Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, the Sadashivanagar police have registered a case against Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan and 17 members of Indian Institute of Science under the SC/ST Act based on a private complaint filed by a faculty member accusing them of dismissing him from service through a fake honey trap case and subjecting him to casteist abuse.

• Statement 1 is Incorrect: The term “Scheduled Castes” was first used in the Government of India Act of 1935. The act was passed by the UK Parliament in 1935 and came into force in 1937.  
• Statement 2 is Correct: Article 366 defines the term “Scheduled Caste”.
  • Article 366(24) of the Indian Constitution defines the term “Scheduled Caste”. It also defines “Scheduled Tribes” in Article 366(25). 
• Statement 3 is Incorrect: The Governor does not have the power to notify Scheduled Castes for a state. The President of India has the power to designate certain groups as Scheduled Castes (SCs) in a state after consulting with the Governor. 

Mechanisms to Tackle Caste-Based Atrocities in India:

Constitutional Provisions

• Fundamental Rights:
  • Article 14 – Right to Equality
  • Article 15 – Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth
  • Article 16 – Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment
  • Article 17 – Abolition of “untouchability” and its practice in any form
• Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP):
  • Article 46 – Promotes the educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs)
  • Article 338 – Establishes the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (SCs)

Legal Provisions

• Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955:
  • Initially aimed at punishing the practice of untouchability.
  • Later amended to the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1976.
  • The Act made the practice of untouchability, as a result of religious and social disabilities, punishable.
• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989:
  • A special law designed to address offences, termed as “atrocities,” specifically committed against members of the SC/ST communities.
  • Includes provisions for the establishment of Special Courts for speedy trial of such cases.
• The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013:
  • Seeks to eliminate the practice of manual scavenging.
  • Focuses on the rehabilitation of those engaged in the practice.
• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015:
  • Introduced provisions to address new crimes, specifically sexual offences against women of the SC/ST communities.
  • Extended the scope of atrocities to include these crimes under the Act.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, Storm Eowyn, a bomb cyclone, has caused widespread destruction across the British Isles, particularly in Ireland and Scotland.

• • Air pressure at the centre of the storm plummeted 50 millibars in the 24 hours leading up to midnight on January 24. That’s more than twice what is required in the definition of “explosive cyclogenesis”, in other words, the development of a cyclonic (anticlockwise rotating) storm that is both rapid and severe — like a bomb going off. As a result, Éowyn can be termed a “bomb cyclone”.

• Statement 1 is Correct: A bomb cyclone is a rapidly intensifying storm where the central air pressure drops by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. The explosive pressure drop creates severe winds and intense weather conditions.

• • Statement 2 is Incorrect: Bomb cyclones generally occur during colder months because cyclones occur due to cold and warm air meeting.

• During the summer, there’s generally not much cold air across the atmosphere; this means a bomb cyclone is much less likely to occur.

• Statement 3 is Incorrect: Bomb cyclones are most commonly associated with mid-latitudes, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, rather than tropical regions.

Formation of Bomb Cyclones:

• Jet Stream Dynamics: A powerful jet stream, with winds exceeding 200 mph over the North Atlantic, acts as a catalyst for the rapid development of storms, providing the necessary energy for intensification.
• Temperature Contrast: A significant temperature contrast between the cold Arctic air and the warm oceanic air leads to atmospheric instability, creating conditions conducive to the formation of a bomb cyclone.
• Moisture and Heat Flux: The warm surface of the ocean releases both heat and moisture into the atmosphere. This fuels the development of deep cloud formations and helps to intensify the storm system.
• Pressure Drop: As the low-pressure system moves from south to north, it aligns with the jet stream, causing a rapid pressure drop and accelerating the storm’s intensification, a defining characteristic of bomb cyclones.

How does a Bomb Cyclone Differ from a Hurricane?

• Hurricanes form in tropical waters, while bomb cyclones form over the northwestern Atlantic, northwestern Pacific and sometimes the Mediterranean Sea.

• • Hurricanes are powered by warm seas and hence are most common in summer or early fall, when seawater is warmest.
    • Bomb cyclones generally occur during colder months because cyclones occur due to cold and warm air meeting.

• During the summer, there’s generally not much cold air across the atmosphere; this means a bomb cyclone is much less likely to occur.

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, doctors treating patients from J&K’s Baddal village said that organophosphate, chemicals that are used in pesticides and insecticides, could be behind the 17 deaths that had spread panic in the village and prompted experts from different parts of the country to look for the cause.

• • Organophosphates are generally used to protect crops from pests and even to control the spread of disease by insects.
  • In India, the use of carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos, which are all classified as organophosphates are used as pesticides in agriculture.

• Organophosphates (OPs) are chemical compounds that are used in pesticides, herbicides, nerve gas, and the production of plastics and solvents. They are toxic to humans, animals, plants, and insects. 

• OPs inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the body. This causes an excess of acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter. 

• The excess ACh causes cholinergic toxidrome, which affects the central nervous system (CNS) and nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. 

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister paid tributes to Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai on his 160th birth anniversary. He was born on January 28, 1865 in Punjab.

• He was an Indian revolutionary who played a significant role in helping attain the freedom of the country. Lala Lajpat Rai was a politician and author, and famously known as the part of the Lal Bal Pal trio. Lala Lajpat Rai is also lovingly referred to as Punjab Kesari. 
• Lala Lajpat Rai was a prominent figure in the Indian National Congress (INC) and played a crucial role in mobilizing political activity, especially in Punjab. He was involved in several agitations and movements, and his leadership in the Punjab protests helped establish his place as one of the key leaders in the struggle for India’s independence. He was popularly known as the “Lion of Punjab” for his leadership and resilience.
• Lala Lajpat Rai was an ardent opponent of the Partition of Bengal (1905), which was a British divide-and-rule strategy. He strongly protested against it, as it aimed to divide the Hindus and Muslims of Bengal to weaken the national unity. He later supported Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement (1920), which called for non-violent resistance against British colonial rule, and he worked closely with Gandhi in many of his campaigns. His participation in the Non-Cooperation Movement marked a key phase in his political career.
• He established the Servants of People Society in 1921 to focus on social reform and the upliftment of marginalized communities.
• His important literary works include England’s Debt to India, Evolution of Japan, India’s Will to Freedom, Political Future of India, Problem of National Education in India, The Depressed Glasses, and the travelogue ‘United States of America’, etc.

Ans: B

Exp:

On January 24, a rare plant known as the corpse flower bloomed in Sydney, Australia, for the first time in more than a decade. A similar flower bloomed in New York in the U.S. on the same day.

• Statement 1 is Correct: The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) is a rare and distinctive plant known for its large size and foul odour, which resembles the smell of decaying flesh. 
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: It is native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is called bunga bangkai (bunga means flower and bangkai means corpse).
• Statement 3 is Incorrect: Its conservation status under IUCN is endangered.
  • Size and Structure: It can grow up to 3 meters (about 10 feet) tall.
    • It features a tall, phallic spadix (a spike) surrounded by a purple spathe (a petal-like structure), which unfurls during blooming.
    • It is famous for its unusual blooming cycle and its ability to attract carrion-eating insects for pollination.
• Blooming Cycle: The blooming of the corpse flower is rare and often occurs once every 7–10 years or more. The bloom lasts for only a single day.
• Pollination: The flower relies on carrion insects to pollinate.
  • It has both male and female flowers, with the female flowers blooming first to avoid self-pollination.
• Related Species: Rafflesia arnoldii (the largest individual flower in the world), Dracunculus vulgaris, Stapelia gigantea.