ANSWER: B

 ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

• Contract for same was initially signed in 2002 for a period of 15 years. It was extended by ISA twice for 5 years period, during 2017 and 2022.
• India has been assigned an area of about 75,000 sq km in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) for PMN exploration.
• PMN refers to small potato-like rounded accretions composed of minerals such as manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and iron hydroxide.
  • These have immense economic and strategic importance.

About International Seabed Authority

• ISA, an autonomous international organisation established under 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, allots ‘area’ for deep-sea mining.
• Deep-sea mining is process of retrieving mineral deposits from deep seabed i.e. ocean below 200m.
• India was first country to receive status of a ‘Pioneer Investor’ in 1987.
• Significance of deep sea mining:
  • Metals extracted from PMN can be used in electronic devices, smartphones, solar panels etc.
  • By just utilizing 10% of PMN reserve available in allotted area, India can meet its energy requirements for the next 100 years.

Concerns related to deep sea mining:

• May cause unavoidable, irreversible harm to deep-sea ecosystems;
• Can have a deleterious impact on marine species;
• Risk of accidents like leaks and spills of fuel etc.

ANSWER: B

• A budget is ‘an estimation of revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time and is utilized by governments, businesses, and individuals at any income level:
• Under Article 112, the Union Budget is referred to as the ‘Annual Financial Statement’ – a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the government for that particular year (April 1 to March 31).
• Union Budget is not a single document rather a list of 13 documents.
  • 3 documents i.e. Annual Financial Statement, Demands for Grants, and Finance Bill are mandated by Article 112,113 and 110(a) of Constitution.
  • 2 documents presented as per Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003:
    • Macro-economic framework statement;
    • Medium term fiscal policy cum fiscal policy strategy statement.
  • Other documents are in the nature of explanatory statements supporting the mandated documents.

Vision for Amrit Kaal – an Empowered and Inclusive Economy

• First budget of India’s Amrit Kaal, the vision includes a technology-driven and knowledge-based economy with strong public finances, and a robust financial sector.
• Also, the Union Budget is guided by seven priorities that complement each other and act as the Saptarishi.

 ANSWER: A

• The Union Ministry of Railways launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in December 2022 to modernize over 1,000 small stations over the coming years.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

• The scheme envisages the development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term vision. 
• The scheme aims at preparation of Master Plans of the Railway stations and implementation of the Master Plan in phases to enhance the facilities.
• Key features for these proposed stations:
  • provisions for roof top plazas,
  • longer platforms,
  • ballastless tracks,
  • and 5G connectivity.
• Other Facilities Planned under this Scheme
  • Smooth access by widening of roads, properly designed signages, dedicated pedestrian pathways, well planned parking areas, improved lighting.
  • High level platforms(760-840 mm) shall be provided at all categories of stations.
  • Provide good cafeteria/retail facilities.
  • Space shall also be created for Executive Lounges and places for small business meetings.
  • Drainage of platform areas.
  • Ceremonial flags may be provided at appropriate space in the station.
  • Special amenities for the disabled.
  • Gradual shift to sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions as per availability of funds and condition of existing assets is considered.
• The scheme will subsume all previous redevelopment projects where work is yet to begin.

ANSWER: C

• To create awareness about the importance of wetlands and protect them from degrading, the UN and other international organizations celebrate World Wetlands Day.
• Wetlands support a wide range of biodiversity and help to maintain natural cycles. They replenish water resources and protect coastlines.
• They account for 4.7% of the Indian Geographical area. Today 30% of the Indian wetlands have been lost. And 35% of wetlands have been lost at the world level.
• The theme of 2023 World Wetlands Day- It is Time for Wetlands Restoration
• World wetlands day marks the date of the adoption of the convention on wetlands on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, a city in Iran.

Types of Wetlands

• Coastal Wetlands:Coastal wetlands are found in the areas between land and open sea that are not influenced by rivers such as shorelines, beaches, mangroves and coral reefs.
  • A good example is the mangrove swamps found in sheltered tropical coastal areas.
• Shallow lakes and ponds:These wetlands are areas of permanent or semi-permanent water with little flow. They include vernal ponds, spring pools, salt lakes and volcanic crater lakes.
• Marshes:These are periodically saturated, flooded, or ponded with water and characterized by herbaceous (non-woody) vegetation adapted to wet soil conditions. Marshes are further characterized as tidal marshes and non-tidal marshes.
• Swamps:These are fed primarily by surface water inputs and are dominated by trees and shrubs. Swamps occur in either freshwater or saltwater floodplains.
• Bogs:Bogs are waterlogged peatlands in old lake basins or depressions in the landscape. Almost all water in bogs comes from rainfall.
• Estuaries: The area where rivers meet the sea and water changes from fresh to salt can offer an extremely rich mix of biodiversity. These wetlands include deltas, tidal mudflats and salt marshes.

Major causes of wetland degradation

• Population growth is the primary cause of wetlands degradation. The natural factors that cause wetland degradation are erosion and land subsidence.

ANSWER: A

• It is a WhatsApp chatbot launched by Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
  • Chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (Al) and natural language processing (NIP) to understand customer questions and give responses to them.
• It will enable communication between people and the child rights panel.
• It aims to provide authentic information on various matters related to children and their rights, and ensure confidentiality of the matters reported through it.
• Chatbot’s features include complaint registration, searching information and tracking complaint status, seeking information on admissions along with providing authentic information on various matters related to children and their rights

ANSWER: C

• Over 1.17 lakh migratory birds have flocked the Pong Dam wildlife century in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh this time, more than 7,000 than last year.
  • The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, just upstream of Talwara.
• According to Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife), the figures were received on January 31 following a two-day count.
• The teams sighted Long Tail Duck for the first time in this Ramsar site. The number of Northern Pintail has increased from 4,500 last year to 15,700 this year. There is also an increase in the number of Bar Headed geese this year.
• A Ramsar site is a wetland designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention — an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
• The lake may have more avian visitors in the coming days as these Siberian birds are returning from south India and they tend to take a break at the Pong Dam reservoirs.
• The reason for this increase in the number of birds at the site, is that the birds get plenty of food here and they feel more protected now as not a single poaching incident has been reported in a year.

ANSWER: D

• Gimner Singh, who belongs to Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, has been selected for the Paragliding World Cup to be held in Thailand.
  • The competition will be held in Nongkhai region of Thailand from February 9 to 20.
  • In this, apart from Gimner Singh, Ladakh’s Sonam and Sikkim’s Arjun Rai will also be a part of the Indian team. Gimnar Singh is currently working as an instructor in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering Institute.
• In the Asian Paragliding Championship held in December last year, Gimner Singh participated in the Himachal team and won a bronze medal.
• International player Gimner Singh said that 80 paragliding pilots are participating in the Paragliding World Cup.

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

 ANSWER: A

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: A