Question 21: Consider the following statements:

1. Ninth schedule was added by the 1st Amendment to protect the laws included in it from judicial scrutiny on the ground of violation of fundamental rights.
2. Most of the laws protected under the Schedule concern agriculture/land issues.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: C

Explanation

• Ninth schedule was added by the 1st Amendment (1951) to protect the laws included in it from judicial scrutiny on the ground of violation of fundamental rights.
• However, in I R Coelho vs State of Tamil Nadu case, Supreme Court ruled that laws cannot escape the “basic structure” test if inserted into Ninth Schedule after 1973.
• The Ninth Schedule contains a list of central and state laws which cannot be challenged in courts. Currently, 284 such laws are shielded from judicial review. Most of the laws protected under the Schedule concern agriculture/land issues.
• The Schedule became a part of the Constitution in 1951, when the document was amended for the first time. It was created by the new Article 31B, which along with 31A was brought in by the government to protect laws related to agrarian reform and for abolishing the Zamindari system. While A. 31A extends protection to ‘classes’ of laws, 31B shields specific laws or enactments.

Question 22: Consider the following statements with respect to Methane Alert and Response System:

1. It was launched at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
2. It will integrate data from a large number of existing and future satellites that have the ability to detect methane emission events anywhere in the world.
3. It will track the large point emission sources, mainly in the fossil fuel industry.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

• Recently the United Nations (UN) has decided to set up a satellite-based monitoring system “MARS: Methane Alert and Response System” for tracking methane emissions and alerting governments and corporations to respond.
• The MARS initiative is intended to strengthen the efforts to cut methane emissions. What is Methane Alert and Response System (MARS)?
• The MARS was launched at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
• The data-to-action platform was set up as part of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to get policy- relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation.
• The system will be the first publicly available global system to connect methane detection to notification processes transparently.

Objectives:

• MARS will integrate data from a large number of existing and future satellites that have the ability to detect methane emission events anywhere in the world and send out notifications to the relevant stakeholders to act on it.
• MARS will track the large point emission sources, mainly in the fossil fuel industry, but with time, would be able to detect emissions from coal, waste, livestock and rice fields as well.

Question 23: Consider the following statements with respect to Nadaprabhu Kempegowda:

1. Nadaprabhu Kempegowda was the chieftain under the Chola Empire.
2. He is widely acknowledged as the founder of Bengaluru.
3. Statue of Prosperity in Bengaluru, credited to him.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: B

Explanation

• The Prime Minister of India unveiled a 108-foot statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda and inaugurated Terminal 2 of Bengaluru airport, which is named after the 16th-century figure credited with founding the city.
• The status is called the “Statue of Prosperity”.

Nadaprabhu Kempegowda

• He was the chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire of the 16th century.
• He is an iconic figure among Vokkaligas, Karnataka’s second most dominant community after Lingayats.
• He is widely acknowledged as the founder of Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Kempegowda has been credited for abolishing the practice of cutting the fingers of the left hand of an unmarried woman during a custom known as ‘Bandi Devaru’, an important custom of Morasu Vokkaligas.

Question 24: Two elephant corridors, the Nandimangalam-Ulibanda Corridor and the Kovai Palam-Anebiddahalla Corridor comes in which of the following wildlife sanctuary:

1. Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
2. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
3. Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

• The Tamil Nadu government has declared an area in the reserve forests of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri as the Cauvery South Wildlife It is the 17th Wildlife sanctuary of Tamil Nadu.
• According to the notification, the landscape now declared as the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary is an important elephant habitat comprising of two elephant corridors:

1. the Nandimangalam-Ulibanda Corridor and
2. the Kovai Palam-Anebiddahalla Corridor.

Question 25: Consider the following statements:

1. Indian skimmer can be seen during winter at the Coringa wildlife sanctuary.
2. Chambal river is an important nesting site for Indian Skimmer.
3. Indian skimmer is categorized under Endangered status as per IUCN.

Which of the following statements is/are true?

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

• Indian skimmer is seen in huge flocks during winter at the Curinga wildlife sanctuary (Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh).
• Distribution: Found in the coastal estuaries of western and eastern India. Chambal river is an important nesting site for Indian Skimmer.
• IUCN status: Endangered.