[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 23 December 2022

Solution: d)

Residents from around 40 villages of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan have walked 225 kilometres to protect community-conserved sacred spaces known as ‘orans’. Currently, the biodiversity hotspots are classified as wastelands. The current categorisation is causing a loss of biodiversity and is affecting the livelihood of the locals in the area, as huge chunks of land are being allotted for setting up solar plants.

The orans are among the last natural habitats of the great Indian bustard. The open stretch of land, which receives long hours of sunlight and brisk winds, has become a hub of green energy with windmills and solar photovoltaic dotting it. 

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Solution: b)

Fog forms like clouds do — when water vapour condenses. The presence of moisture and a fall in the temperature are key factors for the formation of fog. With the land surface cooling down at night, the air close to the surface also cools down. Since cooler air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, the water vapour in the air condenses to form fog.

Fog begins to form in the early hours of the morning, when the temperature is at its lowest.

Fog can have “high spatial variability”, and its intensity can depend on factors like humidity, wind, and temperature. Areas near water bodies, for instance, may see denser fog because of the higher humidity.

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Solution: c)

Funds from Project Tiger as well as the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authority (CAMPA) were used to finance the project to bring African cheetahs to India, the Union government told Parliament December 19, 2022.

CAMPA funds are meant for restoration of forests, particularly the ones that have been diverted for industrial purposes. For the longest time, there have been demands that this money should be given to Gram Sabhas so that they can be financially empowered to restore forests.

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Solution: c)

Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC), Almaty (formerly Alma-Ata), Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan), Soviet Union 6–12 September 1978. It expressed the need for urgent action by all governments, all health and development workers, and the world community to protect and promote the health of all people. It was the first international declaration underlining the importance of primary health care.

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Solution: b)

• The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India at national, state and district level.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, state Legislative Assemblies, state legislative Councils, and the offices of the President and Vice President of the country.
• “The Election Commissioner Amendment Act, 1989” was adopted on 1 January 1990 which turned the commission into a multi-member body: a 3-member Commission has been in operation since then and the decisions by the commission are made by a majority vote.
• Election Commission of India decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
• Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognized political parties.