the health of the oceans is not harmed while carrying out economic activities.

— The term blue economy can simply refer to economic activities related to the sea and the coasts, it is generally understood to have an element of sustainability in it. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The European Commission defines it as “all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts. It covers a wide range of interlinked established and emerging sectors”.

— Blue economy is extremely important for India, which has a long coastline, a diverse range of fish and other ocean produce, and numerous tourism prospects.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— On January 28, Nitish Kumar re-joined the BJP and was sworn in for a record eighth term as Bihar Chief Minister. He had two deputy chief ministers on his side: state BJP president Samrat Choudhary and former Leader of Opposition Vijay Sinha.

— The appointment of a deputy chief minister, which has long been a feature of Indian politics, represents a political compromise that frequently occurs following the formation of a coalition government or when no single leader commands unchallenged authority in the party in power or loyalty across all of the state’s major interest groups.

— Article 163(1) of the Constitution says “there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions”.

— The post of Deputy CM is understood as being equivalent in rank to that of Cabinet Minister (in the state). The Deputy CM enjoys the same pay and perks as a Cabinet Minister. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— At least 13 other states in the country apart from Bihar currently have Deputy CMs. The highest of these is in Andhra Pradesh, with Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy having five Deputies.

— The provision of Deputy CM is not mentioned in the Constitution of India. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The first Deputy CM in India was Anugrah Narayan Sinha, an upper caste Rajput leader from Aurangabad, who was the most important leader of the Congress in Bihar after the first Chief Minister of the state, Dr Srikrishna Singh (Sinha). Karpoori Thakur became the second Deputy CM of Bihar in 1967. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred Paytm Payments Bank from offering all its core services — including accounts and wallets — from March, effectively crippling the company’s business.

— The action is technically not a cancellation of the licence of Paytm Payments Bank, but it constricts the company’s operations to a very large extent.

— However, the central bank has allowed the withdrawal or utilisation of balance amounts by customers “without any restrictions, up to their available balance.

— Paytm Payments Bank has been barred from offering almost all of its key services — accepting deposits or top-ups in any customer account, prepaid instruments, wallets, FASTags, National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), etc.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— On Meghalaya’s 52nd statehood day, January 21, this year, the state government ceremonially released an official state anthem.

— The government’s notices ordered that the anthem not be played as the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for it is still being prepared. This ‘hold’ on the state anthem comes amidst an ongoing controversy over the languages that find a place in the song.

— The two-minute-long anthem features segments in three languages – Khasi, Garo and English.

— On the inclusion of English, the Jaintia Students’ Union accused the state government of “promoting a foreign language”, and said it should instead “include dialects of all three tribes – Khasi, Jaintia and Garo.”

— Meghalaya is understood to have three major matrilineal communities – Khasis, Garos and Jaintias. But the Jaintias are clubbed along with the Khasis in the state’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, along with tribes such as War, Bhoi and Lyngngam.

— Meghalaya shares border with Assam and shares international border with Bangladesh.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Days after a video surfaced showing some Indian shepherds being confronted by Chinese soldiers near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs said that both sides are aware of the traditional grazing areas and that any incidents of friction are handled through existing mechanisms.

— The shepherds were reportedly stopped by Chinese soldiers in an area south of Chushul in eastern Ladakh.

— The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Multidimensional poverty in India was found to decline from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23 with about 24.82 crore people escaping poverty during this period. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— At the States’ level, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 5.94 crore people escaping poverty followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore and Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Traditionally, poverty is calculated based either on income levels or, if income data are not available, on expenditure levels. The so-called “poverty lines” are actually expenditure levels that are considered minimum enough for someone to be called poor.

— Globally, the MPI uses 10 indicators covering three main areas:

(i) health

(ii) education, and

(iii) standard of living.

— The health dimension includes nutrition and child & adolescent mortality indicators. The education dimension includes years of schooling and school attendance indicators. The standard of living dimension includes six household-specific indicators: housing, household assets, type of cooking fuel, access to sanitation, drinking water, and electricity.

— The Indian MPI has two additional indicators:

(i) Maternal health (under the health dimension) and Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

(ii) Bank accounts (under the standard of living dimension).

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) has estimated a population of 718 in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

— It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Snow leopards are believed to occupy around 1 lakh sq km of the higher Himalayan terrains in India.

— The challenge in counting snow leopards is the unforgiving terrain. The cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti are their strongholds, snow leopards range all along the higher Himalayas above the tree line between the altitude of 10,500 to 17,000 feet.

— The head and tail of a snow leopard provide the best reference points for identification.

