UPSC Daily Quiz 11 July 2025

This year’s World Population Day will take place on Friday, July 11, 2025, with the theme “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world”

About World Population Day (WPD):

• Observed annually on July 11, World Population Day is a United Nations initiative aimed at raising awareness about the challenges and opportunities of global population growth. 
• With the world population now surpassing 8.2 billion, the day highlights the importance of sustainable development, equitable access to resources, reproductive rights, and gender equality.
• World Population Day 2025 Theme: ‘Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world’.
• History: 

• WPD was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, following the global interest generated by “Five Billion Day” on 11 July 1987, when the world’s population reached 5 billion. 
• Dr KC Zachariah, a senior demographer at the World Bank, suggested that this day be commemorated.
• In December 1990, the UN General Assembly decided to keep celebrating WPD annually to promote understanding of population issues and how they connect to the environment and development.
• The first WPD was celebrated on July 11, 1990, in over 90 countries.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

News: https://indianexpress.com/article/when-is/world-population-day-2025-date-theme-history-significance-10119337/

An uncommon, partially white small pigeon called a laughing dove was recently spotted in the Nagamalai hillock forest near Nambiyur in Erode.

About Laughing Dove:

• • It is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent.

• Scientific Name: Spilopelia senegalensis

• Other names include laughing turtle dove, palm dove, and Senegal dove, while in India the name of little brown dove is often used. 
• Distribution: 

• The species is found in much of sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. 
• It is also found in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, and Turkey (these populations may be derived from human introductions).
• It was also introduced in Western Australia.

• Habitat: It is found in dry scrub and semi-desert habitats where pairs can often be seen feeding on the ground. 
• Features:

• It is a long-tailed, slim pigeon, typically 25 cm in length. 
• Its back wings and tail are reddish-brown with blue-grey in the wings. 
• In flight, the underwings are rich chestnut.
• The head and underparts are pinkish, shading to whitish on the lower abdomen. 
• There is black spotting on the throat. The legs are red. 
• Juveniles are more rufous than adults, and have reduced throat spotting.
• They are fairly terrestrial, foraging on the ground in grasslands and cultivation. 
• They are not particularly gregarious, and are usually alone, or in pairs.

• Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

News: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2025/Jul/10/rare-white-laughing-dove-spotted-in-erode

Google recently launched the Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) API that provides information on crops and field activity across India.

About Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) API:

• AMED is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based open-source application programming interface (API) launched by Google.
• It provides field-level crop data, specifically helping in monitoring crops and detecting agricultural events at individual fields across India. 
• The AMED API details the type of crop on a given field, crop season,  and the field’s size and also provides historical information about the agricultural activity on it for the last three years. 
• These insights can help significantly improve agricultural management on farms and also address the specific needs of each crop – including the right soil and water conditions, growth patterns, and climatic needs – as well as predict crops’ harvest volume. 
• Google will be sharing the AMED API for agriculture startups to find more innovative solutions to improve the agriculture ecosystem. 
• AMED API data is also refreshed nearly every two weeks, enabling the ecosystem partners leveraging AMED API access to continuously updated information that accounts for field-level changes.
• AMED API builds on the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API that the company launched last year. 

• It uses satellite imagery and AI to map field boundaries and land use across India.

News:https://www.thehindu.com/business/google-launches-ai-innovations-to-make-agricultural-practices-more-data-driven-and-efficient/article69797168.ece

The Union Home Minister recently said zonal councils have transformed from being mere discussion forums into “engines of cooperation”, noting that 83% of issues taken up in their meetings have been resolved.

About Zonal Councils:

• The idea of the creation of Zonal Councils was mooted by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1956.
• The Zonal Councils are the statutory bodies.
• Five zonal councils were set up in 1957 under Sections 15-22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. 
• Objective: To provide a common meeting ground to the states and UTs in each zone for the resolution of interstate and regional issues, fostering balanced socio-economic regional development and building harmonious Centre-State relations.
• The present composition of each of these five Zonal Councils is as follows:

• Northern Zonal Council: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Chandigarh.
• Central Zonal Council: Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
• Eastern Zonal Council: Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.
• Western Zonal Council: Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
• Southern Zonal Council: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.

• North Eastern Council:

• The North Eastern States, i.e. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, are not included in the Zonal Councils, and their special problems are looked after by the North Eastern Council, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.
• The State of Sikkim has also been included in the North Eastern Council vide the North Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002, notified on 23rd December 2002.

