UKPSC Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 2 - UKPSC (Uttarakhand) MCQ

PT Usha is set to become the first woman President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). She will also become the first Olympian and first international medallist to head the IOA in its 95-year-old history.

• The Indian Olympic Association is the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India.
• As an affiliated member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), the IOA administers various aspects of sports governance and athletes’ welfare in the country.
• In this regard, the IOA oversees the representation of athletes or teams participating in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and other international multi-sport competitions of IOC, CGF, OCA and ANOC.
• The Indian Olympic Association is recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

History:

• The IOA was established in the year 1927 with Sir Dorabji Tata and Dr. A.G. Noehren as the Founding President and Secretary General respectively. It is registered as a Non-Profit Organisation under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.

Governance:

• The Indian Olympic Association is currently governed by a 32-member Executive Council, headed by President.
• The election for the Executive Council is held once in every 4 years.

Hence both statements are correct.

The text mentions that the Chief Minister highlighted the 30% reservation for women in government jobs as part of broader initiatives for women’s empowerment, but it does not specify which of the listed schemes is directly related to this reservation. This reflects the government's focus on promoting gender equality in employment.

In the first phase of the Chief Minister’s Higher Education Promotion Scholarship Scheme, a total of Rs 33 lakh 52 thousand was distributed to 241 students. This initiative aims to support students entering their first year of graduation, thereby encouraging higher education among those from ordinary families.

The Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 aims to abolish the zamindari system in India, removing intermediaries who exploited tenant farmers and transferring land ownership directly to cultivators. This reform was a pivotal step in empowering farmers and ensuring their rights.

The construction work at the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad site was halted due to concerns regarding land subsidence in Joshimath. This environmental issue raised alarms about the impact of unregulated construction on the local ecosystem, prompting the need for a thorough investigation before resuming work.

The Supreme Court ruled that divorced Muslim women are entitled to claim maintenance after the Iddat period, which aligns with Section 125 of the CrPC. This ruling underscores the legal recognition of women's rights and reinforces the importance of financial support post-divorce.

An avalanche can be triggered by rapid temperature changes, in addition to heavy snowfall and human activity. These factors can destabilize snowpack, leading to a sudden flow of snow, ice, and debris down a slope, which poses risks to both people and infrastructure in mountainous regions.

The Sal tree, scientifically known as Shorea robusta, is significant in the Khalanga Reserve Forest and holds a sacred status in Hindu tradition. It is believed to be associated with various deities, and its wood is highly valued. The cultural reverence for the Sal tree is evident in its connections with various religious practices and beliefs across India, making it an important part of the region's ecology and heritage.

The main purpose of the newly inaugurated helicopter service in Uttarakhand is to enhance connectivity to remote areas within the state. This service aims to link Haldwani with locations like Munsiyari, Pithoragarh, and Champawat, which are challenging to access by road. Improved aerial connectivity is especially beneficial for emergency response and everyday travel in these difficult terrains.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e Ramon Magsaysay Prize​.

Key Points

• Chandi Prasad Bhatt is an Indian Gandhian environmentalist and social activist.
• He founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeshwar in 1964.
• He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1982.
• He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2005
• In 2013, he was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize.

Additional Information

• The Chipko movement was a non-violent agitation in 1973 that was aimed at the protection and conservation of trees.
• Sundelal Bahuguna was the most prominent leader of this moment.

The correct answer is Bagwal.

• A stone-pelting festival named Baghwal is held every year in Uttarakhand.
• At the temple of Goddess Barahi Devi, the festival is held.

Key Points

• The festival is celebrated on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.
• In Devidhura, Goddess Barahi Devi temple is located.
• The festival celebrates Rakshabandhan in a special way.
• In Bagwal festival, the people of the area pelt stones on each other.
• Many devotees come to the temple to enjoy the festival.
• In 2019, in this stone pelting festival, more than 120 people were injured in the temple.
• The stone-pelting was done in order to please the deity.

