DAY – 68 (InstaTest-68): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2020: Topic – Environment & Ecology, Previous year UPSC papers – 2010, September 2019 CA

Solution: C

The Satnami sect was founded by a saint named “Birbhan” in 1657 in Narnaul in Haryana. The major religious activity of this sect is to chant and meditate the true names {Sat-Nam} of God specially Rama and Krishna.
The followers of this sect kept their heads shaven (thus called Mundiyas) and abstained from liquor and meat.
Satnami Rebellion

The revolt triggered when a Mughal soldier killed a Satnami. The Satnamis killed the soldier in revenge and in turn Mughal soldiers were sent to teach them a lesson. Some 5,000 Satnamis stood up in arms and routed the Mughal troops in the town, drove away the Mughal administrators and set up their own administration under their leader Birbhan.

Solution: D

Definition of ‘Bharat Emission Standards’

Definition: These are the standards set up by the Indian government which specify the amount of air pollutants from internal combustion engines, including those that vehicles can emit. If these emit more pollutants than the prescribed limit, they don’t get a clearance to be sold in an open market. Bharat Stage Emission Standards have been instituted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), instituted within the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change.

Description: Vehicle emission norms were introduced in India in 1991 for petrol and in 1992 for diesel vehicles. Since 2000, Euro norms are followed in India under the name Bharat Stage Emission Standards for four wheeled vehicles. Bharat stage III norms have been enforced across India since October 2010. In a few cities, Bharat stage IV norms are in place since April 2010. Bharat stage IV is proposed to be enforced throughout India by April 2017. It has already been put into use in 13 major cities.

Upgrading the emission norms requires the manufacturing companies to upgrade their technology, which in turn increases the cost of the vehicle. Cost is one of the main reasons for the slow upgrade of emission standards. However, there are also arguments that the increase in cost is made up by savings in health costs as the pollutants causing diseases are decreased with the upgrade in emission standards. Fuels also play a crucial role in meeting these emission norms. Fuel specifications have also been aligned to its corresponding European production norms.

It is to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engines and Spark-ignition engines equipment, including motor vehicles.

• It includes both emission standards for new vehicles as well as specifications for commercial petrol and diesel fuels.
• The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and climate change.
• All new vehicles manufactured after the implementation of BS norms must be compliant with the regulations.
• Major emissions governed under these norms are carbon monoxide emissions, hydrocarbon emission limits. Nitrogen Oxides and particulate matter are also significant metrics.
• BS-IV standard was brought into place in country-wide in April 2017.

Solution: A

Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is a defined area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution. The Supreme Court of India delivered a ruling on December 30, 1996 regarding industries covered under the TTZ, in response to a PIL seeking to protect the Taj Mahal from environmental pollution. It banned the use of coal/ coke in industries located in the TTZ with a mandate for switching over from coal/ coke to natural gas, and relocating them outside the TTZ or shutting down. The TTZ comprises monuments including three World Heritage Sites the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. TTZ is so named since it is located around the Taj Mahal and is shaped like a trapezoid.

By the order of Ministry of Environment and Forests in exercise of the powers conferred by the the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and in supersession of the order of the government of India in the ministry of Environment and forests, number S.O. 350(E), dated 17th May, 1999, except as thins done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the central Government hereby re-constitutes the Taj Trapezium Zone Pollution(Prevention and Control) authority.

Area Under TTZ

The geographical limits of the Taj Trapezium Zone is defined in the shape of trapezoid between 26° 45N & 77 ° 15E to 27 ° 45N & 77° 15E in the West of the Taj Mahal and in the East of Taj Mahal between 27° 00N & 78° 30E to 27° 30E, lying in the Agra Division of the State of Uttar Pradesh and in the Bharatpur Division of the State of Rajasthan.

Responsibility areas :

• Protecting Taj Mahal from damage via pollution
• Control Pollution
• Keep record of Taj Mahal pollution statics
• Study city pollution

Solution: D

Global Competitiveness Index released by World Economic Forum

The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), which was launched in 1979, maps the competitiveness landscape of 141 economies through 103 indicators organised into 12 pillars.

Compared to last year, India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th. India was ranked 58th last year. It is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil, ranked even lower than India at 71st this year.

