Ans: D

Exp:

India has witnessed extreme weather conditions in recent years, from torrential rain and floods to droughts and cyclones, blamed by some experts on climate change.

About Extreme weather events:

• An extreme weather event is rare at a particular place and time of year, with unusual characteristics in terms of magnitude, location, timing, or extent. 
• The characteristics of what is called extreme weather may vary from place to place in an absolute sense.

Extreme weather events can lead to a variety of public health issues:

• Statement 1 is correct: Heat-related illnesses: Such as heatstroke and dehydration due to extreme heat waves.
• Statement 2 is correct: Vector-borne diseases: Such as malaria and dengue, as warmer temperatures can expand the habitat range of mosquitoes and other vectors.
• Statement 3 is correct: Respiratory problems: Such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses, due to increased air pollution and particulate matter from events like wildfires.
• Statement 4 is correct: Malnutrition: Can result from food supply disruptions due to droughts, floods, and other extreme events affecting agriculture.

Ans: C

Exp: 

Woody encroachment is a direct result of human-driven factors that are changing the disturbance regimes open ecosystems need to thrive

About Woody Encroachment: 

• The increase of tree and shrub cover in open ecosystems like savannahs and grasslands is called woody encroachment. It leads to the conversion of diverse, multi-layered ecosystems into a uniform layer of woody plants.
• Effects of Woody Encroachment: Woody encroachment has led to a substantial reduction in the number of native grassland birds. In the African Savannah, the population of grassland birds has declined by more than 20%.

Impact on Biodiversity: 

• Statement I is correct: Woody encroachment alters biodiversity in various ways. For instance, there has been a significant decline in grassland birds due to woody encroachment. In the southern African countries, the population of open ecosystem birds has declined dramatically.
• Statement II is incorrect: Woody encroachment in grasslands, which involves the increase of tree and shrub cover, has led to a decline in the population of certain bird species, particularly those adapted to open, grassy habitats. This is because many grassland birds rely on open spaces for nesting, feeding, and avoiding predators. As trees and shrubs increase, these open spaces diminish, making the habitat less suitable for these birds.

Ans: A

Exp:

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed Lok Sabha about National Culture Fund (NCF) in a written reply. 

About National Culture Fund (NCF)

• Statement 1 is correct: Government has set up National Culture Fund (NCF) as a Trust on 28th November, 1996 under the Charitable Endowment Act, 1890 with a view to mobilise extra resources through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) towards promoting, protecting and preserving India’s tangible & intangible cultural heritage

Features: 

• The NCF is managed and administered through a Governing Council chaired by the Hon’ble Minister of Culture. The council comprises up to 25 members who decide on policies.
• An Executive Committee, headed by the Secretary (Culture), executes these policies.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Tax Benefits: Donations to the NCF are eligible for 100% tax benefit under Section 80G (ii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• Statement 3 is correct: CSR Contribution: NCF’s activities fall under Schedule VII No. (v) of the Companies Act, 2013. This makes it a valid recipient of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions.
• The focus areas include protecting national heritage, restoring historical buildings and sites, setting up public libraries, and promoting traditional arts and handicrafts.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: Annual Audits: The NCF’s annual accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Ans: B

Exp: 

UNESCO has also added phase two of China’s sprawling Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf Migratory Bird Habitat to its World Heritage List.

About Bohai Gulf: 

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Bohai Gulf is an innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea, situated along the coast of Northeastern and North China.
• It serves as the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea.
• To the east, it connects with the Yellow Sea via the Bohai Strait.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Yellow River (China’s second-longest river) discharges into the Bohai Gulf.
• The gulf also hosts both onshore and offshore petroleum deposits, with several oil refineries in the vicinity.
• In earlier times, the Bohai Gulf was referred to as the Gulf of Chili or the Gulf of Pechili.

Ans: A

Exp: 

We are witnessing an increase in AI (Artificial Intelligence) bias, misinformation, and breach of privacy, which gets heightened during events such as elections.In order to deal with this problem, a possible solution that has ignited interest among researchers and companies alike is the idea of Machine Unlearning (MUL).

About Machine Unlearning (MUL)

• First mooted by Cao and Yang in ‘Towards Making Systems Forget with Machine Unlearning’, MUL ponders upon the question of how we can make machines forget data from trained AI models. 
• Statement I is correct: Machine Unlearning can help mitigate biases and misinformation by removing problematic data.
• Statement-II is correct and explains Statement-I: It is the antithesis of Machine Learning. An algorithm is added to the AI model for the purpose of identifying and deleting false, incorrect, discriminatory, outdated, and sensitive information.