UPSC Daily Quiz | 19 July 2024

Daily Quiz - 19 July

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Q1. The United Nations Water Convention is mainly concerned with which of the following?

Promoting sustainable management of shared water resources

Addressing maritime piracy and territorial disputes

Facilitating global trade and economic development through Blue Economy

Regulating international fishing practices and marine biodiversity

Explanation:

Relevance: Ivory Coast joined the United Nations Water Convention, becoming the 10th African nation to do so.

The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (United Nations Water Convention) was adopted in Helsinki in 1992 and entered into force in 1996. Since March 2016 all UN Member States can accede to it. India has not signed this Convention.
The Convention is a unique legally binding instrument promoting the sustainable management of shared water resources, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the prevention of conflicts, and the promotion of peace and regional integration.
The Water Convention is a powerful tool to promote and operationalize the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs. It directly supports implementation of target 6.5, which requests all countries to implement integrated water resources management, including through transboundary cooperation, as appropriate.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Value Addition

1992 Water Convention Vs 1997 Watercourses Convention

The 1992 Water Convention obliges Riparian Parties to enter into agreements and establish joint bodies for their shared waters, whereas the 1997 Watercourses Convention only recommends watercourse States to conclude specific agreements and cooperate through joint institutions.
The 1992 Water Convention establishes an institutional mechanism to support its implementation, i.e. an intergovernmental platform based on the Meeting of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies, whereas the 1997 Watercourses Convention does not provide for such a cooperation mechanism.
Whereas the 1997 Watercourses Convention leaves confined groundwaters outside its scope, the 1992 Water Convention covers all transboundary groundwaters, including confined aquifers.
The 1992 Water Convention allows Riparian Parties to limit the exchange of information between them on the basis of intellectual property rights, whereas the 1997 Watercourses Convention does not allow for such a limitation.

Subject: Current Affairs | Environment

Level of Difficulty: Easy | Factual

References:

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/africa/ivory-coast-joins-un-water-convention-as-10th-african-nation

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Q2. With reference to the KIRTI Programme, consider the following statements:

1) It is an initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

2) One of its objectives is to use sports as a tool to curb addiction towards drugs and other gadgetry distractions.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

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Q3. With reference to the Foreigners Tribunals, consider the following statements:

1) The Foreigners Tribunals have been set up under Article 323B of the Indian Constitution.

2) These tribunals have the power to regulate their own procedure for disposal of cases expeditiously.

3) The Foreigners Tribunals are currently exclusive to the Indian state of Assam.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Only one

Only two

All three

None

Explanation:

Relevance: Assam govt. has asked its cops not to refer people covered by CAA to foreigners’ tribunals.

The Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) are quasi-judicial bodies formed through the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964 under Section 3 of the Foreigners’ Act of 1946, to let local authorities in a State refer a person suspected to be a foreigner to tribunals. (Hence, statement 1 is not correct)
The FTs are currently exclusive to Assam as cases of “illegal immigrants” are dealt with according to the Foreigners’ Act in other States. (Hence, statement 3 is correct)
Each FT is headed by a member drawn from judges, advocates, and civil servants with judicial experience.
According to the 1964 order, an FT has the powers of a civil court in certain matters such as summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him or her on oath and requiring the production of any document.
These tribunals have the power to regulate their own procedure for disposal of cases expeditiously. (Hence, statement 2 is correct)

Hence, only two of the statements given above are correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Value Addition

Foreigners Tribunals: A Critic

The Foreigners Tribunals were set up by an executive order in 1964 in contravention of Article 323B of the Constitution, which requires the legislature, by law, to provide for adjudication of matters by tribunals. The matters that can be decided by the tribunal, listed within the Article, do not include citizenship.
“Judicial experience” was an essential appointment criteria for its members, as stated in the 1964 order. However, the eligibility was relaxed in June 2019 by a notification, calling for applications from retired civil servants and advocates with just seven years of practice, to be appointed on a contractual basis, through an interview conducted by a panel of high court judges.
“Impartiality is the soul of the judiciary, independence is the life blood of the judiciary”, held by a Constitution Bench in UOI v R. Gandhi (2010). In the absence of security of tenure and dependence on the government, these tribunals cannot function freely and impartially.

There is no mechanism for receiving complaints against members of a tribunal, giving a free hand to such members to adjudicate, most often without any judicial experience, on citizenship — the right to all rights.

Apart from those excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), who now have to appeal in the Foreigners Tribunals within a period of 120 days, the Assam Border Police and the Election Commission refer cases to the tribunals.

Subject: Current Affairs | Polity

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

References:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam/how-do-assams-foreigners-tribunals-function-explained/article68419385.ece

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Q4. Which of the following missions followed NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope?

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

Chandra X-ray Observatory

Explanation:

Relevance: NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observed smaller objects in a black hole pair directly for the first time.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was launched by NASA in 2018 as a follow-up mission to Kepler.
Like Kepler/K2, TESS finds planets when they “transit”: pass between their host star and us, blocking a small amount of the star’s light. This method reveals the diameter of the planet and the size of its orbit. Orbits within a certain range lie in the “habitable zone”, where liquid water can exist on the surface of an Earth-like world.

NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope

Since the early 1990s, astronomers have identified thousands of exoplanets, largely thanks to NASA’s Kepler space telescope. Before losing its ability to point, Kepler monitored about 150,000 stars for the slight decrease in light caused by planets crossing in front.
After the pointing control failed, the mission was renamed K2 and continued exoplanet hunting as it drifted across the sky. The mission ended in 2018, but its data still provides valuable information about planets in our galaxy.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Value Addition

Option (b) is incorrect: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), although a significant space telescope mission, is not a direct successor to Kepler. JWST focuses on a broader range of astronomical observations, including the study of the universe's first galaxies, star formation, and planetary atmospheres.
Option (c) is incorrect: The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched in 1990, long before Kepler. While it continues to operate and contribute to astronomical research, it is not a follow-up mission to Kepler.
Option (d) is incorrect: The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched in 1999, is designed for X-ray astronomy and is not related to the search for exoplanets, which was Kepler's primary mission. It is also not a follow-up to Kepler.

Subject: Current Affairs | S&T

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

References:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2034082

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Q5. Which of the following pairs are among the world’s five largest coal mines now located in India?

Bhubaneswari and Gevra

Nimbeti and Kusmunda

Nimbeti and Dipka

Gevra and Kusmunda

Your score is

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