Solution: A

Biofuels are liquid or gaseous fuels primarily produced from biomass, and can be used to replace or can be used in addition to diesel, petrol or other fossil fuels for transport, stationary, portable and other applications. Crops used to make biofuels are generally either high in sugar (such as sugarcane, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum), starch (such as maize and tapioca) or oils (such as soybean, rapeseed, coconut, sunflower).

Categories of biofuels

Biofuels are generally classified into three categories. They are

1. First generation biofuels – First-generation biofuels are made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology. Common first-generation biofuels include Bioalcohols, Biodiesel, Vegetable oil, Bioethers, Biogas.
2. Second generation biofuels – These are produced from non-food crops, such as cellulosic biofuels and waste biomass (stalks of wheat and corn, and wood). Examples include advanced biofuels like biohydrogen, biomethanol.
3. Third generation biofuels – These are produced from micro-organisms like algae.

4. Fourth Generation Bio fuels

• Aimed at producing sustainable energy and also capturing and storing carbon dioxide.
• Carbon dioxide is captured which can be then geo-sequestered.
•  This is carbon neutral technology.

Solution: B

In a first of its kind symbolic effort by India at the UN, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a 50KW ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ next week during his visit to the world organization, a gesture that highlights India’s willingness to go beyond the talk on climate change.

At a contribution of about one million dollars, India has gifted solar panels that have been installed on the roof of the UN Headquarters here, one panel each for every 193 UN Member State.

Modi will remotely inaugurate the solar park at the UN Headquarters and the ‘Gandhi Peace Garden’ during a special commemorative event on September 24 marking Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. On the occasion, a special UN Postage on Gandhi’s 150 years will also be released.

The ‘Gandhi Peace Garden’ is an innovative initiative under which the Consulate General of India in New York, Long Island-based NGO Shanti Fund and the State University of New York – Old Westbury have entered into an agreement to plant 150 trees. The garden is dedicated in the memory of Gandhi and is a crowdsourced project, with people adopting trees in the memory of their loved ones. The garden is in an open site within the 600 acres campus of the University.

The solar panels are powered up to reach the max of 50 KW of generation power.

Solution: D

Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship Programme

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launches Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship Programme with IIM Bangalore.It is a two-year fellowship programme to boost skill development at the district level.

Designed under Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP).It aims to address the challenge of non-availability of personnel for implementation of various programmes at national, state and district levels

Eligibility: Eligible fellows for the programme have to be in 21-30 years age-group, have a graduation degree from a recognized university and be citizens of India. Proficiency in official language of state of fieldwork will be mandatory.
Fellows will receive a stipend of Rs. 50,000 in the first year and Rs. 60,000 in the second year

Solution: B

Bamboonomics

• Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the biggest Tribal movement, to promote tribal enterprise through ‘Bamboonomics’.
• It was launched for combating desertification and the climate change at COP 14 to the UNCCD.
• TRIFED introduced the ‘The 4P1000 Initiative: The Tribal Perspective through Bamboonomics’.
• The international initiative “4 per 1000” was launched by France in 2015 at the COP 21.

The aim of the initiative is to,

o Demonstrate that agriculture, and in particular agricultural soils can play a crucial role where food security and climate change are concerned.

The ambition of the initiative is to,

o Encourage stakeholders to transition towards a productive, highly resilient agriculture,

o based on the appropriate management of lands and soils,

o creating jobs and incomes hence ensuring sustainable development.

An annual growth rate of 0.4% in the soil carbon stocks, or 4‰ per year, in the first 30-40 cm of soil,

o would significantly reduce the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere related to human activities.

o This is what the 4 per 1000 Initiative proposes, soils for food security and climate.

• The initiative is intended to complement those necessary efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally.
• It is voluntary, it is up to each member to define how they want to contribute to the goals.

Solution: C

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on 3 November 2001.

The Treaty aims at:

• recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops that feed the world;
• establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials;
• ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials with the countries where they have been originated.

Main Provisions:

Multilateral system

The Treaty’s truly innovative solution to access and benefit sharing, the Multilateral System, puts 64 of our most important crops – crops that together account for 80 percent of the food we derive from plants – into an easily accessible global pool of genetic resources that is freely available to potential users in the Treaty’s ratifying nations for some uses.

