UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 7 February 2024

Solution: c)

Fertigation is a method of fertilizer application in which fertilizer is incorporated within the irrigation water by the drip system. In this system fertilizer solution is distributed evenly in irrigation.

By this method, fertilizer use efficiency is increased from 80 to 90 per cent as they are delivered directly to roots via drip. As water and fertilizer are supplied evenly to all the crops through fertigation there is possibility for getting 25-50 per cent higher yield.

Urea, potash and highly water soluble fertilizers are available for applying through fertigation. Urea is well suited for injection in the micro irrigation system. It is highly soluble and dissolves in non-ionic form, so that it does not react with other substances in the water.

Drip irrigation (using fertigation) also avoids water spillage on the field which could have promoted weed growth. So, fertigation also helps control weed growth.

Solution: c)

The Unique Identification Authority of India is a statutory authority established under the provisions of Aadhaar act 2016 by the Govt. of India under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.

Mission

• To provide for good governance, efficient, transparent and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India or the Consolidated Fund of State to residents of India through assigning of unique identity numbers.
• To develop policy, procedure and system for issuing Aadhaar number to residents of India, who request for same by submitting their demographic information and biometric information by undergoing the process of enrolment.
• To develop policy, procedure and systems for Aadhaar holders for updating and authenticating their digital identity.
• Ensure availability, scalability and resilience of the technology infrastructure.

Solution: c)

Impact of Sand Mining on the Environment

• Excessive sand mining can alter the river bed, force the river to change course, erode banks, and cause flooding.
• It causes river and estuary deepening, as well as the expansion of river mouths and coastal inlets.
• It may also result in saline water intrusion from the nearby sea.
• Instream mining can have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond the immediate mine sites.
• Every year, many hectares of fertile streamside land are lost, as well as valuable timber resources and wildlife habitats in riparian areas. Degraded stream habitats reduce fisheries productivity, biodiversity, and recreational potential.
• Sand mining is a direct cause of erosion and has an impact on local wildlife.
• Various animals rely on sandy beaches for nesting clutches, and mining has nearly wiped out gharials (a crocodile species) in India.

Sand mining in Chambal has had an impact on the population of Gharials, a critically endangered species (a National Chambal Sanctuary has been established for their conservation).

Solution: a)

• The concept of the “Invisible Hand” was introduced by the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher Adam Smith. It first received its economic interpretation in his 1776 book, “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.”
• The Invisible Hand is a fundamental aspect of the laissez-faire approach to the market, which essentially means “let it be” or “let it go.” In essence, this approach posits that the market has the inherent ability to reach its equilibrium without requiring government or other interventions to force it into unnatural patterns.
• The term “Invisible Hand” serves as a metaphor for the unseen forces that propel the free market economy. It signifies that, through individual self-interest and the freedom to produce and consume, the best interests of society as a whole are naturally and effectively realized.

This dynamic interplay of individual pressures on market supply and demand is responsible for the organic movement of prices and the flow of trade within the market.

Solution: d)

• Uranium enrichment process increases the proportion of U-235 through the process of isotope separation.
• For nuclear weapons, enrichment is required upto 90% or more which is known as Highly Enriched Uranium/weapons-grade uranium.
• For nuclear reactors, enrichment is required upto 3-4% which is known as Low Enriched Uranium/reactor-grade uranium.