Daily Quiz 18 September 2024

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Pair 1 is correctly matched: India and the US have commenced the 20th edition of their joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas at the Mahajan Field Firing Range on September 09. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 9^thto 22^nd September 2024. Exercise YUDH ABHYAS has been held annually since 2004, alternating between India and the USA. Aim of the Joint Exercise is to enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter terrorism operations in a sub conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. The exercise will focus on operations in the semi-desert environment.
• Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: The 10^thedition of India- Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise MITRA SHAKTI was conducted from 12^th to 25^th August 2024. This exercise is in line with India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and its vision of “Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)”.
• Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Exercise Tarang Shakti-24 is one of the largest multinational air exercise being conducted by the Indian Air Force in Jodhpur. Participating Countries: (10) including US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and UAE. It is the First-ever multinational air exercise of India Hosted by Indian Air force.

Answer: A

Explanation: The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has cleared various projects. Projects include controversial transmission line projects in Little Rann of Kutch and Mollem National Park.

• Row 1 is incorrectly matched: Mollem National Park is located in the Western Ghats of Goa, India, near the town of Molem, 35 miles east of Panaji. Vegetation is tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, and moist deciduous forests.

Fauna: Leopard, Bengal tiger, bonnet macaque, gaur, Malabar giant squirrel, porcupine, slender loris, Greater Indian hornbill, ruby-throated yellow bulbul (the state bird of Goa). It includes Dudhsagar Falls and Tambdi Falls. It is home to a nomadic buffalo herders called the Dhangar.community of

• Row 2 is incorrectly matched: Wild Ass Sanctuary is located in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, India. It is home to the only wild population of the Indian Wild Ass (Khur), a subspecies of the Asiatic Wild Ass. Other Fauna: blue bull, hare, wolf, Indian fox, jackal, hyena, wild boar, desert cat etc. It is home to a large population of Rabari and Bharwad tribes. Threats: Illegal Salt Panning.

Row 3 is correctly matched: Mouling National Park is located in the Adi Hills of the Eastern Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh, India. The park is spread across the Upper Siang, West Siang, and East Siang districts. Many endangered species like takins, snowclouded leopard, golden languor, hornbill, monal scalater, serrow are spotted here.

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Option (d) is correct: The Agariyas are a community of salt farmers who live and work in the Rann of Kutch, a vast desert in Gujarat, India. They produce about 75% of the country’s salt by pumping out highly saline groundwater and evaporating it in salt pans. The Agariya are also known as the Chunvalia Kolis. One of the most striking effects of salt farming on the Agariyas is calcification of the bones. As a result, when the Agariyas die, their bones do not burn completely in the funeral pyre. Salt pans are low-lying areas where seawater flows in and evaporates, leaving behind salt and minerals. Under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification of 2011, salt pans fall under CRZ-1B, which restricts economic activities except for salt extraction and natural gas exploration. Salt pans, together with mangroves serve as natural flood barriers absorbing excess water during heavy rainfall and high tides. Nationally, some 60,000 acres have been demarcated as salt pan lands, spread across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, and Karnataka.

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Statements I and II are correct: SCD is an inherited blood disorder that causes red blood cells to become abnormally shaped and sickle-like. The prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease is very high among tribal communities in India. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both parents must carry a variant of the gene for the disorder. People who inherit one sickle cell gene and one normal haemoglobin gene are healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene. Malaria is a potentially life threatening condition. Mosquitoes infected with a parasite called Plasmodium transmit malaria through their bites. Sickle cell mutations in hemoglobin make RBCs sickle-shaped. This causes them to be ineffective in doing their job of carrying blood oxygen. When the malaria parasite enters your body, it infects RBCs. Sickle-shaped RBCs create a very hostile environment for the parasite’s growth, partially due to low oxygen levels. Therefore, People with sickle cell trait have red blood cells that make it harder for the malaria germ to grow. This means that people with sickle cell trait are less likely to get as sick from malaria as others.
• Thus, Statement II is the correct explanation for Statement I.
• Additional Information: National Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission was launched in 2023 to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem in India before 2047. The only cure for this disease is bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.

Answer: C

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: PM Vishwakarma, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched on 17th September, 2023 by the Prime Minister to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools. The Scheme covers artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades. The scheme is for artisans and craftspeople who work in the unorganised sector on a self-employed basis. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) is the Nodal Ministry for the Scheme.
• Statement 2 is correct: The scheme offers Issuance of a PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card. It offers basic training (5-7 days) and advanced training (15+ days) with a daily stipend of Rs. 500. It provides up to Rs. 15,000 in e-vouchers for tools at the start of basic training. It offers collateral-free loans up to Rs. 3 lakh in two parts, with subsidised interest rates and conditions for eligibility based on training completion and digital transaction adoption.