UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 31 March 2025

Solution: a)

• A-2: Nikshay Poshan Yojana is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme launched in 2018 to provide nutritional support of ₹500 per month to TB patients during their treatment, addressing malnutrition which weakens treatment outcomes.
• B-3: TB Harega Desh Jeetega is a national campaign aimed at raising public awareness, promoting early diagnosis, and ensuring treatment adherence through community engagement and behavior change communication. It is a broader strategic umbrella for India’s TB elimination goals.
• C-1: Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Abhiyan launched in 2022, focuses on public participation through the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative, where individuals, organizations, and corporates can adopt TB patients and support them with nutritional kits, diagnostic support, and vocational assistance. This model encourages community ownership in health outcomes.

Solution: A

• Statement 3 is correct, making only one statement accurate. Certain fungal species, including some Aspergillus and Penicillium strains, have shown the potential to degrade synthetic plastics, such as polyurethane. This finding is significant in the context of bioremediation and sustainable waste management, as plastic pollution has become a global environmental crisis.
• Statement 1 is incorrect because fungi are eukaryotic organisms. They possess a membrane-bound nucleus, mitochondria, and other organelles, distinguishing them from prokaryotes like bacteria, which lack these features. Eukaryotic nature is a defining trait of the fungal kingdom.
• Statement 2 is also incorrect — lichens are symbiotic associations between a fungal partner (usually an ascomycete) and a photosynthetic partner, which may be either green algae or cyanobacteria. This mutualistic relationship allows lichens to colonize harsh environments by combining the fungus’s structural support with the photosynthetic partner’s energy production.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect because strike-slip faults involve horizontal displacement of tectonic plates rather than vertical. In such faults, the plates slide past each other sideways. Famous examples include the San Andreas Fault in California. Vertical movement is typically associated with normal or reverse (thrust) faults, not strike-slip faults.
• Statement 2 is also incorrect. The Indian Plate is moving northward, not southward, colliding with the Eurasian Plate. This northward movement is what led to the formation of the Himalayan mountain range, and it continues to cause seismic activity across the region due to ongoing tectonic stress.
• Statement 3 is incorrect due to a common confusion in terminology. The epicentre is the point on the Earth’s surface located directly above the focus (or hypocentre), which is the actual point of origin of the earthquake beneath the surface.

Solution: c)

• Photonic chips operate using photons—particles of light—rather than electrons, which makes them far more efficient for high-speed data transfer.
• Unlike electronic chips that suffer from resistive heating and limited bandwidth, photonic chips offer ultra-fast transmission, high bandwidth, and very low energy loss. This makes them well-suited for emerging data-intensive domains such as 6G communication, quantum computing, and AI.

Moreover, photonic chips generate minimal heat and are immune to electromagnetic interference, significantly improving operational stability and efficiency in complex computing environments.

Solution: c)

• Statement-I is correct. Gene banks play a vital role in ensuring climate-resilient agriculture, especially in countries like India that face challenges such as droughts, floods, soil salinity, and changing pest patterns.
• These banks conserve genetic material—seeds, tissues, DNA samples—of diverse crop species and their wild relatives. Such genetic diversity is critical for plant breeders and agricultural scientists to develop crop varieties that are better adapted to extreme or shifting climate conditions. Thus, gene banks act as a foundational resource for agricultural resilience and food security.
• Statement-II is incorrect. While gene banks hold the genetic material necessary to develop high-yield or climate-resilient varieties, they do not directly supply such varieties to farmers.

The process involves extensive research, cross-breeding, and field trials conducted by plant breeding institutions, which may take several years. Therefore, gene banks are indirect contributors, not immediate providers of improved crop varieties.

Solution: b)

• Light fishing is a practice that uses artificial lighting to attract fish toward nets or traps, and while it increases short-term catch efficiency, it raises several ecological concerns.
• Statement 1 is incorrect — light fishing is not typically practiced during the monsoon, when sea conditions are rough and fish populations are naturally abundant. Instead, it is predominantly used during lean fishing months, especially between December and February, when fish catch is low. The artificial attraction of fish during these periods boosts economic returns but comes at a cost.
• Statement 2 is correct — artificial lights can disrupt the natural behavioral and reproductive cycles of marine organisms. Many fish species rely on natural light cues for spawning, migration, and feeding rhythms, and the presence of continuous artificial light can lead to physiological stress or failure to spawn.
• Statement 3 is also correct — artificial lights attract not only target species but a wide range of marine life, including juveniles and non-target species, thereby increasing the incidence of bycatch and contributing to biodiversity loss in marine ecosystems.

Solution: c)

• Statement-I is correct. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is a groundbreaking NASA mission designed to study the outer atmosphere of the Sun, particularly the solar corona. By measuring the speed, density, and electric/magnetic fields of solar wind particles, PSP provides critical data that enhances our understanding and forecasting of space weather. This forecasting capability is vital for anticipating solar storms that can affect both space and Earth-based systems.

Statement-II is incorrect. Contrary to the claim, space weather does not have a minimal effect—it can have severe consequences on satellite communications, GPS navigation, power grids, aviation systems, and even oil pipeline operations. Solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellite electronics, induce currents in power lines, and lead to costly infrastructure failures. PSP’s insights allow scientists to model and predict such events more accurately, enabling better preparedness.

Solution: b)

• Statement 1 is incorrect — xenotransplantation involves the transplantation of live tissues, organs, or cells from a non-human animal to a human, not from one human to another. The latter is called allotransplantation. Xenotransplantation represents a potential solution to the global shortage of human donor organs, especially for vital organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys.
• Statement 2 is correct — this is the central promise of xenotransplantation. By using genetically modified animal organs (primarily from pigs due to their physiological similarities to humans), the technique could significantly reduce wait times and mortality rates for patients on transplant lists.

Statement 3 is also correct — gene-editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 are used to eliminate or modify specific pig genes that trigger immune responses in humans. These genetic alterations reduce the likelihood of hyperacute or delayed rejection, increasing the viability of animal-to-human transplants.

Solution: b)

• Green Grabbing refers to the appropriation of land, forests, water bodies, and resources under the pretext of achieving environmental goals, such as afforestation, carbon offsetting, or conservation.
• Often backed by governments, corporations, or international environmental regimes, such projects displace local or indigenous communities, threatening their livelihoods, food security, and traditional ecological knowledge systems.
• Unlike genuine community-based conservation, green grabbing commodifies nature for profit or global climate targets, frequently excluding local participation.

Solution: d)

• Statement-I is incorrect because fungi are not primary producers. Primary producers, such as green plants, algae, and certain bacteria, generate organic matter through photosynthesis, using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Fungi lack chlorophyll and the ability to photosynthesize, so they cannot produce their own food. Instead, they are heterotrophic organisms that absorb nutrients from organic material.
• Statement-II is correct. Fungi play a critical ecological role as decomposers. They break down complex organic matter—including dead plants, animals, and waste products—into simpler compounds. Through this process, fungi release nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon back into the soil and atmosphere, supporting nutrient cycling and soil fertility. This makes fungi essential to ecosystem functioning, particularly in forests, grasslands, and compost-rich environments.