UPSC Daily Quiz 14 January 2026

Answer: c

Explanation:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed resuming the issuance of licenses for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) after nearly two decades. 

• Urban Cooperative Banks are not formally defined but refers to primary cooperative banks located in urban and semi-urban areas.
• History: The first formal co-operative legislation in India came with the Co-operative Credit Societies Act of 1904 (During Lord Curzon’s tenure) and also enacted the more comprehensive Co-operative Societies Act of 1912.
  • The first urban cooperative credit society,(Anyonya Sahakari Mandali) was established in 1889 in Baroda.
• Functions: Provide services like housing finance, personal loans, MSME credit, and deposits to small borrowers, traders, and small-scale industries.
• Registration: They are registered as cooperative societies under the provisions of, either the State Cooperative Societies Act of the State concerned or the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
• Regulation: The Reserve Bank regulates and supervises the banking functions of UCBs under the provisions of Banking regulation Act, 1949.
  • Banking related functions (viz. licensing, area of operations, interest rates etc.) are to be governed by RBI.
  • Registration, management, audit and liquidation, etc. are governed by State Governments as per the provisions of respective State Acts.
  • The Reserve Bank has been vested powers to issues licence to UCBs under Section 22 and 23 Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on banking business and to open new places of business(branches, extension counters, etc.) respectively.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/rbi-plans-new-eligibility-norms-for-urban-co-op-bank-licences/articleshow/126515373.cms?from=mdr

Answer: c

Explanation:

Recently, Indian diplomat has been nominated by the UN Secretary General as chair of Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters for 2026-27.

• It was established in 1978.
• Functions of Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters:
  • To advise the Secretary-General on matters within the area of arms limitation and disarmament
  • To serve as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
  • To advise the Secretary-General on the implementation of the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme
• Membership: The Secretary-General chooses the members of the Board from all regions of the world for their knowledge and experience in the field of disarmament and international security.
• There are fifteen members of the Board. The Director of UNIDIR is an ex officio member.
• The Advisory Board holds two sessions a year, alternating between New York and Geneva.
• Board adopts its agenda based on requests from the Secretary-General for advice on specific disarmament issues and upon its own recommendations of items to be considered.
• The chairman of the Board rotates by region on a yearly basis.
• Headquarter: New York

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/epaper/delhicapital/2026/jan/13/et-poli/in-a-first-varma-named-chair-of-un-body-on-disarmament/articleshow/126492418.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Answer: a

Explanation:

Recently, astronomers have observed a white dwarf that is creating a colorful shockwave as it moves through space.

• It is the stellar core left behind after a dying star has exhausted its nuclear fuel and expelled its outer layers to form a planetary nebula.
• Characteristics of White dwarfs:
  • It no longer support nuclear fusion reactions that generate energy, but they are still extremely hot.
  • Size and Mass: A typical white dwarf is half as massive as the Sun, yet only slightly bigger than Earth. 
  • This makes white dwarfs one of the densest collections of matter, surpassed only by neutron stars.
  • Composition: A newly born white dwarf consists of helium, carbon, and oxygen nuclei, swimming in a sea of highly energetic electrons.
  • Unlike most other stars that are supported against their own gravitation by normal gas pressure, white dwarf stars are supported by the degeneracy pressure of the electron gas in their interior.
  • Degeneracy pressure is the increased resistance exerted by electrons composing the gas, as a result of stellar contraction.
  • Unless it is accreting matter from a nearby star, the white dwarf cools down over the next billion years or so.
  • It is predicted that they would ultimately form ‘black dwarfs’, although the Universe is likely not old enough for any black dwarfs to exist yet.
  • The luminosity of white dwarfs can be used by astronomers to measure how long-ago star formation began in a particular region.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/astronomers-spot-white-dwarf-star-creating-a-colorful-shockwave/

Answer: b

Explanation:

Recently, raging wildfires in the Argentine Patagonia have blazed through nearly 12,000 hectares of scrubland and planted and native forests.

• It is a large country occupying the southern part of South America.
• Bordering Countries: It shares its borders with 5 countries: Chile (south and west), Bolivia and Paraguay (north), and Brazil, Uruguay (east)
• Maritime boundaries: It is also bounded by the South Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Drake Passage to the
• Capital City: Buenos Aires
• Geographical Features of Argentina
  • Terrain: Argentina’s landmass can be divided into four general topographical regions: the Andean region, the Pampas, the Patagonian plateau, and the Gran Chaco.
  • Climate: Mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
  • Major rivers: Parana, Paraguay, Uruguay, etc.
  • Highest Point: Cerro Aconcagua
  • Natural Resources: Fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium and Lithium.
  • Northeast Argentina features rain forests and Iguazù Falls.