• • Each Zonal Council is an advisory body and may discuss any matter in which some or all of the States represented in that council, or the Union and one or more of the States represented in that Council, have a common interest and advise the Central Government and the Government of each State concerned as to the action to be taken on any such matter.

• Organisational Structure: 

• Chairman: The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
• Vice Chairman: The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as vice-chairman of the zonal council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
• Members: Chief Minister and two other ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
• Each Zonal Council has set up a Standing Committee consisting of Chief Secretaries of the member States of the respective Zonal Councils. 
• The Standing Committees meet from time to time to resolve the issues or to do necessary groundwork for further meetings of the Zonal Councils. 
• Senior officers from the NITI Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission), Central Ministries, and State Governments are associated with the meetings depending upon necessity. 

Hence option c is the correct answer.

News: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/zonal-councils-have-transformed-into-engines-of-cooperation-amit-shah-10119164/

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against 29 individuals, including actors, television hosts, social media influencers, and YouTubers, for allegedly promoting illegal betting applications.

About Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR):

• • The ECIR is a formal entry of the complaint lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
  • Whenever the ED receives information about the commission of an offence of money laundering, it is converted into a formal report known as the ECIR. 
  • It serves as a starting point for ED’s proceedings, including the attachment of assets and arrests.
  • There is no mention of the ECIR in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA Act), or Rules. 
  • Since the PMLA does not necessitate the registration of ECIR, it is considered a non-statutory document. 
  • However, as per the practice of ED, the ECIR is lodged before taking any action under the PMLA Act. 
  • The ECIR under the PMLA Act is similar to the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Police for cognizable offences.
  • However, the Supreme Court held that an ECIR cannot be equated with an FIR, which is mandatorily required to be recorded and supplied to the accused.
  • As per the ED, ECIR is a document meant for identification of a particular case and for departmental convenience and is purely an internal document.

• ED is not legally bound to provide a copy of the ECIR to the accused.

• Since ECIR lacks statutory status, there is no requirement to quash them.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

News:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/actors-anchors-tv-hosts-among-29-booked-by-ed-for-promoting-illegal-betting-apps/article69794995.ece

Recently, scientists have extracted 18-20 million-year-old enamel proteins from extinct mammal fossils from the Lake Turkana Basin.

• Location: It is located in the remote northern region of Kenya.
• It lies in the Eastern Rift Valley with its far northern end extending to Ethiopia.
• Three rivers, including Omo, Turkwel, and Kerio flow into the lake, but only the Omo River is perennial, contributing 90 percent of the inflow of water each year.
• It stands as Africa’s fourth-largest lake and the largest permanent desert lake in the world.
• It is designated as the UNESCO World Heritage site and is renowned for its unique biodiversity and cultural significance.
• It is lying in a hot, arid, and remote region, and provides resources for communities on the lakeshore and surrounding areas.
• The estimated population of the Turkana region is approximately 1 million people, whose livelihoods are based on pastoralism, fishing, and, to a lesser extent, crop farming.
• Issues: Its semi-saline waters, driven by high evaporation rates and fluctuating lake levels of up to 8 meters per decade, have historically hindered sustainable development initiatives.
• Several past attempts to commercialize the fishery have largely failed, mainly due to a lack of understanding of the volatile conditions of this capricious lake.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/in-a-first-enamel-proteins-18-20-million-years-old-from-tropical-high-arctic-sites-unravel-palaeobiology-of-extinct-taxa/article69792406.ece

India has accelerated the procurement of 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones from local manufacturers.

• • MALE drones are unmanned aerial vehicles have the capability to fly over 30 hours at a maximum altitude of at least 35,000 feet. 
  • These drones are equipped with advanced surveillance and combat capabilities: including real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in all kinds of terrain. 

• These will enhance surveillance along its sea and land borders.

• Purpose of Medium Altitude Long Endurance Drones: Primarily used for surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions.

• Strategic Importance: These drones will enhance the surveillance capabilities of all three services, especially the Indian Air Force, to monitor the Eastern and Western Borders. 
• The procurement of 87 drones is aimed at bolstering real-time monitoring and operational readiness across critical areas.
• The 87-drone MALE project serves two parallel aims: to fill the medium-altitude tier between smaller tactical UAVs and the high-altitude Guardians, and to indigenise a capability so far dominated by Israeli imports.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/government-fast-tracks-procurement-of-male-class-drones-to-enhance-border-surveillance/article69792928.ece#:~:text

Explanation:

Recently, the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, launched the TALASH initiative.

