[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 30 January 2023

Solution: c)

Paddy is procured by the Union government on MSP for distribution under the Public Distribution System. Basmati is neither procured by the government nor has any fixed price. It is procured by traders and exporters as Indian Basmati has large demand abroad.

Experts say that 4,000 litres of water are required to grow a kilo of paddy. Basmati cultivation, on the other hand, is largely dependent on rainwater as it takes place during the main monsoon season. Even if some early varieties are sown in June, they are harvested at least a month before the main basmati and paddy varieties, thus saving water. Basmati cultivation can also reduce stubble burning — farmers use its stubble for fodder.

Punjab is among the states and Union Territories (Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are the others) that have a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Basmati.

Solution: d)

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve to evade antibiotics. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are the biggest drivers of resistance. That means that the more we use antibiotics, the worse the problem of antibiotic resistance becomes.

Antibiotics work by binding to a specific target protein on a bacteria, then entering to kill it from the inside. Penicillin, for example, weakens the bacterial cell wall, causing the cell to disintegrate.

The most common ways bacteria evade antibiotics come from mutations that allow them to stop drugs from binding to bacteria. It’s like the bacteria changed the locks so the antibiotic key no longer opens the cell door.

Bacteria can also achieve resistance by producing proteins that inactivate or modify the antibiotic, so it no longer binds to the bacteria. Or the target protein is mutated so the antibiotic can no longer bind to it

Source

Solution: a)

While the Earth is a good conductor of electricity, it is electrically neutral.

In 2019-20, about 1.4 crore lightning strikes were recorded, which increased to 1.85 crore in 2020-21.

In 2021-22, about 1.49 crore strikes were recorded across the country. The reduction, in line with the trend observed globally, has been attributed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The reason attributed to reduction in lightning is due to Covid-2019 pandemic induced reduction in aerosol level, pollution, environmental upgradation and relatively stable weather system in Indian subcontinent,” the annual lightning report said.

But most of this reduction was seen in the cloud-to-cloud lightning. Of the strikes that reach the Earth, only a 2.5% reduction was observed.

Lightning is not classified as a natural disaster in India.

Solution: d)

A credit line is a preset borrowing limit that allows an individual or a business access to credit at any time, as per need. It can be tapped into by the customer till the limit offered is not exceeded. It is like a flexible loan as against a lump-sum loan where a fixed amount is borrowed.

Solution: c)

The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, usually known as the Aarhus Convention, was signed on 25 June 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus. It entered into force on 30 October 2001. All of the ratifying states are in Europe and Central Asia.

The Aarhus Convention grants the public rights regarding access to information, public participation and access to justice, in governmental decision-making processes on matters concerning the local, national and transboundary environment. It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities.