Daily Quiz 16 July 2024

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Bail involves the temporary release of an individual accused in a criminal case pending the court’s final decision. The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, outlines the bail conditions in India but does not explicitly define “bail,” although it does categorise offences as “bailable” and “non-bailable.”.

Statement 2 is correct: The introduction of the BharatiyaNyayaSanhita (BNS), 2023, has led to significant updates in bail regulations while maintaining the core principles of bail. First-time offenders who have completed one-third of their prescribed jail term may be granted bail, except in cases involving death or life imprisonment sentences. This change aims to decrease the number of undertrial prisoners. The BNS mandates the swift handling of bail applications to avoid extended detentions of undertrial inmates. Courts are now instructed to consider bail for accused individuals in custody once a charge sheet is filed, unless strong reasons exist to refuse bail.

Answer: C

Explanation: 

• Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect: The National Security Advisor is the senior official on the National Security Council of India, and the chief advisor to the Prime Minister of India. High-level officials such as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), service chiefs, and various Union secretaries must report to the NSA, though they continue to report to their respective ministers for daily operations. The Kargil Review Committee chaired by K Subrahmanyam had suggested that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) should directly report to the PM. NSA is given a cabinet rank and the CDS is given the rank of a secretary to the Union government. In June, 2019 NSA AjitDoval was elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister with a second 5-year term. The Centre on June 13, 2024 reappointed former IPS officer AjitDoval as the National Security Adviser (NSA).
• Statement 3 is correct: The role and responsibility of the NSA and of the National Security Council have evolved with time and changing circumstance. The NSA now oversees a larger team including an Additional NSA(ANSA) and three deputy NSAs. This expansion suggests a more comprehensive approach to handling national security. The NSA’s role appears to have shifted from operational to more advisory, focusing on coordination with bodies like the National Security Advisory Board and the Strategic Policy Group.

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The DBN aims to support universal access to telecommunication services in underserved areas, along with funding research and development (R&D) in telecom technologies, supporting pilot projects, and introducing innovative telecom services and products. An administrator will be appointed to manage the DBN, selecting implementers through competitive bidding or application invitations. Contributions from telecom companies to the DBN are initially credited to the Consolidated Fund of India and subsequently transferred into the Nidhi periodically.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has introduced draft rules to establish the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN). DBN is a transformation of the older USOF, which was funded through a 5% levy on telecom operators’ Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) to expand telecom networks in rural areas. This new initiative is intended to replace the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

Statement 3 is correct: The focus will be on providing telecom services to underserved groups including women, persons with disabilities, and economically weaker sections of society. Entities that receive funding from DBN are required to share their telecom networks and services openly and on a non-discriminatory basis, adhering to guidelines set forth by the administrator.

Answer: C

Explanation:

• Option (c) is correct: Fire is a natural part of Arctic ecosystems. But as the Arctic warms, the nature of wildland fires in the region is changing. The fire season is longer with more frequent and intense fires. Reasons for worsening Arctic fires are:
  • Accelerated Arctic Warming: The Arctic is warming about four times faster than the global average, with temperatures now approximately 3 degrees Celsius higher than in 1980.
  • Increased Lightning and Thunderstorms: More frequent thunderstorms in the Arctic, a result of differential surface heating and enhanced convection, increase the likelihood of wildfires.
  • Changes in the Polar Jet Stream: Higher temperatures have slowed the polar jet stream, causing prolonged periods of warm weather and contributing to heatwaves that ignite more wildfires.
  • There is no established link between the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and the forest fires. This is a common misconception that solar storms are associated with extreme geological and atmospheric effects on Earth. Solar storms mainly affect the upper atmosphere.

Answer: D

Explanation: The aphelion is the point in the orbit of an object where it is farthest from the Sun. The point in the orbit where an object is nearest to the sun is Perihelion.

• Statement I is incorrect: If our planetary orbit were a perfect circle, the seasons’ lengths would be exactly the same — right now, spring and summer are a few days longer than fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere. But not much else would change. But if something made Earth’s orbit grow more eccentric, the consequences could be catastrophic. Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere would become too extreme — summers would be unbearably hot, and winters would be intolerably cold. This could lead to crop failures and freezes. A common misconception is that Earth’s varying distance from the Sun is what gives rise to the seasons.

Statement II is correct:Earth reaches aphelion every July. Earth has an aphelion as a result of its orbit being elliptical, rather than circular. How much an orbit deviates from a perfect circle is measured by its eccentricity. The higher the eccentricity, the more elliptical the orbit. At aphelion, Earth’s distance from the Sun is about 152.1 million km. Six months later, in early January, Earth reaches perihelion — the point at which it is closest to the Sun. At perihelion, the distance between Earth and the Sun is roughly 147.1 million km.