Civils Prelims 2021 Model Questions ( GS ) Set No. 27

Set No. 27 {Prepared on 22.9.2021 } Prepared by :P.Potayya Sarma

Civils Prelims 2021 Model Questions (for GS Paper )

Set No. 27 {Prepared on 22.9.2021 } Prepared by :P.Potayya Sarma

Mobile No.8143189271

1)Consider the following with reference to 2023 as “International Year of Millets :

Prime Minister had announced the need for the promotion of Millets in the country. The UN General Assembly also declared year 2023 as “International Year of Millets”.

1)Millets are grown on marginal and un-irrigated land and procurement will help in doubling farmers income.

2)Millets are more nutritious and hence would help India fight against malnutrition,

3)Millets are more environment friendly and hence help in promoting sustainable agriculture and in preservation of environment, Local procurement and local consumption will save transportation and avoidable movement of other cereals and Shelf life of some coarse grains is more than three months.

4)Coarse grains are procured by State Government Agencies/FCI from farmers as per extant guidelines.

5)The major coarse grains crop covered under Minimum Support Price (MSP) are Jowar (Hybrid), Jowar (Maldandi), Bajra, Ragi, Maize and Barley. All millets, Maize and Barely are known as Coarse grains.In India, total 3,04,914 farmers have been benefitted during KMS 2020-21. Total of 1162886 (11.62 LMT) coarse grains have been procured during year 2020-21.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

2)Consider the following with reference to GDP :

1)“Economies in Asia and the Pacific will continue to feel the blow of the COVID-19 pandemic this year (2020)even as lockdowns are slowly eased and select economic activities restart in a ‘new normal’ scenario,” said ADB chief economist.

2)“While we see a higher growth outlook for the region in 2021, this is mainly due to weak numbers this year(2020), and this will not be a V-shaped recovery,” and said. “Governments should undertake policy measures to reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 and ensure that no further waves of outbreaks occur.”

3)“High-frequency indicators such as purchasing managers’ indexes fell to all-time lows in April,2020 reflecting the bleak outlook.

4)Migrant workers have gone home to their villages after losing their jobs in the cities and will be slow to return even after containment measures are relaxed. GDP is expected to contract by 4% in FY2020 before rebounding by 5% in FY2021,”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

3)Consider the following with reference to FELUDA technology :

1)The FELUDA technology has already been licensed to the Tata Group by CSIR in 2020. The test was employed — it isn’t clear how many — during the concluded Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.

2)The CSIR- IGIB had developed a coronavirus detection test that employed a gene-editing technology, called CRISPR.

3)A paper-strip based test that needs to be analysed in a laboratory, FELUDA’s promise is that it is a relatively simpler test to execute, using which results can be known faster than in a traditional RT-PCR based test.

4)This initiative in partnership with Tata MD, to deploy the RT-PCR CRISPR test across multiple CSIR labs spread across the country is an important step. This will augment the national capacity to test for COVID and detect it locally” Director-General, CSIR, said in a statement.

5)CSIR and Tata MD will jointly develop the testing capacity and the RT-PCR CRISPR test will be done using the Tata MD CHECK SARS-CoV-2 test kits that are powered by FELUDA technology from CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB),” a statement

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

4)Consider the following with reference to Manipur :

1)Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a parallel crisis of democracy is unfolding in Manipur — one which also reflects on the state of Indian democracy in general, where the mandate of the people decided at periodic elections is increasingly being allowed to be twisted by turncoat-elected representatives to serve the end of their unique and grotesque power game.

2)So endemic had defection become, that a law — the 10th Schedule — was introduced in 1985 by the 52nd amendment of the Constitution, but when the loopholes in the law were being exploited to make it irrelevant, it was toughened in 2003 by the 91st amendment of the Constitution.

3)That a country’s leaders have to be restrained thus is itself a disgrace, but in recent times, it is no longer a question of dodging the law, but of overturning the very idea of the rule of law by those in power. The Manipur cases illustrate this very well.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

5)Consider the following with reference to South Korea and North Korea :

1)By blowing up a joint liaison office on the border with South Korea and threatening to deploy troops along the demilitarised zone, North Korea is back to what it is best at — aggressive posturing with the threat of war.

2)Troubles began in the peninsula early this year after a deadline the North dictated to the U.S. to achieve progress in the denuclearisation talks expired on December 31.

3)North Korea has conducted missile tests in 2020, sending warning signals to Seoul and Washington.

4)The latest crisis was triggered by anti-North defector groups that sent out propaganda leaflets via balloons across the border.

5)Angered by the South’s refusal to crack down on them, Pyongyang has severed hotlines, demolished the liaison office, and is planning to deploy troops along the border.

6)Tensions now risk rolling back whatever little was achieved through engagement over the past two years.

7)South Korea’s Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul resigned and Seoul has also moved to charge the defector groups. But these moves are unlikely to ease tensions as the real problem is the stall in the talks.

8)Two years after U.S. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Singapore to discuss denuclearisation, little has been achieved in that direction. It is likely that the North is now trying to get back Mr. Trump’s attention.

9)There were no high hopes of a quick solution to the U.S.-North Korean rivalry — it goes back to the 1950-53 Korean war — when Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim met. Still, the summit was an opportunity to open a new direction in relations.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

6)Consider the following with reference to :

1)China rejected the allegations and blamed front-line Indian soldiers for provoking the conflict which took place at the freezing height of 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) in the western Himalayas.

2)The 4,056-km border between India and China runs through glaciers, snow deserts and rivers in the west to thickly forested mountains in the east.

3)The Galwan Valley is an arid, inhospitable area, where some soldiers are deployed on steep ridges. It is considered important because it leads to the Aksai Chin, a disputed plateau claimed by India but controlled by China.

4)The satellite pictures, taken by earth-imaging company Planet Labs and obtained by Reuters, show signs of altering the landscape of the valley through widening tracks, moving earth and making river crossings, one expert said.

5)India’s constructions, including a bridge across the river that was completed and is thought to be one of the triggers for the recent clash, are on India’s side of the LAC, in an area in between the Galwan-Shyok confluence and the line.

6)While most Chinese maps show almost all of the Galwan river within Chinese territory, the western edge of the river where it meets the Shyok River has not previously been shown as Chinese territory previously in most maps.

7)By now staking a claim to the entire valley and up to the confluence of the rivers — including on land where India has carried out construction work — Indian officials said China had expanded its claims and was seeking to alter the LAC.

8)China’s new claims, observers said, may have been triggered by last year’s opening of the vital Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road, that runs parallel to the LAC providing key all-weather access to the post at Daulet Beg Oldie, one of the northernmost points in Ladakh.

9)China may also be seeking access to areas closer to the confluence, from where it could neutralise the strategically important DSDBO road.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

7)Consider the following with reference to Central Vista :

1)The proposed change in land usage of the Central Vista, the historical boulevard of approximately 3.5 km from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, and further to the National Stadium, was a symbol of India’s historic past, nationhood and vibrant democracy.

2)The Supreme Court in 2020 refused to stay the groundwork for the Central Vista project even as the Union government said there was no overreaching of the court process in the pursuit of the ₹20,000-crore redevelopment plan of the nation’s power corridor clearances.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

8)Consider the following with reference to coal / fosil fuels :

1)India has committed to ensuring that fossil fuels contribute no more than 60% of its energy production by 2030 as per the 2015 Paris Agreement.

2)While companies seeking blocks (of coal mines) would have to comply with existing environmental provisions and, given diminishing demand for fossil fuel, climate commitments and the cost of fly-ash processing — managing the residue from burning coal — it was not a certainty that companies would come flocking to mine coal.

3)Opening up coal blocks in dense forests would be a “triple disaster” as mining and transportation of coal would involve a heavy environmental cost; valuable forest cover would be lost and public health would suffer.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

9)Consider the following with reference to Electricity generation and use (June2020 news) :

1)Electricity use by the industrial western States of Maharashtra and Gujarat — the top electricity consuming States in the country — fell over 24% each, compared with declines of 13.8% and 18.9% in May. Consumption in Delhi fell almost 30%, a steeper fall than the 26.8% decline in May.

2)Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi — which are among the most industrialised regions in the country — account for nearly three-fourths of all COVID-19 deaths in India, according to government data.

3)Industries and offices together account for over half of annual power consumption. However, Tamil Nadu, India’s auto manufacturing hub, registered an 8.5% fall in power use, compared with a 15.3% decline in May.

4)Power generation from coal, India’s primary electricity fuel, continued to fall in June. Coal’s contribution to overall electricity generation fell to 61.9%, compared with 64.2% in May.

5)Hydro power supply grew at coal’s expense, rising 14.4% compared with the 3.6% growth in May. Solar-powered electricity output growth slowed to 2.3%, while gas-fired output was over 15%, the data showed. Wind-powered electricity production fell 10.2%

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

10)Consider the following with reference to Mekadatu Project (on Cauvery river in Karnataka State) :

1)In June 2019, Karnataka prepared a “pre-feasibility report”, seeking to meet three broad objectives.

2)The proposed “balancing reservoir” at Mekedatu (between Krishnaraja Sagar-Kabini and Mettur), with a capacity of 67 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft), will regulate the release of the required quantum to Tamil Nadu on a monthly basis, as stipulated by the CWDT and the Supreme Court. It will also address the drinking water needs of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region and the adjoining areas, besides generating 400 megawatt of electricity.

3)Tamil Nadu’s concerns are essentially over the basic features, says an official. As the site will be downstream of Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini, Tamil Nadu will be deprived of the benefits of rainfall in the intermediate catchments of the two dams in Karnataka and the Mettur dam. In fact, in the last 25 years or so, water realisation in October and November was primarily owing to this factor rather than Karnataka releasing water on its own. Tamil Nadu has received around 80 tmc ft annually, thanks to the run-off from the intermediate catchments.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

11)Consider the following with reference to NATO FOR CONTAINING CHINA :

NATO, the planet’s largest — and largest ever — military alliance, was formed in 1949 by 12 Allied powers to counter the massive Soviet armies stationed in Eastern and Central Europe after Second World War.

According to Paul-Henri Spaak, the second Secretary-General of NATO, it was, ironically enough, Joseph Stalin who is the true father of NATO. It was Stalin’s overreach — especially with the Berlin blockade of 1948-49 and the orchestrated coup in Czechoslovakia in 1948 — that convinced a diverse set of war-ravaged European nations to come together under an American security blanket. The collective defence principle enshrined in NATO’s Article V states that “an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies”.

The formation of NATO, and its Soviet counterpart, the Warsaw Pact, in 1955, inaugurated the Cold War era.

