Question 11: Consider the following statements:
- The Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystem (SAIME) initiative is a step taken by farmers to restore mangrove cultivation.
- Farmers have taken up cultivation of shrimp in West Bengal including indigenous varieties of shrimps such as black tiger shrimp.
- The Sundarbans Forest is about 10,000 sq. km across India and Bangladesh, of which 40% lies in India.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
The Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystem (SAIME) initiative is a step taken by farmers to restore mangrove cultivation.
SAIME:
- The community-based initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation is being conceived by Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) and Global Nature Fund (GNF), and Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS).
- The initiative started in 2019, has established a collaborative ecosystem integrating several key stakeholders from government departments, academia, and research institutes for co-creation and comprehensive advancement of this project.
- Farmers have taken up cultivation of shrimp in West Bengal including indigenous varieties of shrimps such as black tiger shrimp (P. monodon) and giant freshwater prawn (M. rosenbergii ).
- A research program on the contribution of mangrove leaf litter in the nutritional dynamics in SAIME ponds has been initiated in collaboration with the Centre for Excellence in Blue Economy (CoE-BE) of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata
- Fishing, particularly shrimp cultivation, is one of the key occupations of the people of Sundarbans, which is a complex network of rivers and low-lying islands that face a tide surge twice a day.
- Shrimp cultivation is practiced in about 15,000 to 20,000 hectares of the unique ecosystem in India.
- The Sundarbans Forest is about 10,000 sq. km across India and Bangladesh, of which 40% lies in India.
Question 12: Consider the following statements:
- Vibrant Village Program (VVP) announced in the Union Budget FY 2022-23.
- Vibrant Village Program (VVP) is aiming at enhancing infrastructure in villages along India’s border with China.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 2 only
D) Neither 1 nor 2
Correct Answer: C
Explanation
- The migration of people from border areas, in search of more facilities, will be minimized in the next two years, with effective implementation of the Centre’s new Vibrant Village Program (VVP).
- Through the VVP announced in the Union Budget FY 2022-23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to rehabilitate people living along the international borders by providing them with all basic facilities, Pramanik said.
- VVP is aiming at enhancing infrastructure in villages along India’s border with China, in states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Activities under the VVP include building infrastructure such as housing, tourist centers, road connectivity, providing decentralized renewable energy, direct-to-home access for Door Darshan and educational channels, and support for livelihood generation.
Question 13: Consider the following statements:
- Phytorid is a self-sustainable technology for wastewater treatment that works on the principle of natural wetland.
- Phytorid technology is developed and internationally patented by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
- This technology involves a constructed wetland exclusively designed for the treatment of municipal, urban, agricultural and industrial wastewater.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
- Phytorid is a self-sustainable technology for wastewater treatment that works on the principle of natural wetland.
- This technology involves a constructed wetland exclusively designed for the treatment of municipal, urban, agricultural and industrial wastewater.
- The treated effluent is useful for municipal gardens, fountains and irrigation.
- Phytorid technology is developed and internationally patented by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nagpur.
Question 14: Consider the following statements about Savitribai Phule:
- She became the first female teacher in India.
- She opened a clinic for victims of the bubonic plague.
- She had set up Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
Savitribai Phule:
- Born in Naigaon in Maharashtra on January 3, 1831, Phule is widely regarded as one of India’s first-generation modern feminists for her significant contributions in ensuring equal education opportunities under the British raj.
- She became the first female teacher in India in 1848 and opened a school for girls along with her husband, social reformer Jyotirao Phule.
- The two also worked against discrimination based on caste-based identity, something vehemently opposed by the orthodox sections of society in Pune.
- She went on to establish a shelter for widows in 1854 which she further built on in 1864 to also accommodate destitute women and child brides cast aside by their families.
- Phule also played a pivotal role in directing the work of the Satyashodhak Samaj, formed by her husband with the objective to achieve equal rights for the marginalized lower castes.
- Savitribai opened a clinic in 1897 for victims of the bubonic plague that spread across Maharashtra just before the turn of the century.
- She also set up “Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha”.
- In her honour, University of Pune was renamed Savitribai Phule University in 2014.
- She established the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness for issues concerning women’s rights.
Question 15: Consider the following statements:
- State-owned Oil India Limited commissioned India’s first 99.99 per cent pure green hydrogen plant in Uttar Pradesh.
- Green hydrogen is not commercially viable at present.
- Hydrogen fuel cell cars have a near-zero carbon footprint.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
A) 1 and 2
B) 2 and 3
C) 1 and 3
D) 1, 2, and 3
Correct Answer: B
Explanation
- In April 2022, state-owned Oil India Limited commissioned India’s first 99.99 per cent pure green hydrogen plant in Jorhat, Assam.
- Green hydrogen has specific advantages. One, it is a clean burning molecule that can decarbonize a range of sectors including iron and steel, chemicals, and transportation. Two, renewable energy that cannot be stored or used by the grid can be channeled to produce hydrogen.
- Green hydrogen is not commercially viable at present. The current cost in India is around Rs 350-400 per kg; it is likely to become viable only at a production cost of under Rs 100/ kg. This is what the Hydrogen Energy Mission aims for.
- Hydrogen fuel cell cars have a near-zero carbon footprint. Hydrogen is about 2-3 times as efficient as burning petrol, because an electric chemical reaction is much more efficient than combustion.