UPSC Daily Quiz 3 August 2026

Answer: d

Explanation:

The Union Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office recently reviewed the status and phased implementation roadmap of the Ujh Multipurpose Project in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

About Ujh Multipurpose Project:

• It is a multipurpose (Hydropower, Irrigation, and Drinking) project in the Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir on the River Ujh, which is a major tributary of River Ravi.
• The project, which was declared as a “national project” in the year 2008, involves the construction of a 116-metre-high concrete-faced rockfill dam.
• It is expected to generate between 186 MW and 212 MW of hydroelectric power.
• It is designed to provide irrigation to nearly 90,000 hectares of agricultural land across Kathua and Samba districts in Jammu and Kashmir, besides Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts in Punjab.
• The project will also supply drinking water to the Kathua district and make water available for industrial use.
• Apart from its developmental significance, the project also has a crucial strategic dimension.
  • Backed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the project is expected to regulate water flows more effectively and help plug vulnerable cross-border infiltration routes along the riverbed.
• After construction of the project, utilization of waters of Eastern Rivers allotted to India as per the Indus Water Treaty would be enhanced by utilizing the flow that presently goes across the border unutilized.

Hence both statements are not correct.

News: https://newsonair.gov.in/union-minister-jitendra-singh-reviews-status-of-ujh-multipurpose-project-in-jammu-kashmir/

Answer: b

Explanation:

Hyderabad-based space startup TakeMe2Space recently announced that its PowerBank-50 satellite battery pack has now earned the ‘flight heritage’ tag.

About PowerBank-50:

• It is an indigenously built satellite battery pack developed by Hyderabad-based spacetech startup TakeMe2Space.
• It is India’s first indigenously developed satellite battery to earn the coveted ‘flight heritage’ status.
• The recognition comes after the battery pack has successfully completed its first mission aboard Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 on its maiden flight — Mission ‘Aagaman’.
  • Vikram-1 became the first privately developed Indian rocket to reach orbit, making India only the third country in the world, after the United States and China, where a private company has achieved orbital launch capability.
• A PowerBank-50 unit powered Cosmoserve Space’s experimental payload aboard the rocket’s Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM) at an altitude of 450 km.
• The battery performed as designed throughout launch and in the harsh conditions of space, including vacuum, radiation, and extreme temperature
• PowerBank-50 Features:
  • It is a compact lithium-ion battery pack designed specifically for small satellites.
  • Weighing just 380 grams and roughly the size of a paperback book, it stores over 50 Wh of energy and is equipped with an intelligent battery management system, onboard heaters, and an aluminium flight enclosure.
  • Multiple PowerBank-50 units can be stacked together to power CubeSats and microsatellites, with an operational life of up to five years in low-Earth orbit.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

News:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/takeme2spaces-indigenously-built-satellite-battery-pack-becomes-1st-to-achieve-flight-heritage-onboard-vikram-1/articleshow/132742261.cms

Answer: b

Explanation:

Wildlife authorities in Kenya have launched an investigation after 15 elephants died over the past month in Amboseli National Park, with preliminary tests detecting a potential toxic substance in samples collected from the animals.

About Amboseli National Park:

• It is located in southern Kenya near the border with Tanzania.
• The name ‘’Amboseli’’ comes from the Maasai (nomadic pastoralists of East Africa) word “Empusel,” which means “salty, dusty place.”
• It covers approximately 392 sq.km.
• Though relatively small in size, the park is part of a much larger ecosystem that extends across the Kenya–Tanzania border, linking with protected areas surrounding Mount Kilimanjaro.
• Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, rises dramatically just beyond the park’s boundary and provides one of the most recognizable backdrops in all of Africa.
• Amboseli is best known for its large herds of free-ranging African elephants.
• The geography of Amboseli is defined by a mix of dry lakebeds, open savannas, acacia woodlands, and lush wetlands fed by underground water flowing from the melting snow of Mount Kilimanjaro.
• The remnants of an ancient lake basin form the park’s central plains, which can appear dusty and arid for much of the year.
• Biodiversity:
  • In addition to its famous elephants, the park is home to lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and a variety of herbivores including zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and giraffes.
  • The wetlands attract numerous bird species, making Amboseli an important site for birdwatching, with flamingos, pelicans, and many migratory birds frequently observed.
• The Amboseli ecosystem was officially designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1991.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

News: https://www.outlookindia.com/international/kenya-probes-mysterious-deaths-of-15-elephants-in-amboseli-national-park

Answer: a

Explanation:

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have come out with a detailed Catalogue of Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths) of India recently.