Hence only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/wildfires-in-south-argentina-rip-through-nearly-12000-hectares-of-forest-threatening-communities/article70499915.ece

Answer: d

Explanation:

Researchers studied the ovaries of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the mechanisms that maintain the function of reproductive stem cells over time.

• It is colloquially known as the fruit fly.
• Habitat: It lives in a wide range of habitats.
• Native habitats include those in the tropical regions of the Old World, but the common fruit fly has been introduced to almost all temperate regions of the world.
• Physical Description of Drosophila melanogaster:
  • Drosophila matures through complete metamorphosis.
  • It is covered in a chitinous exoskeleton; has three main body segments; and has three pairs of segmented legs.
  • They are easily drawn towards the smell of any food source
  • Their eyes are sensitive to slight differences in light intensity.
• Food Habit: The fruit flies lives primarily on plant material. The adults thrive on rotting plants.
• Reproduction: Reproduction in Drosophila is rapid. A single pair of flies can produce hundreds of offspring within a couple of weeks, and the offspring become sexually mature within one week.
• They are sexually dimorphic (males and females are different), making it is quite easy to differentiate the sexes.
• It remains one of the most commonly used model organisms for biomedical science.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2214197&reg=3&lang=1

Answer: a

Explanation:

The much-awaited Chadar trek on the frozen Zanskar River in Ladakh has been deferred due to inadequate ice formation, disappointing trekkers eager to participate in the adventure sport.

About Zanskar River:

• It is a major left-bank tributary of the Indus River, flowing entirely within the union territory of Ladakh in northern India.
• It drains the remote Zanskar Valley in the northwestern Himalayas.
• Course:
  • The Zanskar River starts high in the Himalayas.
  • The Zanskar River has two main branches; one is Doda, with main source near Pansi-La Pass, and the other branch is formed by the Kargyag River (source near Shingo La) and the Tsarap River (source near Baralacha La).
  • The river meanders northwestwards and finally meets the Indus River near Nimmu of the Ladakh region at an elevation of about 3,100 meters.
• It is famous for its incredible Zanskar Gorge, which is a super deep canyon it has carved over many years.
• The entire catchment area of the Zanskar River has been formed by the action of glaciers.
• Its valley is U-shaped, and a number of hanging valleys open into it.
• The Zanskar River offers immense opportunities for expeditions to adventure lovers.
  • In the summer season, tourists can embark on river rafting trips, especially in the stretches between Chilling and Nimmu.
  • Winter brings a unique and thrilling experience of walking along the frozen river of Zanskar, which is often called ‘Chadar Trek’.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News:https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/chadar-trek-postponed-as-zanskar-river-fails-to-freeze/

Answer: d

Explanation:

NASA is on track to send humans around the moon as early as the first week of February as it makes final preparations for the imminent rollout of its Artemis 2 mega moon rocket.

About Artemis II Mission:

• It will be the first mission to carry humans to the moon’s vicinity since 1972.
• It is the second scheduled flight of the Artemis program and the first crewed Artemis mission.
• It is the first to fly astronauts aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
• While Artemis 1 successfully flew Orion around the moon without astronauts in 2022, Artemis 2 will be the first time humans travel aboard the spacecraft and venture beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years.
• Four astronauts will take a 10-day flight around the moon and back to Earth, testing systems ahead of the Artemis 3 mission, which aims to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028.
• The mission will include three NASA astronauts and one astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
• Several payloads will fly aboard Artemis II to expand our knowledge of space radiation, human health and behavior, and space communications.
• The astronauts and mission controllers will collect data on Orion and the crew’s performance to assess how ready the Artemis program is to send people to the moon’s surface.
• Orion will undergo high-speed reentry through Earth’s atmosphere before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

News: https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/artemis-2-mission-update-rollout-imminent-as-nasa-prepares-first-crewed-artemis-mission-to-the-moon

Answer: b

Explanation:                                                   

With forest fire raging in the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO heritage site, for the last five days, the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Department has sought the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) help to douse the inferno.

