UPSC Daily Quiz 17 August 2026

Answer: a

Explanation:

Iran will soon join the New Development Bank, the development lender established by the BRICS group ​of nations, central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state ‌media report published recently ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India.

About New Development Bank (NDB):

• The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly known as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral development bank established by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS).
• Objective: NDB aims to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS countries and other emerging economies and developing countries.
• The agreement for establishing the NDB was signed during the BRICS Summit held in Fortaleza, Brazil, on July 15, 2014.
• The bank became operational in 2015 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China, with a regional office in Johannesburg and additional offices later opened in São Paulo and Moscow.
• Membership in NDB is open to any member of the United Nations.
• NDB’s key areas of operation include clean energy and energy efficiency; transport infrastructure; water and sanitation; environmental protection; social infrastructure; and digital infrastructure.
• Capital: Its founding capital was set at USD 100 billion, with initial subscribed capital of USD 50 billion divided equally among the five founding members.
• Governance Structure:
  • Both the presidency and vice-presidency of the NDB are rotated among BRICS founding members.
  • Unlike in the case of the World Bank or Asian Development Bank (ADB), each member in the NDB has an equal voting power.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-join-brics-development-bank-soon-central-bank-governor-says-2026-08-12/

Answer: c

Explanation:

There is no proposal before the Union government from Karnataka seeking an Environmental Clearance (EC) for the diversion of the Mahadayi River for various projects, the Centre recently told the Lok Sabha.

About Mahadayi River:

• The Mahadayi River, also known as the Mandovi or Mhadei River, is a rain-fed river shared between Karnataka and Goa.
• Course:
  • It originates from the Bhimgad Forest in the Western Ghats, located in the Belagavi district of Karnataka.
  • It flows westward to join the Arabian Sea at Panaji, Goa.
• Total Length: It flows for nearly 81 km, 29 km in Karnataka and 52 km in Goa.
• Its basin is crucial for Goa’s water needs, covering much of North Goa.
• Panaji, the state capital, and the town of Old Goa are situated on the left bank of the Mandovi River.
• Near the town of Old Goa, there are three large freshwater islands, Divar, Chorao, and Vashee, in the Mandovi River. The island of Chorao houses Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.
• It has several tributaries, namely Rogaro, Kushavati, Nanorem, Nanuz, Valvota, and Mapusa.
• The river is central to a decades-long dispute between Karnataka and Goa, primarily over Karnataka’s plans to divert water from the Kalasa and Bhandura tributaries to the Malaprabha basin for drinking water needs.
• The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) in 2018 allocated 13.42 tmc (380 Mcum) of water to Karnataka, including permissions for limited diversion from the Kalasa (1.72 tmc) and Bhandura (2.18 tmc) streams.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

News:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/no-proposal-for-environmental-clearance-pending-for-mahadayi-centre/article71346022.ece

Answer: c

Explanation:

Andhra Pradesh Police Sub-Inspector V. Venkateswara Rao of Eluru Rural Police Station marked India’s 80th Independence Day in a unique way by scaling Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, which stands at 5,642 metres in Russia.

About Mount Elbrus:

• Located in Southern Russia, Mount Elbrus is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains.
• Rising to an elevation of 5,642 m, Mount Elbrus is the world’s 10^th most prominent peak as well as the highest mountain peak in both the European continent and Russia.
• It is one of the Seven Summits of the world, which are the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents.
• Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano that consists of two principal summits, both of which are dormant volcanic domes. It is also Eurasia’s highest stratovolcano.
• Formation:
  • It is believed that the Caucasus Mountains were formed due to the northward collision of the Arabian Plate with the Eurasian Plate.
  • Geological studies have revealed that Mount Elbrus was formed over 2.5 million years ago and the volcano had been most active during the Holocene Epoch.
• The snowfields of Mount Elbrus cover an area of 138 sq. km. and host around 22 principal glaciers and 77 secondary glaciers.
• Major Glaciers: Bolshoi Azaou and Irik Glacier.
• Many Russian rivers like the Baksan, Malka, and Kuban rivers originate from these glaciers.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/andhra-pradesh-police-sub-inspector-scales-mount-elbrus-unfurls-100-metre-tricolour-11913463

Answer: b

Explanation:

A new study from researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center found that Friedreich’s ataxia is caused when a gene called FXN becomes mutated.

