Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, India’s Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) was recognized as a best practice in Commonwealth Secretaries of public service/ secretaries.

Statement 1 is correct: Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is  an online web- enabled system developed by the National Informatics Centre (Ministry of Electronics & IT [MeitY]), in association with the Directorate of Public Grievances (DPG) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). 

• The CPGRAMS provides the facility to lodge a grievance online from any geographical location. It enables the citizen to track online the grievance being followed up with the Departments concerned and also enables DARPG to monitor the grievance.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Issues which are not taken up for redress by the  Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS):

• RTI Matters

• Court related / Sub Judice matters
• Religious matters
• Suggestions
• Grievances of Government employees concerning their service matters including disciplinary proceedings etc. unless the aggrieved employee has already exhausted the prescribed channels 

Statement 3 is incorrect:  The grievances received on CPGRAMS shall be resolved promptly as soon as they are received but within a maximum period of 30 days. 

• The Designated Authority has to ensure the appeal is acted upon within 30 days.  He or she can fine the officer concerned and compensate the citizen, if appropriate.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government is planning to denotify a sizeable area of the Pulicat bird sanctuary.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is the second-largest bird sanctuary in India. 

• The sanctuary cuts across Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.

Statement 2 is correct:The Buckingham Canal, a navigation channel, is part of the lagoon on its western side.

• The canal is a 419-km-long navigation channel the British dug in the early 19th century that extends from Pedda Ganjam in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, southwards through Chennai and to Marakanam, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu

Statement 3 is correct: A marine protected area is a defined region designated and managed for the long-term conservation of marine resources, ecosystems services, or cultural heritage. 

• Pulicat Lake is a designated marine protected area. 

Ans: A

Exp:

Dongria Kondh tribals have been detained and sent to jail by the authorities on suspicion of Maoist affiliations.

Statement 1 is correct: Dongria Kondh people are members of the Kondhs, of the Munda ethnic group. 

• They are located in the Niyamgiri hills. Niyamgiri is a hill range spread over 250 sq.km which falls under the Rayagada and Kalahandi District in Odisha. 

Statement 2 is incorrect:  The Niyamgiri hill range in Odisha state, eastern India, is home to the Dongria Kondh tribe. Niyamgiri is an area of densely forested hills, deep gorges and cascading streams.

•  To be a Dongria Kondh is to farm the hills’ fertile slopes, harvest their produce, and worship the mountain god Niyam Raja and the hills he presides over, including the 4,000 metre Mountain of the Law, Niyam Dongar.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The people of Niyamgiri use Kui language. Kui language is not written, but it is spoken among the people of Kondh community. The 8th schedule includes

•  1) Assamese, (2) Bengali, (3) Gujarati, (4) Hindi, (5) Kannada, (6) Kashmiri, (7) Konkani, (8) Malayalam, (9) Manipuri, (10) Marathi, (11) Nepali, (12) Oriya, (13) Punjabi, (14) Sanskrit, (15) Sindhi, (16) Tamil, (17) Telugu, (18) Urdu (19) Bodo, (20) Santhali, (21) Maithili and (22) Dogri.

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, India successfully tested a new model of its Medium Range ballistic Missile.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Crystal Maze 2  is a  ballistic missile. It is also known as ROCKS.

• It is an air-launched medium-range ballistic missile that is capable of hitting targets at a distance exceeding 250 km

Statement 2 is incorrect: The  Crystal Maze 2  missile is equipped with advanced navigation and guidance systems that allow it to operate effectively even in GPS-denied environments. 

• This capability is essential for ensuring the missile’s accuracy and reliability in combat scenarios where GPS signals may be jammed or denied by adversaries.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Crystal Maze 2 is a missile designed by Israel that can be launched from the air. 

• It can hit targets with high precision and is good at avoiding damage to surrounding areas

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, Microsoft unveiled the latest version of its ‘lightweight’ AI model – the Phi-3-Mini. 

Statement 1 is correct: Small Language Models (SLMs) are a type of neural network designed to process and generate human-like text. 

• Unlike traditional language models, SLMS are optimized for smaller size and faster training times, making them more accessible and scalable for developers

Statement 2 is incorrect: While LLMs are trained on massive general data, SLMs stand out with their specialisation. 

• Through fine-tuning, SLMs can be customised for specific tasks and achieve accuracy and efficiency in doing them.
•  Most SLMs undergo targeted training, demanding considerably less computing power and energy compared to LLMs.

Statement 3 is correct: Phi-3-mini is an SLM. Simply, SLMs are more streamlined versions of large language models. 

• When compared to LLMs, smaller AI models are also cost-effective to develop and operate, and they perform better on smaller devices like laptops and smartphones. 
• According to Microsoft, SLMs are great for “resource-constrained environments including on-device and offline inference scenarios.”