UPSC Quiz – 2024 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 12th March 2024

IASbaba Daily Prelims Quiz

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The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative.

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Question 1 of 5

1. Question

Consider the following statements about Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)

The Narasimham Committee on Rural Credit (1975) recommended the establishment of RRBs.
RRBs are regulated by the RBI and supervised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
The RBI has set a Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target of 75% of total outstanding advances for RRBs.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) All three
d) None of the above

Correct

Solution (c)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1	Statement 2	Statement 3
Correct	Correct	Correct
· RRBs are banks formed in collaboration by the Central Government, State Governments, and Sponsoring Commercial Banks to give loans to rural areas.The Narasimham Committee on Rural Credit (1975) recommended the establishment of RRBs. · The establishment of RRBs finds its route in the ordinance passed on 26th September 1975, and the RRB Act of 1976. · Rathama Grameen Bank was the first RRB bank and was established on 2nd October 1975.	· Regulation: Regional Rural Banks are regulated by the RBI and supervised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). · Sources of Funds: It comprise of owned funds, deposits, borrowings from NABARD, Sponsor Banks and other sources, including SIDBI and the National Housing Bank. · Management: The Board of Directors manages these banks, overall affairs, which consists of one Chairman, three Directors as nominated by the Central Government, a maximum of two Directors as nominated by the concerned State Government, and a maximum of three Directors as nominated by the sponsor bank.		· The RBI has set a Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target of 75% of total outstanding advances for RRBs as against 40% for Scheduled Commercial Banks. · Ownership: The shareholding pattern of RRBs among the three sponsoring entities is 50:35:15 among the central government, sponsoring bank, and state government, respectively. · The area of operation of RRBs is limited to the area as notified by the Government of India, covering one or more districts in the State.

Context: It was in news.

Incorrect

Solution (c)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1	Statement 2	Statement 3
Correct	Correct	Correct
· RRBs are banks formed in collaboration by the Central Government, State Governments, and Sponsoring Commercial Banks to give loans to rural areas.The Narasimham Committee on Rural Credit (1975) recommended the establishment of RRBs. · The establishment of RRBs finds its route in the ordinance passed on 26th September 1975, and the RRB Act of 1976. · Rathama Grameen Bank was the first RRB bank and was established on 2nd October 1975.	· Regulation: Regional Rural Banks are regulated by the RBI and supervised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). · Sources of Funds: It comprise of owned funds, deposits, borrowings from NABARD, Sponsor Banks and other sources, including SIDBI and the National Housing Bank. · Management: The Board of Directors manages these banks, overall affairs, which consists of one Chairman, three Directors as nominated by the Central Government, a maximum of two Directors as nominated by the concerned State Government, and a maximum of three Directors as nominated by the sponsor bank.		· The RBI has set a Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target of 75% of total outstanding advances for RRBs as against 40% for Scheduled Commercial Banks. · Ownership: The shareholding pattern of RRBs among the three sponsoring entities is 50:35:15 among the central government, sponsoring bank, and state government, respectively. · The area of operation of RRBs is limited to the area as notified by the Government of India, covering one or more districts in the State.

Context: It was in news.

Question 2 of 5

2. Question

Consider the following statements about Samudrayaan Mission

It is aimed to develop a self-propelled manned submersible to carry three human beings to a water depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean.
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is the nodal ministry of Mission Samudrayaan
MATSYA 6000, a manned submersible vehicle developed by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research will in exploring mineral resources.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) All three
d) None of the above

Correct

Solution (b)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1

Statement 2

Statement 3

Correct

Incorrect

· It is India’s first manned mission to explore the deep ocean.

· It is aimed to develop a self-propelled manned submersible to carry three human beings to a water depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools for deep ocean exploration.

· It is designed to study the deep ocean resources and conduct biodiversity assessments as well.

· The mission will not disturb the ecosystem as the submersible is used solely for exploration purposes.

· The project is part of the larger Deep Ocean Mission, which supports the Central Government’s Blue Economy policy.

· Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

MATSYA 6000

· It is a manned submersible vehicle developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai.

· It was developed under the Samudrayaan mission to facilitate humans in the deep ocean in exploring mineral resources.

· It has an endurance of 12 hours of operational period and 96 hours in case of emergency.

· It will allow scientific personnel to observe and understand unexplored deep-sea areas by direct interventions. Further, it will enhance the capability for deep-sea man-rated vehicle development.

Context: The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has completed a key test for India’s first manned submersible mission called Samudrayaan, the earth sciences ministry said recently.

Incorrect

Solution (b)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1

Statement 2

Statement 3

Correct

Incorrect

· It is India’s first manned mission to explore the deep ocean.

· It is designed to study the deep ocean resources and conduct biodiversity assessments as well.

· The mission will not disturb the ecosystem as the submersible is used solely for exploration purposes.

· The project is part of the larger Deep Ocean Mission, which supports the Central Government’s Blue Economy policy.

· Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

MATSYA 6000

· It is a manned submersible vehicle developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai.

· It was developed under the Samudrayaan mission to facilitate humans in the deep ocean in exploring mineral resources.

· It has an endurance of 12 hours of operational period and 96 hours in case of emergency.