About Friedreich ataxia (FA):

• It is a rare, inherited disorder that causes progressive damage to the nervous system.
• The damage affects your spinal cord and the nerves that control muscle movement in your arms and legs.
• Cause:
  • It is caused when a gene called FXN becomes mutated.
  • The FXN gene codes for a protein called frataxin. Frataxin is essential for mitochondria, which are our cells’ powerhouses.
  • The chemical ATP, which is the cell’s energy currency, is made mostly in the mitochondria.
  • Nerve, spinal cord, brain, and heart muscle cells use a lot of energy.
  • When their frataxin levels become abnormally low, the mitochondria produce ATP less effectively and also accumulate toxic by-products.
  • This renders the cell dysfunctional, leading to the symptoms of FA.
  • Individuals who inherit two defective copies of the FXN gene, one from each parent, will develop the disease.
  • A person who inherits only one abnormal copy of the gene is called a carrier.
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms usually begin between the ages of 5 and 15.
  • The main symptom is ataxia, which means trouble coordinating movements.
  • Specific symptoms include:
    • Difficulty walking
    • Muscle weakness
    • Speech problems
    • Involuntary eye movements
    • Scoliosis (curving of the spine to one side)
    • Heart palpitations, from the heart disease, which can happen along with Friedreich ataxia
  • People with Friedreich ataxia usually need a wheelchair 15 to 20 years after symptoms first appear.
  • In severe cases, people become incapacitated.
• Treatment:
  • There is currently no cure for FA.
  • Treatment focuses on easing symptoms and maintaining comfort and function for as long as possible.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

News: https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_delhi/issues/199713/OPS/GJDGDF44B.1+G4EGDF6SB.1.html

Answer: a

Explanation:

Mumbai Police personnel recently rescued a distressed 100-kg Loggerhead sea turtle after finding it struggling to swim and floating on the surface of the Arabian Sea.

 About Loggerhead Sea Turtle:

• It is a species of oceanic turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae.
• Scientific Name: Caretta caretta
• It is the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle, slightly larger at average and maximum mature weights than the green sea turtle and the Galapagos tortoise.
• It is also the world’s second largest extant turtle after the leatherback sea turtle.
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • Loggerheads live in oceans all over the world, except in the coldest seas.
  • The majority of loggerhead nesting occurs in the western rims of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, primarily in Oman, the United States, and Australia.
  • They may be found hundreds of miles out to sea, as well as in inshore areas such as bays, lagoons, salt marshes, and creeks.
• Features:
  • Loggerheads are named for their relatively large heads, which support powerful jaws and enable them to feed on hard-shelled prey, such as whelks and conchs.
  • Adult loggerheads typically have shell lengths between 0.9 and 1.2 meters (3 to 4 feet).
  • They have a large, reddish-brown, hard shell; a pale yellow underbelly (or ‘plastron’); and four flippers with two (or sometimes three) claws on each.
  • Adult males are distinguished by long tails that extend beyond the rear carapace and a narrowing of the carapace that tapers towards the rear.
  • They use the geomagnetic field as a map when navigating large distances.
  • Lifespan: Loggerheads can live up to 80 years or more.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/mumbai-police-rescue-100-kg-endangered-loggerhead-sea-turtle/

Answer: c

Explanation:  

Recently, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has dismantled a major network involved in importing South-East Asian areca nuts into India by falsely declaring them as Bangladeshi origin and availing concessional duty benefits under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). 

• It is the free trade arrangement of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
• Background: The agreement came into force in 2006, succeeding the 1993 SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement.
• SAFTA signatory countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• SAFTA recognizes the need for special and differential treatment for LDCs in its preamble.
• Objective: The Objectives of this Agreement are to promote and enhance mutual trade and economic cooperation among Contracting States by, inter-alia:
  • Eliminating barriers to trade in, and facilitating the cross-border movement of goods between the territories of the Contracting States;
  • Promoting conditions of fair competition in the free trade area, and ensuring equitable benefits to all Contracting States, taking into account their respective levels and pattern of economic development;
  • Creating effective mechanism for the implementation and application of this Agreement, for its joint administration and for the resolution of disputes.
  • Establishing a framework for further regional cooperation to expand and enhance the mutual benefits of this Agreement.

Hence both statements are correct

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2300102&reg=48&lang=1

Answer: a

Explanation:

Nasa’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to begin its journey to a new home in deep space on August 30.

