UPSC Daily Quiz 3 July 2025

June 30 marked the 170th anniversary of the Santhal rebellion, or ‘Hul’ – literally, revolution – one of the earliest tribal uprisings against the British. 

About Santhal Rebellion:

• The Santhal rebellion, or ‘Hul’–literally, revolution–began in 1855, two years before the uprising of 1857, often referred to as “the first war for Indian independence”.
• The Santhal rebellion occurred in the Rajmahal hills of the Santhal region in Jharkhand. 
• It was an “organised war against colonialism” led by the Santhals, standing against the myriad forms of oppression–economic and otherwise–they were subjected to by the British and their collaborator zamindars and corrupt moneylenders.
• The seeds of the Santhal rebellion, however, were sown in 1832 when the East India Company created the Damin-i-Koh region in the forested belt of the Rajmahal hills. 

• The area was allocated to the Santhals displaced from Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bhagalpur, Barabhum, Manbhum, Palamau, and Chhotanagpur, all areas of the Bengal Presidency.
• While the Santhals were promised settlement and agriculture in Damin-i-Koh, what followed was the repressive practice of land-grabbing and begari (bonded labour) of two types: kamioti and harwahi. 
• Over the years, Santhals found themselves at the receiving end of exploitative practices aided by the British.

• Led by two brothers, Sidhu and Kanhu, the Santhal Rebellion saw the participation of as many as 32 castes and communities rallying behind them.

• The brothers spread word about their plan through uniquely folded sal leaves, a communication system called Dharwak, and mobilised 10,000 people and declared a rebellion. 
• Their brothers, Chand and Bairab, and sisters Phulo and Jhano Murmu, joined forces. 
• With Phulo and Jhano joining the rebellion, more women took up arms against the British.

• After the rebellion broke out in 1855, both sides continued clashing till the uprising was crushed in 1856. 
• The British defeated the Santhals using modern firearms and war elephants in a decisive action in which both Sidho and Kanho died.

Who were the Santhal Tribes?

• The Santhals were one of the largest tribal communities in India, predominantly residing in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha. 
• They were known for their rich cultural heritage, distinct language (Santhali), and deep connection to the land they inhabited.
• Traditionally, the Santhals had been agriculturists, depending on the land for their livelihood. 
• Their spiritual practices were closely linked to their agricultural lifestyle.
• The Santhal community had a strong social structure, with their society being organised into various clans known as ‘parhas.’
• They followed animism, a belief system deeply rooted in nature worship. They honoured spirits associated with the earth, water, and forests.

Hence, option b is the correct answer.

News:https://indianexpress.com/article/upsc-current-affairs/upsc-essentials/knowledge-nugget-santhal-revolt-hul-diwas-tribal-rebellions-upsc-10096235/

The Coal Ministry is set to launch the RECLAIM framework on 4th July, 2025.

• It is a community engagement and development framework designed specifically for mine closures. 

• The Coal Controller Organisation, under the Ministry of Coal, in partnership with the Heartfulness Institute, has developed this comprehensive Community Development Framework.
• It recognizing that mine closures significantly impact both landscapes and local livelihoods, this framework is a key step toward ensuring a just and sustainable transition for communities that have developed alongside mining operations over decades.
• Features of the RECLAIM Framework
  • The framework—referred to as the RECLAIM—serves as a structured guide for inclusive community engagement and development throughout the mine closure and post-closure phases. 
  • It offers a practical, step-by-step approach to institutionalizing community participation in the transition process.
  • It is supported by a suite of actionable tools, templates, and field-tested methodologies tailored to the Indian context. Special emphasis is placed on gender inclusivity, the representation of vulnerable groups, and alignment with Panchayati Raj Institutions, ensuring that the transition is equitable and locally relevant.
  • Ultimately, the RECLAIM Framework aspires to facilitate a seamless and resilient transition for mining communities—grounded in trust, ecological restoration, and long-term socio- economic well-being.

Hence, option d is the correct answer.

News:https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2141471

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a simple, glowing paper sensor that could help detect liver cancer early — using the green glow of a rare earth metal called terbium.

• It is a rare-earth metal of the lanthanide series of the periodic table.
• It occurs in many rare-earth minerals but is almost exclusively obtained from bastnasite and from laterite ion-exchange clays. It is also found in the products of nuclear fission. 
• Properties of Terbium
  • It is a moderately hard, silvery white metal that is stable in air when in pure form. 
  • The metal is relatively stable in air even at high temperatures, because of the formation of a tight, dark oxide layer that can be represented as a mixed oxide composed of Tb2O3 and TbO2. 
  • It readily reacts with diluted acids, but it is insoluble in hydrofluoric acid (HF) because the presence of the fluoride ion protects the metal from further reaction by forming a protective layer of TbF3. 
  • It exhibits strong paramagnet above 230 K and antiferromagnetic between 220 K and 230 K, and it becomes ferromagnetic below 220 K.
  • Uses: Terbium compounds are used as green phosphors in fluorescent lamps, computer monitors, and TV screens that use cathode-ray tubes. Another major use is with dysprosium and iron in the magnetostrictive alloy.

Hence, option c is the correct answer.

News:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/indian-institute-of-science-team-creates-glowing-sensor-for-liver-cancer-detection/articleshow/122166959.cms

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed all Scheduled Commercial Banks, Small Finance Banks, Payments Banks, and Co-operative Banks to integrate the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) into their systems.

• It was launched by the Department of Telecommunications’ Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU).
• It is a risk-based metric that classifies a mobile number as having been associated with Medium, High, or Very High risk of financial fraud.
• This classification is an outcome of inputs obtained from various stakeholders, including reporting on the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C’s) National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), DoT’s Chakshu platform, and Intelligence shared by banks and financial institutions. 
• It empowers stakeholders-especially banks, NBFCs, and UPI service providers- to prioritize enforcement and take additional customer protection measures in case a mobile number have high risk. 
• The Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) of DoT regularly shares the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL) with stakeholders, detailing numbers disconnected due to cybercrime links, failed re-verification, or misuse—many of which are tied to financial frauds.
• Banks and financial institutions can use FRI in real time to take preventive measures such as declining suspicious transactions, issuing alerts or warnings to customers, and delaying transactions flagged as high risk. 
• The system’s utility has already been demonstrated with leading institutions such as PhonePe, Punjab National Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Paytm, and India Post Payments Bank actively using the platform. 
• Significance: The FRI allows for swift, targeted and collaborative action against suspected frauds in both telecom and financial domains.

Hence, option c is the correct answer.

News:https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2141616

Recently, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti inaugurated the C-FLOOD platform.

• It is a Unified Inundation Forecasting System.

• It is collaboratively developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and Central Water Commission (CWC), Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• This initiative, executed under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) jointly steered by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST), marks a transformative step towards strengthening India’s flood management and disaster response framework.
• Features of C-FLOOD 
  • It is a web-based platform that provides two-days advance inundation forecasts up to village level in the form of flood inundation maps and water level predictions. 
  • The platform will act as a unified system integrating flood modelling outputs from national and regional agencies, offering a comprehensive decision-support tool for disaster management authorities. 
  • At present, the system covers the Mahanadi, Godavari, and Tapi river basins, with more river basins to be incorporated in the future.
  • The C-FLOOD platform uses advanced 2-D hydrodynamic modelling to simulate flood scenarios. 
  • The simulations for Mahanadi Basin are run on High Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure under NSM at C-DAC Pune, with integration of outputs for Godavari and Tapi Basins, which have been developed by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under the National Hydrology Project (NHP).

Hence, option b is the correct answer.

News:https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2141608