Access and benefit sharing

The Treaty facilitates access to the genetic materials of the 64 crops in the Multilateral System for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. Those who access the materials must be from the Treaty’s ratifying nations and they must agree to use the materials totally for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. The Treaty prevents the recipients of genetic resources from claiming intellectual property rights over those resources in the form in which they received them, and ensures that access to genetic resources already protected by international property rights is consistent with international and national laws.

Those who access genetic materials through the Multilateral System agree to share any benefits from their use through four benefit-sharing mechanisms established by the Treaty.

International Seed Treaty

• International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), is popularly known as the International Seed Treaty.
• It is a comprehensive international agreement, which aims at guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).
• It also recognizes farmers’ rights, subject to national laws to:

1. The protection of traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture;
2. The right to equitably participate in sharing benefits arising from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
3. The right to participate in making decisions, at the national level, on matters related to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Treaty establishes the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing to facilitate plant germplasm exchanges and benefit sharing through Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA).

The treaty was negotiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) and since 2006 has its own Governing Body under the aegis of the FAO.

The Governing Body is the highest organ of the Treaty and holds biennial meetings.

Solution: B

El Niño Modoki is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon in the tropical Pacific. It is different from another coupled phenomenon in the tropical Pacific namely, El Niño.

Conventional El Niño is characterized by strong anomalous warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Whereas, El Niño Modoki is associated with strong anomalous warming in the central tropical Pacific and cooling in the eastern and western tropical Pacific

Normal El Nino results in diminished hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean but El Nino Modoki results in a greater number of hurricanes with greater frequency.(UPSC 2010)

Solution: C

Mission 175

• Mission 175 is a global platform to explore strategies for development and deployment of renewables.
• It is hosted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the event showcases India’s renewable energy potential and the Government’s efforts to scale up capacity to meet the national energy requirement in a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable manner.
• In the year 2015, the Government of India announced a target for 175 GW cumulative renewable power installed capacity by the year 2022.
• Ahead of COP 21, India submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the UNFCCC, outlining the country’s post-2020 climate actions.
• India’s INDC builds on its goal of installing 175 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable power capacity by 2022 by setting a new target to increase the country’s share of non-fossil based installed electric capacity to 40 percent by 2030.

Solution: B

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

 The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species or the Bonn Convention.

 It is an international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species within their migratory ranges

 Conference of Parties (COP) 13 of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was organized from February 17 to 22 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

 CMS is an environment treaty under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

 There are 130 parties to the convention and India has been a member since 1983.

 India hosted the 13th COP of CMS at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

 Theme – ―Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home‖

 Mascot – ―Gibi – The Great Indian Bustard‖

Highlights

 It is the first of a series of international nature-related meetings in 2020 which adopted a new global biodiversity strategy for the next decade – Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

 In COP 13, the first ever report on the Status of Migratory Species was presented.

 It adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration which calls for migratory species and the concept of ‗ecological connectivity‘ to be integrated and prioritized in the new Framework.

 CMS Ambassadors Programme was relaunched for terrestrial, avian and aquatic species.

 Seven Migratory Species Champions – Germany, India, Italy, Monaco, Norway, the EuropeanCommission, and the Environment Agencywere acknowledged for their generous contributions to CMS initiatives.

 Ethiopia joined the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU).

 Ethiopia is a strategically important country for the conservation of migratory birds of prey given its location across the East African flyway.

 This was the first CMS COP to be inaugurated by a host-country Head of Government.

 India has been designated the President of the COP for the next three years (till 2023).

 India is home to several migratory species of wildlife, including the snow leopard, Amur falcons, bar- headed geese, black-necked cranes, marine turtles, dugongs and hump-backed whales.

 The government of India has been taking necessary actions to protect and conserve migratory marine species.

 Seven species that include Dugong, Whale Shark, Marine Turtle (two species), have been identified for preparation of Conservation and Recovery Action Plan.

