UPSC Daily Quiz | 18 July 2024

Explanation: 

Relevance: Over 84,119 Children have been rescued over the past seven years.

• Over the past seven years, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has been at the forefront of an operation named 'Nanhe Faristey' – a mission dedicated to rescuing children in need of care and protection across various Indian Railway Zones. 
• During the last seven years (2018- May 2024), RPF has rescued 84,119 Children who were at risk in stations and trains, preventing them from falling into harm's way.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Schemes

Level of Difficulty: Easy | Factual

References: 

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2033823

Explanation: 

Relevance: Cassini's radar observations are providing intriguing new details about the seas of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface of Titan.

• ISRO, NASA and other space agencies explore our solar system and beyond with space missions. Some of the major ongoing space exploration missions are:

1. a) Sun

• Since 2006, NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft has been providing us insights on solar eruptions.
• The ESA-NASA SOHO spacecraft has been observing the Sun since 1995, particularly using its coronagraph to block sunlight in order to better see the corona and track solar eruptions.
• India’s Aditya-L1, launched in September 2023, is the country's first solar mission.

1. b) Uranus and Neptune

• NASA's Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune. It flew past the planets in 1986 and 1989, and is now exploring interstellar space.

1. c) Jupiter

• NASA's Juno studies Jupiter's core to help us understand how planets and our solar system formed. (Hence, pair 2 is correctly matched)
• ESA's Juice launched in April 2022 on a mission to explore Jupiter and its icy moons Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede.

1. d) Mars

• NASA's Perseverance rover landed in February of 2021 on Mars and is searching for past life and collecting samples for return to Earth. (Hence, pair 3 is not correctly matched)

1. e) Moon

• China's Chang'e-6 mission launched on May 3, 2024 to return samples from the far side of the Moon.

1. f) Venus

• Japan's Akatsuki studies Venus's dynamic atmosphere. (Hence, pair 4 is correctly matched)

1. g) Mercury

• Europe and Japan's BepiColombo launched in 2018 and will arrive at Mercury in 2025.

Note: NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which explored Saturn and its icy moons, including the majestic Titan, ended its mission with a death plunge into the giant ringed planet in 2017. (Hence, pair 1 is not correctly matched)

Hence, only two of the pairs given above are correctly matched.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Science and Technology

Level of Difficulty: Difficult | Factual

References:

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/radar-study-puts-spotlight-on-saturn-moon-titans-hydrocarbon-seas/article68413165.ece

https://www.planetary.org/space-missions

Explanation: 

Relevance: President of India returned the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeking removal of the Governor as the chancellor of state-run universities.

• Under Article 201 of the Constitution, when a bill is reserved by the governor for the consideration of the President, the President has the following alternatives:

• • He may give his assent to the bill, or (Hence, statement 1 is correct)
  • He may withhold his assent to the bill, or (Hence, statement 2 is correct)
  • He may direct the governor to return the bill (if it is not a money bill) for the reconsideration of the state legislature. If the bill is passed again by the state legislature with or without amendments and presented again to the President for his assent, the President is not bound to give his assent to the bill. This means that the state legislature cannot override the veto power of the President. (Hence, statement 3 is correct)

• Further, the Constitution has not prescribed any time limit within which the President has to take decision with regard to a bill reserved by the governor for his consideration. Hence, the President can exercise pocket veto in respect of state legislation also, i.e., the President can neither give assent nor withhold assent to the bill. (Hence, statement 4 is correct)

So, all the statements given above are correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Polity

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

References:

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/bill-to-make-punjab-cm-chancellor-of-state-universities-returned-by-president-without-assent-9459847/

Explanation: 

Relevance: The Centre has increased the area granted to individual players by more than four fold in order to boost mining of critical minerals.

• A mineral is labelled as critical when the risk of supply shortage and associated impact on the economy is (relatively) higher than the other raw materials. 
• Depending upon the net import reliance and the resource / reserve position of the country, a total of 30 minerals are found to be most critical for India out of which two minerals are critical as fertilizer minerals (Rock Phosphate and Potash). 

• In India, the value chain of Rare Earth Elements (REE) is yet to be fully developed. Hence, in the first instance, all the REEs are considered to be critical.  

*PGE: Platinum Group of Elements 

• The Indian Critical Minerals Identification process tries to address five core objectives:

• Supporting economic growth, competitiveness, and job creation. (Hence, point 1 is correct)
• Driving research, innovation, and exploration. (Hence, point 2 is correct)
• Enhancing global security and partnership with allies. (Hence, point 3 is correct)
• Raw material security for state-of-the-art defence. (Hence, point 4 is correct)
• Promoting climate action and environmental protection. (Hence, point 5 is correct)

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Geography

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

References:

https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/centre-expands-area-limits-by-over-4x-to-boost-critical-minerals-mining-124071700922_1.html

Explanation: 

Relevance: 6 children died of suspected Chandipura virus infection in Gujarat.

What is CHPV infection and how is it transmitted?

• Chandipura virus (CHPV) is a virus of the Rhabdoviridae family, which also includes other members such as the lyssavirus that causes rabies. (Hence, statement 2 is correct)
• Several species of sandflies and some mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti (which is also the vector for dengue) are considered vectors of CHPV.  Thus, CHPV is transmitted primarily by sandflies. (Hence, statement 1 is not correct)
• The virus resides in the salivary gland of these insects, and can be transmitted to humans or other vertebrates like domestic animals through bites. 

How can the infection be managed?

• The infection can only be symptomatically managed as currently there is no specific antiretroviral therapy or vaccine available for treatment. As a result, it becomes crucial to manage brain inflammation to prevent mortality. (Hence, statement 4 is not correct)

Which are the worst affected regions in India?

• The infection has largely remained endemic to the central part of India (in States like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh), where the population of CHPV infection-spreading sandflies and mosquitoes is higher. (Hence, statement 3 is not correct)
• Additionally, the outbreaks are more pronounced because sandflies multiply more during the monsoon season.”

Hence, only two of the pairs given above are correctly matched.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Science and Technology

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

References:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-health/chandipura-virus-infection-chpv-9457349/