Daily Quiz #93 UPSC Prelims Marathon – February 20, 2020

Explanation: With an objective to promote Geographical Indication (GI) crafts and heritage of India the Ministry of Textiles is organizing Kala Kumbh – Handicrafts Thematic Exhibition in various parts of the country through the Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). The exhibitions are planned in various major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The exhibitions sponsored by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) started on 14th February, 2020 and will continue till 23rd February 2020 at Bangalore and Mumbai and will also be organized in Kolkata and Chennai in March 2020.

Explanation: Pakistan on Tuesday conducted a successful flight test of the air launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II with a range of 600 km, significantly enhancing the air delivered strategic standoff capability of the military on land and at sea. Ra’ad-II weapon system is equipped with state of the art guidance and navigation systems ensuring engagement of targets with high precision.

Explanation: The Union government has decided to rename the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) as ‘Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses’. IDSA established in 1965, it is a non-partisan, autonomous body dedicated to objective research and policy-relevant studies on all aspects of defence and security. It is funded by the Ministry of Defence. It functions autonomously. The Defence Minister chairs the executive committee of the institute’s society.

Explanation: Lithium is an alkali metal. It has the lowest density of all metals. The most important use of lithium is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles. But as well as the lithium-ion batteries for which it has grown in popularity, the highly reactive and flammable alkali mineral – sometimes referred to as “white gold” – is also used in ceramics and glass, lubricating greases, polymer production, and air treatment. According to the latest figures from the US Geological Survey (USGS), global lithium production in 2018 reached around 85,000 tonnes – up from 69,000 in the previous year. Continued exploration efforts have seen global lithium resource estimates reach 62 million tonnes – a significant proportion of which are located in South America’s “lithium triangle” – an area encompassing Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. India currently imports all its lithium needs. It imported lithium batteries worth $1.2 billion in fiscal 2019, up from $384 million in FY17. Recently researchers at the Atomic Minerals Directorate, a unit of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, have estimated lithium reserves of 14,100 tonnes in a patch of land surveyed in Mandya, 100 km from Bengaluru.

Explanation: The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is an agency of the Government of India, charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in New Delhi, India. It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production with the Defense Science Organization. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defense, Government of India.