NATO was completely successful in its mission of protecting the “Euro-Atlantic area” from Soviet expansion and preventing war between the two superpowers.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, questions were raised about NATO’s relevance and future. After all, if the Non-aligned Movement (NAM) became irrelevant when the Communist bloc disappeared, how does one justify the continuation of a military alliance formed to protect Europe from Communist expansion? Wouldn’t Europe’s security be better served by a collective force managed by the Europeans themselves? While some in Europe did think so, they underestimated the resilience of the powerful NATO bureaucracy, which remains an integral element of what U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower described as “the military-industrial complex”.

1)The Biden administration, therefore, wants to mobilise NATO member-states behind its larger objective of containing China.

2)NATO’s European member states may view China as an economic rival and adversary, but they are unconvinced by the American line that it is an outright security threat. This line also, in a way, points to the underlying logic behind NATO’s persistence in the post-Soviet world. Unlike the Soviet Union, China offers no alternative vision of society that could make Western capitalism insecure.

3)In fact, its own economy is already deeply integrated into Western markets.

4)China, nonetheless, is perceived as posing a ‘threat’. It remains to be seen how far an ageing Europe would be willing to commit itself to a strategic path that prefers confrontation to collaboration, given that NATO is essentially a military alliance, and for all the talk of hybrid and cyberwar, there is zero risk of China invading the Euro-Atlantic area.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

12)Consider the following with reference to VIRUS INFECTION :

1)When infected by a virus, non-specific immune response in the form of macrophages, neutrophils and other cells tend to prevent the virus from causing symptoms.

2)Soon after, the body makes antibodies specific to the virus called the immunoglobulins — IgG and IgM, called the adaptive response.

3)In addition, the cellular immunity kicks in when the body makes T cells that destroy cells that have been infected by the virus.

4)The combination of adaptive response and cellular immunity “may prevent progression to severe illness or re-infection by the same virus. This process is often measured by the presence of antibodies in blood,” WHO says.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

13)Consider the following with reference to Galwan valley and river :

1)The valley refers to the land that sits between steep mountains that buffet the Galwan River. The river has its source in Aksai Chin, on China’s side of the LAC, and it flows east to Ladakh, where it meets the Shyok river on India’s side of the LAC. The valley is strategically located between Ladakh in the west and Aksai Chin in the east, which is currently controlled by China as part of its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. At its western end are the Shyok river and the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road. Its eastern mouth lies not far from China’s vital Xinjiang Tibet road, now called the G219 highway.

2)Traditionally, the Galwan Valley area has been part of the winter trade route that linked Leh with Yarkand and Kashgar across the Karakoram Pass, when frozen rivers allowed caravans to progress towards their destinations.

3)From Leh, the caravans breached the Ladakh range at Chang La pass, reaching Darbuk, Shyok village on their way to the Karakoram Pass via Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).

4)Once the pass was crossed, traders, often in company of monks and scholars, headed for Yarkand and Kashgar, where British India had opened a consulate in a building complex called Chini Bagh.

5)Much later, a motorable road was built from Leh. It entered the Nubra Valley, cutting through the Ladakh range via the 18,600-feet Khardungla Pass and heading to the base of Saser Kangri. Thereafter, a track headed to Murgo — linking up with the DSDBO route.

6)But the Galwan Valley is also not far from Aksai Chin, which is occupied by China. China’s highway number G219 passes through Aksai Chin, which is a vital artery linking the sporadically restive Tibet and Xinjiang, the gateway to Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, heading in the direction of Central Asia en route Europe. The Chinese have long established Heweitan — 48 km northeast of the LAC as the crow flies — as their main base servicing the Galwan Valley posts. Incidentally, Heweitan was also a launch pad for mounting an offensive during the 1962 India-China war.

7)Despite bouts of violence in its recent history, Galwan Valley was so named during the less brutal encounters of the Great Game.

8)The Galwan river was named after Ghulam Rasool Galwan, a Ladakhi adventurer and explorer, who had been part of many European explorations, including two in 1890 and 1896 led by Francis Younghusband — a British explorer and Army officer, who became famous for his role in blocking Russian advances in Tibet.

9). On June 6, both sides mutually identified five locations of conflict — Patrolling Point (PP) 14, 15, 17A, North bank of Pangong Tso and Chushul.

10)Though tensions escalated at Galwan earlier, the Pangong Tso area remains the most contentious issue. According to satellite images made available, China, which has moved up to Finger 4 since the beginning of the stand-off in May, has now undertaken a major build-up between Finger 4 and Finger 8 and also on the ridge lines overlooking Finger 4.

11)India holds the mountain spurs till Finger 4, while its claim is till Finger 8.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

14)Consider the following with reference to Rajya Sabha Elections :

1)Only elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies can vote in a Rajya Sabha election. The legislators send a batch of new members to the Upper House every two years for a six-year term. A third of Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (which is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution), from each State retire once in two years and polls are held to fill up the vacancies. In addition, vacancies that arise due to resignation, death or disqualification are filled up through bypolls after which those elected serve out the remainder of their predecessors’ term.

2)Voting is by single transferable vote, as the election is held on the principle of proportional representation. In other words, a bloc of MPs belonging to one or more parties can elect a member of their choice if they have the requisite numbers. This is to avoid the principle of majority, which would mean that only candidates put up by ruling parties in the respective States will be elected.

3)The Delhi and Puducherry Assemblies elect members to the Rajya Sabha to represent the two Union Territories.

4) Candidates fielded by political parties have to be proposed by at least 10 members of the Assembly or 10% of the party’s strength in the House, whichever is less. For independents, there should be 10 proposers, all of whom should be members of the Assembly.

5)A single transferable vote means electors can vote for any number of candidates in order of their preference. A candidate requires a specified number of first preference votes to win. Each first choice vote has a value of 100 in the first round.

6) The Rajya Sabha polls have a system of open ballot, but it is a limited form of openness. As a measure to check rampant cross-voting, which was taken to mean that the vote had been purchased by corrupt means, the system of each party MLA showing his or her marked ballots to the party’s authorised agent, before they are put into the ballot box, has been introduced

7) The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued two circulars, on January 24, 2014 and November 12, 2015, giving Rajya Sabha members the option to press the NOTA button in the Upper House polls. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court of India struck down the provision, holding that the ‘none of the above’ option is only for general elections held on the basis of universal adult suffrage, and cannot be applied to indirect elections based on proportional representation.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

15)Consider the following :

1)The Indian government released a new political map in November 2019, following the changes in the status of Jammu and Kashmir, which removed the label “Kali river”. This, besides the inauguration of a road towards Lipu Lek in what Nepal considers its territory, raised the hackles of the Nepali government.

2)Soon, Mr. Oli, giving voice to resentment within Nepal about the disputed status of Kalapani, promoted the move to redraw Nepal’s official map, showing Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh of Uttarakhand as part of its sovereign territory. This move was ratified by both Houses of Parliament in Nepal and led to a new impasse with the Indian government, which refused any dialogue following what it termed a “unilateral gesture

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

16)Consider the following :

The head of Iran’s judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, won the presidential election in Iran with 61.95% of the vote. His victory has come as no surprise, especially as he was considered the main choice of the Iranian hardliners.

1) Mr. Raisi was among seven contenders — including five conservatives — allowed by Iran’s election monitoring body to run in the presidential election of June 18.

2) Unsurprisingly, out of the estimated 592 people who registered to take part in the presidential election, only seven candidates were approved by Iran’s Guardian Council.

3)Among those barred from running were former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

17)Consider the following in connection with poverty line/bread line :

The ‘bread line’ ostensibly owes its origins to the economic depression in the United States in the 1890s and charity by New York restaurants which organised soup kitchens. The queue or line of bread seekers would be distressingly long. A physical queue on the roads needed a policy response. It could not be wished away by simply looking away. The massive slide into poverty in India that is clear in domestic and international surveys and anecdotal evidence must meet with an institutional response. The Government must girdle up and unflinchingly quantify the slide from the ‘fastest growing economy’ to the country with the largest rise in the number of poor people. It must be accepted, to go back to the debate Charles Booth had with the Social Democratic Federation that it is “abject poverty” we are talking about; almost a sub-human level of existence of the majority of fellow Indians we cannot continue to be blasé about. Counting them would be a much-needed start to convey that each life matters.

1) In India, the poverty line debate became very fraught in 2011, as the Suresh Tendulkar Committee report at a ‘line’ of ₹816 per capita per month for rural India and ₹1,000 per capita per month for urban India, calculated the poor at 25.7% of the population..

2) The anger over the 2011 conclusions, led to the setting up of the C. Rangarajan Committee, which in 2014 estimated that the number of poor were 29.6%, based on persons spending below ₹47 a day in cities and ₹32 in villages

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

18)Consider the following : (as per news upto May 1,2021)

1)The dilemmas of ending the U.S.’s ‘forever war’ appeared to fall heavily upon the shoulders of President Joe Biden, who is now helming his country’s rush for the exit before the self-imposed deadline of September 11, 2021, the 20-year anniversary of the WTC terror attacks.

2)While he clearly signalled his intention to remain engaged with the war-torn country by meeting, in the first instance, Afghanistan’s President, Ashraf Ghani, and Chairman of its High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, at the White House , the U.S.’s troop withdrawal since May 1, 2021, in a sense signals the opposite intention. There is no mistaking the Taliban’s reaction, especially to Washington’s plan to wind down its Afghan military presence.

3)Ever since February 29, 2020, when the U.S. and the Taliban signed the Doha “agreement for bringing peace” to Afghanistan, Taliban-linked violence has risen steadily, U.S. intelligence reports have assessed that al-Qaeda still has a presence in Afghanistan and the terrorist outfit’s decades-long ties with the Taliban have been undiminished.

4)Meanwhile the situation on the ground is far from inspiring for anyone who hopes for peace in the region. Facing tepid resistance from the ANDSF, now with ever-reducing access to U.S. air support, the Taliban have managed to fight, hold on to and even take back the territories from the government.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

19)Consider the following with reference to Ganga river water :

1)Data for April-June (2021)suggested that the water quality in terms of pH, DO (dissolved oxygen), BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) conformed with the bathing water quality criteria except “marginal deviations at few locations” and these were not dissimilar from the water quality observed in previous years.

2)They may not be attributed to incidents of floating bodies, the NMCG said in a report based on responses from these departments.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

20)Consider the following with reference to Golden Langurs in Assam :

1) The golden langurs in Assam are hemmed in by three rivers — Brahmaputra in the south, Manas in east and Sonkosh in west. Their northern limit is the range of hills in Bhutan up to 2,400 metres above sea level.

