03 November 2022

1. Take into account the following statements about the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund:

1. The money is raised to help those impacted by both natural and man-made disasters.
2. The Finance Ministry oversees the fund.
3. Only voluntary donations from people and organisations are accepted by PMNRF.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1 and 2 only

2 and 3 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

Explanation

• The first statement is true.
• Following a request from the then-prime minister, Pt. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), created by Jawaharlal Nehru in January 1948 with financial support from the general populace, provides aid to Pakistani refugees.
• The PMNRF’s resources are now mostly used to provide emergency aid to the victims of significant accidents and riots as well as to the families of those murdered in natural disasters like floods, cyclones, and earthquakes, etc.
• The PMNRF also provides assistance to partially cover the costs of medical care, such as heart operations, kidney transplants, cancer treatments, and acid attack recovery, etc.
• The second statement is untrue.
• The fund is handled by the prime minister or a number of delegates for national reasons and is designated as a Trust under the Income Tax Act.
• PMNRF does not pay a licencing fee and runs out of the Prime Minister’s Office.
• In accordance with Sections 10 and 139 of the Income Tax Act of 1961, PMNRF is exempt from payment of taxes.
• Section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act of 1961 notifies contributors that their contributions to the PMNRF are eligible for a 100% deduction from taxable income.
• The chairman of the PMNRF is the prime minister, who is aided on an honorary basis by officers and staff.
• The third statement is true.
• Only voluntary donations from people and organisations are accepted by PMNRF.
• Contributions coming from the government’s budget or the balance sheets of public sector organisations are not accepted.
• The Fund does not accept conditional contributions, which are those where the donor makes it clear that the money is intended for a particular use.

2.Take into account the following statements about the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM):

1. All Indian people will receive digital health IDs as part of this initiative, which will enable hospitals, insurance companies, and individuals to electronically access medical records as needed.
2. The implementing agency will be the National Health Authority (NHA), which is a division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

• Both of the claims are true.
• The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) seeks to create the framework required to sustain the nation’s integrated digital health infrastructure.
• Through digital highways, it would close the distance between the various healthcare ecosystem stakeholders.
• To do this, all Indian people are given digital health IDs, which enable hospitals, insurance companies, and individuals to electronically access medical records as needed.
• The ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) Number will be used to uniquely identify individuals, authenticate them, and connect their health records across many systems and stakeholders (but only with the patient’s informed consent).
• The implementing agency will be the National Health Authority (NHA), which is a division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

3. What of the following departments began the HARIT Aaykar initiative?

Department of Technology and Science

Office of Personnel and Training

Environment and Climate Change Department

Office of Income Tax

Explanation

• The HARIT Aaykar (Hariyali Achievement Resolution by Income Tax) project has been started by the Income Tax Department.
• The Department commits to increasing the amount of green space around the buildings housing the Income Tax Department as well as other public locations by planting trees and establishing micro-forests as part of this programme.
• The tree density and biodiversity are maximised in a micro-forest, which is a small, planted forest.
• Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist, developed the Miyawaki method in the 1980s as a way to grow microforests on little pieces of land.

4.Take into account the following statements regarding Kalanamak rice:

1. It is a conventional kind of rice with a powerful smell and a black husk.
2. Gujarat and Maharashtra are the states where it is raised.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1 Only

2 Only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

• The first statement is true. It is believed that Lord Buddha gave the inhabitants of Sravasti Kalanamak, a traditional kind of paddy with a black husk and powerful smell, when he visited the area after attaining enlightenment.
• The second claim is untrue. It is grown in Nepal and in 11 districts of northeastern Uttar Pradesh’s Terai region.
• The traditional variety’s low yield can be attributed to its propensity for “lodging.”
• When a plant lodgings, the stem weakens, the top of the plant becomes heavy from grain production, and the plant collapses to the ground.
• The Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully created two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice in order to address the issue.
• Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652 are their respective designations.

5.Take into account the following statements on the doctrine of pleasure:

1. It is an idea originated from English common law, according to which the crown may at any time renounce the services of anyone it employs.
2. According to Article 310 of the Indian Constitution, the President appoints all members of the defence or civil service of the Union to their positions.
3. According to the Constitution, the term “pleasure” is understood to relate to the Chief Minister’s authority to fire a Minister.
4. A minister cannot be fired by the governor of an Indian state on his own.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1, 2 and 3

2, 3 and 4

1, 3 and 4

1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

• The statements are all true.
• Under the English common law’s “pleasure doctrine,” the monarch has the right to terminate any employee’s employment at any moment.
• According to Article 310 of the Indian Constitution, each member of the Union’s defence or civil service serves at the pleasure of the President, and each employee of a state’s civil service serves at the discretion of the Governor.
• However, removal of a civil servant is subject to limitations set forth in Article 311. It stipulates that government employees should have a fair chance to have their charges against them heard.
• There is also a clause that allows the inquiry to be dropped if it is not practical to conduct it or if doing so would compromise national security.
• In actuality, the President’s pleasure is that of the Union government in this instance, but the Governor’s pleasure is that of the State government.
• According to Article 164, the Governor appoints the Chief Minister, and the Governor consults the CM before appointing the other Ministers. It also states that Ministers serve at the Governor’s pleasure.
• The term “pleasure” is also understood to refer to the Chief Minister’s authority to fire a Minister, not the Governor, in a constitutional arrangement where they are appointed exclusively on the CM’s advice.

