[Mission 2024] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 12 October 2023

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The Urban20 group was started in 2017 and had its first meeting in Buenos Aeries in 2018. The group is not an official working group under G20 and is run by C40 – a global network of Mayors – and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), another network of city and local governments. It is chaired by a host city from the host country each year.

This year, Ahmedabad was the host and was supported by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). Mayors from select cities in G20 and invitee countries gather to deliberate on a communique which is then handed over to the host country’s sherpa or government for consideration to be included in the leaders’ declaration.

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Solution: c)

Tomato, onion and potato together account for only 2.2% of headline CPI inflation but contribute nearly 50% to the variance in headline inflation. The usual drivers of such spikes are – deficient or excess rainfall, heatwaves or strikes in mandi, speculation and hoarding. Since the demand for them is relatively inelastic, inflation becomes a serious problem.

According to the RBI ‘State of the Economy’ report, the recent spike in tomato prices on account of crop damage due to inclement weather and pest attacks in the major production belts has received widespread attention as it has taken a toll on households’ budgets.

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Solution: a)

Only Statement 2 is correct.

In the civil nuclear sector, the Indian government is pushing Small Modular Reactors or SMR as a technology of promise that can help in industrial decarbonisation, including a determined hard sell of the country’s ability to take a leadership role in the dissemination of this technology.

SMRs are essentially advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of 30MWe to 300 MWe (megawatt electrical) per unit, which is about a third of the generating capacity of most traditional nuclear power reactors and that can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity. These impact grid flexibility along with baseload power, especially given the imperative of inducting renewables into the grid.

As of now, there are two SMR projects that have reached at operational stage globally: an SMR named Akademik Lomonosov floating power unit in Russia that has two modules of 35 MWe and started commercial operation in May 2020, and an HTR-PM demonstration SMR in China that was grid-connected in December 2021. Argentina is another country that has some experience in working on SMR prototype designs. India is attempting to pitch itself as an alternative to Russia and China in this niche field.

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Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

Jointly developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), an Earth-observation satellite, called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar).

NISAR has been built by space agencies of the US and India under a partnership agreement signed in 2014. The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.

NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces, helping researchers better understand the causes and consequences of such phenomena. It will spot warning signs of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides. The satellite will also measure groundwater levels, track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets, and monitor the planet’s forest and agricultural regions, which can improve our understanding of carbon exchange.

ISRO will use NISAR for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and monitoring of glaciers in the Himalayas, landslide-prone areas and changes in the coastline.

By using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), NISAR will produce high-resolution images. SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.

Solution: c)

Statement 4 is incorrect.

PESA empowers gram sabhas to play a key role in approving development plans and controlling all social sectors. This includes the processes and personnel who implement policies, exercising control over minor (non-timber) forest resources, minor water bodies and minor minerals, managing local markets, preventing land alienation and regulating intoxicants among other things.

The gram sabha would have the powers to monitor and prohibit the manufacturing, transport, sale and consumption of intoxicants within their village limits.