2)“Golden langurs use the upper canopy of trees to travel

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

21)Consider the following with reference to British East India Company – Nepal border :

1) The Treaty of Sugauli in 1815-16, which ended the Anglo-Nepalese War, stipulated that “the Kali River” would mark Nepal’s western border with the British East India Company. The demarcation undertaken by W.J. Webb later in 1816, covered ‘the entire Byans region both to the east and west of the river, on the ground that it had traditionally been part of Kumaon prior to the 25-year-old occupation by Nepal’. In 1817, Nepal made a ‘representation to the British, claiming that it was entitled to the areas east of the river. The British Governor-General in Council accepted the demand’, and the villages of Tinkar and Chaggru were transferred to Nepal, dividing the Byans area. The drainage of the Kalapani and Lipulekh was considered wholly within British territory, and it was stated that a short way below the springs, the Kali formed the boundary with Nepal.

2)Nepal later ‘extended a claim to the Kuthi valley further to the west, stating that the Kuthi-Yankti stream, the western branch of the head waters, should be considered the main Kali river’. The Himalayan Gazetteer records that the surveyor, W.J. Webb, made known to Bam Shah, the Governor of Doti, who had negotiated the Treaty, ‘that the lesser stream flowing from the Kalapani springs had always been recognised as the main branch of the Kali and had in fact given its name to the river.

3)The British retained the Kuthi Valley’ and the Limpiyadhura Pass.

4)The first British Resident in Nepal, Edward Gardner, laid this out to the Nepal Durbar, in correspondence (February 4, 1817 to October 10, 1817). The matter was considered settled as only the lowland lying between the Kali and Gorakhpur that were ceded in 1815 were restored to Nepal by the Treaty of 1860.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

22)Consider the following with reference to arrest of activists :

1) Article 21 of the Constitution gives every citizen the right of basic liberty and security. No one can be deprived of liberty, held without properly following procedures prescribed by law.

2)Article 22 requires that anyone arrested and detained must be informed of the ground for such an arrest and must be brought before a competent legal authority within a prescribed time frame. Legal scholars have rightly pointed out that the best interpretation of this Article requires that the grounds of arrest and detention must be reasonable.

3)The grounds of preventive detention, to be used in very rare cases, must likewise assume that the suspicion of offence is well-grounded, based on available evidence, on relevant information that satisfies any objective observer, and not on mischievous allegations.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

23)Consider the following with reference to PM CARES Fund Trust :

1)The PM CARES Fund Trust has allocated ₹2,000 crore for the supply of 50,000 “Made-in-India” ventilators to government-run COVID-19 hospitals in all States and Union Territories.

2)Further, ₹1,000 crore has been allocated for the welfare of migrant labourers, a Union government release said on Tuesday.

3)The Indian companies involved in manufacturing the ventilators include Bharat Electronics Ltd., AgVa Healthcare and AMTZ Basic.

4)The distribution of the fund is based on the formula of 50% weightage for the population as per the 2011 Census, 40% weightage for the number of positive COVID-19 cases and 10% for equal distribution among all the States/UTs.

5)“This assistance is to be used for arranging accommodation, food, medical treatment and transportation of the migrants.

6)The main recipients of the grant are Maharashtra (₹181 crore), Uttar Pradesh (₹103 cr.), Tamil Nadu (₹83 cr.), Gujarat (₹66 cr.), Delhi (₹55 cr.), West Bengal (₹53 cr.), Bihar (₹51 cr.), Madhya Pradesh (₹50 cr.), Rajasthan (₹50 cr.) and Karnataka (₹34 cr.),”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

24)Consider the following with reference to currency in circulation : (2020 year)

1)Heightened uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in currency in circulation as people hoard cash or park money in accessible deposits to safeguard themselves against salary cuts or job losses.

2)According to RBI data, M3 money supply rose 6.7% in the first five months compared with the same period last year, the highest growth in seven years.

3)Currency in circulation, which measures money with the public and in banks, has also surged.

4)A rise in money supply usually is seen as a leading indicator of growth in consumption and business investments, but the rise this time is unlikely to bolster either, analysts said.

5)“We suspect that the recent increase reflects higher cash withdrawals by depositors to meet needs during the lockdown period, until normalcy returns,”

6)Gross capital formation, or total investments toward fixed capital, fell 7% in the March quarter, a seven-year low, and analysts expect a further deterioration. Lenders too are unwilling to take risks as slowing discretionary spending slows demand for manufactured and industrial goods.

7)“Risk-averse individuals are putting money in bank deposits, given the high and rising uncertainty, while on the other hand risk-averse lenders are not lending to those who need it,”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

25)Consider the following with reference to 1921 Malabar Rebellion :

With the centenary of the Mapillah rebellion of 1921 fast approaching, controversy has erupted over Malayalam movie projects commemorating what was arguably the greatest challenge to British rule between the great uprising of 1857 and the Quit India movement of 1942. Right-wing radicals have launched attacks on social media against actor Prithviraj Sukumaran after he announced his role as the lead actor in the film Variyamkunnan that celebrates the life and exploits of Variyamkunnath Kunhahamed Haji, a leading figure in the Mapillah revolt against British rule.

The controversy surrounding the Mapillah uprising demonstrates that in the case of most important historical events no single narrative is accepted by all sections of society. There are multiple narratives propounded by people of different ideological persuasions.

The Mapillah uprising is no exception to this rule. On the one hand, people of secular and nationalist persuasions see it as a major instance of resistance to British colonial rule. On the other, people of the Hindutva persuasion revile it as an example of ingrained Muslim hatred against Hindus. Both these perceptions are based on single-factor explanations of a very complex phenomenon.

The rebellion can be understood only if one discards ideological blinkers. It is an excellent example of the veracity of the assertion that important historical events always have multiple causes and do not occur in a social, economic, and political vacuum.

1)1921 cinema will portray the real heroes behind the incident.

2)The film may not be showing Variyamkunnath Haji as a hero.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

26)Consider the following : (based on 2020 second half year news)

1) India and China have agreed to “disengage from three friction points” in Ladakh and pull back from their current positions, where the Indian Army and the PLA are engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation

2)The three areas are : Galwan, Hot Springs and the Finger area near Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh along the contentious Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

27)Consider the following with reference to FATF : (2020 news)

1) Pakistan received another extension on the “greylist”, as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session decided to continue to keep all countries that were on the list under scrutiny for Terror Financing and Money Laundering until October 2020.

2)However, Islamabad faced setbacks on other fronts, with the United States slamming its record on terrorism, including its failure to act against groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and received a U.S. veto against its joint effort with China to list an Indian engineer on the UN Security Council (UNSC)’s 1267 list. At the FATF plenary, held through videoconferencing, Pakistan was due for a decision on whether it would be kept on the “greylist” or downgraded to the blacklist for failing to meet the finance watchdog’s 27-point action plan on countering terror financing and anti-money laundering (CFT/AML) measures.

3) FATF, had given Pakistan two extensions to comply with its action plan since October 2019, decided unanimously to postpone decisions on all countries under “increased monitoring” or the “greylist”, as well on “high risk jurisdictions”, as the “blacklist” is formally known, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

4)The FATF decision came even as the U.S. released its 2019 country report for terrorism, where the State Department said Pakistan had continued to “ serve as a safe haven” for regional terrorist groups.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

28)Consider the following with reference to India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021

A three-level grievance redressal mechanism has been established under the Rules with different levels of self-regulation.

1)Level-I: Self-regulation by the Publisher: Publisher shall appoint a Grievance Redressal Officer based in India who shall be responsible for the redressal of grievances received by it. The officer shall take decision on every grievance received by it within 15 days.

2)Level — Il: Self-Regulatory Body: There may be one or more self-regulatory bodies of publishers. Such a body shall be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, a High Court or independent eminent person and have not more than six members. Such a body will have to register with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This body will oversee the adherence by the publisher to the Code of Ethics and address grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within 15 days.

3)Level-111: Oversight Mechanism: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shall formulate an oversight mechanism. It shall publish a charter for self-regulating bodies, including Codes of Practices. It shall establish an Inter-Departmental Committee for hearing grievances.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

29)Consider the following in connection with Additional Due Diligence to Be Followed by Significant Social Media Intermediary:

The enactment of new IT Rules had become necessary due to widespread concerns about issues relating to increased instances of abuse of social media and digital platforms, including inducement for recruitment of terrorists, circulation of obscene content, spread of disharmony, financial frauds, incitement of violence, public order etc.

1)Appoint a Chief Compliance Officer who shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act and Rules. Such a person should be a resident in India.

2)Appoint a Nodal Contact Person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies. Such a person shall be a resident in India.

3)Appoint a Resident Grievance Officer who shall perform the functions mentioned under Grievance Redressal Mechanism. Such a person shall be a resident in India.

4)Publish a monthly compliance report mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken on the complaints as well as details of contents removed proactively by the significant social media intermediary.

5)Significant social media intermediaries providing services primarily in the nature of messaging shall enable identification of the first originator of the information that is required only for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of an offence related to sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, or public order or of incitement to an offence relating to the above or in relation with rape, sexually explicit material or child sexual abuse material punishable with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years. Intermediary shall not be required to disclose the contents of any message or any other information to the first originator.

6)Significant social media intermediary shall have a physical contact address in India published on its website or mobile app or both.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

30)Consider the following with reference to Home-based learning :

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education today released the Guidelines for Parent Participation in Home-based Learning during school closure and beyond.

The guidelines on home based learning emphasize on the need for parents to create a safe and engaging environment and a positive learning environment, have realistic expectations from the child, take care of health and eat healthy, while at the same time having fun with children. These guidelines are meant not only for parents but also for caregivers, other family members, grandparents, community members, older siblings who all are engaged in promoting the welfare of children.

1)The guidelines provide many simple tips for parents and others to facilitate children in Home based learning. These suggestive activities are in accordance with the various stages of school education as per NEP 2020. Age-appropriate art activities have been categorized on basis of 5+3+3+4 system viz Foundation Stage (Age 3-8yrs); Preparatory Stage (Age 8-11 yrs); Middle Stage (Age 11-14yrs); and Secondary Stage: From Adolescent to Adult age (Age 14-18 years). The activities are simple and suggestive, which can be adapted and adopted to local needs and contexts.The Guidelines appreciate the role of Art as a therapy for children under stress or trauma.

2)The Guidelines lay significance on improving children’s learning by monitoring and addressing their learning gaps. Collaboration of parents with teachers in documenting and reflecting on the progress that children are making in their learning is important for both teachers and parents.