6. Which of the following contains the chemical called curcumin?

Tulsi

Turmeric

Neem

Onion

Explanation

• The Curcuma longa variety of plants generate curcumin, a substance that is bright yellow in colour.
• It is the main curcuminoid found in turmeric, which belongs to the Zingiberaceae family of ginger plants.
• It is offered as a culinary flavouring, food colouring, cosmetic ingredient, and herbal supplement.
• Researchers from the Transdisciplinary University of Health Sciences & Technology (TDU), Bengaluru, have successfully validated the immunomodulation ability of a natural phytochemical compound with curcumin as the active ingredient, marking a significant advance in immunising cattle against infectious diseases, including mastitis.

7.Take into account the following statements about ancient viral DNA:

1. These genomes contain viral DNA that dates back to earlier infections.
2. By preventing current viruses from entering host cells, it can protect against infections from viruses that come from outside the body of an organism.
3. Endogenous retroviruses do not have an antiviral effect on humans.

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1 and 2 only

2 and 3 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

Explanation

• The first and second claims are both true.
• Endogenous retroviruses, or little pieces of DNA from old viruses, are present in the genomes of numerous species, including mice, chickens, cats, and sheep.
• When a retrovirus infects a cell, its RNA is first transformed to DNA and then integrated into the host’s genome.
• Previous research has demonstrated that endogenous retroviruses, or pieces of ancient viral DNA, are present in the genomes of mice, chickens, cats, and sheep and offer defence against current viruses that arise externally by preventing them from accessing host cells.
• The third statement is untrue.
• Recently, a study (Science) using human cells in culture discovered that endogenous retroviruses may also have an antiviral effect on people.
• The research suggests the existence of a genomic defence system that has not yet been characterised but may be highly complex.
• The human genome contains roughly 8% endogenous retroviruses. When a retrovirus infects a cell, its RNA is turned into DNA and incorporated into the host’s genome. Next, the cell produces additional virus. However, some retroviruses infect germ cells, such as an egg or sperm, opening the way for retroviral DNA to travel from parent to offspring. Typically, retroviruses infect cells that do not transmit from one generation to the next.

8. Which of the following nations surrounds the Black Sea:

1. Ukraine
2. Russia
3. Georgia
4. Turkey
5. Bulgaria
6. Romania

Select the right option from the list of codes below:

1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2, 3, 4 and 5

1, 3, 4 and 6

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Explanation

• The southernmost point of Europe is where the Black Sea is.
• Ukraine and Russia border it on the north, Georgia and Turkey on the east, Georgia and Russia on the northeast, and Bulgaria and Romania on the west.
• Major rivers, primarily the Danube, Dnieper, and Don, supply the Black Sea.
• One of the largest bodies of water and most well-known inland sea in the world is the Black Sea, also called the Euxine Sea.

9. The Ganges river dolphin is described in the following ways:

1. They are mostly blind and can only survive in freshwater.
2. Females are smaller than males and only give birth to one calf once every two to three years.
3. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) most recent Red List Assessment of the species, they are classified as “Vulnerable.”

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1 only

1 and 2 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

Explanation

Along with various species of turtle, crocodile, and shark, dolphins are among the world’s oldest living things.

In 1801 the dolphin of the Ganges river was identified. Dolphins from the Ganges River once roamed the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Karnaphuli rivers in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. But the majority of the species’ original geographical regions have been lost to time.

• The first statement is true.
• The Ganges river dolphin is essentially blind and can only live in freshwater.
• They use ultrasonic noises to hunt, and when the waves reverberate off of fish and other prey, they are able to “see” an image in their minds.
• The majority of the time, a mother and calf roam together, although they are frequently seen alone or in small groups. Calves are born with chocolate brown skin, which turns to smooth, hairless skin in the adult stage.
• The second claim is untrue. Males are smaller than females, and just one calf is born once every two to three years.
• The third statement is untrue. The Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) has been designated as “Endangered” in the most recent Red List Assessment of the species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

10.Take into account the following claims about the Namami Gange programme:

1. It is a flagship programme that comprehensively combines efforts to clean up and safeguard the Ganga River and its tributaries.
2. It is run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.
3. The National Mission for Clean Ganga is responsible for carrying out the initiative (NMCG).

Which of the aforementioned statements is true?

1 and 2 only

2 and 3 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

Explanation

• The statements are all true.
• The Union Government designated the Namami Gange Programme as a “Flagship Program” in June 2014 to achieve the twin goals of effective pollution abatement and conservation and restoration of the National River Ganga and its tributaries.
• By using a river basin approach, the Government of India has developed the Namami Gange Program, an integrated umbrella programme designed to ensure effective pollution abatement and protection of the Ganga and its tributaries.
• For the rejuvenation of the Ganga River, Namami Gange has undertaken a comprehensive set of interventions in the fields of wastewater treatment, solid waste management, river front management (ghats and crematoria development), e-flow, afforestation, biodiversity conservation, and public participation.
• It is run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its state counterpart organisations, State Initiative Management Groups, are in charge of carrying out the programme (SPMGs).