UPSC Daily Quiz 4 September 2026

Answer: b

Explanation:

A recent study of the Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem estimated its Total Economic Value (TEV) at ₹2,485.38 crore ($289 million), with a per-hectare value of ₹1.83 crore, reflecting the ecological, economic and social benefits it provides.

About Pichavaram Mangrove Forest:

• It is located near Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.
• The forest is spread over 1,100 hectares and joins the Bay of Bengal, where it’s separated by a lengthy sand bank.
• It lies between two important estuaries: the Vellar estuary to the north and the Coleroon estuary to the south.
• This mangrove ecosystem is part of the Vellar-Coleroon complex, which shapes the Killai backwater and Pichavaram mangroves.
• The Pichavaram forest spans across various habitats, including channels, creeks, gullies, mud flats, and sand flats.
• Apparently, the forest has more than 50 islands of various sizes and 4,400 big and small canals.
• The trees grow in water that’s 3 to 10 feet deep in different places.
• It provides a home to more than 200 species of birds. Some of the bird species commonly spotted here include Snipes, Egrets, Cormorants, Storks, Herons, Spoonbills, and Pelicans.
• Also, you can spot various marine life such as seaweed, fish, prawns, crabs, and oysters, as well as turtles and otters in this diverse ecosystem.
• It was designated a Ramsar Site in 2022.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/how-valuable-are-mangroves-study-on-pichavaram-ecosystem-pegs-it-at-248538-crore/article71419454.ece

Answer: b

Explanation:

Over 45,000 people in 22 gram panchayats across three blocks of Balasore were affected by floods as the Subarnarekha river breached its banks again recently.

About Subarnarekha River:

• It is an important east-flowing river in India, flowing through Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.
• Subarnarekha means a “streak of gold” in English. The name is associated with the traditional presence of gold particles in its riverbed, particularly near its source.
• Course:

○  It originates near Nagri village in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand, at an elevation of 600 meters above sea level.

○   From here, it flows eastward through the Chhotanagpur Plateau, a region rich in mineral resources like copper.

○  As it moves across this plateau, the river passes through Hundru Waterfall, which marks its exit from the plateau.

○       After covering a distance of 395 kilometers, the Subarnarekha finally drains into the Bay of Bengal at Kirtania port in Odisha.

• Tributaries: Along the way, it is joined by several important tributaries, including the Kanchi, Kharkai, and Karkari rivers.
• Basin:

○     Geographically, the Subarnarekha Basin lies between the Damodar River to the north and the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers to the south.

○   To the west, it’s bordered by the Chhotanagpur Plateau, and to the southeast, it flows into the Bay of Bengal.

○       The basin extends over States of Jharkhand, Odisha, and a comparatively smaller part in West Bengal.

○   The basin is generally influenced by the Southwest monsoon, which onsets in the month of June and extends up to October.

• Dams and Reservoirs: Getalsud Reservoir, Chandil Dam, Galudih Barrage, and Icha Dam.
• Cities along its course:

○   Ranchi (Jharkhand)

○   Jamshedpur (Jharkhand)

○    Chaibasa (Jharkhand)

○   Kirtania Port (Odisha)

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

News:https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2026/Sep/03/subarnarekha-river-breaches-banks-again-45k-affected-in-odishas-balasore

Answer: d

Explanation:

The Defence Minister recently released ‘Raksha’, a comprehensive strategic framework outlining India’s roadmap and vision for defence diplomacy and global defence partnerships over the next 10 years.

About  ‘RAKSHA’ framework:

• It is a comprehensive strategic framework outlining India’s road map and vision for defence diplomacy and global defence partnerships over the next 10 years.
• The document seeks to strengthen India’s strategic engagement with friendly nations by aligning national security objectives with proactive international cooperation.
• It lays down an actionable vision aimed at promoting long-term stability, strengthening partnerships, and advancing India’s role in an evolving global security environment.
• Key pillars highlighted in the strategic blueprint include:
  • Strategic Partnerships: Deepening bilateral and multilateral security cooperation.
  • Capacity Building: Enhancing joint military exercises, training programmes, and sharing best practices with friendly nations.
  • Indigenous Exports: Promoting Make-in-India defence platforms to establish the nation as a reliable global defence manufacturing hub.
  • Maritime security: Strengthening India’s role as a Net Security Provider and First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajnath-singh-releases-raksha-framework-for-defence-diplomacy-over-next-decade/article71424839.ece

Answer: c

Explanation:

Botanists recently discovered a new plant species, Ophiorrhiza assamensis, near Guwahati, Assam.

