[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 1 December 2022

Solution: c)

Due to a dispute over the means of distributing the Narmada water among Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, a committee was set up to decide the fate of the Sardar Sarovar dam project under the Chairmanship of Dr AN Khosla.

The Khosla committee, in 1965, recommended a higher dam with a Full Reservoir Level of 500 ft (152.44m). However, the MP government did not agree to this and so the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) was constituted by the Government of India in October 1969.

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Solution: c)

Ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) involves the use of traditional / herbal preparations in treating diseases of cattle.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a One Health issue. It accelerates due to the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human health, animal health, food-animal production, aquaculture and crop production.

Waste from farms, factories, community and healthcare settings contributes to the emergence and spread of AMR through environmental routes.

Prevention implies the adoption of strategies and approaches that can reduce the need for antimicrobials. For example, in human health sector, better sanitation, access to clean water and appropriate hand hygiene can reduce chances of infection and need for antimicrobials.

Similarly, better biosecurity, timely vaccinations, use of alternatives and appropriate waste management can prevent infectious diseases in food-animal production systems.

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Solution: b)

Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) are areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems having rich biodiversity comprising of any one or more of the components such as; species richness, high endemism, presence of rare, endemic and threatened species, keystone species, species of evolutionary significance, wild ancestors of domestic/cultivated species or land races or their varieties, past pre-eminence of biological components represented by fossil beds and having cultural or aesthetic values.

BHS declaration marks the voluntary participation of communities in protection and conservation of biodiversity which helps in expanding the reach of conservation.

Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act:

• As per this section, the State Governments are empowered to notify in the official gazette, in consultation with ‘local bodies’, areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites.
• Under sub section (2) of Section 37 of the BD Act, the State Government in consultation with the Central Government may frame rules for the management and conservation of BHS.

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Solution: d)

Areas having any of the following characteristics, may qualify for inclusion as BHS.

• Areas that contain a mosaic of natural, semi-natural, and manmade habitats, which together contain a significant diversity of life forms.
• Areas that contain significant domesticated biodiversity component and/or representative agro-ecosystems with on-going agricultural practices that sustain this diversity.
• Areas that are significant from a biodiversity point of view as also important cultural spaces such as sacred groves/trees and sites, or other large community conserved areas.
• Areas including very small ones that offer refuge or corridors for threatened and endemic fauna and flora, such as community conserved areas or urban greens and wetlands.
• Areas that provide habitats, aquatic or terrestrial, for seasonal migrant species for feeding and breeding.
• Areas that are maintained as preservation plots by the research wing of Forest department.
• Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas

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Solution: a)

NFTs function like cryptographic tokens, but unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, NFTs are not mutually interchangeable, and so are not fungible. It means that the NFT is not replaceable by another ‘identical’ item.

For example, if two individuals hold a bitcoin each, they can exchange their bitcoins, which are a replica of each other and have the same value. However, NFTs are not interchangeable, as they are more like pieces of art where each and every token is unique in itself. While bitcoins are also digital assets, NFTs are unique digital assets with each token representing a unique value.

NFTs have evolved to include digital real estate, video game items, digital art and music.