UPSC Quiz – 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 20th Nov 2020

Solution (a)

• Borra Caves are located 125.6 km from Visakhapatnam, Borra Caves are the gem that is studded in the crown of Ananthagiri hills of Araku Valley. 
• These limestone caves are a million-year-old and the largest caves in India at an elevation of about 705 m. The caves are spread across an area of two sq km.
• Discovered by William King George of the GSI, these one million year old caves attract a huge number of tourists every day. These are located at an elevation of 1400 m above sea level.
• These caves are known for stalactite and stalagmite formations such as Shiva-Parvathi, Rishi’s Beard, Mother-Child, Crocodile, Human Brain, Tiger and Cows udder.

Solution (b)

• Deemed forests, comprising about 1% of India’s forest land, are a controversial subject as they refer to land tracts that appear to be a “forest”, but have not been notified so by the government or in historical records.
• The concept of deemed forests has not even been clearly defined in any law including the Forest Conservation Act 1980.
• In the T N Godavarman Thirumalpad case 1996, the Supreme Court (SC) accepted a wide definition of forests under the Act and held that the word ‘forest’ must be understood according to its dictionary meaning.
  • This description covers all statutorily recognised forests, whether designated as reserved, protected or otherwise for the purpose of Section 2 (1) of the Act and also includes any areas recorded as forest in the government record irrespective of the ownership.
• The provisions for the conservation of forest and the matters connected therewith applies clearly to all forests irrespective of the ownership or classification.
• The freedom to define which tracts of forest qualify as forest has been the prerogative of States since 1996.

Solution (a)

• National Population Register is a database containing a list of all usual residents of the country. Its objective is to have a comprehensive identity database of people residing in the country.
  • A usual resident for the purposes of NPR is a person who has resided in a place for six months or more, and intends to reside there for another six months or more.
• The NPR was first collected in 2010 and then updated in 2015.
• It is generated through house-to-house enumeration during the “house-listing” phase of the census, which is held once in 10 years.
  • The last census was in 2011, and the next was scheduled for 2021

Solution (c)

Guillain Barre Syndrome:

• It is a very rare autoimmune disorder in which the patient’s immune system attacks nerves.
• The exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome is unknown, but as per the World Health Organisation (WHO), GBS is often preceded by an infection. This could be a bacterial or viral infection. It may also be triggered by vaccine administration or surgery.
• Some patients infected with Covid-19 have been found suffering from Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS).
• In the past, patients of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Zika virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Herpes virus and Campylobacter jejuni have shown symptoms of GBS.

Symptoms:

• Weakness or tingling sensations, which usually start in the legs, and can spread to the arms and face.
• Difficulty with facial movements, including speaking, chewing or swallowing.
• Double vision, rapid heart rate, low or high blood pressure.

 Solution (d)

• Tristan da Cunha is a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean.
• It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world
• Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory with its own constitution.
• It is declared as the largest fully protected marine reserves in the Atlantic Ocean at 687,000 square kilometres.
• The mountainous archipelago Tristan da Cunha is home to tens of millions of seabirds and several unique land birds.
• The island group is also home to the World Heritage Site of Gough and Inaccessible Islands, which is one of the most important seabird islands in the world.