[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 20 October 2022

Solution: b)

The Supreme Court recently delivered a split verdict in the Karnataka hijab ban case with one of the two judges on the Bench upholding the March 15 order of the Karnataka High Court validating the government’s ban, and the other set aside the High Court ruling.

A split verdict is passed when the Bench cannot decide one way or the other in a case, either by a unanimous decision or by a majority verdict. Split verdicts can only happen when the Bench has an even number of judges. This is why judges usually sit in Benches of odd numbers (three, five, seven, etc.) for important cases, even though two-judge Benches — known as Division Benches — are not uncommon.

In case of a split verdict, the case is heard by a larger Bench.

The larger Bench to which a split verdict goes can be a three-judge Bench of the High Court, or an appeal can be preferred before the Supreme Court.

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Solution: b)

‘Grey Zone Operations’ which fall outside traditional concepts of conflicts have become the new battleground, especially in regard to cyber warfare. ‘Grey Zone Operations’ are already beginning to be employed to undermine the vitals of a state’s functioning, a trend likely to grow. The convergence of emerging technologies alongside new hybrid usages, pose several challenges to nations and institutions.

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• Dilip Mahalanabis was an Indian paediatrician known for pioneering the use of oral rehydration therapy to treat diarrheal diseases. In the mid-1960s, he did research on cholera and other diarrheal diseases at the Johns Hopkins International Center for Medical Research and Training in Calcutta, India. During the Bangladeshi war for independence he led the effort by the Johns Hopkins Center that demonstrated the dramatic life-saving effectiveness of oral rehydration therapy when cholera broke out in 1971 among refugees from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) who had sought asylum in West Bengal.
• An oral rehydration solution is used to treat moderate dehydration. It’s made of water, glucose, sodium, and potassium.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/10/18/mission-2023-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-18-october-2022/

Solution: d)

Reserves include foreign currency assets, gold, special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund, and reserve tranche position. These external assets, controlled by the monetary authority, are used to absorb shocks during times of crises; provide confidence to the market that external obligations can be met; and build capacity for intervention in foreign exchange markets.

India’s reserves are by and large a product of capital flows (funds through foreign investments, borrowings) and not so much from the current account (net income earned through exports of goods and services and remittances), which is currently in deficit.

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Solution: d)

An Ethiopian delegation was in Andhra Pradesh (AP) to study the first-of-its kind Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs).

Set up for the first time in the country, the RBKs are unique seeds-to-sales, single-window service centres for farmers that have been set up across the state.

They are a one-stop solution to all farmers’ needs and grievances. RBKs sell pre-tested quality seeds, certified fertilisers and animal feed. Farmers can purchase or hire farm equipment, and even sell their produce at the prevailing MSP in the RBKs.

RBKs also provide services like soil testing and make recommendations — on which crops to sow, and quantity and type of fertiliser to be used. The state government also pays crop insurance, procures grains and makes payments to farmers through the RBKs.

RBKs facilitate interaction between farmers, agriculture scientists, and agriculture extension officers right at the village level. Apart from providing services and items for sale, RBK officials demonstrate new farm equipment and provide training to farmers.

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Solution: c)