UPSC Quiz – 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 105

Solution (c)

The core concept of Sufi Movement is Darikh-i-Duniya / Wahad-ul-wahjud, meaning “Universal Brotherhood”. It outwardly rejected the religion and emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings. Mystics, who are called Sufis, were persons of deep devotion who were disgusted by the display of wealth and degeneration of morals following the establishment of the Islamic empire. The Sufis were organized in 12 orders or Silsilahs. A Silsilah was generally led by a prominent mystic who lived in a Khanqah or hospice along with his disciples. The Sufi orders are broadly divided into two: Ba-shara – Those who followed the Islamic Law and Be-shara – Those who were not bound by the Islamic Law. The Sufi saints made themselves popular by adopting musical recitations called “Sama”, to create a mood of nearness to God. Qawwali is the form of sufi devotional music popular in South Asia and ghazal is a form of Qawwali.

Nizamuddin Auliya is a sufi saint belonging to the Chisti order. Nizamuddin Auliya’s predecessors were Qutbuddin Bakhthiyar Kaki, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. His notable disciple was Amir Khusrow. The Chisti order is a Sunni Sufi order within the Sufi tradition of Islam. The order believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to humanity. This order is primarily followed in Afghanistan and Indian Subcontinent. The Chisti order is the first of the four main Sufi orders – Chisti, Qadiriyya, Suhrawardiyya and Naqshbandi order.

Solution (c)

Whether Green buildings are really green is to be decided against the predefined rating systems. There are three primary Rating systems in India.

• GRIHA – Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment
• IGBC – Indian Green Building Council
• BEE – Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) is a method for evaluating and rating the environmental performance of buildings and the built environment. It is a system used by Japan.

Solution (b)

Located in the Western Ghats, in the south of India, the Agasthyamala biosphere reserve includes peaks reaching 1,868 metres above sea level. Consisting mostly of tropical forests, the site is home to 2,254 species of higher plants including about 400 that are endemic. It is also a unique genetic reservoir of cultivated plants especially cardamom, jamun, nutmeg, pepper and plantain. Three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve are included in the site.

Solution (d)

The Dangaria Kandha or Dongria Kondh people are members of the Kondhs. They are located in the Niyamgiri hills in the state of Odisha.

Solution (c)

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has allowed overseas citizens to invest in National Pension Scheme (NPS), a move that will enable such citizens take advantage of the social security scheme and associated income tax benefits.

With this, Overseas Citizens of India (OCI)—people of Indian origin holding citizenship of other countries—will be at par with non-resident Indians (NRIs) as far as eligibility for applying for NPS is concerned.

The NPS is a government run pension and investment scheme aimed at providing old age security through safe and regulated market-based return. The scheme is regulated by PFRDA. With the latest addition, any Indian citizen, resident or non-resident and OCIs are eligible to join NPS till the age of 65 years.