About Valley of Flowers National Park:

• It is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
• It is spread over an area of 87 sq.km.
• The valley is believed to have been discovered in 1931, when three British mountaineers – led by Frank S. Smythe – lost their way and chanced upon this spectacular valley.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and forms one of the two core zones (the other being the Nanda Devi National Park) of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
• The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park.
• Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the Zanskar and Great Himalayan ranges.
• It is famed for its vibrant alpine meadows, rich biodiversity, and breathtaking scenic beauty.
• It has snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas as a backdrop.
• It remains covered with a thick blanket of snow during the winter
• Flora:
  • Exotic flowers (over 600 species) like orchids, poppies, primulas, marigolds, daisies, and anemones are an eye-catching spectacle.
  • The valley also abounds in medicinal plants and herbs.
  • Sub-alpine forests birch and rhododendron cover parts of the park’s area.
• Fauna: It is home to such rare and amazing wildlife species like the gray langur, the flying squirrel, the Himalayan weasel, black bear, the red fox, the lime butterfly, and the snow leopard.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

News:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttarakhand/uttarakhand-seeksiafshelp-as-forest-fire-rages-in-valley-of-flowers-for-the-fifth-day/article70505591.ece

Answer: b

Explanation:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the Zycubo (copper histidinate) as the first treatment for Menkes disease in pediatric patients.

About Menkes Disease:

• It is a genetic disorder that affects your body’s ability to process copper.
• It is caused by a mutation of the ATP7A gene located on the X chromosome. This ATP7A gene affects how the body transports copper and maintains copper levels.
  • While the body only uses a small amount of copper, even this tiny amount is required for many functions.
  • Copper helps with metabolism, brain functioning, blood vessel and blood cell formation, wound healing, and the immune system.
  • Copper also helps to convert iron into a usable form in the body.
  • It is naturally available in many foods and dietary supplements.
• Menkes Disease usually causes low copper levels in blood plasma, the liver, and the brain.
• The condition also reduces the activities of copper-dependent enzymes in the body.
• Copper may accumulate in other tissues, such as the kidney.
• Because the condition prevents the body from using copper correctly, Menkes disease can lead to serious damage to the brain and nervous system and can harm a child’s development.
• It occurs mostly in male infants and is characterized by coarse, kinky hair (leading to its nickname of “kinky hair disease”), as well as failure to grow and thrive.
• It is believed to occur in about 1 in 35,000 live male births.
• Symptoms: Symptoms include seizures, slow growth, floppy muscles, and kinky (crinkly) hair.
• Treatment:
  • There isn’t a cure for Menkes disease, but early treatment with copper can help reduce symptoms and prolong life.
  • Treatment includes copper replacement injections (also known as a copper histidine compound) to increase the development of copper in your child’s body.
  • Without treatment, most Menkes disease patients do not survive past age 3.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

News:https://www.thehindu.com/business/zydus-entity-sentynls-drug-for-menkes-disease-gets-us-fda-nod/article70506069.ece#google_vignette

Answer: a

Explanation:

Prime Minister’s flagship platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, PRAGATI, recently marked a significant milestone with the successful conduct of its 50th meeting.

About PRAGATI Platform:

• PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) is a distinctive, integrated, and interactive platform designed to both resolve grievances of and to monitor and review key programmes and projects of the Government of India, along with projects highlighted by State Governments.
• It is a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
• It was launched on March 25, 2015.
• The system has been designed in-house by the PMO team with the help of the National Informatics Center (NIC).
• Through this system, the Prime Minister can directly engage with concerned Central and State officials, supported by complete information and up-to-date visual evidence from project sites.
• The PRAGATI platform uniquely brings together three modern technologies—digital data management, video conferencing, and geospatial technology.
• Key Features:
  • It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).
  • At the apex level, the Prime Minister chairs PRAGATI review meetings with Chief Secretaries of States and Secretaries of Central Ministries/Departments to resolve issues related to identified projects and schemes.
  • The design is such that when PM reviews the issue, he should have on his screen the issue as well as the latest updates and visuals regarding the same.
  • Following the meetings, a multi-tier follow-up mechanism ensures timely implementation of decisions.
  • Projects are monitored by the Cabinet Secretariat, while schemes and grievances are reviewed at the Ministry level under continuous oversight of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
  • Issues to be flagged before the PM are picked up from the available database regarding public grievances, ongoing programmes, and pending projects.
  • The system will ride on, strengthen, and re-engineer the databases of the CPGRAMS for grievances, Project Monitoring Group (PMG), and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. PRAGATI provides an interface and platform for all these three aspects.
  • It will take into consideration various correspondences to the PM’s office by the common people or from high dignitaries of states and/or developers of public projects.
  • While PRAGATI initially focused on large infrastructure projects, its scope has expanded to social sector schemes and public grievances, making it a people-centric governance instrument.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News:https://www.newsonair.gov.in/pragati-platform-marks-50th-meeting-boosting-pro-active-governance/