[MISSION 2023] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 05 Jan 2023

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is an attached office of the Ministry of Culture (MoC) and is in charge of the protection and maintenance of centrally protected monuments (declared under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958).
• The ASI was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham when he realised the need for a permanent body to oversee archaeological excavations and conservation.
• Lord Curzon (1899-1905) passed the law in 1904(Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904) that made the destruction of Ancient Monuments as an offence and directed officials to collect and preserve ancient monuments.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/50-asi-protected-monuments-disappear/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Lord Curzon 1899-1905
  • Appointment of Police Commission (1902) under Sir Andrew Frazer to review police administration.
  • Appointment of Universities Commission (1902) and passing of Indian Universities Act (1904).
  • Establishment of Department of Commerce and Industry.
  • Calcutta Corporation Act (1899).
  • Ancient Monuments Preservation Act (1904).
  • Partition of Bengal (1905).
  • Curzon-Kitchener controversy.
  • Younghusband’s Mission to Tibet (1904)
• At the end of 1903, Curzon sent a British expedition to Tibet under Francis Younghusband, ostensibly to forestall a Russian advance. After bloody conflicts with Tibet’s poorly armed defenders, the mission penetrated to Lhasa, where the Treaty of Lhasa was signed in September 1904.
• During his tenure, Curzon undertook the restoration of the Taj Mahal and expressed satisfaction that he had done so. Curzon was influenced by Hindu philosophy and quoted:
• India has left a deeper mark upon the history the philosophy and the religion of mankind than any other terrestrial unit in the universe.
• Curzon also took an active interest in military matters. In 1901, he founded the Imperial Cadet Corps, or ICC.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/50-asi-protected-monuments-disappear/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and is not naturally suited for the colder conditions in the Northeast, which is one of the largest producers of rubber in India.
• Kerala accounts for more than 90 percent of the total rubber production in the country.
• World’s 1st GM rubber sapling:
• World’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber sapling was recently planted at the Rubber Board’s Sarutari research farm on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam.
• It was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
• With additional copies of the gene MnSOD (manganese-containing superoxide dismutase) inserted in it, the GM rubber is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter, which is a major factor affecting the growth of rubber saplings.
• MnSOD gene used in the GM rubber was taken from the rubber plant itself.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/rubber-plantations-in-tripura-affecting-monkeys-vegetation-suggests-paper/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

Sixth Schedule in the Indian Constitution established Autonomous District Councils (ADC) in four northeastern states, namely Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet, but rarely in its pure form which is how we need it. It has an energy density almost three times that of diesel. This phenomenon makes it a rich source of energy, but the challenge is to compress or liquify the LH2 (liquid hydrogen); it needs to be kept at a stable minus 253° C (far below the temperature of minus 163° C at which Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is stored; entailing its ‘prior to use exorbitant cost’.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/centre-clears-%e2%82%b919744-crore-green-hydrogen-mission/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• While hydrogen generated through renewable energy sources is green, it is blue when the carbon generated from the process is captured and stored without dispersing it in the atmosphere. When the carbon is not captured, the generated hydrogen is labelled grey.
• The major challenge in the usage of green hydrogen will be its storage. Given the very low density of hydrogen, it will require large volumes for its storage.
• Alternatively, if one chooses to store it in the liquid form, reducing the storage space requires the maintenance of temperatures as low as minus 253° C. This will entail huge costs.
• The ‘production cost’ of ‘Green hydrogen’ has been considered to be a prime obstacle to the usage of green hydrogen.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/centre-clears-%e2%82%b919744-crore-green-hydrogen-mission/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• National Hydrogen Mission was launched on August 15, 2021, with a view to cutting down carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable sources of energy.
• Nodal Agency: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will formulate the scheme guidelines for implementation.
• All concerned ministries, departments, agencies and institutions of the Central and State Governments will undertake focused and coordinated steps

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/centre-clears-%e2%82%b919744-crore-green-hydrogen-mission/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: About the Green Urban Oases (GUO) Programme:

• GUO program contributes to FAO’s Green Cities Initiative (2020) which aimed to improve the livelihoods of urban and peri-urban populations in at least 100 cities in the next 3 years.
• The objective of the programme:
  • Turn dryland cities into “green urban oases”
  • Strengthen their overall resilience to climatic, health, food, and economic crisis
  • To reduce the impact of urbanization on biodiversity and the surrounding natural environment

Refer:  facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/mission-2023-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-5-january-2023/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: About APPU

• Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) is an intergovernmental organization of 32 member countries of the Asia-Pacific region. APPU is the only restricted union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in the region, which is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• It aims to extend, facilitate and improve postal relations between member countries
• HQ: Bangkok, Thailand

Refer:  facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/mission-2023-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-5-january-2023/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The park is located in the Nilgiri hills. It is situated in the core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• Silent Valley is home to the largest population of Lion-tailed macaques, an endangered primate specie.
• River Kunthi descends from the Nilgiri hills and traverses the entire length of the valley.

Refer:  facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/01/05/mission-2023-insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-5-january-2023/