3)The Guidelines also advise the schools to involve parents by providing information and ideas on helping students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning, and involving them in school decisions. Resources like sending Newsletters, emails, memos, etc. may be provided to parents.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

31)Consider the following with reference to E-commerce :

1)After the Government notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, the Department of Consumer Affairs has mooted a set of sweeping amendments, ostensibly “to protect the interests of consumers… and encourage free and fair competition in the market”.

2)Among them is a norm stipulating the appointment of a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies, and another requiring e-commerce entities offering imported goods or services to ‘incorporate a filter mechanism to identify goods based on country of origin and suggest alternatives to ensure a fair opportunity to domestic goods’.

3)A third mandates a fall-back liability on online marketplaces in the event of non-delivery of goods or services to the consumer. Registration has also been made mandatory for all e-commerce players; specific ‘flash sales’, including ‘back-to-back’ ones, are set to be banned; and all entities must provide information within 72 hours on any request made by an authorised government agency probing any breach of law including cybersecurity issues. While on the face of it none of these new rules appears exceptionable, especially when e-commerce tops the National Consumer Helpline’s complaints chart, there is still a distinctly discernible pattern to the changes.

4)Following on the heels of the recent IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, the draft e-commerce amendments show the Government’s increasing keenness to exercise greater oversight over all online platforms.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

32)Consider the following :

1) The Centre termed the emerging delta- plus variant a ‘variant of concern’ just hours after Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Chairman, National Empowered Group on Vaccination said it was only a ‘variant of interest (VoI).’

2)A variant of concern (VoC) carries the highest threat perception of a coronavirus variant, which is characterised by increased infectivity, transmissibility or resistance to vaccines and treatment. A VoI is a degree lower.

3)The World Health Organisation, as of June 14,2021 had classified the variant ‘delta’ (B.1.617.2) as well as offshoots — AY.1 and AY.2 — as VoC.

4)Delta plus, as the variant is sometimes referred to, is an informal name.

5)So far there are only four international VoC (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) with the off-shoots, AY.1 and AY.2 classified as off-shoots of Delta.

6)“Delta variant is a Variant of Concern and has been found in 80 countries. Delta plus is in 9 countries and as of now is in the category of variant of interest and is not yet in the variant of concern category,”

7)However in a press statement, the Ministry first referred to it as a ‘variant of concern’ then issued a correction calling it a ‘variant of interest’ and then again reverted to calling it a ‘variant of concern’.

8)A scientist connected with the consortium, INSACOG, (Indian SarsCov2 Genomic Consortia) told , AY.1 was “always” a variant of concern but was wrongly classified by the Health Ministry as a VoI.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

33)Consider the following with reference to USA :

1) The ‘For the People Act’, which sought to make access to voting easier across the country, introduced in response to Republican-backed measures to tighten voting laws in several States, faced a filibuster from Senate Republicans, necessitating at least 60 of 100 votes to progress.

2)The Bill included provisions to increase early voting, absentee voting, limit gerrymandering (manipulating electoral constituency boundaries to favour a particular party), establish federal financing of campaigns and automatic voter registration. It also proposed additional campaign finance disclosures. The Democrat-controlled House had passed its version of the legislation in March.

3)Filibuster : A filibuster is a political procedure where one or more members of parliament or congress debate over a proposed piece of legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision being made on the proposal.

4)Gerrymandering : Manipulating electoral constituency boundaries to favour a particular party (in U.S. politics, the practice of drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage ..)

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

34)Consider the following with reference to IN-SPACe :

1) IN-SPACe, or Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, is touted as the body that will ensure a level playing field for Indian industry in a fast-growing global space sector. It will function autonomously and parallel to ISRO “without taking away anything from it”,

2)NewSpace India Ltd will be strengthened and empowered with a larger role in what the government has called the new “open and inclusive” space sector. It will work with IN-SPACe and enable industry consortia to take on some of the activities of ISRO. These include launch vehicles and satellite production, launch services and space-based services.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

35)Consider the following with reference to pollution during lock down periods :

1) While particulate matter and nitrous oxide levels fell during the lockdown, ozone — also a harmful pollutant — increased in several cities

2)Ozone is primarily a “sunny weather problem” in India, that otherwise remains highly variable during the year. Ozone is a highly reactive gas; even short-term exposure of an hour is dangerous for those with respiratory conditions and asthma and that’s why an eight-hour average is considered for ozone instead of the 24-hour average for other pollutants.

3)Ozone is not directly emitted by any source but is formed by photochemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and gases in the air under the influence of sunlight and heat. It can be curtailed only if gases from all sources are controlled.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

36)Consider the following relating to V-shaped economic recovery :

India’s “guns, germs and steel” crisis (June, 2020 )will impose a total financial burden of an additional eight percentage points of GDP on the central government exchequer.

1)The government had expected a nominal GDP growth of 10% this year(2020-21). It is clear now that GDP will not grow but shrink. There is much hullabaloo about a ‘V’ shaped economic recovery, which is a mere illusion.

2)A 5% fall now and a 10% growth next year will be hailed as a sharp ‘V’ shaped recovery by economists and the International Monetary Fund.

3)But as your local grocery store-keeper will elucidate, it only means that his total sales is a tad higher than two years ago. Central government revenues for this year were budgeted at 10% of GDP which will not be achieved. Revenues will likely fall short by two percentage points of GDP.

4)In sum, the government needs to spend an additional eight percentage points of GDP while revenues will be lower by two percentage points of GDP, a combined gap of 10% of GDP. Potential new sources of revenue such as a wealth tax or a large capital gains tax are ideas worth exploring for the medium term but will not be of much immediate help.

5)With rising debt levels, international ratings agencies will likely downgrade India’s investment rating to “junk”, which will then trigger panic among foreign investors. India thus faces a tough “Dasharatha” dilemma — save the country’s borders, citizens and economy or prevent a “junk” rating.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

37)Consider the following with reference to 75 years UNO :

1)In a battle of and for words, a commemorative declaration marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter was delayed as member states could not reach an agreement on phraseology.

2)The Five Eyes — the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada — along with India, objected to the use of a phrase “shared vision of a common future”, associated with China.

3)The document still stands a chance of passing on the June 26th anniversary if no objections are raised to an alternatively worded statement before 6 pm New York time.

4)The phrase, “community with a shared future for mankind” is closely associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and especially Chinese President Xi Jinping as an articulation of the country’s vision for the world. While objecting to the language that is apparently inspired by the CPC ideology is not new, the current impasse comes at a time when China’s relationships with a number of democracies, including India, Australia and the U.S., are strained.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

38)Consider the following with reference to Locust Swams :

1)The Union Agriculture Ministry said the locust swarms hitting Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had originated from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. Control teams were deployed to eliminate the locusts in Jhunjhunu , but by evening, the remaining locusts had regrouped and reached Rewari in Haryana.

2)Despite overnight control operations, the swarm then divided into three groups next day, “one of which moved towards Gurugram, and from there to Faridabad and onwards to Uttar Pradesh.

3)Another swarm moved towards Dwarka in Delhi, from there to Daulatabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, and this swarm has also entered Uttar Pradesh. The third group was seen in Palwal, Haryana, and has also moved towards Uttar Pradesh,”

4)Control teams have been moved from Rajasthan to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to help track and control the swarms, along with officials of the Central Locust Warning Organisation.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

39)Consider the following with reference to Dexamethasone :

1)Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid drug used in a wide range of conditions for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects.

2)The drug was tested in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in the ‘RECOVERY’ clinical trial in the United Kingdom and was found to have benefits for critically ill patients and reduce mortality by one-third for patients on ventilators and one-fifth for patients on oxygen therapy.

3)The drug is also a part of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and is widely available.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

40)Consider the following with reference to XV Finance Commission :

With the Centre deciding to take the ordinance route to push through reforms in agricultural marketing and contract farming, the 15th Finance Commission is considering the promotion of an expanded farm reform agenda for States over the next five years.

At a meeting with its Economic Advisory Council (based on June, 2020 news ), the Finance Commission set up a panel “to devise a mechanism for incentivisation of States in areas of agricultural reforms agenda for the purpose of inclusion in the Commission’s recommendations in its final report”, according to a statement.

The group includes agricultural economist and FC member Ramesh Chand, as well as Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal.

1)“In the framework for the FC’s interim report for 2020-21, we had recommended performance incentives to be given to States on the basis of three measurable indicators of agricultural reforms,” Dr. Chand told. If State Legislatures enacted the Centre’s Model Acts on agricultural marketing and contract farming, as well as the Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016, prepared by NITI Aayog, they would be eligible for financial incentives from the Commission from 2021-22.

2)However, the Centre issued central ordinances on both agricultural reforms and contract farming earlier in June month, as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, bypassing the need for States to enact the Model Acts.

3)The panel will consider what fresh agricultural reform measures they wish to promote among States, possibly including the Model Land Leasing Act,”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

41)Consider the following (August,1921) :

The Malabar Rebellion (also called the Mappila or Moplah Rebellion by the British) broke out in the southern taluks of Malabar in August 1921. By the time the government troops captured Variyamkunnath Kunhahamed Haji in January 1922, the rebellion had fizzled out. It largely took the shape of guerrilla-type attacks on janmis (feudal landlords, who were mostly upper caste Hindus) and the police and troops.

Mappilas had been among the victims of oppressive agrarian relations protected by the British. But the political mobilisation of Muslims in the region in the aftermath of the launch of the Khilafat agitation and Gandhi’s non-cooperation struggle served as an opportunity for an extremist section to invoke a religious idiom to express their suffering, while working for a change in the oppressive system of administration. There were excesses on both sides — rebels and government troops. Incidents of murder, looting and forced conversion led many to discredit the uprising as a manifestation of religious bigotry. Moderate Khilafat leaders lamented that the rebellion had alienated the Hindu sympathy.

1) Variyamkunnath Kunhahamed Haji, who was one of the three most important rebel leaders, was the face of the rebellion. British officers viewed him as the “most murderous”. Born in 1866 in a family with relatives involved in one of the Mappila “outbreaks” or “outrages” in the 19th century, he was familiar with the commemoration of shaheeds (martyrs) who fought against the tyranny of landlords and their helpers, mostly upper caste Hindus in the region. There were several such outbreaks in the region during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

2)The main actors of the outbreaks were individuals on suicide missions. The Khilafat movement launched in 1919 provided a fresh stimulus to the grievances of Mappilas. Now their sense of local injustice was sought to be linked with the pan-Islamic sentiments created in the aftermath of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire that rendered the Ottoman caliphate irrelevant.

3) Variyamkunnath Kunhahamed Haji was among those in the Malabar region inspired by the zeal of the agitation. During the rebellion, he led many attacks on individuals, including Muslims, who had been loyal to the British. Some contemporary accounts, however, deny that he favoured conversion of Hindus.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

42)Consider the following with reference to FATF :

1)The FATF, the leading international body in the global fight against money laundering, will provide its expertise and energy to the related battle against the financing of terrorism,” said Ms. Clarie Lo, the then President of FATF, announcing the shift.

