UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 9th August 2021

Solution (b)

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN).

At present, the UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent member countries which are elected for a two-year term by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The five permanent members are Russia, the UK, China, France and the United States.

Under Article 27 of the UN Charter, Security Council decisions on all substantive matters require the affirmative votes of three-fifths (i.e. nine) of the members. A negative vote or “veto” by a permanent member prevents adoption of a proposal, even if it has received the required votes.

Abstention is not regarded as a veto in most cases, though all five permanent members must actively concur to amend the UN Charter or to recommend the admission of a new UN member state. Procedural matters are not subject to a veto, so the veto cannot be used to avoid discussion of an issue.

A majority of vetoes are used not in critical international security situations, but for purposes such as blocking a candidate for Secretary-General or the admission of a member state.

Resolutions of the Security Council are typically enforced by UN peacekeepers, military forces voluntarily provided by member states and funded independently of the main UN budget.

After approval by the Security Council, the UN may send peacekeepers to regions where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states. These soldiers are sometimes nicknamed “Blue Helmets” for their distinctive gear.

Article Link: Biden administration non-committal on support for permanent UNSC seat for India

Solution (d)

Memba:

• The Memba are an Indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh. 
• The Memba population is currently around 4000-5000. They mainly live in the districts of Shi Yomi, West Siang and Upper Siang. Some also live in nearby Tibet. 
• The religious life of the Memba revolves around the Mechuka Gompa, similar to the Monpa of West Kameng and Tawang. 
• Local genealogies suggested that they came from Tibet and settled in the region several centuries ago. 
• The Memba are agriculturalists and grow maize, millet, potato, cereals and paddy. Boiled rice and millet flour are staples in the Memba diet.

Khamti: 

• Khamti are a Tai ethnic group native to Myanmar. 
• In India, they are found in Namsai district and Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. 
• Smaller numbers are present in Lakhimpur district, Dhemaji district and in Tinsukia district of Assam. 
• Khamtis have a population of 100,031 out of which 40,005 live in Arunachal Pradesh and 60,026 in Assam. 
• Khamti are followers of Theravada Buddhism. The Tai-Khamti have their own script for their language, known as ‘Lik Tai’, which originated from the Shan (Tai) script of Myanmar.

Buksa:

• Buksa are indigenous peoples living mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• They are mostly concentrated in Dehradun and Nainital districts in the foothills of the outer Himalayas. 

Article Link: The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Solution (c)

The Bengal School of Art was an art movement and a style of Indian painting that originated in Bengal, primarily Kolkata and Shantiniketan, and flourished throughout the Indian subcontinent, during the British Raj in the early 20th century. 

Also known as ‘Indian style of painting’ in its early days, it was associated with Indian nationalism and led by Abanindranath Tagore, but was also promoted and supported by British arts administrators like E. B. Havell, the principal of the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata; eventually it led to the development of the modern Indian painting.

It rediscovered the glories of Indian art and consciously tried to produce what it considered a truly Indian art inspired by the creations of the past. They broke away from the convention of oil painting and the realistic style, and turned for inspiration to medieval Indian traditions of miniature painting and the ancient art of mural painting in the Ajanta caves.

Initiated by Abanindranath Tagore, other important painters and artists of Bengal school were Nandalal Bose, M.A.R Chughtai, Sunayani Devi (sister of Abanindranath Tagore), Manishi Dey, Mukul Dey, Kalipada Ghoshal, Asit Kumar Haldar, Sudhir Khastgir, Kshitindranath Majumdar and Sughra Rababi.

Popular Paintings are: Bharat Mata, My Mother, Journey’s End etc.

Article Link: Celebrations begin to mark 150 years of iconic artist Abanindranath Tagor

Solution (a)

Agalega are two outer islands of Mauritius located in the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 kilometres north of Mauritius Island.

The islands are known for their coconuts, the production of which is their main industry, and for the Agalega day gecko.

There is a Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Mauritius and India to develop the Agalega islands and resolve infrastructural problems faced by Agaleans.

Article Link: No plan to house Indian military base on Agalega island: Mauritius

Solution (c)

The Pensilungpa Glacier is located in Zanskar Range, Ladakh.

The Zanskar Range is a mountain range in the union territory of Ladakh that separates Zanskar from Ladakh.

Recently, a study highlighted that the glacier is retreating to an increase in the temperature and decrease in precipitation during winters.

The study also points at the significant influence of debris cover on the mass balance and retreat of the glacier’s endpoint, especially in summer. 

The study also suggests that due to continuous rise in the air temperature in line with the global trend, the melting would increase, and it is possible that the precipitation of summer periods at higher altitudes will change from snow to rain, and that may influence the summer and winter pattern.

Article Link: Ladakh glacier retreat due to warming, low winter precipitation, finds study