The correct answer is Karnprayag.
Key Points
Karnprayag

• Karnprayag is the place where Alkanda joins the Pindar river.
• It is said that Karna did the penance and thus, the name is derived from the name of Karna.
• Further, Karnaprayag is the place where Lord Krishna did the cremation of Karna.
• Karnaprayag has a huge religious significance and according to the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, Karna practised penance here.
• Also, this is the same place where his father, the Sun God, blessed him with indestructible gear, namely kavacha (armour) and kundala (earrings).

The correct answer is Yamuna Canal.
Key Points

• Dhalipur Hydroelectric Power Plant​
  • Dhalipur Hydroelectric Power Plant India is located in Dhalipur, Uttarakhand, India.
  • This infrastructure is of a TYPE Hydro Power Plant with a design capacity of 51 MWe. It has 3 unit(s).
  • The first unit was commissioned in 1965 and the last in 1970.
  • It is operated by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL).
  • Type of Plant
    • ​Dam on a Canal, Yamuna water diverted at Dakpathar into Yamuna Canal.
  • The Dhalipur HEP is a Run-of-River scheme with a surface-type power station and is located downstream of the Dhakrani Power Station at a distance of 5 km from Dhakrani Power Station on the power channel which takes off from the Dakpathar Barrage.

Additional Information

• Kaliganga-I (2 x 2 MW) Small Hydro Project
  • The Kaliganga-I Small Hydro Project is located on the river Kaliganga between the bridge over Kaliganga on Jaltala to Chilan road and Kotimaheshwari temple located just downstream of the confluence with river Mandaniganga.
  • The project is located in the Ukhimath tehsil of Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.
  • It is proposed to have an installed capacity of 4000 kW with two (02) units of 2000 kW each.
  • The project has been conceived as a run of the river project without any storage.
• Galogi Power Plant (1 x 3 = 3 MW)
  • Galogi Power Station is located 22km away from the state capital Dehradun.
  • Galogihydel power station was among the earliest hydropower plants commissioned by the British in 1907.
  • Three more plants were commissioned at the same time at Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, Darjeeling in West Bengal, and Mysore in Karnataka.
  • Galogi was the first hydel power station to generate electricity and light up houses on November 9, 1912.
• Dunao Small Hydro Project
  • The Dunao Small Hydel Project has an installed capacity of 1500 kW with two (02) units of 750 kW project.
  • The project is located near the village Dunao in Dhumakot Tehsil of District Pauri Garhwal at a distance of 150 km from Kotdwar and 100 km from Ramnagar.
  • Purvi Nayar is a hilly stream and is a tributary of the Ganga river.
    • ​Purvi Nayar is a perennial stream with a minimum flow of around 1.32 cumec.
    • At the diversion site is stream having a catchment area of 374 sq. km extending from a height of 3000 metre above MSL.

The correct answer is 1st June 2002 A.D.

• 'Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Swarozgar Yojana' was announced on 1st June 2002 A. D.

Key Points

• Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Swarozgar Yojana:
  • Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Swarozgar Yojana was announced on 1st June 2002 A. D.
  • The aim of the scheme is the creation of sustainable employment opportunities in tourism, establishing facilities or conducting activities
  • Permanent residents of the state can apply for the scheme.
  • The defaulter of any bank or institution will not get the benefits of the scheme.
  • The interest payable under this scheme will only be at the interest rates issued by the Reserve Bank of India from time to time.
  • This loan of the beneficiary will be sanctioned only after ensuring the financial stability of the proposed scheme by the concerned bank.
  • An amount equal to 12.5 percent of the project cost will be invested by the entrepreneur as margin money.
  • Provisions for the mountain Area: For various purposes of the non-vehicle items, 33 percent of capital works in the mountainous areas up to Rs 15 lakh will be provided to the beneficiary.
    • For vehicles, the subsidy will be 25% maximum grant of Rs 10 lakhs only.
  • Provisions for the plain Area: In Non-vehicle items and vehicle items 25 percent with a maximum grant amount of Rs 10.00 lakh will be provided to the beneficiary.