India is temporary home to several migratory animals and birds. The important among these include Amur Falcons, Bar headed Geese, Black necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpbacked Whales, etc.  The Indian sub-continent is also part of the major bird flyway network, i.e, the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) that covers areas between the Arctic and Indian Oceans, and covers at least 279 populations of 182 migratory water bird species, including 29 globally threatened species. India has also launched the National Action Plan for conservation of migratory species under the Central Asian Flyway.

Solution: C

The state government can fix and alter boundaries of the National Parks with prior consultation and approval with National Board of Wildlife. There is no need to pass an act for alternation of boundaries of National Parks. No human activities are permitted in a National Park.

The major objectives of Biosphere Reserves are: (i) To conserve diversity and integrity of plants, animals and micro-organism; (ii) To promote research on ecological conservation and other environmental aspects and; (iii) To provide facilities for education, awareness and training.

In a Wildlife Sanctuary, limited biotic interference is permitted. Operations such as harvesting of timber, a collection of minor forest products and private ownership rights are permitted so long as they do not interfere with the well-being of animals. In other words, limited biotic interference is allowed. (UPSC 2010)

Solution: D

The Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) is a multi-stakeholder partnership platform, initiated to support the implementation of private-sector commitments to remove deforestation from palm oil, beef, soy, and pulp and paper from their supply chains. Hosted by the World Economic Forum, it has grown its partner members throughout the years and continues to bring on board those key actors committed to tackling deforestation. TFA now works with governments, the private sector and civil society actors, indigenous peoples, communities and international organizations to catalyse high-impact partnerships to reduce commodity driven deforestation and build a forest positive future.

TFA Global and at the Forest Frontier

The strength of TFA as a platform is to bring together different communities, to identify key forest frontier challenges and solutions. Through bringing experts from around the world our community of purpose turns ideas into action, both at the global and the regional level. It operates regional platforms in Latin America, West and Central Africa, China and Southeast Asia. TFA’s work will also focus on mainstreaming “Forest Positive” landscapes and amplify demand side engagement in major economies such as the US, Europe and in China.

Our Donors

We are grateful for the support of our donors who provide TFA with the necessary resources to support our work. Our funders currently include the Governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The TFA catalyzes the power of collective action and responsibility by convening, curating and communicating.

Our History

The Tropical Forest Alliance was founded in 2012 at Rio+20 after the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) committed to zero net deforestation by 2020 for palm oil, soy, beef, and paper and pulp supply chains in 2010. The CGF partnered with the US government to create the public-private alliance with the mission of mobilizing all actors to collaborate in reducing commodity-driven tropical deforestation.

Accelerating into the Decade of Delivery

TFA fosters cross-sector collaboration based on a common and ever-deepening understanding of the barriers and opportunities linked to deforestation-free supply chains.
Its greatest offering is a partnership of champions for deforestation-free global and local economies, making the case for sustainable supply chains as an essential pathway towards a better economy and achievement of the Global Goals.

Solution: D

Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS)

 The increasing frequency of algal blooms is a major concern due to its ill effects on fishery, marine life and water quality. INCOIS has developed a service for “Detection and Monitoring of Bloom in the Indian Seas”.

 The target users are fishermen, marine fishery resource managers, researchers, ecologists and environmentalists.

 The service also complements INCOIS’ marine fishing advisories i.e. Potential Fishing Zone advisories.

 INCOIS-ABIS will provide near-real time information on spatio-temporal occurrence and spread of phytoplankton blooms over the North Indian Ocean.

 Accordingly, relevant data retrieved from satellites i.e. Sea Surface Temperature , chlorophyll-a, Algal Bloom Index – chlorophyll, rolling chlorophyll anomaly, rolling sea surface temperature anomaly, phytoplankton class/species, phytoplankton size class and a composite image delineating bloom and non-bloom regions will be disseminated daily through ABIS.

 In addition, four regions have been identified as bloom hotspots viz.

1. North Eastern Arabian Sea
2. coastal waters off Kerala
3. Gulf of Mannar and
4. Coastal waters of Gopalpur.

Solution: A

Foreigners Tribunals

• In 1964, the govt brought in the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order.
• Composition: Advocates not below the age of 35 years of age with at least 7 years of practice (or) Retired Judicial Officers from the Assam Judicial Service (or) Retired IAS of ACS Officers (not below the rank of Secretary/Addl. Secretary) having experience in quasi-judicial works.

