Ans: B

Exp:

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2024.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’ is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over the period of the previous four years.
  • Considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92. The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand (1905–79) who is considered to be one of the best players to have ever played the sport of hockey.
• Statement 2 is correct: Named after Arjuna, the main protagonist from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, the Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961. 
  • It is awarded for consistent good performance over a period of four years. The winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • The first Arjuna awards was conferred upon India’s football Olympian PK Banerjee.

• Statement 3 is correct: The Dronacharya Award, instituted in 1985, is India’s highest sports honour for coaches. 
  • It is awarded to individuals for producing medal winners at prestigious international events. 
  • This award is named after Dronacharya or Drona who was Arjuna’s guru or coach in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize. 
  • The first woman to win the Dronacharya award was athletics coach Renu Kohli in 2002

Ans: A

Exp:

• • India recently submitted its latest Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC.
  • Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), developing countries are obliged to submit a detailed report on their efforts towards climate action. This report, submitted as part of obligations under the Paris climate agreement, is called the Biennial Update Report or BUR.
    •  It contains important updates on national action plans to mitigate emissions, methods to measure those actions along with information on the financial, technological and capacity-building support the country has received to combat climate change.

• Key Highlights:

• • Statement 1 is correct: India has committed to reduce its GDP emission intensity by 45% compared to 2005 levels by 2030. BUR-4 has submitted that between 2005 and 2020, India’s emissions intensity of GDP reduced by 36%.
  • The biggest highlight of BUR-4 is that in 2020, India’s total GHG emissions were 2,959 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent. 
    • After counting the absorption by forestry sector and land resources, the country’s net emissions were 2,437 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. 
  • Statement 2 is  correct: The total national emissions (including land use, land-use change, and forestry) fell 7.93% compared to 2019, although it has increased by 98.34% since 1994, as per BUR-4.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: Sectoral contributions to emissions were highest from the energy sector at 75.66%. 
    • Agriculture contributed 13.72% emissions while Industrial Process and Product Use and Waste sector contributed 8.06% and 2.56%, respectively. In the energy sector, electricity production alone accounted for 39% of emissions.

Ans: C

Exp:

• The Government of India has decided to constitute a Working Group for base revision of the current series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from base 2011-12 to 2022-23.
• The Terms of Reference of the Working Group will be as follows: –
  • To suggest the commodity basket of WPI and PPI with base year 2022-23 in the light of structural changes in the economy.
  • To review the existing system of price collection and suggest changes for improvement.
  • To decide on the computational methodology to be adopted for WPI / PPI.

• To examine the methodology for compilation of PPI approved by Technical Advisory Committee on Statistics of Prices & Cost of Living and suggest further improvement in compilation and presentation and recommend a roadmap for switch over from WPI to PPI.
• To examine the method of computing the linking factor adopted so far and suggest  appropriate changes in the method of computing the linking factor, if necessary.

• To suggest any other improvements as may be necessary for enhancing the reliability of WPI / PPI.

• • Wholesale Price Index (WPI) represents the price of goods at a wholesale stage i.e. goods that are sold in bulk and traded between organisations instead of consumers. 
  • Released by:  The Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 
  • Base year: 2011-12
  • Statement 1 is  correct: WPI covers only goods and excludes the services.
  • Statement 2 is  correct: WPI is primarily used as a GDP deflator. 
  • WPI reckons only basic prices and does not include taxes, rebate/trade discounts, transport and other charges.

• Components and weightage in WPI basket:

• • Primary articles: 20.12 percent 
  • Manufactured products:  64.97 percent 
  • Fuel and power: 14.91 percent

Ans: D

Exp:

• The Supreme Court of India has reaffirmed that no person can be deprived of their property without adequate compensation, highlighting the constitutional and human right status of property ownership. 

• The Bench emphasized the importance of fair compensation in land acquisition cases.

• • Under Article 300-A, Right to Property is no longer a Fundamental Right since the 44th Amendment to the Constitution in 1978,  it has been conferred the status of a constitutional right. Option (d ) is correct.

• Meaning of Removal from Fundamental right: The removal of the right to property as a fundamental right and its reclassification as a constitutional right has reduced its level of protection and the remedies available to individuals.

•  As  a fundamental right under Part III of the Indian Constitution, individuals could directly challenge violations in the Supreme Court under Article 32, ensuring strong and immediate enforcement. The state also faced stricter scrutiny before interfering with this right. 

• • Presently , as a constitutional right under Article 300A, violations must be challenged in High Courts under Article 226. This shift gives the state more flexibility in regulating or expropriating property for public purposes.

Ans: C

Exp:

• Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory virus that causes mild infections similar to that caused by a common cold. 
• Statement 1 is  correct:First identified by scientists in 2001, the virus belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, of which respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), measles and mumps are also members.
• HMPV can cause both upper and lower respiratory tract infections and is generally seen in winter and early spring. 
  • Children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to the infection and to developing complications from it.
• HMPV spreads through contact with an infected person or touching objects that have the virus on them.

Statement 2  is  correct: There is no vaccine and there is no specific antiviral to treat HMPV.