• The Tribal Aptitude, Life Skills and Self-Esteem Hub (TALASH) is a national- program to support the all-round development of students in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs). 

• • It was launched by National Education Society for Tribal Students in partnership with UNICEF India. 
  • It aims to improve both the education and personal growth of tribal students across India.
  • The name TALASH, reflects a focused search for self-awareness, life skills, and career clarity among tribal youth.
  • The first initiative of its kind in India is aimed specifically at tribal students. 
  • It is expected to benefit over 1,38,336 students enrolled in EMRSs across 28 States and 8 Union Territories, making it a truly national movement for inclusive education.

• Features of TALASH Initiative

• • • It is an innovative digital platform designed to equip EMRS students with essential tools for self-discovery and career planning. 

• It promotes self-awareness, helps students make informed career choices, and builds essential life skills. 

• The initiative offers:

• • Psychometric Assessments: Inspired by NCERT’s ‘Tamanna’ initiative, TALASH offers a common aptitude test to help understand each student’s strengths and interests. Based on the test results, students receive Career Cards that suggest the best career options suited to their skills and abilities.
  • Career Counselling : The platform guides students toward informed career decisions, helping them align their aspirations with their aptitudes.
  • Life Skills & Self-Esteem Modules: It has special sections that help students learn important life skills like solving problems, communication skills, and handling emotions. 
  • E-Learning for Teachers: A specialized portal equips educators with resources and training to effectively mentor and support students in their academic and personal journeys.

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2143712

Recently, Gartner forecasted that Earth Intelligence will offer a $20 billion new revenue growth opportunity for Technology and service providers through 2030.

• It indicates the application of AI to Earth observation data to deliver solutions specific to industries and business functions.

• It is the practice of combining data from satellite imagery and remote sensors with social, economic, and policy information to generate actionable insights about our planet.
• It encompasses gathering and providing Earth observation data, fit-for-purpose transforming it, and then using it to produce actionable insights with domain-specific AI models, tools and applications.
• It is the next step in this process, transforming raw data into actionable insights by integrating Earth and social science, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and co-produced knowledge from local and Indigenous communities.
• It can identify fallen trees blocking railroad tracks after a storm, monitor the temperature of every metal refinery to assess global production, count vehicles to analyse traffic patterns and consumer trends, and track sea cargo to evaluate shipping activity.
• It would significantly impact every industry as it rapidly moves from government to the private sector.
• Significance: Earth Intelligence represents a shift from simply providing data to ensuring that data is accessible, understandable and useful to decision-makers across all levels, from governments and businesses, from NGOs to local communities. 

News: https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/gartner-pegs-earth-intelligence-an-emerging-niche-in-tech-at-20-billion-through-2030/article69791892.ece

Explanation: 

Recently, researchers from Australia, Sweden, and the UK studied the indenyl cation, C9H7+  and revealed how Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons molecules survival in Taurus Molecular Cloud 1 (TMC1).

• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are flat, ring-shaped molecules of carbon and hydrogen.

• Astronomers think they make up a fifth of all carbon in interstellar space. 
• There is a hypothesis that meteors brought PAHs from space to young earth and created the first building blocks of life, attaching important value to their ability to survive in space.
• They have a relatively low solubility in water but are highly lipophilic and are soluble in most organic solvents. 
• These hydrocarbons, on earth, are formed through incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of organic materials, such as fossil fuels and biomass

• When PAHs collide with other particles or absorb high-energy radiation, they can have more internal energy than their weakest chemical bond can handle.

Key facts about Taurus Molecular Cloud 1

• It is a molecular cloud located in the constellation Taurus about 430 lightyears away from Earth.
• It is a collection of gas, dust, and plasma. 
• It is known for its cold and dense conditions, which are favorable for the formation of complex molecules. 
• The cloud is primarily composed of molecular hydrogen (H2), with other molecules such as carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3), and various organic compounds also present. 
• In Taurus Molecular Cloud 1 (TMC1), small closed-shell PAHs — molecules whose electrons are in pairs — appear in greater quantities even though they are constantly exposed to starlight that should have destroyed them.
• The team found that the PAHs have a mechanism to cool rapidly, letting them accumulate in TMC1 over time.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/newsletter/newsletter-science/science-for-all-organic-molecules-survive-in-space-thanks-to-energy-release-valve/article69791593.ece