About Lepidoptera:

• It is an insect order comprising about 180,000 species of butterflies and moths.
• This order of insects is second in size only to Coleoptera, the beetles.
• The name ‘’Lepidoptera’’ is derived from the Greek, meaning “scaly winged,” and refers to the characteristic covering of microscopic dustlike scales on the wings.
• With the exception of a few moths, all adult lepidopterans have two pairs of wings.
• Because of their day-flying habits and bright colors, the butterflies are more familiar than the chiefly night-flying and dull-colored moths, but the latter are far more varied and abundant.
• Distribution:
  • Lepidopterans live on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Though they are far more numerous and diversified in the tropics, some species survive at the limits of polar vegetation.
• The life cycle of lepidopterans consists of four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult.
• They are mostly herbivorous (folivorous) as caterpillars and nectarivorous as adults.
• They play an important role in the natural ecosystem as pollinators and serve as primary consumers in the food chain.
• Conversely, their larvae (caterpillars) are considered very problematic to vegetation in agriculture, as they consume large quantities of plant matter (mostly foliage) to sustain growth.
• Silkworm (Bombyx mori), a moth, is the source of commercial silk.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-is-home-to-13703-species-of-lepidoptera-about-825-of-all-known-species-of-butterflies-and-moths/article71298229.ece

Answer: b

Explanation:

Leptospirosis, which began to be reported in Kerala since 1989, has been endemic in the State for the past three decades or more and has now become the communicable disease with the highest mortality profile.

About Leptospirosis:

• It is a flu-like bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals.
• It is caused by the bacterium Leptospira that can be found in contaminated water or soil.
• It is a zoonotic disease. This means it’s transmitted between animals and humans.
• Transmission:
  • Contact with water or soil containing urine or body fluids from infected animals, especially after hurricanes, flooding, or heavy rainfall.
  • Directly touching body fluids from an infected animal.
  • Eating food or drinking water contaminated by the urine of an infected animal.
  • The bacteria enter the body through cuts or abrasions on the skin or through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and eyes.
  • Person-to-person transmission is rare.
• High Risk Groups:
  • Leptospirosis has a global distribution but is most common in tropical and subtropical regions, where warm temperatures, high humidity, and heavy rainfall favor the survival of Leptospira bacteria.
  • People who work outdoors, such as those engaged in hiking, gardening, outdoor cleaning and maintenance, or handling animals, as well as people who participate in outdoor water sports like swimming or wading in contaminated lakes and rivers, are at higher risks of the disease.
• Symptoms:
  • Common symptoms include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting.
  • Other symptoms, including jaundice, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, or rash, may also occur.
  • Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.
• Treatment:
  • It is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin.
  • Intravenous (IV) antibiotics may be needed for people who have more severe leptospirosis symptoms.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/why-is-kerala-facing-high-leptospirosis-mortality-explained/article71293783.ece

Answer: d

Explanation:

Scientists have discovered a new species of blind and blood-red eel from two non-descript dug-out wells located in a village in Assam’s Goalpara district and has been given the name Rakthamichthys anchi. 

About Rakthamichthys anchi:

• It is a new species of phreatobitic synbranchid eel discovered in Assam.
• The name anchi is a Garo word meaning ‘blood’.
• The Rakthamichthys genus of phreatobitic (residing exclusively within the phreatic zone of groundwater aquifers) swamp eels (Synbranchidae) is endemic to India.
• It is now the second swamp eel of the genus to be discovered in the Northeast.
• Characteristics
  • Its body carries no pigment at all.
  • Its blood red colour, which gives the species its name, actually comes from blood vessels showing through its almost transparent skin.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

News: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/blind-blood-red-eel-found-inside-dug-out-wells-in-assams-goalpara

Answer: c

Explanation:

Recently, members of the Cholanaikkan tribe came out from the forest to receive essential government documents at an event organised by the district administration in Kerala.

