Current Affairs Quiz Today – 24th Dec. 2020

ANS: (B) 2 Only

Explanation

• The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India has come up with a unique initiative called a “firefly bird diverter”. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • The Wildlife Conservation Society is a non-governmental organization headquartered in New York, that aims to conserve the world’s largest wild places in 14 priority regions.
• Firefly bird diverters are flaps installed on power lines. They work as reflectors for bird species like the Great Indian Bustard.
  • The birds can spot them from a distance of about 50 meters and change their path of flight to avoid collision with power lines. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • The diverters are called fireflies because they look like fireflies from a distance, shining on power lines in the night.
• The GIB is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
  • Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Protection Status:
    • IUCN status: Critically Endangered. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.
    • CITES: Appendix1
    • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1
    • The Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican have been included in Appendix I of the UN Convention on Migratory Species.

ANS: (B) 2 only

Explanation

• The Registrar General of India is responsible for conducting census. It is under the Ministry of Home Affairs (not autonomous). Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • The Government of India, in 1949 established an organisation in the Ministry of Home Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India to develop systematic collection of statistics on the size of population, its growth, etc.
• The Registrar General arranges, conducts and analyses the results of the demographic surveys of India including Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  • Census of India: It provides information on size, distribution and socio-economic, demographic and other characteristics of the country’s population.
  • Linguistic Survey of India: The primary objective of the present Linguistic Survey of India is to present an updated linguistic scenario

ANS: (C) Both 1 and 2

Explanation

• Recently, the National Water Mission (NWM), Ministry of Jal Shakti in collaboration with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have launched the ‘Catch the Rain’ Awareness Generation Campaign. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Activities involved:
  • To nudge all stake-holders to create Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable for the climatic conditions and subsoil strata to store rainwater.
  • To engage people at the grassroots through effective campaigning and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities for implementation of the campaign.
  • Drives to make water harvesting pits, rooftop RWHS and check dams.
  • Removal of encroachments and desilting of tanks to increase their storage capacity.
  • Removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water from the catchment areas.
  • Repairs to traditional WHS like step-wells and using defunct bore-wells and old wells to put the water back to aquifers. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

ANS: (A) 2 only

National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Storage:

Composition:

The multi-disciplinary “National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage” with an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee will be chaired by CEO NITI Aayog.

The Steering Committee will be comprised of Secretaries from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Heavy Industry, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and Director General, Bureau of Industrial Standards.

Role:

• The Mission will recommend and drive the strategies for transformative mobility and Phased Manufacturing Programmes for EVs, EV Components and Batteries.
• A Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) will be launched to localize production across the entire EV value chain. The National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage will determine the contours of PMP, and will finalise the details of such a program.
• The details of the value addition that can be achieved with each phase of localisation will be finalised by the Mission with a clear Make in India strategy for the electric vehicle components as well as battery.
• The Mission will coordinate with key stakeholders in Ministries/ Departments and the states to integrate various initiatives to transform mobility in India.
• The Mission will ensure holistic and comprehensive growth of the battery manufacturing industry in India.

ANS: (A) 1 only

Article -43-A belongs to Socialistic DPSP and was added by the 42^nd Constitutional Amendment Act.