[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 19 October 2022

Solution: d)

UNEP has also been instrumental in creating several science-policy platforms that bring together scientists, governments, industrial and international organizations, and civil society, such as:

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• International Resource Panel (IRP)
• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(IPBES)
• Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
• Green Growth Knowledge Platform
• Environment Live Platform

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Solution: a)

Article 51-A (g) of the Constitution of India lays down that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect wildlife and have compassion for all living creatures. However, such duties are not enforceable by law.

The Uttarakhand High Court, on March 20, 2017, granted the river Ganga and its longest tributary Yamuna the legal right to be protected and not be harmed. The rivers were to be represented by Uttarakhand’s chief secretary, advocate general, and the chief of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, a government body that oversees the conservation of river Ganga. While both rivers are held sacred by Hindus, they are also highly polluted.

The Supreme Court stayed the judgement a few months later after the state government raised several legal and administrative issues and said it was unsustainable.

While other legal acts such as the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 exist, they do not recognize animals as individual living entities.

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Solution: c)

The decline in India’s foreign exchange reserves is largely due to the valuation changes arising from an appreciating U.S. dollar.

Section 40 of the RBI Act, 1934 (“Transactions in foreign exchange”) stipulates that the Central Government orders the “rate” at which the RBI shall buy or sell forex to banks (authorised persons). This “rate”, in turn, will be governed by India’s “obligations to the International Monetary Fund [IMF]”. The dollar/rupee rate has thus been subjugated to the United States from British India days.

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Solution: b)

The term ‘Indo-Pacific’ refers to the maritime space stretching from the littorals of East Africa and West Asia, across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, to the littorals of East Asia.

Solution: d)

Conditions for Cotton cultivation:

• Hard-frost is injurious to cotton cultivation and it requires at least 210 frost-free days.
• Only light-rainfall (50 to 100 centimetres) is preferred. Cotton can also be cultivated under irrigated conditions.
• It requires high temperatures and bright sunshine for its growth.