About Ophiorrhiza assamensis:

• It is a new species of flowering plant.
• It was found growing in a moist, shaded patch of habitat near Guwahati, Assam.
• It is a perennial herb with large, ribbed leaves and clusters of small white flowers.
• It belongs to the genus Ophiorrhiza, which sits in the Rubiaceae family, the same family that gives us coffee.
• The Ophiorrhiza genus is known as a natural source of camptothecin, a compound used in the development of medicines for cancers, including colon cancer.
• It is currently known only from a highly localised population, making it vulnerable to deforestation and development-related changes in its habitat.
• As the species’ total population remains unknown, the researchers classified it as ‘Data Deficient’ under the IUCN criteria.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

News: https://www.wionews.com/science/new-flowering-plant-found-in-india-s-assam-turns-out-to-carry-cancer-fighting-compound-1788345966611

Answer: a

Explanation:

Telangana recently secured a total of ₹599 crore in central incentives for achieving key milestones under the Centre’s AgriStack programme.

About AgriStack:

• It is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for the farm sector.
• It is an initiative under the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) and was approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024.
• It comprises three foundational registries or databases in the agriculture sector:
• The Farmer Registry, Geo-referenced village maps, and the Crop Sown Registry, all created and maintained by the State Governments or Union Territories.
• Farmer Registry:

○       Under the AgriStack, farmers are given digital identities (Farmer ID), which are linked dynamically to the State’s land records, livestock ownership, crops sown, demographic details, family details, schemes, and benefits availed.

○       Target: The government aims to create digital identities for 11 crore farmers.

○       The Centre has allocated financial support to states to create their respective registries under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment.

○       Advantage: A farmer would be able to access benefits and services digitally.

○       The Centre aims to complete the Farmer Registry with dynamic Records of Rights (RoR) synchronisation by March 2027. In the Northeastern States, the target was set to March 2028.

• Crop Sown Registry:

○       It includes details on crops planted by farmers.

○       This is recorded through mobile-based Digital Crop Surveys on the ground each season.

• Geo-Referenced Village Map Registry:

○       It comprises geographic information of land records linked with their locations (latitudes and longitudes).

○       The target is to cover all villages by March 2027.

• Once fully implemented, Agristack will enable farmers to receive several benefits through a paperless and contactless digital ecosystem, including:

○   Paperless and contactless crop loan facilities.

○       Transparent and efficient crop insurance claim settlement.

○   Timely availability of agricultural inputs.

○       Personalized advisories on pests and diseases.

○       Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of government scheme benefits.

○       Procurement of agricultural produce at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

• Agristack will enable the Government to deliver services to farmers in a more transparent, efficient, and technology-driven manner while improving the accessibility and effectiveness of agricultural support systems.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

News: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/telangana-bags-599cr-in-agristack-incentives/articleshow/133660704.cms

Answer: c

Explanation: 

Recently, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology launched the BIO-NIVESH platform.

• It is aimed at connecting biotechnology startups with investors and increasing private capital for innovations that are ready for scale-up and commercialisation.
• It is envisaged as a recurring platform, with subsequent editions proposed across different cities to broaden participation.
• It has been designed as a two-way engagement mechanism which enables innovators to understand the investment lens while giving investors deeper insight into the scientific, regulatory and development pathways of biotechnology.
• The inaugural BIO-NIVESH edition brought together 20 high-potential biotechnology and deep-tech startups and around 50 investors.

o   The first session featured direct startup-investor interactions, with startups selected on the basis of innovation, development stage, market potential, scalability and regulatory readiness.

o   The second session involved an interaction between minister, investors and startups on access to capital, commercialisation, scale-up and measures to support innovation-led growth.

• Significance: It would help build the bridge required to take promising ideas from research and entrepreneurship to industry, scale and markets.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2306405&reg=3&lang=1

Answer: c

Explanation:

Recently, a team of British scientists have taken an important first step in developing vaccine against pneumonia by using reverse vaccinology.

