ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

 ANSWER: A

 ANSWER: C

• Large underwater forests of kelp are declining by roughly 1.8 per cent annually, as per experts.

What are Kelps?

• Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world’s coastlines.
  • Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds.
• Kelp are not plants, but rather extremely large brown algae, and many different species of kelp make up kelp forests.
• Distribution– Kelps cover 25 per cent of the world’s coastlines and provide food and shelter for fish, invertebrates and marine mammal species.
• They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth.
• They offer crucial services such as carbon sequestration and erosion control, according to scientists.

Challenges

• Kelps are increasingly threatened by-
  • climate change,
  • Eutrophication and shoreline development, among other human-induced stressors.
    • One such threat is from bryozoa, moss animals that grow as mats on kelps. They drive the seaweed to sink into the seafloor and disintegrate. The outbreak can be linked to high temperatures. It was found that high temperature and kelp density resulted in more bryozoan, while high wave exposure had the opposite effect.
  • Dense kelp beds in warmer and less wave-exposed sites are more susceptible to bryozoan outbreaks, scientists noted.

 ANSWER: C

• Recently, Prime Minister paid tribute to Dayanand Saraswati on his 200th birth Anniversary.

About Dayanand Saraswati

• Born on February 12, 1824 in Tankara (Gujarat)and named Mul Shankar Tiwari.
• Swami Dayananda was a social reformer, hailing his contributions towards the fight against social discrimination and untouchability.
• He stressed the importance of education for all children and preached respect and equal rights for women.
• He spent 25 years as a wandering ascetic and travelled to the Himalayas, he also started practising Yoga during this time.
• He also preached against the giving of donations to priests. He also challenged established scholars and won debates against them through the strength of the Vedas.
• He was staunchly against rituals and superstitions.
• Literary Works: He wrote many books. His major contribution is Satyartha Prakash. Other books include Sanskarvidhi, Rigved Bhashyam, etc.
• He was first to give call for Swaraj as “India for Indian” in 1876.
• He started Shuddhi Movement wherein purification was imparted to those who sought their way back to Hinduism.

Arya Samaj

• He founded Arya Samaj in 1875 to counter social inequities.
• Arya Samaj led a prolonged movement against untouchability and advocated the dilution of caste distinctions.
• He issued the slogan, “Back to the Vedas.”
• He was unconcerned with the Puranas.
• Swami learned Vedanta from a blind instructor named Swami Virajananda in Mathura. His viewpoints were similar to Ram Mohan Roy’s.
• Intercaste marriages and widow remarriages were also promoted.
• Disbelief in polytheism and image worship, hostility to caste-based limitations, child marriage, opposition to the ban of sea journeys, and advocacy for female education and widow remarriage were all key programs shared by Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj members.
• He stressed on One God and rejected idol worship. He also advocated against the extolled position of priests in Hinduism. He opposed the multiplicity of castes.
• Dayanand anglovedic trust and Management society in Lahore in 1886 , was an attempt to unite the samaj and its activities.

ANSWER: A

• An Oxford University-led study has found alarming levels of toxic PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” in the ice around Svalbard, Norway which pose a risk to the region’s wildlife.
• The Norwegian Arctic ice consists of 26 types of PFAS compounds which once the ice melts can be passed to ecosystems like Arctic fjords and tundra.

What are Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)?

• The PFAs refer to a class of around 12,000 chemicals which are often found in consumer products which resist water, heat or stains and are also called “forever chemicals” since they do not naturally break down over time.
• Additionally, these chemicals are linked to a number of diseases including cancer, liver disease, etc.
• Therefore, these contaminants, once passed on, can affect the entire food web from small organisms like plankton or fish to apex predators in the region like polar bears.

Uses

• Cosmetics, electronics, textile (waterproof outdoor clothing),paper and cardboard food packaging, in non-stick cookware.

 ANSWER: D

• Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) inaugurated the first edition of Upnext India 2023 in presence of international buyers and exhibitors.

About

• This initiative is in the form of a series of Reverse Buyer Seller meet under the name of “UPNEXT INDIA”.
  • Reverse Buyer Seller Meet is to provide an opportunity for prospective importers (Buyers) to interact with their Indian counterparts (sellers) about the requirements, instead of sellers going to buyers to sell their products.
• Upnext India is organized by AEPC and supported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme.