• It is a NASA space observatory, designed to settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.
  • Scientists by using this telescope will focus on three main topic areas: dark energy, exoplanets, and dark matter.
• It will provide one of the deepest-ever views into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy.
• It will orbit around a special place in space called the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2. 
• Objectives: It will monitor hundreds of millions of stars in search of tell-tale flickers that betray the presence of planets, distant stars, small icy objects that haunt the outskirts of our solar system and isolated black holes.
• It will have two instruments
  • Wide Field Instrument:
    • It is a 300–megapixel infrared camera.
    • It will have a field of view that is 100 times greater than the Hubble infrared instrument, capturing more of the sky with less observing time.
    • It will measure light from a billion galaxies over the course of the mission lifetime.
    • It will perform a microlensing survey of the inner Milky Way to find exoplanets.
  • Coronagraph Instrument:
    • It is a technology demonstration which will perform high contrast imaging and spectroscopy of individual nearby exoplanets.
    • Its Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will focus on the Milky Way.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-l2-journey-explained-2971750-2026-08-15

Answer: c

Explanation:

Recent satellite images have revealed a major environmental threat to Hara mangrove forest due to an oil spill off Qeshm’s southern coast.

• Location: The Hara mangrove forests occur around Qeshm Island and the Khuran Strait in southern Iran, in the Persian Gulf region
• These mangrove forests consist mainly of grey mangrove trees (Avicennia marina).
• They have a special filtration system in their roots that allows them to thrive in saline conditions.
• The forests are designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
• Ecological Role:
  • The same roots also protect the coast against erosion and are important carbon sinks, sequestering significantly more carbon than terrestrial forests.
  • They serve as an important nursery for marine life as they shelter shrimp, crabs, and numerous fish species that sustain the region’s fisheries.
  • The Hara forests’ canopy is also a major migratory hub for birds like the great stone-curlew and various herons.
  • The mangroves are the backbone of the sustainable tourism programmes of Qeshm, an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, and draw visitors to their labyrinthine waterways.

Hence both statements are correct

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/major-oil-spill-threatens-hara-mangrove-forests-in-persian-gulf/article71352122.ece

Answer: b

Explanation:

 Recently, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the pending cases in the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission and asked the Centre to consider setting up regional and circuit benches to clear the backlog.

• It is a quasi-judicial commission set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
• Mandate: To provide inexpensive, speedy, and summary redressal of consumer disputes.
• The Commission is headed by a sitting or a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India or a sitting or a retired Chief Justice of an Hon’ble High Court.
• Jurisdiction: It shall have jurisdiction to entertain a complaint valued more than two crore and also have appellate and revisional jurisdiction from the orders of State Commissions or the District fora as the case may be.
• The provisions of this act cover ‘goods’ as well as ‘services’.
• Appeal: Any person aggrieved by an order of NCDRC, may prefer an appeal against such an order to SC within a period of 30 days.
• Its head office is located in New Delhi.
• A complaint may be filed by the following:
  • A consumer
  • Any voluntary consumer association registered under the Companies Act 1956
  • The Central Government or any State Government
  • One or more consumers where there are numerous consumers.

Hence only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

News: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sc-expresses-concern-over-pendency-of-cases-at-ncdrc-bats-for-regional-circuit-benches-101786608299815.html

Answer: a

Explanation:

Recently, there has been a spate of small earthquakes in Maharashtra and seismologists call this pattern of quakes an earthquake swarm, and Maharashtra has experienced them often before.

• Occurrence: It occurs when multiple seismic events of comparable intensity strike a small area in relatively quick succession.
• Intensity: It involves a series of many earthquakes, often of comparable magnitudes, without a clearly identifiable dominant main shock, occurring over a relatively limited area and period.

What Causes Swarm Sequences?

• Fluid movement:
  • In volcanic environments, this can be fluid released from deeper magma or circulating within active geothermal areas (in volcanic areas such as the Taupō Volcanic Zone).
  • The earthquakes triggered by fluids occur as fault slip on the cracks and faults through which the water is moving.
• Active volcanism:
  • Magma movement can also act as the ‘driving mechanism’ for swarms, creating the earthquakes as magma-filled cracks push their way through the Earth’s crust.
  • In such a case the earthquakes commonly occur near the crack tip (ahead of the magma where the crack is starting to open), or off to the side of the crack.
• Slow-slip events:
  • A slow-slip event is essentially an earthquake in slow-motion, and typically involves centimetres to tens of centimetres of movement along a fault, over weeks to years.
  • It is seen at the Hikurangi subduction zone, usually at least one or two per year.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/why-is-maharashtra-experiencing-an-earthquake-swarm-explained/article71354709.ece