2)The FATF plenary then adopted an eight-point amendment to its charter that added Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) to its tasks on Anti-Money Laundering (AML/CFT).

3)FATF reviews countries and either clears them or places them on its ‘grey’ or ‘black’ list

4)At present, only Iran and North Korea are on the blacklist

5)Eighteen countries, including Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Iceland, Jamaica and Mauritius, are on the grey list (based on June,2020 news)

6)The FATF is not a part of the UN system, but it functions out of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development headquarters in Paris, since it was started in 1989 after a decision by members of the G-7 and the European Commission.

7)The FATF runs differently from other multilateral agencies, as its primary focus is on reviewing all actions through a “technical” not a political prism, and frowns upon countries bringing bilateral issues to the forum.

8)It is not an enforcement agency itself, but a task force composed of 39 member governments who fund the FATF and agree on its mandate. This means that FATF depends on voluntary implementation of its reports by member countries. Also, meetings of the group are carried out behind closed doors, and deliberations are not publicised. In the past, the FATF has penalised countries that have disclosed the contents of its meetings.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

43)Consider the following with reference to FATF : (based on June2021 news)

1)Pakistan was retained on the greylist, or the list of countries under “increased monitoring”, by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), as the Paris-based UN watchdog judged it deficient in prosecuting the top leadership of UN Security Council-designated terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e Mohammad, Al Qaeda and Taliban.

2)Announcing the decision at the end of its latest plenary session held virtually the FATF said despite completing 26 of the 27 tasks it had been handed, Pakistan’s failure to complete the last task on convicting terrorists and terror entities meant it would not be delisted for now.

3)In addition, the FATF handed down another six-point list of tasks, mainly on money laundering actions.

4)“The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining Countering Finance of Terrorism-related item by demonstrating that Terror Financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups,” the FATF president said.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

44)Consider the following :

1)The 21st century has seen multiple lethal epidemics. Two were serious enough for the World Health Organization to designate as pandemics.

2)The accelerating destruction of wild habitats, forests and diversified food systems for urbanisation, mining, and industry means pathogens which were once largely confined to animals and plants in the wild are now better positioned to infect humans.

3)The expansion of monoculture cropping and livestock farming systems, coupled with dense human settlements dependent on narrow diets of global commodity crops and meat, are eliminating the biodiversity and distance barriers that lent resilience to the human species and domesticated plants and animals.

4)A virulent pathogen can then trigger an epidemic that much more easily. As long as we do not address this march to unsustainability, we will remain vulnerable to pandemic outbreaks.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

45)Consider the following :

The Greyhounds was raised in 1989 by IPS officer K.S. Vyas as an elite anti-Maoist force. Seeing its successful operations, many States facing the Maoist problem have raised their own forces.

Training for the Greyhounds is gruelling. Members of the force cannot be over 35 years. Once they cross 35, they are drafted into the civil police until retirement. “Being young gives us an edge in terms of agility, strength and stamina,”

1)During combat operations, each party of the Greyhounds has about 30 men who are trained to trek long distances. They can stay in the jungle at a stretch for over five to six days.

2)At times, they live only on dry fruits, as lighting a fire to cook a quick meal can attract enemy fire or help the enemy detect their location. The members communicate with the base using satellite phones or VHF sets and use scramblers to avoid being intercepted by the Maoists. The Maoists have the expertise to intercept radio communication.

3)While the Greyhounds have had many successes against the Maoists, they suffered a major setback in 2008 when 37 of their men were ambushed by the Maoists when they were crossing the Balimela reservoir in a boat.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

46)Consider the following :

The first indigenous carrier (IAC) is expected to have its maiden entry into the sea for a series of trials before September this year, and delivery to the Navy is slated for early 2022.

Basin trials of the vessel being built by Cochin Shipyard were completed in November 2020, but travel restrictions put the brakes on its preparations for sea trials.

1)The vessel, to be named Vikrant after the decommissioned maiden carrier of the Navy, will have an air component of 30 aircraft, comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 airborne early warning helicopters and the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multi-role helicopter, besides the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters.

2)With an overall length of 263 metre and a breadth of 63 metre, it is the largest vessel made in India and carries a price tag of about ₹20,000 crore. The towering vessel has a total of 15 decks and a displacement of 40,000 tonnes.

3)It is expected to have a top speed of 30 knots (approximately 55 kmph) and is propelled by four gas turbines.

4)The shipborne weapons include Barak LR SAM and AK-630, while it has MFSTAR and RAN-40L 3D radars as sensors. The vessel has a Shakti EW Suite.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

47)Consider the following :

1)“Subsequently, we now have four of these, which the World Health Organization has called Alpha, Beta, Gamma & Delta.

2)“Delta is the one that was identified in India,’’

3)Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), warned that India was still not out of the second wave of the pandemic.

3)The reason why SARS-CoV-2 mutated includes random error during replication, immune pressure after treatments (Convalescent Plasma, Vaccination etc), and uninterrupted transmission due to lack of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour, which allowed the virus to transmit more and acquire fitness,.

4)“Variants of Concerns (VoC) with public health importance detected in community samples in India include Alpha [3,969], Beta [149], Gamma [1] and B.1.617, Delta and Kappa were detected in 16,238 samples,”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

48)Consider the following (China : – Bullet Train / High Speed Rail) (In Tibet ) :

1)China started operating the first bullet train line in Tibet, linking Lhasa to Nyingchi near the border with Arunachal Pradesh.

2)The China State Railway Group said the 435-km line, on which construction began in 2014, has a designed speed of 160 km per hour and would connect the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region to the border city of Nyingchi with a travel time of three and a half hours.

3)Over 90% of the track is 3,000 metres above sea-level, state media quoted the railway group as saying, and the line is the first electrified high speed rail (HSR) line, as China refers to bullet trains, in Tibet. China has the world’s longest HSR network.

4)The Lhasa-Nyingchi rail is one among several major infrastructure projects recently completed in Tibet’s southern and southeastern counties near the Arunachal border.

5)China completed construction of a strategically significant highway through the Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet. This is the “second significant passageway” to Medog county that borders Arunachal, the official Xinhua news agency reported, directly connecting the Pad township in Nyingchi to Baibung in Medog county.

6)The Lhasa-Nyingchi rail is one section of the Sichuan-Tibet railway line connecting the two provincial capitals, another strategic project deemed important enough for President Xi Jinping to officially launch it and described by the Chinese leader as “a major step in safeguarding national unity and a significant move in promoting economic and social development of the western region”. This will be the second railway line connecting Tibet to the hinterland, following the already open Qinghai-Tibet rail. The first section of the new line, from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, to Yaan, was finished in December 2018, while work on the 1,011 km Yaan-Nyingchi line will compete the entire railway line by 2030.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

49)Consider the following :

Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel said that it had stopped the discharge of waste water from one of its Arctic facilities, one month after an unprecedented fuel leak nearby sparked a state of emergency.

1)The incident occurred at the Talnakh enrichment plant near the Arctic city of Norilsk, the company said, when liquids used to process minerals were “discharged from a reservoir”.

2)“Measures were taken to stop” the removal of the liquid into nearby territory, the company said, adding that there was no threat of waste leaking.

3)Norilsk Nickel was at the centre of another incident when more than 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked into soil and rivers after a fuel reservoir collapsed at a power plant also near Norilsk.

3)President Vladimir Putin declared an emergency situation after the accident and the head of Norilsk Nickel, oligarch Vladimir Potanin, promised to pay the costs of the clean-up.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

50)Consider the following :

1)The BLA is one of several insurgent groups fighting primarily in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, which has been rocked by separatist, Islamist and sectarian violence for years.

2)The group has targeted infrastructure projects and Chinese workers in Pakistan multiple times in recent years, including during a brazen daylight attack on Beijing’s consulate in Karachi which killed four people in 2018.

3)In last year, the BLA attacked a luxury hotel near the Afghan border at Gwadar.

4)Last year, the U.S. State Department designated the BLA as a global terrorist group, making it a crime for anyone in the United States to assist the militants and freezing any U.S. assets they may have.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

51)Consider the following with reference to FATF :

Pakistan’s hopes of being let off the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list were dashed once again, as the 39-member grouping decided to keep it on the list, and even add more tasks. Eventually, Pakistan missed the mark by one crucial action point out of 27 — being judged deficient in prosecuting the senior leadership of UN-proscribed terror groups.

1)The FATF works closely with the UN Security Council’s listings of terror groups as it evaluates countries on their efforts in anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Pakistan’s failure to convict JeM chief Masood Azhar and others appeared to tip the balance against it.

2)The Pakistani government publicly protested the decision, pointing out that many countries that had largely completed the action plans handed to them have been delisted in the past. Pakistan, which was on the

3)For India, Pakistan’s continuance on the list is some comfort, even as it awaits true justice delivered to leaders of groups such as the LeT and JeM for attacks, including Mumbai 26/11, Parliament (2001) Pathankot and Pulwama, and not just terror financing.

4)However, the processes of FATF, that has taken a justifiably hard line in Pakistan’s case, must be checked for overreach, as India faces its Mutual Evaluation Report, that has been delayed due to the pandemic.

5)New Delhi should expect that Pakistan will push for a critical investigation of India’s AML/CFT regime, and with the FATF announcing a new focus on “extreme right-wing terrorism (ERW)”, it is clear that there will be more political aspects to its technical scrutiny of countries in the future.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

52)Consider the following Komagata Maru Ship :

1)Sometime back, Germany officially apologised to Namibia for the massacre of the Herero and Nama people in 1904-1908 and called it a genocide for the first time.

2)Around the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Rwanda that he recognised his country’s role in the Rwandan genocide and hoped for forgiveness.

3)In 2016, Mr. Trudeau apologised before the descendants of passengers of the Komagata Maru ship. In 1914, the Canadian government of the day had decided to turn away the ship carrying South Asian migrants, mostly Sikhs. The ship was forced to return to India. Back home, the British suspected the passengers to be revolutionaries and an altercation began. Many passengers were shot dead.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

53)Consider the following :

1)COVID-19 has presented India with unprecedented challenges to build health capacities.

2)Beating the successive waves requires enabling governance structures that treat COVID-19 as a national calamity, and co-ordination across the States and districts, based on real-time analysis of data and innovative institutional solutions.

