Option (c) is correct.

Explanation: 

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released Advance Estimates of production of major Kharif crops for 2023-24. 

The estimated production of major Kharif crops for 2023-24 is as under:

• Foodgrains  –1485.69 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT)
  • Rice  –1063.13 LMT
  • Maize  –224.82 LMT
  • Tur  –34.21 LMT
  • Moong – 14.05 LMT
  • Urad – 15.05 LMT
• Oilseeds  –215.33 LMT
  • Groundnut  –78.29 LMT
  • Soybean  –115.28 LMT
• Sugarcane – 4347.93 LMT
• Cotton  –316.57 Lakh bales (of 170 kg each)
• Jute & Mesta –91.91 Lakh bales (of 180 kg each) 
• Gram is a Rabi crop.

Option (a) is correct.

Explanation:

Due to soaring cases of the highly contagious African Swine Fever (ASF), a large number of pig carcasses have been found floating in Loktak lake.

• Loktak Lake: It is a large freshwater lake. Thick, floating mats of weeds covered with soil (phumids’) are a characteristic feature. The lake is used extensively by local people as a source of water for irrigation and domestic use and is an important wintering and staging area for waterbirds, particularly ducks. 
• Rudrasagar Lake: Fed by three perennial streams discharging to the River Gomti, the lake is abundant in commercially important freshwater fishes like Botia spp, Notopterus Chitala, Mystus spp., Ompok pabda, Labeo bata, and freshwater scampi. It is an ideal habitat for Three-striped Roof Turtle Kachuga dhongka. Owing to high rainfall and downstream topography, the wetland is regularly flooded with 4-5 times annual peak.
• Bhoj Wetland: It consists of two adjacent human-made reservoirs viz. the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake. The lakes are very rich in biodiversity, particularly for macrophytes, phytoplankton, zooplankton, both natural and cultured fish species, both resident and migratory birds, insects, and reptiles and amphibians. 
• Sambhar Lake: It is a large saline lake surrounded by sand flats and dry thorn scrub and fed by seasonal rivers and streams. The site is important for a variety of wintering waterbirds, including large numbers of flamingos. Human activities consist of salt production and livestock grazing.

Option (c) is correct 

Explanation: 

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is set to organize a Country-Led Initiative (CLI) event as a part of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) at the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand. 
• The CLI aims to contribute significantly to the discussions of UNFF regarding the implementation of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF). It also seeks to facilitate the exchange of best practices among UNFF member States. 
• Statement 1 is correct: The United Nations Forum on Forests promotes the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests. 
• Statement 2 is correct: The UNFF has universal membership, and is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialised agencies.
• Statement 3 is correct: India holds the distinction of being a founding member of UNFF. 

Option (d) is correct 

Explanation: 

• An outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) killed hundreds of pigs, dealing a major blow to farmers in seven districts in the northeastern state.
• Statement 1 is correct: African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and feral swine of all ages. 
• The disease has a case fatality rate (CFR) of about 100 percent.
• Statement 2 is correct: ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
• Statement 3 is correct: There is no effective treatment or vaccine.
• Its routes of transmission include direct contact with an infected or wild pig (alive or dead), indirect contact through ingestion of contaminated material such as food waste, feed or garbage or through biological vectors such as ticks.
• Statement 4 is not correct: It is differentiated from Classical Swine Fever (CSF), whose signs may be similar to ASF, but is caused by a different virus for which a vaccine exists.
• Swine influenza or swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs, which is caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pig populations

Option (d) is correct

Explanation:

• The inclusion of the Hattee community in Himachal Pradesh’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) list has led to confusion in the Tribal Development Department. 
• They are uncertain about the identity of the “Hattees” and whether individuals already classified as Scheduled Castes (SC) should be included in this community.
• Statement 1 is correct: The President may, with respect to any State or Union territory, after consultation with the Governor specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall, for the purposes of this Constitution, is deemed to be scheduled tribes in relation to that state or Union Territory, as the case may be.
• Statement 2 is correct: Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled tribes any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community.
• Statement 3 is correct: The listing of scheduled tribes is done State/Union Territory wise and not on an all India basis.
• The criterion followed for specification of a community, as scheduled tribes are indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness. 
• Statement 4 is not correct: This criterion is not spelt out in the Constitution but has become well established.