[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz ,23 December 2022

Solution: a)

The fall in temperature along with moisture and light winds over the Indo Gangetic Plain has resulted in dense fog over the region, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Western disturbances, which are storms that originate in the Mediterranean Sea, bring moisture-bearing winds to northwest India. This can result in increased moisture levels over the region. In the absence of western disturbances, local moisture sources like water vapour from rivers and soil moisture can also cause fog.

According to a note issued by the IMD, the Indo Gangetic Plain is most vulnerable to fog occurrences, with major, weeks-long spells of dense fog in the months of December and January. These foggy spells are linked to wind and temperature patterns.

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Solution: d)

Radiation fog (or ground fog) episodes last for a few mornings on account of calm winds and western disturbances, resulting in localised fog formation.

In contrast, “advection fog” is larger in scale both in terms of the area covered and duration. Advection fog forms when warm, moist air passes over a cool surface, causing water vapour to condense. Advection fog mostly occurs where warm, tropical air meets cooler ocean water. If the wind blows in the right direction, sea fog can be transported over coastal land areas.

“Valley fog” — which is the result of mountains preventing dense air from escaping, and in which the fog is trapped in the bowl of the valley and can last for several days — and “freezing fog”, which is the result of liquid droplets freezing on solid surfaces. Cloud-covered mountaintops often see freezing fog.

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Solution: C)

The famous Tal Chhapar blackbuck sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Churu district has received a protective cover against a proposed move of the State government to reduce the size of its eco-sensitive zone. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has also taken up a major project for the conservation of raptors in the sanctuary, spread in an area measuring 7.19 sq. km.

The sanctuary is host to about 4,000 blackbucks and other wild animals, over 40 species of raptors and more than 300 species of resident and migratory birds. The raptors, which include predators and scavengers, are on top of the food chain and control the populations of small mammals, birds and reptiles as well as insects.

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Solution: a)

Psychoactive drugs are substances that, when taken in or administered into one’s system, affect mental processes, e.g. perception, consciousness, cognition or mood and emotions. Psychoactive drugs belong to a broader category of psychoactive substances that include also alcohol and nicotine.

However, in recent years, the most influential document regarding the legality of psychoactive drugs is the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an international treaty signed in 1961 as an Act of the United Nations. India has signed the convention.

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Solution: c)

The Supreme Court of India has ruled that, The recommendations of the GST Council are not binding on either the Union or the States.

Article 279A stipulates the creation of the GST Council and its functions. The Council has to function as a platform to bring the Union and State governments together, and as a mark of cooperative federalism, the Council shall, unanimously or through a majority of 75% of weighted votes, decide on all matters pertaining to GST and recommend such decisions to the Union and State governments.