UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 2 August 2025

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, not Endangered. While its population has recovered significantly from the brink of extinction due to concerted conservation efforts, it still faces threats that keep it in the Vulnerable category.
• Statement 2 is correct. One of the most distinct morphological features of the Asiatic lion compared to the African lion is the presence of a longitudinal fold of skin along its belly. This feature is a reliable marker for identification. Other distinguishing characteristics include a sparser mane in males, which leaves the ears more visible.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. While Gir National Park remains the primary and core habitat for the Asiatic lion, the population has expanded significantly beyond its boundaries. Today, a substantial number of lions, estimated to be over 200, inhabit adjoining areas in Gujarat, including other protected areas, agro-pastoral landscapes, and coastal zones. This dispersal has led to increased human-lion interactions outside the park.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The advisory system is a joint initiative of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), not ISRO. While it uses satellite data, ISRO is not the primary developing partner.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The core strength of this system is its ability to provide hyper-local, real-time, and personalized advisories, not generalized ones. It considers factors like crop cycle, soil type, and the specific location of a farmer to offer tailored advice.
• Statement 3 is correct. To ensure accessibility and last-mile delivery, the system utilizes an AI-powered WhatsApp bot. This allows for the easy dissemination of complex advisories in various regional languages, making the information comprehensible and actionable for smallholder farmers.

Statement 4 is incorrect. The project is currently being implemented on a pilot basis in select districts of Maharashtra. While it is supported by the government’s Monsoon Mission-III, it is not yet a nationwide program. The plan is to scale it up after the pilot phase.

Solution: C

• The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is a statutory corporation established under an Act of Parliament in 1963. Its core mandate is to act as a promotional and developmental financing institution for cooperative societies.
• Its primary function is the planning, promotion, and financing of programs related to the production, processing, marketing, storage, import, and export of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, and certain other notified commodities and services on cooperative principles.
• It provides financial assistance in the form of loans and grants to state governments and directly to eligible cooperatives.

It does not regulate cooperative banks (which is primarily the RBI’s role), provide direct subsidies to farmers, or conduct elections for cooperative societies.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a prominent leader of the Extremist phase of the Indian National Congress. He strongly opposed the moderate methods of prayer and petition, advocating instead for direct action, mass mobilization, and self-reliance to achieve Swaraj. His approach was a key point of difference that led to the Surat Split in 1907.
• Statement 2 is correct. In 1916, Tilak, along with Annie Besant, launched the Home Rule League Movement. While they had separate leagues, they collaborated closely to demand self-governance or ‘Home Rule’ for India within the British Empire, marking his re-entry into active politics after his imprisonment.

Statement 3 is correct. Tilak was a profound scholar in addition to being a political leader. He authored several books, including ‘Arctic Home in the Vedas’, where he propounded a theory that the original home of the Aryan people was in the Arctic region. He also wrote ‘Gita Rahasya’ and ‘Orion’.

Solution: D

• The primary reason for selecting the Tso Kar basin in Ladakh for the Human Outer Planetary Exploration (HOPE) station is its unique geography.
• The region is a high-altitude, cold-desert landscape with sparse vegetation and extreme temperature fluctuations. This terrain and environment bear a strong resemblance to the conditions found on the Moon and Mars.
• The aim of the project is to simulate off-Earth conditions to study the psychological and physiological impacts on humans in extreme isolation.
• Therefore, the choice of location is driven by its fidelity as an analogue environment for future crewed interplanetary missions, not its proximity to launch sites, astronomical observatories, or geothermal resources.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The plant is located at Deendayal Port, Kandla, in Gujarat, not Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai. This makes it the first such facility at a major Indian port.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The project is a “Make-in-India” initiative and crucially uses indigenously manufactured electrolyzers. This demonstrates India’s growing self-reliance in the critical technology required for the green hydrogen ecosystem.

Statement 3 is correct. The project was executed by the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in collaboration with its engineering partner, Larsen & Toubro (L&T). This partnership highlights a public-private collaboration model for developing advanced clean energy infrastructure.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is correct. Iran is located in Southwestern Asia and shares extensive land borders with several countries. To its west, it is bordered by Turkey and Iraq. It also shares borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut), along with the Dasht-e Kavir, dominates the central and eastern interior of the country, not the northern region. The northern region is characterized by the Alborz mountain range.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Mount Damavand, a stratovolcano and the highest peak in Iran, is part of the Alborz mountain range in the north, not the Zagros Mountains. The Zagros Mountains form a separate, extensive range running along the country’s western and southwestern borders.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The NCDC, though established in 1963, currently functions under the Ministry of Cooperation, which was formed in 2021. This places it under the direct purview of the new ministry dedicated to strengthening the cooperative movement.
• Statement 2 is correct. A key function of the NCDC is to provide financial assistance to boost the cooperative sector. This assistance can be in the form of both grants and loans, which can be channeled through State Governments or provided directly to eligible cooperative societies, enhancing their access to capital.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The scope of NCDC’s functions is broad and extends well beyond just agricultural production. It supports a wide range of allied sectors and income-generating activities, including dairy, poultry, fisheries, handloom, textiles, and rural infrastructure, to promote holistic rural development.

Solution: C

• Statement-I is correct. The British colonial authorities, particularly Sir Valentine Chirol, labeled Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the “Father of Indian Unrest.” This was due to his powerful journalism, mass mobilization techniques (like Ganesh Utsav and Shivaji Jayanti), and his assertive call for Swaraj, which were seen as inciting resistance and challenging British rule.

Statement-II is incorrect. This statement describes the methods of the Moderate faction of the Indian National Congress. Tilak, as a leader of the Extremist faction, fundamentally disagreed with this approach. He advocated for direct action, boycott of foreign goods, and passive resistance, not constitutional reforms through prayers and petitions. His methods aimed at creating pressure on the colonial government, which is why he earned the title mentioned in Statement-I.

Solution: A

• Statement I makes a claim about the significance of the HOPE project for India’s space ambitions.
• Statement II is correct. The project’s location in Ladakh’s Tso Kar basin was chosen specifically because it simulates the harsh, isolated terrain of the Moon and Mars.
• Statement III is also correct. The core objective of the research is to study how humans respond psychologically and physiologically to prolonged stays in confined and extreme environments. Both statements II and III together provide the complete rationale for why HOPE is critical for future crewed missions (Statement I).
• A successful interplanetary mission requires not just technological capability, but also ensuring that the human crew can withstand the journey and environment. By conducting research on human adaptation (Statement III) in a simulated off-world environment (Statement II), the project directly generates the data needed to plan and execute such missions safely.