Who can setup these tribunals?

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, and has empowered district magistrates in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals (quasi-judicial bodies) to decide whether a person staying illegally in India is a foreigner or not.
• Earlier, the powers to constitute tribunals were vested only with the Centre.
• Typically, the tribunals there have seen two kinds of cases: those concerning persons against whom a reference has been made by the border police and those whose names in the electoral roll has a “D”, or “doubtful”, marked against them.

Who can approach?

The amended order (Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 2019) also empowers individuals to approach the Tribunals. Earlier, only the State administration could move the Tribunal against a suspect.

How a person is declared foreigner by these tribunals?

Foreigners Tribunals, quasi-judicial authorities in Assam, have been deciding on matters pertaining to citizenship in order to identify foreigners.

• The process begins by the border police or the Election Commission referring the case of a suspected foreigner to the Foreigners Tribunal.
• The tribunal calls on the person to appear before it and prove that they are not a foreigner, and then passes an order in favour or against them.

Solution: C

The International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology (ICONSAT) under the aegis of Nano Mission, Department of Science and Technology (DST) is being held at Kolkata focusing on the recent advances in this frontier research field.

Mission on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission):

• Launched in 2007.
• It is as an “umbrella capacity-building programme”.
• The Mission’s programmes will target all scientists, institutions and industry in the country.
• It will also strengthen activities in nano science and technology by promoting basic research, human resource development, research infrastructure development, international collaborations, among others.
• It will be anchored in the Department of Science and Technology and steered by a Nano Mission Council chaired by an eminent scientist.

Outcomes and significance of the mission:

• As a result of the efforts led by the Nano Mission, today, India is amongst the top five nations in the world in terms of scientific publications in nano science and technology (moving from 4th to the 3rd position).
• The Nano Mission itself has resulted in about 5000 research papers and about 900 Ph.Ds and also some useful products like nano hydrogel based eye drops, pesticide removal technology for drinking water, water filters for arsenic and fluoride removal, nanosilver based antimicrobial textile coating, etc.

The Nano Mission has thus helped establish a good eco-system in the country to pursue front-ranking basic research and also to seed and nurture application-oriented R&D, focused on useful technologies and products.

Solution: D

A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Centre and State government to constitute a permanent body for taking serious steps to safeguard the flora, fauna and other natural resources in the Eastern and Western Ghat areas in Tamil Nadu.

• The petition is on the basis of the recommendations made by the Madhav Gadgil and Kasturi Rangan committees.

What’s the issue? Why there is a need for protection?

• Petitioner contended that the natural resources abundantly available in this area are being properly utilized by other regions, except Tamil Nadu. They are being misutilised and mismanaged not only by the administrators but also by the public at large.
• Besides, large-scale plantations of coffee, tea and orchards have been raised in the hills of Western Ghats. Aromatic and valuable trees like sandal are removed illegally. Despite the Wildlife Protection Act, hunting takes place in some pockets. The forests are getting degraded because of illicit collection of firewood, illicit grazing and illicit felling of trees.

What did the Gadgil Committee say?

1. It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of ecological management.
2. It proposed that this entire area be designated as ecologically sensitive area (ESA).
3. Within this area, smaller regions were to be identified as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on their existing condition and nature of threat.
4. It proposed to divide the area into about 2,200 grids, of which 75 per cent would fall under ESZ I or II or under already existing protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries or natural parks.
5. The committee proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authority to regulate these activities in the area.

Why was Kasturirangan Committee setup?

None of the six concerned states agreed with the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee, which submitted its report in August 2011.

• In August 2012, then Environment Minister constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under Kasturirangan to “examine” the Gadgil Committee report in a “holistic and multidisciplinary fashion in the light of responses received” from states, central ministries and others.
• The Kasturirangan report seeks to bring just 37% of the Western Ghats under the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) zones — down from the 64% suggested by the Gadgil report.

Recommendations of Kasturirangan Committee:

1. A ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining.
2. No new thermal power projects, but hydro power projects allowed with restrictions.
3. A ban on new polluting industries.
4. Building and construction projects up to 20,000 sq m was to be allowed but townships were to be banned.
5. Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.