About Cholanaikkan Tribe:

• Cholanaikkans are an ethnic tribal community distributed only in the Nilambur valley of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats of Kerala state.
• The Cholanaikkans (coolanaaykkan) are called the Cavemen of Kerala.
• These people are regarded as one of Asia’s last surviving cave-dwelling indigenous communities.
• They call themselves as Malanaikan or Sholanaikan. Shola or chola means deep thicket in the forest and naikan means king.
• They live deep in dense forest, mostly in rock caves called Kallulai (Kallu – rock, aalai – cave), near the banks of streams.
• They are divided into smaller groups called Jenmam. They have no fixed dwellings but prefer to live close to water sources.
• Language: They speak the Cholanaikkan language, which is categorised into the Dravidian family by linguistic experts,
• Occupation: They are largely depending on collecting forest produce for their livelihood, rarely come out of the forest.
• They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://theprint.in/india/cholanaikkan-tribe-members-in-kerala-emerge-from-forest-to-receive-official-documents/3003671/

Answer: c

Explanation:

Recently, the Union Department of Fisheries approved the national rollout of the Vessel Communication and Support System (VCSS) under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

About National Roll-out Plan for the Vessel Communication and Support System:

• It envisages installation of indigenously developed transponders on one lakh marine fishing vessels covering mechanized and motorized vessels of all 13 coastal states and UTs
• It also focuses on establishment of the required earth station and associated communication infrastructure and development of the ‘Nabhmitra’ application in regional languages.
• The transponders are provided free of cost to eligible fishermen under the project. 
• Financial Assistance: The project will be implemented on a 60:40 cost-sharing basis between the Centre and the states, while Union Territories will receive 100 per cent central assistance.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
• The Vessel Communication and Support System is a satellite based two-way communication system.
  • It helps the fishers out at sea for sea-safety and security, provides alerts during adverse weather conditions, ‘No Fishing Zones’,  International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with geo-fencing and integration with the Nabhmitra App. 
  • It is being implemented with technical support of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). 
  • ISRO has also developed the ‘Nabhmitra’ application to provide real-time communication and support services to the marine fishing community.
  • Nabhmitra’ application offers a range of features including periodic position reporting, two-way messaging, emergency and SOS alerts, automatic geo-fencing-based boundary crossing warnings, weather and cyclone advisories, emergency weather alerts, Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) information, navigational assistance, and an e-Token/Trip Declaration system.

Hence both statements are correct.

News: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/one-lakh-fishing-vessels-to-be-fitted-with-transponders-developed-by-isro-soon/

Answer: b

Explanation:

Recently, an earthquake measuring magnitude ⁠5.4 struck off Egypt.

About Egypt:

• Location: It is located in the northeast corner of Africa to the southwest corner of Asia.
• The Sinai Peninsula of Egypt acts as the land bridge between Africa and Asia continents.
• Bordering Countries: It has land borders with Sudan (south), Libya (west), Israel and the Gaza Strip (northeast).
• Water Bodies: It has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea (North) while the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba border it to the east.
• Capital City: Cairo

Geographical Features of Egypt:

• Climate: It has a tropical climate and has high temperatures throughout the year. 
• Terrain: Its topography is marked by a striking contrast between its arid desert regions and the fertile Nile River Valley.
• Rivers: The Nile River, the longest river in the world, flows from south to north through Egypt.
• Highest Peak: Its highest point Mount Catherine reaching 2,642 meters (8,668 feet) above sea level, 
• Natural Resources: Egypt’s natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, and iron ore

Hence only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/egypt-earthquake-toll-updates-damage-august-3-2026/article71299726.ece

Answer: a

Explanation:

The Chhattisgarh Forest Department is planning to translocate wild buffaloes from Assam and keep them in enclosures at the Pamed Wildlife Sanctuary, the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve and the Indravati Tiger Reserve (ITR). 

About Asiatic Wild Buffalo:

• It is the largest wild bovine in the world.
• Other Names: Asiatic buffalo, Wild water buffalo, Asian buffalo, Wild Asian buffalo
• Habitat: It includes swamps, flooded grasslands, other wetlands, alluvial plains, and densely vegetated river valleys.
• Distribution: It is found in Southern Nepal, eastern and central India, southern Bhutan and western Thailand.
  • India is home to more than 90% of the global wild water buffalo population (3,500-3,700 individuals), with most found in Assam (3,000-3,500) and smaller populations in Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra’s Kolamarka forests.
• These are diurnal and nocturnal animals.
• Reproduction: Male buffaloes reach reproductive maturity at the age of 1.5 years while females do at the age of 3 years.
• Diet: These are herbivorous (folivorous, graminivorous) animals and regular diet includes aquatic plants, crops, grasses, herbs, leaves, and bark of trees.
• Threats: Parasites and diseases, hunting, loss of habitat, interbreeding of wild buffaloes with domestic.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/chhattisgarh-wild-buffalo-translocation-assam-conservation-plan-endangered-species-10814706/lite/