Key Points

• The project snow leopard in India aims to strengthen wildlife conservation in the Himalayas and areas of high altitudes.
• The project was launched by the government of India in 2009 to safeguard and conserve India’s unique natural heritage in the region of the Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

The correct answer is: None of the above

Key Points

• 12th February 2001 - A new dawn in the Power Sector of Uttarakhand when Uttaranchal Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited came into existence.
• Consequent upon the change of name of the State from Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand, the company was renamed Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited on 02.07.2007.
• On 04.04.2011 the company was again renamed UJVN Ltd.
  • It diversified its operations "to establish takeover, operate and maintain power generating stations harnessing the conventional, non-conventional, nuclear and other sources of energy by what so ever name called that include sub-stations, transmission lines, other ancillaries and activities that are essential for generation, transmission, distribution, and trading of power".
• The Govt. of India issued an order dated 05-11-01 u/s 63(4)(a) of the U.P. Reorganization Act, 2000 whereby assets and liabilities between UPJVNL and UJVNL were divided.
  • By operation of this order, all the Hydro Power Assets of UPJVNL located in the State of Uttarakhand were transferred to UJVNL. Since then UJVNL is operating all these hydropower plants.

Important Points

• The State of U.P. was bifurcated by enforcement of the U.P. Reorganization Act, 2000 (In short Reorganization Act) as a result thereof the State of Uttarakhand came into existence.

The correct answer is option 4 i.e Pithoragarh

• Munisyari, Which is situated in Pithoragarh, the easternmost hill district of Uttarakhand, is known as the ‘Little Kashmir’.

Uttarakhand:

• ​​Capital: Dehradun
• CM: Pushkar Singh Dhami
• Governor: Gurmit Singh
• Famous National Park: Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park
• Famous Wildlife Sanctuary: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Benog Wildlife Sanctuary

The correct answer is Haridwar.

Key Points

• The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar.
• From here, it flows first to the south, then to the south-east and east before splitting into two distributaries, namely the Bhagirathi and the Padma.

Additional Information

• Ganga is 2,525 km long and shared by Uttarakhand (110 km) and Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km), Bihar (445 km) and West Bengal (520 km).
• Son is its major right bank tributary.
• Left bank tributaries are the Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the Gandak, the Kosi and the Mahananda
• The river finally discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal near the Sagar Island.

• Devprayag is one of the Panch Prayag of Alaknanda River where Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet and take the name Ganga or Ganges River.
• Devprayag is located in the hilly areas of Uttrakhand.
• Bhagirathi originates from Gangotri and Alaknanda originates from Badrinath, both of which are considered sacred destinations for Hindus across the world.
• Devprayag is the last prayag of River Alaknanda.
• It is believed that Lord Rama and King Dushratha did penance here.
• The Five Prayags are:

1. Devprayag
2. Karnaprayag
3. Rudraprayag
4. Vishnuprayag
5. Nandprayag

The Supreme Court clarified that appellate courts have limited authority to modify arbitral awards, permitting modifications only under specific conditions, such as when the awards are severable. This ruling aims to protect the integrity of arbitration as a preferred method for dispute resolution, emphasizing that modifications should not be arbitrary but based on defined criteria.

The primary objective of the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) Version 2.0 is to assess the governance and performance of Gram Panchayats throughout India. This framework is designed to enhance local governance by providing a data-driven approach to evaluate over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, thereby improving community welfare and accountability in local administration.

The Shenzhou-20 mission's main objective is to transport three astronauts to the Tiangong space station, where they will rotate with the crew of Shenzhou-19. This mission highlights China's ongoing commitment to manned space exploration and its efforts to maintain a continuous human presence in space.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the Ganga and Sharda river corridors to enhance religious tourism in Uttarakhand.The Uttarakhand government has undertaken the ambitious task of developing religious corridors along the Ganga and Sharda rivers to enhance religious tourism and infrastructure in the state.

Significant Pilgrimage Sites Along the Ganga and Sharda:

• Ganga Corridor: Includes Haridwar, Rishikesh, Devprayag, and the origin of the Ganges at Gangotri.
• Sharda Corridor: Covers locations such as Tanakpur, Jhulaghat, and the culturally significant Sharda Devi temple.

