UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | September 22 to September 28, 2024

1. It is visualised as part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 project.

2. It aims to develop Saudi Arabia as a cashless society through a digitally-enabled population and payment infrastructure, and entrepreneurial fintech ecosystems.

Which of the above statements is/are true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal published a highly critical report on Neom, the ambitious Saudi megacity project championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

— “Saudi Arabia’s Neom project contends with corruption, worker deaths, racism and misogyny,” The WSJ report said.

What is Neom?

— Neom was visualised as part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 project, which sought to diversify the country’s economy and thus reduce its dependence on oil. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Spread over an area of 26,500 sq km, Neom is situated in Saudi Arabia’s western Tabuk province. First announced by the Crown Prince in 2017, its name is a fusion of the Greek word “neo” meaning “new”, and the Arabic word “mustaqbal” meaning “future”. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to Deendayal Upadhyaya’s doctrine of ‘integral humanism’, consider the following statements:

1. It talks about unity and harmony among the various components that make up a human individual, and among individuals and society as a whole.

2. The concept of four purusharth, or areas of human effort, is the cornerstone of this doctrine.

3. The context for deriving this philosophy was that once India became independent, a need was felt in certain circles that it should be guided by indigenous systems of thought, instead of the popular Western political philosophies.

Which of the above statements is/are true?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 3 and 2 only

(c ) 1 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

— September 25 marked the 108th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Among the tallest thinkers of India’s right wing, Upadhyaya propounded the idea of Integral Humanism, which, according to the BJP’s constitution, is its “basic philosophy”.

— The doctrine of ‘integral humanism’ was born from the desire to have ‘uniquely Indian’ ideas guiding the journey of the newly independent nation, as opposed to the many Western ‘isms’.

— At its core, Upadhyaya’s integral humanism talks about unity and harmony among the various components that make up a human individual, and among individuals and society as a whole. According to this philosophy, the individual is made up of the body, mind, intelligence, and the soul, and the development and fulfillment of each is important. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Another cornerstone of the doctrine is the concept of four purusharth, or areas of human effort. These are dharma, artha, kama and moksha, on which this article will elaborate. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Once India became independent, a need was felt in certain circles that it should be guided by indigenous systems of thought, instead of the popular Western political philosophies. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to space missions to Venus consider the following statements:

1. DaVinci, Veritas and EnVision are the missions planned by the US to Venus.

2. Studying Venus through space missions may offer scientists clues about the evolution of Earth.

Which of the above statements are true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— The Union Cabinet last week approved India’s first mission to Venus that ISRO aims to launch in March 2028. This is the country’s second interplanetary mission after the Mars Orbiter Mission launched in 2013.

— The Venus mission is meant to study the planet from an orbit around it. The mission will carry scientific instruments from India and abroad to examine the surface and sub-surface of Venus, its atmosphere, its ionosphere, and its interaction with the Sun.

— Venus is often called Earth’s twin because it is similar in mass, density, and size. Therefore, studying Venus may offer scientists clues about the evolution of Earth. Notably, Venus is thought to have had water at some point in its history but has now become a dry and dusty planet. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The US has planned at least two more missions to Venus in the future — DaVinci in 2029 and Veritas in 2031 — and the ESA has planned the EnVision mission for 2030. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

Therefore, (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

PARAM Rudra, recently seen in news is:

(a) a cybersecurity monitoring tool

(b) a eGRID

(c) a submarine

(d) None of the above

Explanation

— Three new supercomputers, installed at premier scientific institutions in Delhi, Pune and Kolkata, to boost research in the fields of astronomy, medicine and high-energy physics, were on Thursday dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

— PARAM Rudra Supercomputers are developed indigenously by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

Therefore, (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2024, consider the following statements:

1. It is released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

2. Kerala has  emerged as a leader in food safety.

Which of the following statements are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Securing the top position in the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2024 for the second consecutive year, Kerala has once again emerged as a leader in food safety. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— This annual ranking, released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), evaluates the food safety performance of Indian states and union territories. Kerala’s consistent ranking highlights the state’s commitment to public health through strict food safety measures, advanced infrastructure, and robust surveillance. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— According to the FSSAI website, “This index is based on performance of State/ UT on five significant parameters, namely, Human Resources and Institutional Data, Compliance, Food Testing — Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training & Capacity Building and Consumer Empowerment. The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.”

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 6

Consider the following statements with respect to the removal of the judges of the Supreme Court.

