Option (d) is correct.

Explanation: 

• As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released by the National Statistical Office (NSO ), the quality of employment for women continues to deteriorate as their share in wage work fell for the fourth consecutive year during July 2022-June 2023.
• Statement 1 is correct: At the national level, the share of women in regular wage work has declined sharply to 15.9 per cent in 2022-23, from 21.9 per cent in the pre-pandemic period of 2018-19.
• The ‘usual status’ measure of employment showed an increase in self-employment among women to 65.3 per cent from 53.4 per cent during the same pre-pandemic period.
  • Usual status classifies a person according to the type of work they would have engaged in during a one-year reference period,
• Statement 2 is correct: Women’s participation in the rural workforce has increased to 41.5 per cent in 2022-23 from 26.4 per cent in 2018-19. 
• Statement 3 is correct: In urban areas, it increased to 25.4 per cent from 20.4 per cent. The unemployment rate for rural women (1.8 per cent) was even lower than rural men (2.7 per cent) in 2022-23.  
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The share of women engaged in agriculture has increased sharply to 64.3 per cent in 2022-23 from 55.3 per cent in 2018-19. 

Option (a) is correct.

Explanation: 

• A new study published in the journal Nature Water highlighted benefits of switching to millets from cereal crops.
• Statement 1 is incorrect: Millets are primarily a kharif crop in India, predominantly cultivated in rainfed conditions, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other staple crops. 
• Statement 2 is incorrect: According to the latest NABARD report, millet cultivation is prominently concentrated in Rajasthan (35.5%), Maharashtra (20%), Karnataka (13.3%), and Uttar Pradesh (8.8%).
• Statement 3 is correct: As per the National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD) annual report 2022-23, Andhra Pradesh stood in the first place in the country in millet productivity in 2022.
• Statement 4 is correct: India is the largest millet producer in the world, with a share of 44%, followed by China (~9%) and Niger (~7%).
• Statement 5 is incorrect: India is the second-largest exporter of millets.

Option (c) is correct.

Explanation: 

• India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index(GHI) 2023.
• Statement 1 is not correct: The Global Hunger Index is released by Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany respectively.
• Statement 2 is correct: India ranks even below its neighbouring countries Pakistan (102th), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th).
• Statement 3 is not correct: This year’s index showed a four-place slip for India as in 2022 India ranked 107th out of 121.
• Statement 3 is not correct: Index is based on four indicators of undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality.

Option (d) is correct.

Explanation:

According to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO’s) State of Global Water Resources 2022 report, the Asian Water Tower (AWT) saw significant glacial melting in 2022. This altered the natural downward flow of major rivers viz. the Indus, Amu Darya, Yangtze and Yellow River in the region.

• Indus River: It is one of the longest rivers in the world, with a length of around 3,200 km. Its total drainage area is about 11,65,000 square km which lie in the ranges of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram Range and is in the semi-arid plains of Pakistan.
• Yellow River (Huang Ho): It is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. With a length of around 5,464 km, it is the country’s second longest river, surpassed only by the Yangtze River. Its drainage basin area is around 7,50,000 square km.
• Amu Darya: It is around 2,540 km long if measured from the sources of its headstream, the Panj River, in the Pamirs. In the past the Amu Darya discharged into the Aral Sea, but the diversion of river water for agriculture in the 20th and 21st centuries has contributed to the shrinking of the Aral Sea. 
• Yangtze River: It is the longest river in Asia and third longest river in the world, with a length of around 6,300 km. Its basin drains an area of around 18,08,500 square km. More than three-fourths of the river’s course runs through mountains. 

Option (b) is correct.

Explanation:

• Government is looking at IT rules to make WhatsApp disclose source ID. The basis for this are multiple deepfake videos of politicians circulating on WhatsApp. 

Deefake:

• Deepfake AI is a type of artificial intelligence used to create convincing images, audio and video hoaxes. The term describes both the technology and the resulting bogus content, and is a combination of deep learning and fake.
• Deepfakes often transform existing source content where one person is swapped for another. 
• They also create entirely original content where someone is represented doing or saying something they didn’t do or say.
• The greatest danger posed by deepfakes is their ability to spread false information that appears to come from trusted sources.