Solution: C

India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX)

• IUDX is a research project under smart cities mission being implemented by Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• It is an open source software platform aimed at enabling cities to harness full potential of the enormous data being generated in our smart cities
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched an ambitious program for the development of 100 Smart Cities aimed at catalyzing investments in holistic infrastructure and services, development of integrated approaches to problem solving, promotion of co-creation and bottom-up innovation using technology, and creation of sustainable outcomes by espousing the circular economy and participatory processes built around communities.
• The total investment expected in these cities over a period of 5 years from the date of their selection is expected to be around US$ 30 billion.
• Smart Cities, among their many objectives, are evolving as connected, livable, energy efficient, adaptive and resilient cities through deployment of smart solutions.

Solution: D

RAMSAR WETLANDS SITES (Updated on February, 2019)

Solution: D

The Houthi movement, officially called Ansar Allah and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamic political and armed movement that emerged from Sa’dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s. The movement was called Houthis because its founder is from the Houthi tribe.

Solution: A

A DECADE OF DISCOVERY
2,700 scientists
80+ nations
540 expeditions
US$ 650 million
2,600+ scientific publications
6,000+ potential new species
30 million distribution records and counting

These numbers only begin to describe the scope of the Census of Marine Life, a 10-year international effort undertaken in to assess the diversity (how many different kinds), distribution (where they live), and abundance (how many) of marine life—a task never before attempted on this scale. The Census stimulated the discipline of marine science by tackling these issues globally, and engaging some 2,700 scientists from around the globe, who participated in 540 expeditions and countless hours of land-based research. The scientific results were reported on October 4, 2010 at the Royal Institution in London.

The world’s first comprehensive Census of Marine Life — past, present, and future — was released in 2010 in London. Initially supported by funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the project was successful in generating many times that initial investment in additional support and substantially increased the baselines of knowledge in often underexplored ocean realms, as well as engaging over 2,700 different researchers for the first time in a global collaborative community united in a common goal, and has been described as “one of the largest scientific collaborations ever conducted”.

Solution: D

Sabka Vishwas Scheme

• It is a Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme.
• The scheme targets those taxpayers who want to close their pending disputes related to Service Tax and Excise Tax (now subsumed under Goods and Services Tax). Hence, the term ‘legacy’.
• This scheme offers amnesty (official pardon) to those who wish to disclose any previously undisclosed tax liability without any penalty or prosecution.
• Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had unveiled the scheme in the budget for 2019-20, with an aim to assist taxpayers in clearing the baggage of disputes under legacy taxes (service tax and central excise), which are subsumed in the goods and services tax (GST).

Solution: B

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as of special cultural or physical significance.

Natural (7)

• Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (2014)
• Kaziranga National Park (1985)
• Keoladeo National Park (1985)
• Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985)
• Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988,2005)
• Sundarbans National Park (1987)
• Western Ghats (2012)

Mixed (1)

• Khangchendzonga National Park (2016)

http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/whs_pas_8227.aspx

Solution: D

Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maan-dhan Yojana:

• It is a voluntary and contribution based central sector scheme.
• The government launched the scheme, entailing monthly minimum assured pension of  ₹3,000 for the entry age group of 18-40 years after attaining the age of 60 years, with effect from July 22, 2019.
• Under the scheme, the government makes matching contribution in the subscribers’ account.
• The scheme is based on self-declaration as no documents are required except bank account and Aadhaar Card.

Eligibility:

• All small shopkeepers, self-employed persons and retail traders aged between 18-40 years and with Goods and Service Tax (GST) turnover below Rs.1.5 crore can enroll for pension scheme.
• To be eligible, the applicants should not be covered under the National Pension Scheme, Employees’ State Insurance Scheme and the Employees’ Provident Fund or be an Income Tax assessee.

Solution: C

G sits sixth to the right of Q.

Solution: B

If N sits immediate right of M then two persons sits between N and S

Solution: A

P sits seventh to the left of S.

Solution: C

No one sit between O and S.

Answer. A.

The passage clearly suggests that education is not instrumentalist in its deepest sense. But the opening sentence calls it to be functional, instrumental and utilitarian. Thus the instrumentalist view of education is the functional and utilitarian dimension in its purposes.