1. A judge of the Supreme Court can be removed from his office only by an order of the President.

2. Proven misbehaviour or incapacity are the only two grounds for the removal of a judge of the constitutional court.

3. The details of the process of impeachment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India are given in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

4. Impeachment proceedings against the Supreme Court Judges have been triggered only five times in history.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— The Constitution specifies the grounds and method for removal of a judge of the High court or Supreme Court. According to it, a judge shall be removed (a) only by an order of the President, (b) after the presentation of an address by each house of Parliament, (c) supported by a special majority, (d) in the same session and (e) on the grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. (these are the only two conditions mentioned in the constitution).
Hence, statement 1 and statement 2 are correct.

— In 1964, Parliament for the first time attempted to lay down the procedural modalities for the removal of a judge. The 1964 Bill lapsed following the dissolution of the Third Lok Sabha (1962-1967), and a version of the Bill similar to the committee’s recommendation was passed by the Fourth Lok Sabha in 1968. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Impeachment proceedings have been triggered only five times in history — against Justice V Ramaswami (SC, 1993), Justice Soumitra Sen (Calcutta High Court, 2011), Justice J B Pardiwala (Gujarat High Court, 2015), Justice C V Nagarjuna (High Court of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 2017), and then CJI Justice Dipak Misra (2018). The proceedings, however, have never been successful, although Justice Sen was impeached by Rajya Sabha and subsequently resigned. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 7

Which of the following statements correctly describes “temperature inversion”?

(a) It is a long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transports most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.

(b) It is a trapping of cooler air on the ground by a layer of warm air.

(c) It is a collusion between warm and cold air masses leading to the disruption in temperature.

(d) It is a stretch of warm air masses that subside over the landmass leading to a decrease in temperature.

Explanation

— As the southwest monsoon season ends in September, India faces the situation of air pollution in most parts of the country. The post-monsoon months bring stagnant air and a weather pattern called temperature inversion — which occurs when a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 8

Consider the following statements:

1. India’s imports from China have reduced from $101 billion in FY19 to $70 billion in FY24.

2. In 2024, India has imposed over 30 anti-dumping investigations against China, the most against any country.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— India’s imports from China grew at a much faster pace than from the rest of the world. Goods imports from China surged from $10.87 billion in 2005-06 to $61.71 billion in 2015-16. India’s imports from China have jumped nearly 60 per cent from $70 billion in FY19 to $101 billion in FY24, according to official data.

— According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) data, India’s bilateral trade with China in FY24 stood at $118.4 billion as imports increased by 3.24 per cent to $101.7 billion and exports rose by 8.7 per cent to $16.67 billion in FY24 compared to FY23. Hence, statement 1 is NOT correct.

— In 2024 alone, India imposed over 30 anti-dumping investigations against China, the most against any country. The products under scrutiny include industrial items such as plastic processing machines, vacuum-insulated flasks, welded stainless steel pipes and tubes, soft ferrite cores, and industrial laser machines, among others. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 9

Dengvaxia and QDenga are

(a) New variant of dragonfly found in Kerala

(b) High-performing supercomputer developed by China

(c) Vaccination related to diseases caused by Aedes aegypti mosquitos

(d) Recently discovered critical minerals found in Chenab valley

Explanation

— Dengue is a viral infection which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoe. The WHO has recommended two vaccines against Dengue: Sanofi’s Dengvaxia and Takeda’s QDenga. However, these have not received approval in India.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 10

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The Press Note 3 (PN3) FDI regulation is enforced through the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Statement-II: The PN3 smoothened the process of capital investments from the QUAD countries.

Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains statement-I

(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain statement-I

(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect

(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Explanation

— In April 2020, India adopted a new FDI regulation called Press Note 3 (PN3). PN3 is enforced through the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) — a law that provides the architecture for the orderly development and maintenance of the foreign exchange market in India. Hence, Statement-I is correct.

— PN3 subjects inward investments from land-bordering countries to prior approval of the central government (the so-called government route) to curb opportunistic takeovers and acquisitions of Indian companies weakened due to the pandemic. It is not related to smoothen the process of capital investments from the QUAD countries. Hence, Statement-II is not correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Previous Weekly Quiz

UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | September 15 to September 21, 2024

UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | September 08 to September 14, 2024

UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | September 01 to September 07, 2024

UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | August 25 to August 31, 2024

UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | August 18 to August 24, 2024

UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz | August 11 to August 17, 2024

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