3)As our study shows our size can be a disadvantage, for the virus can lurk in many corners, but it is an advantage if we treat this as a shared challenge and build on our federal institutions.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

54)Consider the following with reference to Vaccine Maitri :

1)Central government had sent 5,50,000 Covishield doses as part of its ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme to Bhutan

2)With the first tranche delivered and the second dose promised within “eight to twelve weeks”, the Bhutanese government set about vaccinating nearly 93% of its adult population between March 27 and April 6.

3)The ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme was, however, suspended in the wake of the deadly second COVID-19 wave that hit India in late March.

4)In April, after cases in India began to rise, New Delhi reportedly informed Bhutan that there would be a delay, but Bhutan still hoped that the doses would be delivered by the end of June, when 14 weeks would have elapsed.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

55) What is the difference between a strain and a variant of a virus?

1)Technically, it is one strain until there is a very major change in the virus, which is not yet the case.

2)Variant or lineage is a better word to describe mutations in a virus that are leading to the changes being seen.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

56) What leads to mutation in a Virus ?

1)When a virus multiplies in a host’s body, it makes millions of copies. But some copies are not perfect replicas, they develop some differences, which are termed as mutations

2)Some mutations on the virus’s spike protein may not allow the antibodies developed after immunisation to bind to it.

3)In such cases, the mutant can escape the immunity and cause disease. So far, currently available vaccines are efficient to prevent severe disease by mutants but have reduced effectiveness in preventing infection.

4)The ability to escape human immunity makes some mutations advantageous. These may then propagate better than parent lineages.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

57) What is the Delta variant? How is it different from the Delta Plus variant?

1)A mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.617.2 is now named the Delta variant.

2) It has mutations in its spike protein, which makes it more transmissible and able to evade immunity. It has already spread to 80 countries across the world. After India, now it is spreading fast in the U.K., some States in the U.S., Singapore and southern China.

3)When the Delta variant develops additional mutations of possible importance, it is called Delta Plus. As of now, the K417N mutation, which was previously seen in the Beta variant, is what people usually mean when they say Delta Plus. This is not a Delta/Beta hybrid, but a case of convergent evolution where mutations develop independently. The more correct name is AY.1 or AY.2.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

58)Consider the following with reference to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef :

1)Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and its diversity of marine life ranging from corals to whales found a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1981.

2)Made up of a couple of thousand individual reefs off the continent’s northeastern coast, it has a geological history going back an estimated 23 million years to the Miocene epoch, and has survived many challenges.

3)The GBR is about 2,300 km long and extends across a breathtaking 346,000 sq. km. area, hosting an assemblage of fishes and invertebrates in the reefs, dugongs, green turtles and other species in seagrass meadows, and sharks, rays, anemones, sponges, worms and myriad other forms all of which need a delicate ecological balance to thrive.

4)Idyllic as it appears, the reef system faces severe environmental threats, recently , the World Heritage Committee has sounded a warning by drawing up a resolution to inscribe the reef on the ‘List of World Heritage in Danger’. The Committee took note of the 2019 Outlook Report of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which says in no uncertain terms that the long-term state of the ecosystem has further deteriorated from poor to very poor.

5)At the heart of the crisis is climate change, which has led to three big events of coral bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020. UNESCO’s move to list the GBR as ‘in danger’ brings pressure on Australia’s governmentto review its record on responding to climate change. As a continent that has recorded a rise in its average temperature by 1.4 degrees C since 1910, the devastating fires of 2019-20 were another wake-up call on climate change aggravating extreme events.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

59)Consider the following with reference to Gupkar Declaration :

1)The People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a group of five political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, was in the spotlight when Prime Minister met leaders from eight political parties in J&K, the first such meeting since the erstwhile semi-autonomous State was split into two Union Territories (UT) of J&K and Ladakh and its special status was taken away on August 5, 2019.

2)The sole motive of the alliance, according to its head Farooq Abdullah, “is to fight for the restoration of the August 4, 2019 position”.

3)On August 4, 2019, the Gupkar declaration was signed at the residence of Mr. Abdullah, located on Srinagar’s Gupkar Road, by eight political parties, including the Congress. The 169-word declaration unanimously resolved to protect the identity, autonomy and special special status of J&K, fight against modification or abrogation of Articles 35A, 370 and oppose any bid to carry out the unconstitutional delimitation or trifurcation of J&K. “It (such actions) would be an aggression against the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh,” the declaration reads.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

60)Consider the following :

1)The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project, proposed near Pottipuram in Theni district, does not pose any danger to the environment and will not have any effect on the water table or dams which are far away,

2)The big hill above the observatory at the tunnel is needed to filter the neutrinos from other aggressive cosmic ray particles and Tamil Nadu was specially suited for this observatory as the hills are made of dense Charnockite rocks and provide a good shield from cosmic rays,

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

61)Consider the following with reference to appointment of retired judges :

1)The Madras High Court is contemplating appointment of retired judges of the court as ad-hoc judges to reduce the backlog of 5.84 lakh cases that had got accumulated over the years.

2)The present move to appoint ad-hoc judges comes following a Supreme Court verdict delivered on April 20 this year impressing upon the need for the High Courts to “activate” Article 224A, a “dormant provision” of the Constitution.

3)The constitutional provision empowers the Chief Justice of a High Court to request a retired judge to sit and act as a judge on being paid such allowances as the President may determine. The apex court had batted in favour of utilising the experience of retired judges to clear the backlog since appointment of permanent and additional judges to sanctioned vacancies takes a long time due to delay at various stages of the process.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

62)Consider the following about Cyprus :

1)The condition in nearby Republic of Cyprus has become tense in the backdrop of Ankara’s plan to mark the anniversary of 1974 invasion of the island by Turkish forces.

2)President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was expected to visit Northern Cyprus, also known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, to celebrate the birth of the northern Turkish Cypriot entity.

3)The visit has drawn opposition from the Republic of Cyprus as well as from the EU that has urged him to avoid escalating tension in the region.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

63)Consider the following with reference to Agni-P :

1)“Agni-P is a new-generation advanced variant of Agni class of missiles.

2)It is a canisterised missile with range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km,” a DRDO statement said. The test was conducted at 10.55 a.m. from the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam island, Balasore, off the coast of Odisha.

3)The Agni class of missiles are the mainstay of India’s nuclear launch capability which also includes the Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.

4)The longest of the Agni series, Agni-V, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km, has already been tested several times and validated for induction.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

64)Consider the following with reference to Konkan Railway :

1) The Konkan Railway operates the 756-km route between Roha, near Mumbai, and Thokur, near Mangalore.

2) This route, which is spread across Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka is one of the challenging terrains with many rivers, gorges and mountains

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

65)Consider the following :

1)The Central government pegged the total financial implications of the package, which included the reiteration of some steps that were already announced, such as the provision of foodgrains to the poor till November and higher fertilizer subsidies, at ₹6,28,993 crore.

2)Union Finance Minister also unveiled a fresh loan guarantee facility of ₹1.1 lakh crore for healthcare investments in non-metropolitan areas and sectors such as tourism. A separate ₹23,220 crore has been allocated for public health with a focus on paediatric care, which will also be utilised for increasing ICU beds, oxygen supply and augmenting medical care professionals for the short term by recruiting final year students and interns.

3)Indirect support for exports worth ₹1.21 lakh crore over the next five years, free one-month visas for five lakh tourists, and new seed varieties for farmers were also included in the package. The existing sop to spur employment, where the government bears EPF contributions for new employees earning less than ₹15,000 a month for two years, has been extended till March 31, 2022.

4)“Setting aside the guarantee schemes and the announcements that had already been made earlier, the step up in the fiscal outgo within 2021-22 based on the fresh announcements is estimated at around ₹60,000 crore,”

5)Calling the measures an effort to stimulate growth, exports and employment as well as provide relief to COVID-affected sectors, Union Finance Minister announced an expansion of the existing Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme by ₹1.5 lakh crore. She also announced a new ₹7,500 crore scheme for loans up to ₹1.25 lakh to small borrowers through micro-finance institutions.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

66)Consider the following with reference to Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan :

1)The ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ or a ‘Drugs-Free India Campaign’ was flagged off on 15th August 2020 across 272 districts of the country found to be most vulnerable based on the data available from various sources.

2)The focal points of the Campaign are preventive, mass education and sensitization, capacity building of service providers, positive partnership with educational institutions, and augmentation of treatment, rehabilitation and counselling facilities.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

67)Consider the following :

ABRY was announced as one of the measures under Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package to boost the economy and increase employment generation in formal sector during post Covid recovery phase. This scheme will minimize the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy and will ameliorate the hardship faced by low paid workers, provide incentive to employers for restarting and expanding business activities.

1)This scheme is being implemented through Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) to reduce financial burden of the employers of various sectors/industries and to encourage them to hire more workers.

2)Under ABRY, establishments registered with EPFO and their new employees drawing monthly wage of less than Rs. 15,000/- are being benefited if the establishment recruits new employees or those who lost their job between 01.03.2020 to 30.09.2020.

3)Under ABRY, Government of India is crediting for a period of two years both the employees’ and employers share’ (24% of wages) or only the employees’ share (12% of wages), depending on the strength of EPFO registered establishments. Detailed scheme guidelines can be seen on the website of Ministry of Labour & Employment and EPFO.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

68)Consider the following with reference to digital divide :

1)“There are two components to the digital divide — one is affordability, and whether the families of students can afford devices that are required for digital learning.

2)The second issue is regular accessibility of uninterrupted data, which again has an element of expenditure.”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

69)Consider the following with reference to Oxygen Express :

1)South Central Railway (SCR) has delivered 7,347.37 MT of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) through Oxygen Express trains to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh . Telangana received the first consignment of 63.06 MT of the resource on May 1,2021 and since then, 3719.05 MT through 40 trains.

2)Andhra, on the other hand, received the first consignment on May 15 with delivery of 40 MT of LMO and 3628.32 MT thereafter through 56 trains.

3)About 80 MT was transported from West Bengal, 5 MT from Chhattisgarh,1,288 MT from Jharkhand, 1,793.10 MT from Gujarat and 3,501.77 MT from Odisha.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

70)Consider the following with reference to digital teaching learning :

1) About 40% primary school students could not attend online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to the digital divide, a report published by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s Pratichi (India) Trust found.

2) The study was compiled on the basis of experiences shared by hundreds of teachers across 21 State-run primary schools in Kolkata

3) The 72-page report highlights the issues faced by students in accessing digital teaching learning.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

71)Consider the following with reference to violating the measures by person :

1) Any person violating the measures will be liable to be proceeded against under Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act

2) Besides, legal action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, and other legal provisions as applicable

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

72)Consider the following :

UAPA’s experience has been worse than TADA. UAPA has also been equally used and abused. The recent 133 page bail order of the Delhi High Court in Asif Iqbal Tanha (June 15, 2021), that led to the release of three student activists, has come as a bolt from the blue for the Delhi police. At the heart of the controversy is the meaning of the term ‘terrorism’ and when UAPA can justifiably be invoked.

