Daily Current Affairs Quiz
Daily Quiz — February 3, 2026
Question 1 of 10
Patna Bird Sanctuary and Chhari-Dhand Wetland Reserve were added to the Ramsar List in early 2026. In which states are these two sites located respectively?
Patna Bird Sanctuary is in Etah district, Uttar Pradesh (not Bihar — a common misconception). Chhari-Dhand Wetland Reserve is in Kutch district, Gujarat. India now has 98 Ramsar sites — the highest in Asia and third globally.
💡 Concept Note
The Ramsar Convention was signed on February 2, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. World Wetlands Day is observed on February 2. India's first Ramsar site was Chilika Lake (Odisha, 1981). Tamil Nadu leads with 20 Ramsar sites among Indian states, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10. India's Ramsar sites cover over 1.33 million hectares.
Question 2 of 10
Which state has the highest number of Ramsar wetland sites in India as of February 2026?
Tamil Nadu leads with 20 Ramsar sites — the most among Indian states. Uttar Pradesh has 10 sites (second highest). India's total stands at 98 sites covering over 1.33 million hectares.
💡 Concept Note
Ramsar sites require contracting party commitment to wise use of listed wetlands. The Montreux Record is a subset of Ramsar sites facing adverse ecological changes — India has Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur) on this list. Chilika Lake (Odisha) was removed from the Montreux Record in 2002 after successful ecological restoration.
Question 3 of 10
The Delhi Declaration 2026 was adopted at which multilateral summit hosted by India?
The Delhi Declaration 2026 was adopted at the second India-League of Arab States Foreign Ministers Summit held on January 31, 2026, in New Delhi. The League of Arab States has 22 members. The first such meeting was held in Bahrain in 2016. India-Arab League bilateral trade exceeds USD 240 billion annually.
💡 Concept Note
The League of Arab States was founded on March 22, 1945 in Cairo — predating the United Nations (June 1945). Its headquarters is in Cairo. The Delhi Declaration covered counterterrorism, UNSC reform, India-Arab economic cooperation (green hydrogen, renewables, AI), and regional issues including the Israel-Palestine conflict. India endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative (2002) at this summit.
Question 4 of 10
The Arab Peace Initiative (2002) proposes that Arab states normalise relations with Israel in exchange for which conditions?
The Arab Peace Initiative (Beirut Summit, March 2002) proposes full Arab normalisation with Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from all territories occupied since 1967 and establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, plus a just and agreed solution to the refugee question.
💡 Concept Note
India endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative at the Delhi Declaration 2026 while maintaining its historic support for the two-state solution. India has consistently voted for Palestinian statehood at the UN. The Abraham Accords (2020) normalised Israel's relations with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco but were not based on the Arab Peace Initiative framework.
Question 5 of 10
The 16th Finance Commission is constituted under which article of the Indian Constitution?
The Finance Commission is constituted under Article 280 of the Constitution. It recommends the distribution of taxes between the Union and states, and grants-in-aid to states. The 16th Finance Commission is chaired by Arvind Panagariya and warned that unconditional state cash transfers grew from 3% to 20.2% of state subsidy spending between 2018-19 and 2025-26.
💡 Concept Note
The Finance Commission is appointed every 5 years (Article 280). Its recommendations cover: vertical devolution (Centre-state tax sharing, currently 41% of divisible pool to states), horizontal distribution (among states using criteria like population and area), grants-in-aid, and disaster management. The 15th FC was chaired by N.K. Singh. Article 275 deals with grants from the Union to certain states.
Question 6 of 10
Under Article 262 of the Indian Constitution, the Supreme Court has what jurisdiction over inter-state river water disputes?
Article 262(2) allows Parliament to exclude the Supreme Court from adjudicating inter-state water disputes. The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 exercises this option — tribunals constituted under the Act have exclusive jurisdiction. The Supreme Court ordered the Centre to constitute a Pennaiyar River tribunal (Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka) in February 2026.
💡 Concept Note
Famous inter-state river tribunals: Cauvery (Tamil Nadu-Karnataka-Kerala- Puducherry), Krishna (Maharashtra-Karnataka-AP-Telangana), Mahadayi (Goa-Karnataka-Maharashtra). Tribunals can take decades; the 2017 ISRWDA amendment introduced a 3-year time limit for tribunal awards. Article 262 deals specifically with adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-state rivers or river valleys.
Question 7 of 10
The Pax Silica coalition, which India joined in February 2026, is focused on securing supply chains for which category of materials?
Pax Silica focuses on building secure and resilient supply chains for silicon and critical minerals needed for semiconductors, advanced computing, and AI hardware — covering the full "silicon stack" from minerals to chip design. India joined on February 20, 2026, at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, becoming the 11th signatory alongside the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, UK, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, UAE, and Greece.
💡 Concept Note
China controls 60-80% of global processing of most critical minerals, creating strategic vulnerability for technology supply chains. India's National Critical Mineral Mission (2025) and KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) are domestic responses. Other critical mineral frameworks: Mineral Security Partnership (US-led), Global Battery Alliance (WEF-led), IPEF Supply Chain Resilience. The name combines "Pax" (Latin for peace) and "Silica" (the compound refined into silicon).
Question 8 of 10
The Pennaiyar (Dakshina Pinakini) River originates at which location?
The Pennaiyar River originates at Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura district, Karnataka. It flows about 497 km — approximately 80 km through Karnataka and the rest through Tamil Nadu — before emptying into the Bay of Bengal near Cuddalore.
💡 Concept Note
Inter-state river disputes are governed by Article 262 and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. Article 262(2) bars the Supreme Court from adjudicating such disputes. The Cauvery dispute (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry) is the most prominent Indian inter-state river dispute. The Pennaiyar dispute (Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka) was ordered to be referred to a tribunal by the Supreme Court in February 2026.
Question 9 of 10
Aluminium phosphide (AlP) pesticide causes poisoning by releasing which toxic gas upon contact with moisture?
Aluminium phosphide reacts with moisture (including stomach acid) to release phosphine gas (PH3), which causes cellular hypoxia by inhibiting cytochrome C oxidase — the enzyme responsible for cellular respiration. PGIMER Chandigarh developed the first clinically validated treatment: intravenous lipid emulsion therapy.
💡 Concept Note
AlP (trade name Celphos) is a widely used grain fumigant in India. It is a major cause of suicidal poisoning in agrarian belts of Punjab, Haryana, and UP. Previously no effective antidote existed, making survivability very low. PGIMER is a premier autonomous medical institute in Chandigarh under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, established under the PGIMER Act, 1966.
Question 10 of 10
Under Article 164(4) of the Constitution, a person who is not a member of the state legislature when sworn in as a minister must become a member within what period?
Article 164(4) requires a non-legislator minister in a state government to become a member of the state legislature (MLA or MLC) within 6 months of being sworn in. Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Maharashtra's first woman Deputy Chief Minister on January 31, 2026, invoking this provision.
💡 Concept Note
An identical provision exists for the Union Council of Ministers under Article 75(5). The 6-month window allows appointment of experts or persons from outside the legislature, but mandates democratic accountability through subsequent election or nomination to the upper house (where it exists). Failure to become a member within 6 months results in automatic vacation of the ministerial office.