The Mukhyamantri Ekal Mahila Swarozgar Yojana is an initiative by the Uttarakhand government aimed at providing financial assistance and empowering single women in the state. This scheme focuses on enabling single women to achieve self-reliance through various livelihood opportunities and support mechanisms.

• The Five-Year Plans in India were based on the Mahalanobis Model, which played a crucial role in shaping the economic strategy of the country post-independence.
• This model was proposed by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, an eminent Indian statistician and economist.
• The Mahalanobis model emphasized rapid industrialization through investment in the heavy and capital goods industries.
• The model focused on achieving a self-reliant economy by reducing dependence on imports and promoting domestic manufacturing.
• It was implemented during the Second Five-Year Plan (1956–1961) of India, which became a cornerstone of India’s economic planning strategy.
• The model gave priority to industries like steel, heavy engineering, and machine-building, as these were considered vital for long-term growth.
• It also highlighted the need for a balance between the agricultural sector and the industrial sector to ensure sustainable development.
• The Mahalanobis strategy was influenced by the Soviet economic planning model, which also focused on heavy industrialization.
• Though the model received criticism for neglecting agriculture and small-scale industries, it laid the foundation for India’s industrial base.

 Additional Information

• Adam Smith
  • Known as the "Father of Economics", Adam Smith was a Scottish economist and philosopher.
  • He is best known for his work, "The Wealth of Nations" (1776), which laid the foundation of classical economics.
  • His economic theories revolved around the concepts of free markets, the division of labor, and the "invisible hand."
  • While his ideas are significant, they were not directly related to the planning models adopted by India.
• John Maynard Keynes
  • A prominent British economist, Keynes is regarded as the founder of modern macroeconomics.
  • He introduced the concept of using government intervention to stabilize economies during recessions, as outlined in his book "The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money" (1936).
  • His theories influenced global economic policies but were not directly applied in India’s Five-Year Plans.
• Karl Marx
  • Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, and political theorist, known for his work "Das Kapital" and the "Communist Manifesto."
  • His ideas laid the foundation of Marxism, which advocates for a classless society and communal ownership of resources.
  • While Marxian principles influenced socialist policies globally, India’s planning leaned more towards the Soviet model rather than direct Marxist principles.

• Khirsu hill station located in the Pauri Garhwal district .
• This place offers spectacular views of the Himalayas, including a panorama of peaks like the Panchachuli, Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, and Trishul, Perched at a height of 1,700 m.

Additional Information

Uttarakhand

• Capital: Dehradun
• Formed on: 09 November, 2000
• Districts:  13
• Language: Hindi
• Known As/For:  Devbhumi or the Land of God.

First General Elections of Urban Local Bodies: 

• The first General Elections of Urban Local Bodies were conducted by the State Election Commission, Uttarakhand in 2003 in all 13 districts of the State.
• Thereafter further elections to the ULBs were conducted by SEC in the years 2008 and 2013.
• The last election to 84 ULBs was conducted in October-November 2018 in which 15,55,257 voters exercised their franchise with the voting percentage being 66.67%.
• Elections to ULBs of Bazpur, Srinagar, and Roorkee were held in 2019.
• At present Uttarakhand has 11 Municipal Corporations,43 Nagar Palika Parishads, and 41 Nagar Panchayats.

The mountains of India play a key role in forming the ecosystem of the country.

• Nag Tibba is the highest peak in the lesser Himalayan region of Uttarakhand.
  • Mountains: Nag Tibba
  • Range: Garhwal Himalaya
  • Location:  Uttarakhand, India
  • Elevation: 3,022 m (9,915 ft)
  • Coordinates: 30° 35' 11? N, 78° 9' 4? E
  • Geography: Nag Tibba is the highest peak in the lesser Himalayan region of Uttarakhand.
• The folds of the Great Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature.
• The core of this part of the Himalayas is composed of granite.
• It is perennially snowing bound, and a number of glaciers descend from this range. 
• The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms the most rugged mountain system and is known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya.
• The ranges are mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.
• The altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500 meters and the average width is of 50 Km.
• While the Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the most important range, the Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent ones.
• This range consists of the famous valley of Kashmir, the Kangra, and the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh. This region is well-known for its hill stations.