1)UAPA has a definition of the crucial terms ‘terror’ and ‘terrorism’. Section 15 of UAPA merely defines a terrorist act in extremely wide and vague words: ‘as any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security, or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people….’

2)How is such a terrorist act committed? UAPA says ‘by using bombs, dynamite or other explosive substances or inflammable substances or firearms or other lethal weapons or poisonous or noxious gases … or by any other means of whatever nature to cause or likely to cause death or injuries…,’ What is the meaning of the expression ‘by any other means’? When a general word is used in any statute after specific words, it is to be interpreted in the context of specific words. Thus, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests cannot be covered by this expression.

3)Accordingly, the Delhi High Court concluded that since the definition of a ‘terrorist act’ in UAPA is wide and somewhat vague, it cannot be casually applied to ordinary conventional crimes, and the act of the accused must reflect the essential character of terrorism. Indeed, the CAA protests were not terrorist acts.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

73)Consider the following Migrant workers : Right to food, one of the “bare necessities of life”, was an intrinsic part of the right to live with dignity, the court told the government.

A government cannot “abdicate” its duties to feed migrant workers, especially during a pandemic, merely because they did not have ration cards, the Supreme Court said in a judgment .

1)“There is a large number of such migrants who do not possess any card. Their above disability is due to their poverty and lack of education. The State cannot abdicate its duty towards such persons, especially in the wake of the pandemic where large numbers of migrant workers are not able to get jobs which may satisfy their basic needs,”

2)The court set the deadline for the Centre and the States to ensure their “bounden duty” that none among the estimated 38 crore migrant workers, who form one-fourth of the country’s population, goes hungry during the pandemic. These workers too have made “considerable contributions” to the country’s growth and economic development.

3)The court ordered the State governments to frame schemes to distribute dry rations to migrant workers by July 31. “The States/Union Territories have to make extra efforts to reach migrant labourers so that no migrant labourer is denied two meals a day,”

4)The Centre has to supply whatever additional quantity of food grains a State demanded. The allocation of additional food grains and running of community kitchens in prominent places to feed workers should continue throughout the pandemic, the court directed.

5)Right to food, one of the “bare necessities of life”, was an intrinsic part of the right to live with dignity, the court told the government.

6)It ordered all the States to fully implement the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme by July 31. The scheme allows migrant labourers covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to access food at any fair price shop with his or her ration card in any part of the country.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

74)Consider the following with reference to CoWIN :

1) CoWIN is an extension of an electronic vaccine intelligence network, eVIN, which is used to collect real-time feedback of the vaccination programmes..

2) It is a cloud-based IT solution for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating COVID-19 vaccination in the country

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

75)Consider the following :

1) Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and claims the waters around the peninsula as part of its territory. Most countries do not recognise the takeover and stand behind Ukraine’s claims to the waters.

2)Ukraine and the United States launched joint naval exercises in the Black Sea in a show of Western cooperation with Kiev as it faces off with Russia.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

76)Consider the following with reference to Yak population :

1)The total yak population in India is about 58,000.

2)The Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir have some 26,000, followed by 24,000 in Arunachal Pradesh, 5,000 in Sikkim, 2,000 in Himachal Pradesh and about 1,000 in West Bengal and Uttarakhand.

3)According to the policy, the owners would have to get their yaks ear-tagged and provide a proper description in order to get their animals insured.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

77)Consider the following :

China’s strategies in past negotiations with India — from the Tibet trade agreement in 1954 to the 10 year-long talks on sanctioning the Pakistani terrorist, Masood Azhar, that ended in 2019 — are the subject of “The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India”, a new book by former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale, to be published soon.

1) The current “Wolf Warrior” phase of Chinese diplomacy, is a change in only style

2)There is no change in substance. This does not reflect a fundamental deviation from China’s core negotiating principles. It is simply a style, and, therefore, I think we should not pay too much attention to it.

3)We are in a strange situation where India views ties as being in a new normal because of the still unresolved 2020 border crisis and has said things can’t be business as usual, but China is saying publicly that the basic contours haven’t changed

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

78)Consider the following with reference to Sedition Law :

1)Senior journalist has moved the Supreme Court saying the sedition law is being applied by the government against journalists, activists, filmmakers and civil society in a “politicised fashion”.

2)He is represented by advocates and , cited the cases of climate activist Disha Ravi, filmmaker Aisha Sultana and journalists Vinod Dua and Siddique Kappan in this regard.

3)“There has been a dramatic jump in charging a person with the offence of sedition since 2016. In 2019, 93 cases were on the ground of sedition as compared to the 35 cases that were filed in 2016. The same constitutes a 165% increase. Of these 93 cases, charge sheets were filed in a mere 17% of cases and even worse, the conviction rate was an abysmally low 3.3%,” the application said.

4)The top court has recently said it would examine the use of the sedition provision (Section 124A) of the Indian Penal Code.

5)A request is made to seek permission to intervene in the case before the court and it is said the provision has a chilling effect on the right to free speech.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

79)Consider the following :

1)Two rakes of Train18 model, India’s first semi-high-speed train, rolled out by the Integral Coach Factory were later flagged off as Vande Bharat Express on the New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Katra sectors.

2)After the self-propelled trains emerged a tremendous success in terms of safety, ride quality and operational efficiency, Prime Minister announced that more Vande Bharat trains would be operated across the country. However, there has been considerable delay in manufacturing the rakes.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

80)Consider the following Darbar Move (J&K) :

1)The Hindu Dogra rulers from Jammu expanded their boundaries up to Afghanistan in the 19th Century, but most of them preferred to stay in the Valley.

2)It was in 1872 that Maharaja Ranbir Singh began the practice of shifting his government from Jammu to Srinagar in summers, taking the arduous journey along the Banihal Cart Road.

3)“Dogra rulers popularised the papier-mâché artwork of Kashmir in many Jammu structures and the architectural elements of the Dogra Raj are visible in monuments in Srinagar such as the Sher Garhi Palace. Dogra ruler Pratap Singh was so impressed by Kashmir’s calligraphy that he started an annual award for calligraphy artists,”

4)Hundreds of impassable snow-capped mountains are spread over the 300-km stretch separating the Jammu region from the Kashmir Valley. A narrow highway which cuts through the Pir Panjal mountain range and snakes through the 2.85-km-long tunnel near Banihal connects the Dogri-speaking Hindu population with the Kashmiri-speaking Muslim population.

5)Given that the Kashmir Valley is prone to landslides, shooting stones and heavy snow, a tradition began, 149 years ago, of shifting the capital of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to Srinagar during summers and to Jammu during winters. The ‘Darbar Move’, which brought two linguistically and culturally different regions closer, was entirely dependent on the vagaries of weather.

6)Now, this tradition is likely to become history after the Lieutenant-Governor’s administration decided to shift to e-offices . The administration says the epic bi-annual move is too costly and takes up precious time and resources. But the decision has left hundreds of families worried that their decades-old links with families across the mountains may fade away. Students are concerned about losing opportunities; traders about losing profits. Some suspect that the move has a larger motive.

7)Meanwhile, hundreds of files of the 97 departments, which include 47 Secretariat-based departments, have been digitised so far. The J&K e-office project has scanned and digitised around two crore pages from 3.50 lakh files, in a bid to end the practice of shifting the capital. “The e-office is one of the reformative steps taken to put an end to the Darbar Move in J&K, thus saving crores of rupees spent on transporting files in hundreds of trucks,”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

81)Consider the following with reference to defamation :

1)Recently, police in Uttar Pradesh booked a journalist for defamation under Section 500 of the IPC

2)Supreme Court has ruled that defamation can be pursued only by way of private complaints and there can be no FIR.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

82)Consider the following :

On June 25,2021, amendments to the Bar Council of India rules which govern the professional conduct and etiquette of advocates were notified.

1)They render advocates liable for disciplinary proceedings for making disparaging statements about a court, judge, the Bar Council of India (or State Bar Councils) or its members. The consequences include suspension and disbarment. The amendments clarify that “… healthy and bona-fide criticism made in good faith, shall not be treated as a ‘misconduct’”.

2)Challenges were mounted before various High Courts immediately after the amendments were notified. The Bar Council of India, in response, has kept the rules in abeyance, pending a review by a committee comprising senior advocates, members of bar associations and the Bar Council of India. The amendments also require the Chief Justice of India’s approval before coming into effect, which has not yet been obtained.

3)The new Bar Council of India rules fly in the face of basic constitutional guarantees of free speech and the freedom of profession. The events preceding the introduction of the amendments demonstrate how limited the scope for “healthy” criticism under the new rules would be. Further, even if disciplinary proceedings under the new rules (should they come into effect) do not result in serious consequences such as disbarment, the pain of the process and the possible consequences to the careers of advocates would have a chilling effect.

4)‘Professional conduct and etiquette’ is an enigmatic phrase for the Indian Bar, as it is hard to fathom what the aspirational standard is. Recently, the Solicitor General, was questioned in court about the Government’s defaults on its oxygen supply commitments during the second wave of the pandemic. In response, he said that ‘we have to act as responsible individuals’ and not as ‘unhappy girlfriends’, and added, ‘Let’s try and not be a cry baby’.

5)His response was not only unprofessional but was also unsuitable for the issue of citizens being starved of oxygen. But his words are perhaps a fitting response to the Bar Council of India and other institutions that are rankled by criticism from citizens who have every right to raise their voices against authority in a democracy.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

83)Consider the following with reference to National Green Tribunal :

1)It is said the country was divided into five zones — north, west, central, south and east — and one Bench of the NGT was established for each of them, with territorial jurisdiction over specified States, only for the convenience of litigants residing in the zones.

2)“The jurisdiction of every Bench has been distinctly given, and it is only to enable citizens to approach the forum constituted in their zone and not to make them travel to Delhi, spending huge amounts of money, which is not possible for everyone for each and every issue,”

3)Observing that all five zonal Benches of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) are equally powerful and their orders are applicable across India, the Madras High Court disapproved of a 2017 Central notification, which terms the north zone Bench in Delhi as the Principal Bench.

4)In the notification dated August 10, 2017, the north zone Bench in Delhi is called the Principal Bench, it is prima facie contrary to the NGT Act, 2010, as the latter does not speak about any Principal Bench.”

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

84)Consider the following with reference to Zika virus :

1)Zika virus is said to be primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected aedes species mosquito.

