Ans: A

Exp:

• The 5th edition of the LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) 2023 report was released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. This report indicates  a State’s performance across the following key pillars:
  • Logistics Infrastructure
  • Logistics Services
  • Operational and Regulatory Environment
• Statement 1 is correct: The Logistics Performance Index (DPIIT) aims at enhancing focus on improving logistics performance across states, which is essential for improving the country’s trade and reducing transaction costs. The index is an indicator of the efficiency of logistical services necessary for promoting exports and economic growth.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh and Gujarat are among the 13 states and Union Territories categorised as ‘achievers’ in the logistics index chart 2023.
  • Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are the other states that have been categorised as fast movers in the ranking.
  • Goa, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand have been ranked in the Aspirers Category.
• LEADS was conceived along the lines of the Logistics Performance Index of the World Bank in 2018 and has evolved over time. While the LPI relies entirely on perception-based surveys, LEADS incorporates both perception as well as objectivity thereby enhancing the robustness and comprehensiveness of this exercise.

Ans: A

Exp:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Odisha temple architecture, which made a humble beginning around the 6th  century A.D., had reached its pinnacle of perfection by the time the temple of Lord Jagannath was built. It took three generations worth of time to build the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri. Initiated by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the middle of the eleventh century and completed by King Anangbhima Deva III in the 12th century, Jagannath temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples (still in use) in the world.
• Statement 2 is correct: The temple is known for its unique architecture, which includes a massive compound wall and a large temple complex with multiple towers, halls, mandapas, and shrines. The temple is called “White Pagoda” because of its white-painted walls. 
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The temple contains some of the finest specimens of Odishan architecture and sculpture. The temple is surrounded by two rectangular walls, the outer enclosure is called Meghanad Prachir, and the inner enclosure is called Kuruma Bedha. The Jagannath temple is on a perfect pancha-ratha plan. The temple is a complete example of the fully developed Kalinga style, having all four essential parts – the Vimana or the sanctum sanctorum, the Jagamohana or the Audience Hall, the Nata Mandapa or the Dancing Hall and the Bhoga Mandapa or the Hall of offering.

Ans: B

Exp:

• Statement 1 is correct: In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962), and all other powers enabling him in this behalf, the President of India constituted an Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to carry out certain regulatory and safety functions envisaged under Section 16, 17 and 23 of the Act.  
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Board has a full-time Chairman and a full-time Member-Secretary. The total number of members, including the Chairman and Member-Secretary, can not exceed five. The Board is responsible to the Atomic Energy Commission. The Minister of Science and Technology is not the ex-officio chairman of the commission. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has powers to lay down safety standards and frame rules and regulations regarding the regulatory and safety requirements envisaged under the Atomic Energy Act 1962.

Ans: B

Exp:

The ‘Middle-technology trap’ describes a scenario in which developing countries benefit from industrial transfers due to their low-cost advantages but face long-term economic stagnation when the advantages diminish, and local firms struggle to catch up with the core technologies retained by developed nations.

Why in the News?

• China has been warned of a potential “Middle-technology trap” by a state-run Chinese think-tank unless it opens itself for new investments and scientific innovation to deal with increasing containment in the ongoing tech war with the US. 
• China’s manufacturing sector remains positioned in the downstream segment of the global value chain, exposing it to the potential challenge of being constrained at the lower and middle tiers by advanced economies like the United States, Germany, and Japan.
• Concerns over China’s state of the economy are also increasing as the property sector, which is one of the growth sectors of the country, is in deep crisis.

Ans: C

Exp:

• According to the report of the International Energy Agency( IEA), Global coal demand is expected to decline by 2026.
• Statement 1 is correct:  China, India, and Indonesia are the three largest coal producers globally. They  are expected to break output records in 2023, pushing global production to a new high in 2023. These three countries now account for more than 70% of the world’s coal production.
• Statement 2 is correct: Coal is the most important energy source for electricity generation, steel-making, and cement production. It is also the largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activity (anthropogenic sources). 
• Statement 3 is correct: Reducing the use of ‘unabated’ coal, or coal-burning without technologies to capture carbon, is among the explicit agreements of countries signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the world’s biggest influencer of climate policy. To have a chance at keeping temperatures from rising beyond 1.5° Celsius by the end of the century, coal emissions must decline by nearly 95% between 2020-2050.