Current Affairs Quiz 2 June 2026

Article 124(1) provides that the composition of the SC beyond the CJI is determined by Parliament by law. Progressive increases (total incl.
CJI): 11 (1956 Act, set 10 excluding CJI) → 14 → 18 → 26 → 31 → 34 (2019) → 38 (2026 Ordinance). Ordinance power under Article 123 allows the President to promulgate ordinances when Parliament is not in session; they have the same force as Acts but lapse unless approved by Parliament within 6 weeks of reassembly.
Justice V S Mohana (sworn in June 2) is the second woman judge on the SC bench and only the second woman elevated directly from the Bar — the first being Justice Indu Malhotra (2018). The first woman SC judge was Justice M. Fathima Beevi (1989).

The RudraM family: RudraM-I (~150-200 km, tested 2020) → RudraM-II (~300 km, 2026) → RudraM-III (~550 km, under development). SEAD = Suppression of Enemy Air Defences; DEAD = Destruction of Enemy Air Defences.
Launched from Su-30MKI at 3-15 km altitude; 200 kg warhead. India’s previous ARM dependence was on Israeli Harpy/Harop; RudraM represents Aatmanirbhar Bharat in this critical class.
Distinguish: ASTRA = BVR air-to-air; Akash = surface-to-air; Pralay = surface-to-surface; Nirbhay = subsonic cruise. DRDO is under the Ministry of Defence.

Coral bleaching occurs when elevated sea surface temperatures cause corals to expel their symbiotic zooxanthellae (algae providing up to 90% of coral energy). Pavona clavus is a slow-growing massive coral (hermatypic/reef-building scleractinian).
Lakshadweep is a Union Territory with 36 islands (12 inhabited); its corals are under pressure from marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, and cyclones. The 4th global coral bleaching event was confirmed by NOAA in 2024-25.
India’s coral reefs are in Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar, and the Gulf of Mannar. Distinguish the three from each other for UPSC: Lakshadweep = Indian Ocean / Arabian Sea; A&N = Bay of Bengal/Andaman Sea; GoM = Palk Strait.

Inflation index compiler assignments in India: CPI (Consumer Price Index) = NSO, MoSPI; WPI (Wholesale Price Index) = Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA), DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce; IIP (Index of Industrial Production) = NSO, MoSPI. The new PPI includes: monthly output PPI (goods), trial monthly input PPI (goods), and quarterly Services PPI — India’s first ever services-inflation measure. WPI base year revised 2011-12 → 2022-23.
PPI differs from WPI in that it measures prices received by domestic producers (excluding imports), aligned with global practice.

Evolution of judicial appointment doctrine: First Judges Case (1981) — held executive has primacy; Second Judges Case (1993) — reversed, held CJI + 2 senior judges (collegium) have primacy; Third Judges Case (1998) — expanded Collegium to CJI + 4 senior judges; made it binding. NJAC Act 2014 — tried to set up a National Judicial Appointments Commission including the Law Minister and civil-society members; struck down in 2015 as violating judicial independence.
Article 124(2) — SC judges appointed by President “after consultation with” CJI. The word “consultation” was interpreted in Second Judges Case as meaning “concurrence.”

The genus of zooxanthellae is Symbiodinium. Coral bleaching triggers: elevated sea surface temperature (SST) even 1-2°C above summer maximum for prolonged periods.
Other stressors: UV radiation, pollution, salinity changes. The Lakshadweep Potato Patch coral (Pavona clavus) survived repeated bleaching events (2016, 2020, 2025) with 58.47% tissue alive — indicating exceptional thermal tolerance.
NOAA has declared four global mass bleaching events: 1998, 2010, 2015-17, and 2024-25 (the 4th and most widespread).

PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin) is the rural housing flagship scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development. Target: provide pucca houses of at least 25 sq m to homeless and kachcha-house-dwelling households.
Beneficiaries identified through Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data. The scheme also integrates convergence with other programmes (MGNREGS for unskilled labour, PMGSY for connectivity, Swatch Bharat for toilets).
Distinguish from PMAY-Urban (under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; covers urban poor including slum dwellers; uses different modalities like BLC, CLSS, AHP, ISS).

NDDB was established in 1965 as part of Operation Flood (the White Revolution), which transformed India from a milk-deficit to a milk-surplus nation. Operation Flood was led by Dr. Verghese Kurien (“Milkman of India”).
Amul (GCMMF) is a separate cooperative federation based in Anand — distinct from Mother Dairy (NDDB subsidiary). EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) under Plastic Waste Management Rules 2022 requires producers/importers/brand owners to collect and recycle plastic packaging in proportion to their market share.
Mother Dairy’s new pouch is “naturally degradable” — breaks down under natural conditions without requiring industrial composting infrastructure.

The ELO rating system — created by Hungarian-American physics professor Arpad Elo — measures relative chess skill; a higher number indicates stronger players. The current world No. 1 is Magnus Carlsen (Norway).
India’s chess milestones: Viswanathan Anand — 5-time World Champion (2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012). D. Gukesh — World Champion 2024 at age 18 (youngest ever).
India produces the most GMs outside of Russia and the US. FIDE tournaments include Candidates Tournament, Olympiad (team), Grand Swiss, and the World Championship match.

The Tenth Schedule was based on the recommendations of the Dinesh Goswami Committee. An exception to disqualification exists when 2/3 of the party’s members in the legislature agree to a “merger” with another party (the earlier 1/3-split provision was removed).
Disqualification is decided by the Speaker/Chairman of the House — a feature criticised for partisanship. The SC has held that Speakers must decide disqualification petitions within a reasonable time.
The Eleventh Schedule relates to Panchayati Raj (73rd Amendment); the Eighth Schedule lists 22 official languages.

Both WPI and the new PPI are compiled by DPIIT (OEA, Ministry of Commerce) — not MoSPI. WPI has been used for decades in India for monetary policy, government contracts, and inflation tracking; it remains in parallel use during the PPI’s stability period. The new 2022-23 base year for WPI replaces the outdated 2011-12 base; a more current base better reflects India’s industrial structure.
CPI (compiled by NSO/MoSPI) continues to be the primary inflation measure for RBI’s monetary policy framework (flexible inflation targeting at 4% ±2%).

SEAD vs DEAD: SEAD = suppress (temporary/partial degradation); DEAD = Destruction of Enemy Air Defences (permanent elimination). ARMs like RudraM home on the radar’s own emissions; if the radar is switched off, a modern ARM can memorise the last known location and guide ballistically.
Israel (Harpy), US (AGM-88 HARM), Russia (Kh-31P) are established ARM users. India’s dependence on imported ARMs is being replaced by indigenous RudraM-I/II. Distinction from EW (Electronic Warfare): EW jams radars without destroying them; ARMs physically destroy radar hardware.