2)The incubation period is three to 14 days, with the symptoms being acute onset of fever, maculopapular rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis and may include muscle pain and headache, according to the Health Department.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

85)Consider the following with reference to Personal Data Protection Bill :

1) The Personal Data Protection Bill seeks to regulate the use of an individual’s data by the government and private companies. The Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Bill has been given extension till the monsoon session of Parliament to submit its report.

2)WhatsApp LLC told the Delhi High Court that till the Data Protection Bill comes into force, it will not compel users to opt for its new privacy policy as it has been put on hold, and will be implemented “if Parliament allows it”.

3)WhatsApp clarified before the Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh that it would not limit the functionality of the app for users who are not opting for the new privacy policy in the meantime.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

86)Consider the following with reference to Co-operatives , new Ministry :

Cooperatives is a State subject under entry 32 of the State list under the Schedule 7 of the Constitution. How can they create a Ministry without an Act of Parliament?”

1)Cooperative model has been a source of political power in States such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

2)Many of these cash-rich cooperatives are controlled by Opposition parties, such as the Nationalist Congress Party, the CPI(M) and the Congress in some of these States.

3)The Central government said the new Cooperative Ministry “will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country” and do much to streamline the processes for “ease of doing business” and enable development of Multi-State Co-operative Banks” (MSCBs).

4)Significantly, the MSCBs have now been solely taken under the Reserve Bank of India for regulatory purposes.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

87)Consider the following with reference to Delimitation :

1)“Delimitation is not a mathematical exercise. It must reflect the political aspirations of society bound in a particular geography. Though the population forms the base [for delimitation], the Commission shall take into account constituencies’ practicality, geographical compatibility, topography, physical features, means of communication and convenience available,” Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said , after the three-member panel completed its four-day consultation tour of J&K.

2)The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission will base its final report on the 2011 Census and will also take into account the topography, difficult terrain, means of communication and convenience available while delimiting seven additional seats for the 83-member Assembly of the Union Territory (UT), besides granting reservation to the Schedule Tribe (ST) and Schedule Caste (SC) communities.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

88)Consider the following :

1)Malabar began as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992, and was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.

2)In April 2017, a report of Australia’s request for observer status in the trilateral exercise.

3)Since then, Australia has made repeated requests to join the exercises and in January 2018, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had said talks on the Malabar exercises were “progressing well”. However, India did not include Australia in the exercises in 2018 and 2019.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

89)Consider the following with reference to Atmanirbhar Bharat Package :

1)Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package, 5 kg of free food grains per person and 1 kg of free whole gram per family has been distributed to migrant labourers, stranded and needy families,

2)The above is for those who are not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) or State scheme PDS cards.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

90)Consider the following :

1) The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a reduction in the curriculum for the year 2020-2021 for Classes IX to XII. This is a measure they have adopted in view of the reduced number of class hours available this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBSE circular says that the move has been finalised by the respective Course Committees with the approval of the Curriculum Committee and Governing Body of the Board.

2)The shedding of portions from the science syllabi is faulty from two perspectives — of basic sciences and of critical reasoning and thinking. The treatment of the physics curriculum is an example of the former while that of biology falls into the latter category.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

91)Consider the following vulnerability of Internet freedom at a time of national security :

The Central Government’s decision to block 59 Chinese apps has once again spotlighted the vulnerability of Internet freedom at a time of national security

1)More specifically, the use of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act has been criticised in some quarters, with one of the criticisms being that it isn’t designed for data protection compliance. And it is also argued that it is set for more specific violations rather than broad general violations, as you mentioned.

2)Section 69A [of the Information Technology Act], which has been used, is not a new power that the government is commandeering during a time of national security emergency. It must be a genuine national security risk, and the necessity of blocking the app must be very clearly made out by the government. And that is the way we try and resolve this question of where do we draw the line between this trade-off between national security, which is important, and rights, which are equally important.

3)It is quite disconcerting that the Supreme Court has been informed for the second time in two years that Section 66A of the IT Act, which was struck down as unconstitutional six years ago, is still being invoked by the police and in some trial courts. One can see why the Court deemed it “a shocking state of affairs” when a petition by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) came up for hearing.

4)Section 66A made messages deemed by the police to be offensive or menacing to anyone, or those that caused “annoyance”, a criminal offence if these were sent through a computer or computer resource. It prescribed a prison term of up to three years on conviction.

5)In its landmark judgment in Shreya Singhal (2015), the Court ruled that the provision was vague and violated the freedom of free speech. It was so broadly defined that it took into its sweep protected speech also, and therefore upset the balance between the exercise of the free speech right and the imposition of reasonable restrictions on it.

6)In January 2019, too, the Court’s attention was drawn to the same problem of the invalidated provision being used by the police to register cases based on complaints. Not much seems to have changed since then, and it is quite surprising that the police headquarters and prosecutors in the various States had not disseminated the effect of the Court ruling among officers manning police stations.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

92)Consider the following :

1)On July 6, 2020 when the number of novel coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. reached over 2.8 million and nearly 0.13 million, respectively, the U.S. officially notified the United Nations of its intention to withdraw membership from the World Health Organization.

2)This comes after President Donald Trump announced on May 29 his decision to halt funding and pull out of the global health body. After accusing WHO of being “China-centric” on multiple occasions, this unfortunate development is one more attempt by Mr. Trump to deflect blame for gross mismanagement of the crisis.

3)In a May 18 letter, he officially demanded that the WHO make “major substantive improvements” in 30 days while charging that the global body lacked “independence” from China, was slow to respond to the threat, and had “repeatedly made inaccurate or misleading claims” about the virus.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

93)Consider the following : (2020 news based question)

A February 2020 Supreme Court judgment on criminalisation in politics may have far-reaching consequences for Indian democracy.

1)It will first be implemented in the coming Bihar elections in October 2020. The Court has asked the political parties to state “the reasons for such selection, as also as to why other individuals without criminal antecedents could not be selected as candidates.”

2)If a political party fails to comply, it would be “… in contempt of this Court’s orders/directions.”

3)In other words, the political party and its leadership would for the first time have to publicly own up to criminalisation of politics. They had been denying it all these years.

4)Earlier orders state that (a) each candidate shall submit a sworn affidavit giving financial details and criminal cases; (b) each candidate shall inform the political party in writing of criminal cases against him or her; and (c) the party shall put up on its website and on social media as well as publish in newspapers the names and details of such candidates.

5)The judgment notes that “In 2004, 24% of the Members of Parliament had criminal cases pending against them; in 2009, that went up to 30%; in 2014 to 34%; and in 2019 as many as 43% of MPs had criminal cases pending against them.”

6)India is the only democratic country with a free press where we find a problem of this dimension.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

94)Consider the following with reference to :

1)“India remains one of the most open economies in the world. We are laying a red carpet for all global companies to come and establish their presence in India. Very few countries will offer the kind of opportunities India does today,” it is stated, listing the gains the country had made in “total financial inclusion, record housing and infra construction, Ease of Doing Business, bold tax reforms, including the GST”.

2)The s reference to “green shoots” or small signs of revival comes a few days after the Ministry of Finance published its macroeconomic report for June 2020, which said activity had “picked up” in certain areas, even though the GDP growth estimates have plummeted further.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

95)Consider the following :

1)Under Section 151 of the Representation of the People Act, it is provided that if only one year is left of a House, a by-election will not be held. But it is actually at the discretion of the ECI to make an exception. And it has been making an exception only for the Chief Minister. Because in a House of 200-300, about three-four vacancies are always there. The government being allowed to fall because the ECI says it cannot hold an election… that would be the very unbecoming of the Commission.

2)Now, in Section 151, a subsection provides that the ECI in consultation with the Central government certify that it is difficult to hold the by-election within the set period.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

96)Consider the following (for analysis / discussion purpose) :

1) CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] Director is appointed by a committee which includes the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

2)Is the ECI far more fundamental and important an institution than the head of the CBI? Obviously, yes. This would also provide greater authority to the Commission because appointments would be made after an agreement across political lines.

3)The Central Information Commission is not a constitutional body, it is a statutory body, but appointments are through a collegium. The CBI is not even a constitutional or statutory body. Why do we have our priorities upside down?

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

97)Consider the following (Article 101 of Constitution of India ) :

1)Article 101, it says that if a person is a member of both Houses of Parliament, he or she loses membership of one;

2)if a person is an MP and gets elected as an MLA, or vice versa, he or she has to resign from one.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

98)Consider the following with reference to Union Council of Ministers :

1)The reconstitution of the Union Council of Ministers was guided by both political and administrative considerations.

2)As many as 36 new faces were inducted and 12 dropped from the council, which now has 78 members, just three shy of the upper limit of 81.

3)In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began its rule advertising its 45-member Council of Ministers as an attempt at minimum government, but the restraint was quietly abandoned in the following years.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

99)Consider the following :

1) Stars, as per known mechanisms of evolution, actually destroy lithium as they evolve into red giants. Planets were known to have more lithium than their stars — as is the case with the Earth-Sun pair. However, leading to a contradiction, some stars were found that were lithium-rich.

2)The Sun, for instance, has about a factor of 100 lower amount of lithium than the Earth. About 40 years ago, a few large stars were spotted that were lithium-rich. This was followed by further discoveries of lithium-rich stars, and that posed a puzzle — if stars do not produce lithium, how do some stars develop to become lithium-rich?

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c

100)Consider the following Operation Samudra Setu :

Operation Samudra Setu, which was launched by the Navy as part of the national effort to repatriate Indian citizens abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, has culminated after successfully bringing back 3,992 individuals, the Navy said

Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa and Landing Ship Tanks INS Airavat, Shardul and Magar participated in this operation that lasted over 55 days and involved traversing more then 23,000 km by sea, the Navy said in a statement. The evacuated Indians disembarked at Kochi, Thoothukudi and Porbandhar.

1)Operation Samudra Setu was undertaken utilising Naval ships best suited for the operation, allowing for COVID-19 related social distancing norms, medical arrangements and carrying capacity. Ships used for the operation were specially provisioned and the sick bay or the clinic on board was especially equipped with COVID-19 related equipment and facilities, the Navy said. “Women officers and military nursing staff were also embarked for the women passengers.”

2)Basic amenities and medical facilities were provided to all evacuees during sea passage on these ships. One of the expectant mothers who undertook passage on INS Jalashwa, Sonia Jacob, gave birth to a baby boy within a few hours of reaching Kochi on International Mother’s Day, the Navy said.

3)The Navy has previously undertaken similar evacuation operations as part of Operation Sukoon in 2006 (Beirut) and Operation Rahat in 2015 (Yemen).

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

(a)1 only

(b)1 and 2 only

(d) None

Ans: c