23 February 2024

Q1. What is/are the purpose/purposes of `District Mineral Foundations’ in India?

1. Promoting mineral exploration activities in mineral-rich districts
2. Protecting the interests of the persons affected by mining operations
3. Authorizing State Governments to issue licenses for mineral exploration

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• All other statements apart from 2 are wrong.
• District Mineral Foundation (“DMF”) was first bought into the picture in 2015, by way of the Mine and Minerals Development Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015 (“2015 Amendment Act”). DMF is a non-profit body established to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining or mining-related operations. Vide, the said amendment, the State Governments were vested with the responsibility of setting up DMFs in every mining district of the respective States and to prescribe the composition and functioning of DMFs including utilization of the funds.The new Amendment Act, 2021 now empowers the Central Government to direct the utilization of the DMF’s.

Q2. Consider the following statements the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC):

1. It is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world.
2. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis
3. The headquarters of the Council are at the United Nations Office at Geneva in Switzerland.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The United Nations Human Rights Council is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The headquarters of the Council are at the United Nations Office at Geneva in Switzerland

Q3. Consider the following statements International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT):

1. It is an international organization that conducts agricultural research for rural development.
2. It operates under the charters of the FAO and UNDP.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) (HQ: Patancheru, Hyderabad; founded 1972 with support from the Ford and Rockefeller foundations) is an international organization that conducts agricultural research for rural development.
• It has regional centres in Mali and Kenya, along with research stations in several African countries. ICRISAT operates under the charters of the FAO and UNDP. It holds a special status as a UN organization in India, granting it certain immunities and tax privileges.

Q4. Consider the following statements about Nilgiri Tahr:

1. It is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western India.
2. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
3. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red list.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

1. The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India.
2. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

Q5. Consider the following statements about North Sea:

1. It is located entirely within the Pacific Ocean.
2. It is bounded by four ocean currents forming an ocean gyre.
3. It is the only sea without a land boundary.

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Geographically, the North Sea lies between England and Scotland on its west, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France on its south, and Norway, Denmark, and Germany on its East.
• Why is the North Sea important?
• Almost the entire seabed of the North Sea is a continental shelf (depth of only about 200 meters). The geological formations beneath the North Sea, such as porous rocks and structural traps, provide suitable environments for the collection of oil and gas reserves.