Market Access Initiative (MAI)

• It is an Export Promotion Scheme. The scheme aims to act as a catalyst to promote India’s exports on a sustained basis.
• The scheme is formulated on the basis of the product and country focus approach. It will evolve specific markets and specific products through market studies/surveys.

Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)

• Incorporated in 1978, AEPC is the official body of apparel exporters in India that provides invaluable assistance to Indian exporters as well as importers/international buyers who choose India as their preferred sourcing destination for garments.
• It is under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles.

ANSWER: B

• The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji on his Punya Tithi (Death Anniversary).
• He was born in 1916 in Nagla Chandrabhan village, now called Deendayal Dham in Uttar Pradesh.
• He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and dedicated himself to full-time work in RSS from 1942.
• He started a monthly magazine “Rashtra Dharma”, a weekly ‘Panchajanya’, and a daily ‘Swadesh’.
• In 2019, Prime Minister unveiled a 63-feet tall statue of Pandit Upadhyaya while inaugurating the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre in Padao on the Varanasi-Chandauli border.

 ANSWER: C

• Recently, the Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology inaugurated AMRITPEX 2023 – National Philatelic Exhibition.
  • Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history.
• This five-day Mahakumbh of Stamps (11th to 15th February 2023) in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, is being organized as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebrations.
• The exhibition will feature stamps and photographic collections on the country’s history and culture. It is based on five themes –
  • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and New India,
  • Yuva Shakti,
  • Nari Shakti,
  • Nature and Wildlife, and
  • India’s Culture and History.
• For the first time in India, new Technology like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality has been used to showcase the cultural heritage, history, nature and wildlife by narrating the stories of stamps.

 ANSWER: B

• In a special drive, a total of 10,90,000 Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts were opened at more than 1 lakh post offices across India in just two days, on February 9 and 10.

About the scheme

• The Sukanya Samriddhi Account scheme is a long-term saving scheme for a girl child and aims to encourage parents to build a fund for future education and marriage expenses of their daughters.
• Account is opened in name of a girl child till child attains age of 10 years in post offices and notified branches of commercial banks.
• Minimum deposit of Rs.250 and maximum of Rs. 1,50,000 can be deposited in a financial year.
• The accounts mature after the girl reaches the age of 21 years or at the time of marriage of the girl in whose name the account has been opened.
• Tax benefit is available under section 80C of Income-tax Act.

 ANSWER: D

• Research sheds light on Agasthiyar Observatory which was one of the few magnetic observatories in world during 19th century.
  • It was situated in Agasthyarkoodam.
• Agasthyakoodam, second highest peak in Kerala and is part of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve which lies conjointly in states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
  • It is part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2001.
• Agasthyarkoodam got its name from sage Agasthya. He was a pioneer of Tamil Siddha Ayurveda.

ANSWER: D

• Government run National Language Translation Mission or Bhashini Mission’s capabilities have been integrated with UPI ecosystem to make digital payments through UPI 123 Pay available in more than 20 local Indian languages.
• Bhashini Mission was launched by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
• It is a local language translator mission that aims to break the barrier between various Indian tongues by using technology.
• This platform will make Artificial Intelligence (Al) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) resources available to Indian MSMEs, startups and innovators in public domain.
• Bhashini platform is interoperable and will catalyze entire Digital Ecosystem.

 ANSWER: D

• Chief Minister has congratulated “Harmony of The Pines”, Himachal Pradesh Police orchestra, for being selected for performing at the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) Awards to be held in Mumbai on February 20.
• The CM wished success to Harmony of The Pines in its future endeavours.

 ANSWER: A

• The district administration is making elaborate preparations to ensure the peaceful conduct of the upcoming Hola Mohalla fair at the Dera Baba Vadbhag Singh shrine in Mairi village, scheduled to be held from February 27 to March 9 this year.
• About 5 lakh devotees, mostly from Punjab, visit the shrine during the fair every year.
• Deputy Commissioner said the shrine and its periphery will be divided into 10 sectors, each under the command of a sector magistrate and a sector police officer.