Ans: A

Exp:

India is celebrating the 15th National Voters’ Day on January 25, 2025.

• This year’s theme is, “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure”. 
• It is a continuation of last year’s theme emphasizing the importance of participation in the electoral process, and encouraging voters to take pride in exercising their franchise.
• Statement-I is Correct: National Voters’ Day is celebrated on 25th January every year to encourage voter participation and commemorate the foundation of the Election Commission of India.
  • Its purpose is to create electoral awareness amongst citizens and encourage them to participate in the electoral process.
• Statement-II is Correct: National Voters’ Day is celebrated to mark the foundation of the Election Commission of India, which was established on 25th January 1950.

• Statement-II provides an accurate explanation for the celebration of National Voters’ Day in Statement-I. The day is celebrated to honor the establishment of the Election Commission and its role in conducting elections in India. Hence, Option A is Correct.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, a Kerala woman was sentenced to death this week for the 2022 murder of her boyfriend. She used paraquat, a toxic chemical and one of the world’s most-used herbicides.

• Statement 1 is Correct: Paraquat, also known as paraquat dichloride or methyl viologen, is one of the world’s most-used herbicides. 

• A toxic chemical, paraquat is primarily used to control the growth of weeds and desiccate crops like cotton before harvest.

• • Statement 2 is Correct: The WHO classifies paraquat as Category 2 (moderately hazardous and moderately irritating) chemical. 
    • In India, its use is governed by the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The Insecticides Act of 1968 authorises the manufacture, sale, storage, transport, and distribution of insecticides, including herbicides like paraquat. 
    • A 2021 notification issued by the Agriculture Ministry restricts paraquat’s use to the following crops: wheat, rice, tea, coffee, potato, grapes, maize, rubber and apple. Its spraying is also allowed in some waterways like ponds and canals to combat weeds such as the bulrush (Typha latifolia), waterthymes (hydritta) and the invasive common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).

• Despite this, its use is largely unregulated. 

• Statement 3 is Incorrect: Its sale is banned in over 70 countries, including China and the European Union, due to its potent toxicity. However, it is widely used in the US and in India.
  • According to the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA), “one small accidental sip can be fatal” to humans.
  • While ingestion is the most common route of exposure, the chemical may also be transferred and absorbed through prolonged skin contact. Its inhalation can also cause respiratory issues.
  • While there are no known antidotes for paraquat poisoning, a 2021 article in the National Medical Journal of India (NMJI) mentions studies that have used immunosuppression or charcoal haemoperfusion as treatment.
  • Paraquat exposure has been linked by some to the incidence of Parkinson’s Disease, a claim that the EPA has evaluated. 

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, the Government of India announced the prestigious Padma Awards, honouring 139 distinguished individuals for their exceptional contributions across various fields. The awards will be conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, typically around March or April each year.

The Padma Awards, one of India’s highest civilian honours, are categorised into three tiers:

• Padma Vibhushan: Awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan: Recognised for distinguished service of a high order.
• Padma Shri: Conferred for distinguished service in any field.
• This year’s list includes 23 women, 10 individuals from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, and 13 posthumous awardees.

• Statement 1 is Incorrect: National awards like Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri do not qualify as titles under Article 18(1) of the Constitution, which abolishes titles. Therefore, these awards should not be used as prefixes or suffixes to the recipient’s name in any form.

• • Article 18(1) prohibits the State from conferring titles on anyone, whether a citizen or non-citizen. However, military and academic distinctions are exempt from this prohibition. This means that a university, for example, can bestow titles or honors upon individuals of merit.
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Padma Awards have been suspended twice in their history, once during the Morarji Desai government between 1977 and 1980, and again during the mid-1990s due to legal challenges regarding their constitutional validity; therefore, they have not been consistently conferred since their establishment in 1954.
• Statement 3 is Incorrect:  The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to NRI/foreigners/OCIs) should not be more than 120.

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s recent statement that party whips curtail an MP’s freedom of expression by enforcing a party line has sparked a debate. 

• The term whip came from the hunting fields of England, where a whipper-in was a member of the hunting party whose job was to bring straying hounds back into the pack. Its use in politics comes from Anglo-Irish politician and philosopher Edmund Burke.
• In India, the whip system is as old as its parliamentary history, according to former Lok Sabha secretary-general P D T Achary. 
• The system is important for parliamentary functioning as parties see voting on some matters as crucial to how their politics is perceived. Hence, MPs are expected to be present at the time of voting on matters critical to the party and follow the organisation’s line. Absence or voting against the party line can be a huge embarrassment to the party.
• The whip is the bridge between the party leadership and the MPs and also has a sense of which members ought to speak on different issues in Parliament.

What are the different kinds of whips? 

• There are three kinds. 
• Pair 1 is Correct: A one-line whip just informs members about a vote but permits them to abstain. 
• Pair 2 is Correct: A two-line whip asks them to be present but does not tell them how to vote. 
• Pair 3 is Correct: The three-line whip, largely the norm these days, directs members to be present and vote as per the party line.
  • A three-line whip to party members by a party’s chief whip carries the heading “Three-Line Whip”. Under each sentence, there are three thick horizontal lines. Largely the norm these days, this kind of whip directs members to be present and vote as per the party line.
• If a member violates a three-line whip, which is the strictest of directions by a party, the leader of the party can recommend his or her disqualification to the Presiding Officer of the House. 
• “As per the Anti-Defection Law, disqualification can happen for violation of a three-line whip. 
• There were always members who thought that this curtailed their freedom, but even the Supreme Court has said that the whip system is necessary for the preservation of political parties.

Ans: D

Exp:

A research team from the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology, Basel in Switzerland, has developed a technique to edit genes, to demonstrate how it could be used to perhaps cure Stargardt disease, a rare, genetic eye disease that leads to vision loss.

• Statement 1 is Correct: Stargardt Disease does cause progressive vision loss, specifically targeting the macula, the central part of the retina.

• • • Stargardt Disease is an inherited eye disorder that leads to progressive vision loss, particularly affecting the central part of the retina known as the macula.

• Statement 2 is Correct: The disease is caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene, which disrupts the body’s ability to use Vitamin A, leading to an accumulation of lipofuscin in retinal cells.

• • • This disease was seen more commonly in males, presenting during the second decade of life.
    • The disease prevalence was estimated at 1 in 8000 to 10000 populations, with deterioration of visual acuity leading to legal blindness and loss of central visual acuity.

• Statement 3 is Correct: Currently, there is no treatment for Stargardt disease, but vision rehabilitation can help people make the most of their remaining vision.