Daily Quiz 10th August 2024

Answer: D
Explanation:
• Statements 1 and 2 areincorrect:In India, there are eight core sectors comprising coal, crude oil, natural gas, petroleum refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity. The performance of this core sector is viewed as a crucial indicator of a nation’s industrial and economic health. These eight core industries constitute 27% of the total index of industrial production (IIP). Index Of Eight Core Industries (ICI) is prepared by the Office of the Economic Advisor, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is published monthly, with the base year being 2011-12, While CSO, Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation publish the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Therefore, Highest Weightage is of Refinery products and Lowest Weightage is of Fertilisers.

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: IMD was established in 1875. It is theNational Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects. It works as an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers of the World Meteorological Organization.
• Statement 2 is correct: Its roles include; To warn against severe weather phenomena like tropical cyclones, norwesters, dust storms, heavy rains and snow, cold and heat waves,,To provide meteorological statistics required for agriculture, water resource management, industries, oil exploration and other nation-building activities and to conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines etc.

Statement 3 is correct: India Meteorological Department has established Aerosol Monitoring Network by installing sky radiometer at twelve locations. The network is used to measure optical properties of aerosols such as Aerosol Optical Depth, Single Scattering Albedo, Size Distribution, Phase Function etc. National Ozone Centre of IMD is designated as secondary regional ozone Centre for Regional Association II (Asia) of World Meteorological Organization. IMD is also monitoring Precipitation Chemistry through a network of eleven stations since 1970s

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Row 1 is correctly matched: Bt cotton, introduced in India in the early 2000s, was the first genetically modified crop to be commercialized in the country. It was engineered to be resistant to bollworm, a major pest affecting cotton crops. It has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.  Cry genes are the genes found in Bacillus thuringiensis that produce toxic molecules against specific pests and insects. These toxic proteins are crystalline and help create pores and lyse midgut cells in insects. Hence, this property was utilized in plants to create protection against pests and insects.
• Row 2 is incorrectly matched: Btbrinjal, an insect-resistant variety of eggplant, was approved by GEAC in 2009 but faced massive public backlash and was subsequently placed under an indefinite moratorium in 2010. In Btbrinjal, a gene permits the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borers. Itis a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a gene cry1Ac from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into Brinjal.  Ferritin gene is introduced in fortified rice.

Row 3 is incorrectly matched: Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 or DMH-11 is a genetically-modified variety of mustard. The DMH-11 has been developed using the genetic male sterility (GMS) technique especially ‘barstar-barnase’ system to make herbicide resistant. In October 2022, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) recommended the environmental release of the genetically-modified (GM) mustard (Brassica juncea) variety DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11 for the development of new generation hybrids

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Statements 1 and 2 are correct:Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme, which was launched on 01 October, 2021 for the period of 05 years is designed to provide universal coverage of water supply through functional taps to all households in all the statutory towns in the country and coverage of sewerage/septage management in 500 cities covered in first phase of the AMRUT scheme. AMRUT 2.0 will promote circular economy of water through development of City Water Balance Plan (CWBP) for each city focusing on recycle/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation. It will help cities to identify scope for projects focusing on universal coverage of functional water tap connections, water source conservation, rejuvenation of water bodies and wells, recycle/reuse of treated used water, and rainwater harvesting. Mission also has a reform agenda on ease of living of citizens through reduction of non-revenue water, recycle of treated used water, rejuvenation of water bodies, augmenting double entry accounting system, urban planning, strengthening urban finance etc.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), a central sector scheme of the Government of India, was launched on 21^st January 2015 with the aim of bringing together urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation in an inclusive manner & with the objective of preserving the heritage character of the City. Under the Scheme, 12 cities namely, Ajmer, Amritsar, Amaravati, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi Velankanni, Warangal have been identified for development.

Answer: B

• Explanation: In a 6:1 majority ruling on August 1, the Supreme Court determined that sub-classification within the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) categories is permissible to extend the benefits of affirmative action.

• Statement 1 is incorrect:Article 16 provides for equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters of employment or appointment to any office under the State. However, Parliament can prescribe residence as a condition for certain employment or appointment in a state or union territory or local authority or other authority.

• Statement 2 is correct: Parliament can prescribe residence as a condition for certain employment or appointment in a state or union territory or local authority or other authority. The state is also permitted to make a provision for the reservation of upto 10% of appointments or posts in favour of any economically weaker sections of citizens

Statement 3 is correct:The state is permitted to make any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The Supreme Court in Mandal case said that the ‘carry forward rule’ in case of unfilled (backlog) vacancies is valid. But it should not violate 50% rule. The ruling with regard to backlog vacancies was nullified by the 81st Amendment Act of 2000. It added another new provision in Article 16 that empowers the State to consider the unfilled reserved vacancies of a year as a separate class of vacancies to be filled up in any succeeding year or years.In brief, it ends the 50% ceiling on reservation in backlog vacancies.