• It is an emerging concept in the field of vaccine development.
• It is defined as an innovative approach to vaccine development that utilizes bioinformatics and computational analysis.
• It identifies potential vaccine targets within pathogen genomes, allowing for the modeling of epitopes and the creation of tailored vaccines for improved efficacy and safety.
• Reverse vaccinology is a term coined by Rino Rappuoli in 2000.

o   He described it as a method for vaccine design that uses the information obtainable from whole-genome analysis.

• It was first applied to development of a vaccine against serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis (MenB).
• The concept of reverse vaccinology has also successfully been applied to many other pathogens, for example, Bacillus anthracis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, M. tuberculosis.
• Mechanism:

o   Genome Sequencing: It involves the cloning and expression of all the proteins in an organism’s genome sequence that are predicted in silico to be surface exposed or secreted.

o   Screening: Then each protein is screened, through high-throughput immunization.

o   Laboratory Testing: Scientists make the chosen proteins in a lab and test them in animal models to see if they safely cause immunity.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/a-first-step-towards-a-universal-vaccine-against-pneumonia-meningitis/article71418988.ece

Answer: a

Explanation:

Recently, scientists from the Botanical Survey of India have discovered a new flowering plant in the Western Ghats and named it Osbeckia ulotricha.

• It is a newly identified flowering plant belonging to the Melastomataceae family.
• It has been discovered in the shola grasslands of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats.
• Characteristics

o   It is a woolly-haired species endemic to elevations of 1,200–1,500 metres.

o  Its leaves are clustered at the apex, a sub-globose hypanthium (or an almost round flower base) and an ovary crowned with true bristles, meaning fine, stiff hairs at the top.

o   The species flowers and fruits between February and May

o Habitat: It grows mainly in the damp margins of Tropical Montane Wet Temperate Forest (shola) and Montane Temperate Grassland ecosystems.

o   It has an urn-shaped hypanthium (a cup-like flower base) with a neck.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/botanists-identify-new-woolly-haired-flowering-plant-in-agasthyamala-biosphere-reserve

Answer: b

Explanation:

Recently, a rare hawk Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) which is Punjab’s State Bird has created a flutter in a poll ring.

• It is a large, powerful bird of prey belonging to the Accipitridae family.
• Distribution: It is widely distributed across Europe, Asia, and parts of North America.
• Habitat: It is found in dense forests, particularly coniferous and mixed woodlands.
• Features

o   Appearance: It has relatively short, broad wings and a long tail. Females are significantly larger than males.

o  These are partial migrants, generally migrating between September and November and February to April in the spring.

o   These birds are diurnal and are always found singly or in pairs.

o   They are highly territorial and maintain their home ranges in display flights.

o   These are powerful hunters and mainly use a perch-hunting style;

• Perch-hunting style includes a series of quick flights low to the ground, interspersed with brief periods of scanning for unsuspecting prey from elevated perches (short duration sit-and-wait predatory movements).
• Conservation Status:

o   IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hence only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

News: https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/gurus-baaz-punjabs-state-bird-rare-hawk-creates-a-flutter-in-poll-ring-10862343/

Answer: d

Explanation:

A new Limiting Overshoot report suggests the world will likely “overshoot”, or temporarily breach, the 1.5°C target of warming above preindustrial temperatures within the next few years.

• It is released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• It has for the first time set out an overshoot, peak and decline pathway, warning that breaching the 1.5°C global warming limit is now unavoidable.
• Key highlights of the Report:

o   Even a scenario in which every country delivers on its national climate plan and net-zero target puts peak warming at 1.8°C.

o   According to the report, current policies point to a rise of about 2.6°C by 2100, with a range of 1.9–3.6°C.

o   It warned that time spent above 1.5°C carries compounding costs such as faster sea-level rise, coral reef collapse, glacier loss exceeding a quarter of global mass by 2100, declines of up to 14% in global food production by 2050 without effective adaptation,

o   Irreversible tipping points in the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the Amazon.

o   It placed significant stress on methane and suggested that cutting it is described as the most effective way to slow warming in the near term.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

News: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-climate/unep-1-5-degree-overshoot-climate-report-10862165/