— Highest number of snow leopards were found in Ladakh. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— India and the US are continuing to hold negotiations to firm up a USD 3 billion deal for supply of 31 MQ-9B Predator long endurance drones to Indian armed forces.

— India is procuring the long-endurance ‘hunter-killer’ drones to crank up the surveillance apparatus of the armed forces, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

— The cost of the drones will be finalised in the negotiation process, it is estimated that the price of the procurement would be around USD 3 billion.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on Sunday to implement the Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal-ERCP (Modified PKC-ERCP) Link Project.

— The Modified PKC-ERCP is an inter-state river linking project. A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) will be finalised among Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and the Centre, covering the sharing of water, exchange of water, sharing of costs and benefits, implementation mechanisms, arrangements for management and control of water in the Chambal basin, etc.

— The Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) link project is one of the 30 links included in the National Perspectives Plan formulated by the erstwhile Union Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Water Resources) and the Central Water Commission in the year 1980.

— The Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) is aimed at intra-basin transfer of water within the Chambal basin, by utilising surplus monsoon water available in Kalisindh, Parvati, Mej and Chakan subbasins and diverting it into water deficit sub-basins of Banas, Gambhiri, Banganga and Parbati.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— On Wednesday (January 31), the Varanasi District Court allowed prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.

— Vyasji ka tehkahana is located in the southern area of the mosque’s barricaded complex, facing the Nandi statue placed inside the Kashi Vishwanath complex near the sanctum sanctorum.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The Assam government’s attempt to revive traditional practices of buffalo and bulbul (songbird) fighting during Magh Bihu has come up against a legal challenge by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in the Gauhati High Court.

— These fights are part of the folk culture associated with the Assamese winter harvest festival of Magh Bihu, which takes place in January, at the same time as harvest festivals in other parts of the country such as Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Lohri.

— Buffalo fights are held in different parts of Assam during Magh Bihu, with Ahatguri in Nagaon district being the biggest centre.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— Kochi-headquartered ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has entered into a collaborative research agreement with a private-sector start-up offering cultivated meat technology solutions to grow fish meat in the laboratory.

— The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the institute, which works under the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, with New Delhi-based Neat Meatt Biotech is the first initiative of its kind in the country. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— In theory, lab grown fish meat has significant potential for ensuring food security and environmental benefits. Besides taking some load off traditional fishing, lab grown fish meat will be antibiotics- and environmental contamination-free, and will have no contact with microplastics or heavy metals in the polluted oceans. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Large-scale commercial manufacture of lab-grown fish meat is probably still some years away, but several countries have made great strides in this pioneering technology. Israel is the frontrunner, followed by Singapore, the United States and China. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer.

FYI:

— The report of the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22 found that 4.33 crore students are currently enrolled in a higher educational institute — up from 4.14 crore in 2020-21, and 3.42 crore in 2014-15.

— The survey captures total student enrolment in eight different levels: undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD, MPhil, diploma, PG diploma, certificate, and integrated programmes.

Key Takeaways

— Female enrolment greater than male: The number of women enrolled in higher educational institutes has steadily increased. From 1.5 crore women enrolled in 2014-15, there has been a jump of 32% to 2.07 crores enrolled in 2021-22. In the last five years, the number of women enrolled increased by 18.7%, from 1.74 crore in 2017–18. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— GER and Gender Parity: The estimated GER for the age group 18-23 years in India is 28.4, the AISHE 2021-22 report said (based on population data from the 2011 census). In terms of state-wise data, Chandigarh, at 64.8%, boasts of the highest GER, followed by Puducherry at 61.5%, Delhi at 49%, and Tamil Nadu at 47%.

— Arts over the sciences in graduation, PG: The survey showed that the Bachelor of Arts (BA) programme has the highest enrolment, with 1.13 crore students — 34.2% of total undergraduate enrolment across India. In all, 3.41 crore students are enrolled in UG programmes. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— In 2021-22, Arts has the highest undergraduate enrollment (34.2%), followed by science (14.8%), business (13.3%), and engineering and technology (11.8%). According to the report, BA (Hons) accounts for 20.4 lakh (6.2%).

— Primacy of government institutions: 73.7% of all students attend government universities, which make up only 58.6% of all universities.

— At PhD level, however, social sciences stood at third spot after engineering and science. While 52,748 are pursuing a PhD in engineering, and 45, 324 in science, 26,057 students are pursuing PhD in the social sciences. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

FYI:

What’s the legal basis for returning artifacts?

— The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property is the principal legal source when a country makes a claim to have its possessions returned. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— But this convention “does not apply retrospectively, so it does not include the peak phase of colonialism,” according to a statement by the German Lost Art Foundation, an NGO. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

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