[Mission 2024] Current Affairs Quiz , 7 September 2023

Solution: a)

Only statement 1 is correct.

The latest edition of the Minor Irrigation Census (MIC) — a compendium of borewells, tubewells, and other privately owned irrigation sources by farmers — finds that electricity is the dominant source of power to extract water, over diesel, windmills, and solar pumps.

While the use of electricity showed a quantum jump from powering only 56% of sources in 2011 to 70% in 2017, the latest report, made public last week, shows electricity as powering 76% of sources – a slower growth rate.

The MIC reports aren’t a reflection of the present state of use. The data made public in the latest, sixth edition of the report, reflects irrigation trends in 2017-18. Similarly the report released in 2017, or the fifth edition, reflected data in 2013-14 and the report of 2011, the situation in 2006-07. Because data collection requires collecting granular data down to the block level, it takes a few years to compile and make the data public.

This electrification of groundwater withdrawal corresponds to a rise in the use of tubewells and borewells that are capable of extracting water at greater depths.

Source

Solution: d)

Import cover is the number of months of imports that could be covered for by a country’s international reserves. Import cover is an important indicator of the stability of a currency.

‘Import Substitution’ (IS) generally refers to policy that eliminates the importation of the commodity and allows for the production in the domestic market. The objective of this policy is to bring about structural changes in the economy.

Solution: a)

Only statement 3 is correct.

Ramsar secretariat designating a wetland as wetland of global importance may not lead to any extra funding by the global body.

But from the management point of view, it is like an accreditation. It is like an ISO certification. They can take you off the list as well if you don’t meet their standards continuously. 

Not every Ramsar Site is a notified protected area under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Solution: c)

The rare earth minerals (REM) are a set of seventeen metallic elements. These include the fifteen lanthanides on the periodic table in addition to scandium and yttrium that show similar physical and chemical properties to the lanthanides.

They are called ‘rare earth’ because earlier it was difficult to extract them from their oxides forms technologically.

For instance, magnets made from rare earths are many times more powerful than conventional ones.

Some REEs are available in India — such as Lanthanum, Cerium, Neodymium, Praseodymium and Samarium, etc. Others such as Dysprosium, Terbium, and Europium, which are classified as heavy REEs (HREEs), are not available in Indian deposits in extractable quantities. Hence, there is a dependence on countries such as China for HREEs, which is one of the leading producers of REEs, with an estimated 70 per cent share of the global production.

Solution: a)

Only statement 1 is correct.

The Supreme Court held that chargesheets are not ‘public documents’ and enabling their free public access violates the provisions of the Criminal Code of Procedure as it compromises the rights of the accused, victim, and the investigation agencies.

Section 74 of the Evidence Act defines ‘public documents’ as those which form the acts or records of sovereign authority, official bodies, tribunals, and of public offices either legislative, judicial or executive in any part of India, Commonwealth or a foreign country. It also includes public records “kept in any State of private documents”.

Meanwhile, Section 76 of the Evidence Act mandates every public officer having custody over such documents to provide its copy pursuant to a demand and payment of legal fee, accompanied by a certificate of attestation along with the date, seal, name and designation of the officer.