Ans: A

Exp: 

Output from India’s eight core sectors grew 6.1% in July, rebounding from a blip in June when growth had slid to a five-month low of 5.1%, as per data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry recently.

About Index of Core Industries (ICI):

• Statement 1 is Correct: ICI comprises 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). 
• The eight core sector industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products > Electricity > Steel > Coal > Crude Oil > Natural Gas > Cement > Fertilisers.
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: ICI is published monthly with the base year as 2011-12.
• Statement 3 is Incorrect: Published by: The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) is prepared every month and released by the Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Ans: D

Exp: 

Cyclone Asna recently moved past Gujarat without making any serious impact on the prone regions, said officials. 

About Cyclone: 

• Statement 1 is Correct: Tropical cyclones generally do not cross the equator due to the Coriolis effect, which is responsible for the rotation of cyclones. 
  • The Coriolis effect is weakest at the equator and increases as you move towards the poles. 
  • This weak effect near the equator makes it difficult for cyclones to cross from one hemisphere to the other.
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: In the southern hemisphere, cyclones rotate clockwise. 
  • The Coriolis effect causes cyclones to rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
• Statement 3 is Correct: The eye of a cyclone is the calmest part. 
  • It is characterised by relatively clear skies and light winds, while the most intense and destructive winds occur in the eyewall surrounding the eye.

Ans: B

Exp: 

China has in recent months deployed military and coast guard vessels in a bid to eject the Philippines from a trio of strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

South China Sea Dispute: China Philippines Tensions

• In 2012, China seized Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, defying a favourable ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
• Last September, Philippine forces removed a barrier installed by China near Scarborough Shoal, resulting in a warning from Beijing.
• Despite China’s claims and warnings, the Philippines continues to send regular resupplies to Second Thomas Shoal, located about 200 km from Palawan.
• China- Philippines Dispute: China refers to Sabina Shoal as Xianbin Reef, while the Philippines calls it Escoda Shoal.
• China claims the Sabina Shoal. It is more than 1,000 km from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan island.
• Manila and Beijing have stationed coast guard vessels around the shoal in recent months, with the Philippines fearing China is about to build an artificial island there.

Answer: A

Exp: 

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been granted the Navratna status by the Ministry of Finance.

About Criteria for grant of Navratna status to CPSEs

• Statement 1 and 2 are Correct:The CPSEs which are Miniratna I, Schedule ‘A’ and have obtained ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ MOU rating in three of the last five years 
• Statement 3 is Incorrect: CPSEs should have a composite score of 60 or above in following six selected performance indicators are eligible to be considered for grant of Navratna status.                                                                                                               

• Criteria for grant of Miniratna status to CPSEs
• Miniratna Category-I status: The CPSEs which have made profit in the last three years continuously, pre-tax profit is Rs.30 crores or more in at least one of the three years and have a positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna-I status.

Miniratna Category-II status: The CPSEs which have made profit for the last three years continuously and have a positive net worth are eligible to be considered for grant of Miniratna-II status.

Ans: B

Exp: 

The latest study by a team from the Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) gives the highlights of fluoride contamination in the groundwater of India

Key Highlights from the Study:

• Statement 3 is Correct: Even though fluoride is among the many minerals found naturally in groundwater, the nationally permissible limit is 1.50 milligrams/litre. 
  • Limit: Contamination over 1.50mg/litre is deemed unfit for drinking purposes. 
  • Considered among the 13 most abundant elements, fluoride (ionic form of fluorine element) forms 0.06 – 0.09 per cent of the Earth’s crust. 
  • Leaching and dissolution: Following the process of leaching and dissolution of fluoride-bearing minerals present in the host water aquifers underneath, fluoride is released and mixes with the groundwater
• Data from the Study: The average concentration of fluoride in groundwater was higher in dry, western Indian regions. 
  • Rajasthan topped the charts, where the pre-monsoon concentration was 1.41mg/litre and the post-monsoon was 1.44mg/litre, both values close to the maximum permissible limit of India.
    •  Jaisalmer district fared the worst in fluorine contamination in the groundwater, the study concluded. 
  • Along with Rajasthan, the post-monsoon concentration of fluorine was found to be above normal in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.
  • Statement 1 is Incorrect: The contamination in humid and wet areas was relatively low in comparison to arid and dry areas, thus making groundwater in western India regions highly contaminated.
• Statement 2 is Correct: The study concluded that there prevailed a high risk of skeletal fluorosis even when the fluoride concentration was around 2 per cent, whereas dental decay was a worry if the concentration of fluorine concentration went up to 40 per cent in the groundwater.