· It will allow scientific personnel to observe and understand unexplored deep-sea areas by direct interventions. Further, it will enhance the capability for deep-sea man-rated vehicle development.

Context: The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has completed a key test for India’s first manned submersible mission called Samudrayaan, the earth sciences ministry said recently.

Question 3 of 5

3. Question

Consider the following statements about Sponge Iron

It is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore by a reducing gas.
The reducing gas is a mixture of Nitrogen, Carbon di oxide and Argon.
India with 20% of the world’s sponge iron production is the 2^nd largest producer of sponge iron in the world.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

a) Only one
b) Only two
c) All three
d) None of the above

Correct

Solution (a)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1

Statement 2

Statement 3

Correct

Incorrect

· Direct-reduced iron (DRI), also called sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of lumps, pellets, or fines) by a reducing gas produced from natural gas or coal.

· This process of reducing the iron ore in solid form by reducing gases is called direct reduction.

· The reducing gas is a mixture, the majority of which is hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), which act as reducing agents.

Why is it called Sponge Iron?

· The process of sponge iron manufacturing involves the removal of oxygen from iron ore.

· When that happens, the departing oxygen causes micropores in the ore body, turning it porous.

· When the eventual product is observed under a microscope, it resembles a honeycomb structure, which looks spongy in texture. Hence the name sponge iron.

· India is the world’s largest producer of sponge iron, most of which is produced primarily through the coal-based method of production. India produces 20% of the world’s sponge iron with over 200 plants

Context: The domestic sponge iron manufacturers fear a continuous shortage of iron ore may bring them to the brink of collapse

Incorrect

Solution (a)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1

Statement 2

Statement 3

Correct

Incorrect

· Direct-reduced iron (DRI), also called sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of lumps, pellets, or fines) by a reducing gas produced from natural gas or coal.

· This process of reducing the iron ore in solid form by reducing gases is called direct reduction.

· The reducing gas is a mixture, the majority of which is hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), which act as reducing agents.

Why is it called Sponge Iron?

· The process of sponge iron manufacturing involves the removal of oxygen from iron ore.

· When that happens, the departing oxygen causes micropores in the ore body, turning it porous.

· When the eventual product is observed under a microscope, it resembles a honeycomb structure, which looks spongy in texture. Hence the name sponge iron.

Context: The domestic sponge iron manufacturers fear a continuous shortage of iron ore may bring them to the brink of collapse

Question 4 of 5

4. Question

Consider the following statements about NOTA

NOTA was used for the first time in the 2014 General Elections.
NOTA has no electoral value in the Indian system.

Choose the incorrect statement:

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct

Solution (a)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1

Statement 2

Incorrect

Correct

· It is a ballot option provided in the elections to the Indian voter.

· It is the option which enables the voter to officially register a vote of rejection for all candidates who are contesting.

· If a voter chooses to press NOTA, it indicates that the voter has not chosen to vote for any of the parties.

When was it first used?

· NOTA was used for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections in five states – Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh – and later in the 2014 General Elections.

· It was introduced into the electoral process following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL versus Union of India case.

Does it have any impact on the results?

· NOTA has no electoral value in the Indian system.

· Even if the maximum votes are given in favour of NOTA, the candidate with the largest number of votes, which could theoretically even be just one, will still be declared the winner.

Context: Recently experts from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO have stated that NOTA is a ‘toothless tiger’ with no implications on results.

Incorrect

Solution (a)

Statement Analysis

Statement 1

Statement 2

Incorrect

Correct

· It is a ballot option provided in the elections to the Indian voter.

· It is the option which enables the voter to officially register a vote of rejection for all candidates who are contesting.

· If a voter chooses to press NOTA, it indicates that the voter has not chosen to vote for any of the parties.

When was it first used?

· NOTA was used for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections in five states – Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh – and later in the 2014 General Elections.

· It was introduced into the electoral process following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL versus Union of India case.

Does it have any impact on the results?

· NOTA has no electoral value in the Indian system.

· Even if the maximum votes are given in favour of NOTA, the candidate with the largest number of votes, which could theoretically even be just one, will still be declared the winner.

Context: Recently experts from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO have stated that NOTA is a ‘toothless tiger’ with no implications on results.

Question 5 of 5

5. Question

SheRNI Portal, recently seen in news is launched by which of following body?

a) NITI Aayog
b) Quality Council of India
c) Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation
d) University Grants Commission

Correct

Solution (d)

Option d

Correct

· SheRNI – She Research Network in India.

· The objective of SheRNI is to create a national-level expert platform for women faculty members and facilitate the exchange of expertise, insights and experiences across diverse fields.

· The SheRNI platform will connect more than 81,000 profiles of Indian women in science and research across various domains.

· The platform was launched by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

· Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) – Is an Autonomous Inter-University Centre (IUC) of University Grants Commission.

· It is a major National Programme initiated by the UGC on February 1991 as a project under the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

· It became an independent Inter-University Centre on 16th May 1996.

· It is involved in modernizing university libraries in India using the state-of-art technologies for the optimum utilisation of information.

Context: Recently the SheRNI Portal was launched by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to connect, support women scientists and faculty members across India.