[Mission 2024] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 6 July 2023

Solution: c)

The Shakyas who ruled Kapilavastu after Buddha’s Parinirvana did not have an army, and many were massacred in Sagarahawa. Eventually, the remaining Shakyas fled to different parts of Greater Magadha and to far-flung places like Gandhara (modern-day Afghanistan) and Burma (Myanmar). Many also went to the Kathmandu valley and were granted a status comparable to that of the Vajracharya priests, but they were not permitted to practise priesthood outside of their families.

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Solution: a)

Only statement 2 is correct.

International Buddhist Confederation is the biggest religious Buddhist confederation, based in New Delhi.

It was at Sarnath that Buddha gave his first sermon and set the wheel of dharma in motion. The auspicious day of Ashadha Purnima which falls on the full moon day of the month of Ashadha as per Indian lunar calendar is also known as Esala Poya in Sri Lanka and Asanha Bucha in Thailand.

The day marks Buddha’s first teaching after attaining Enlightenment to the first five ascetic disciples (pañcavargiya) on the full-moon day of Ashadha at ‘Deer Park’, Ṛiṣipatana Mrigadaya in the present day Sarnath, near Varanasi, India.

Source

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Ambergris, which means grey amber in French, is a waxy substance that originates from the digestive system of protected sperm whales. 

Ambergris is a rare substance, which contributes to its high demand and high price in the international market. Traditionally, it is used to produce perfumes which have notes of musk. While there are records of it being used to flavour food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco in some cultures in the past, it is rarely used for these purposes presently.

While there is a ban on the possession and trade of ambergris in countries like the USA, Australia and India, in several other countries it is a tradable commodity, though with limitations in some of them. In the Indian context, sperm whales are a protected species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act and possession or trade of any of its by-products, including Ambergris and its byproducts, is illegal under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. 

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Solution: a)

MSP can be anything that the government considers that the farmers should fairly get. This is to help them get fair remuneration for their produce and to motivate or demotivate them to produce a particular crop. Hence it can be either lower or higher than the market price. For e.g. if the government wishes to discourage rice farming, it would lower the MSP of rice.

The procurement system decentralization was started in 1997 where states play a very important role in the supply chain. Not all procurements are done by FCI. State cooperative agencies and other state-level distribution agencies also play a crucial role.

Solution: d)

For centuries, Jammu and Kashmir’s nomadic community, known as Gujjars and Bakerwals, have undertaken arduous journeys on foot as part of their seasonal migration to find better pastures for their livestock.