Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, J&K Chief Secretary has given the nod to include religious places, especially mosques, under the flagship PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana to boost the generation of electricity in a region that faces long power cuts throughout the year. 

• The uniquely multi-tiered and broad-sloped roofs of mosques in Kashmir are set to be part of an ambitious project to generate renewable energy in the scenic Valley.

About PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana:

• The world’s largest domestic rooftop solar initiative. 
• A government scheme launched on February 15, 2024, that aims to provide free electricity to households in India.
• The scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27.
• Under the scheme, households will be provided with a subsidy to install solar panels on their roofs. The subsidy will cover up to 40% of the cost of the solar panels.

• • Statement 1 is incorrect: It would help one crore families get up to 300 units of free electricity per month (not year) with savings of up to Rs 18,000 annually.
    • It is estimated that the scheme will save the government Rs. 75,000 crore per year in electricity costs.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is the nodal ministry responsible for the implementation of the scheme.

• The benefits of the scheme include:

• • • Free electricity for households
    • Reduced electricity costs for the government
    • Increased use of renewable energy
    • Reduced carbon emissions
• Statement 3 is correct: The Model Solar Village initiative aims to establish one solar village per district to promote energy self-reliance in rural India.
  • Under the “Model Solar Village” component of the scheme, the focus is on establishing one Model Solar Village per district throughout India. This initiative aims to promote solar energy adoption and empower village communities to achieve energy self-reliance. 
  • An allocation of ₹800 crore has been designated for this component, with ₹1 crore provided to each selected Model Solar Village.

Ans: A

Exp:

India has been chosen to chair the 68th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) for the first time. Ambassador Shambhu S Kumaran, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, officially assumed the chairmanship.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), not the General Assembly.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: CND’s headquarters is in Vienna, Austria, not Geneva.
• Statement 3 is correct: It oversees the implementation of international drug control treaties and supports the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
  • The Commission has as its mandate the supervision of international efforts to control the use and movement of narcotics and psychotropic substances, as well as to assist the Economic and Social Council in overseeing the implementation of international drug control treaties.

Ans: C

Exp:

The sudden release of water to the tune 1.8 lakh cusecs from Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai district may have triggered the flooding in many areas, but lack of specific details about the level of flooding or pointed instruction to move to designated relief shelters, during the initial hours of the calamity, seem to have put the residents to avoidable trouble.

• Also, the Supreme Court has scheduled a detailed hearing in January 2025 regarding a petition to reduce the permissible water level of the Mullaperiyar Dam from 142 ft to 120 ft.

• Pair 1 is incorrect: Mullaperiyar Dam is situated in the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. It is located on the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala’s Idukki district.
• Pair 2 is correct: Sathanur Dam is formed by Sathanur Reservoir, one of the major dams in Tamil Nadu. It is constructed across the Thenpennai River also called as Pennaiyar River in Thandarampet taluk among Chennakesava Hills. 
• Pair 3 is correct: Gandhisagar Dam is constructed on the Chambal River. Foundation stone for the construction of Gandhi Sagar Dam/Power Station in the District was laid by the Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on the 7th March, 1954. 
  • The work was started in 1957 in the power station, while power generation and its distribution commenced in November, 1960. 
• Pair 4 is correct: Maithon, derived its name from “Mai Ka Sthan”, meaning the place for the Hindu Goddess Maa Kalyaneshwari. It is located on the banks of river Barakar. 
  • The Maithon Dam is located about 48 kms from the Coal City of Dhanbad. The dam with an underground power station is one of its kinds in the whole of South East Asia. The lake on which it is built is spread over 65 square kilometers. This was developed by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC Ltd) way back in the year 1948. 

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, the Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, during the DISHA (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee) meeting, advocated for promoting Udhampur’s local milk food product “Kalahari,” which was highlighted by Prime Minister Modi. He emphasized value addition and fusion options to enhance its appeal. Hence, option D is correct.

Ans: B

Exp:

The Reserve Bank proposed to allow small finance banks to extend pre-sanctioned credit lines through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

• UPI is an instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI for transactions through mobile phones.

• Small Finance Banks are specialized banks that are licensed by RBI to provide financial services and products to low-income individuals and underserved communities, including microfinance and micro-enterprise services, as well as other basic banking services. 
• Statement 1 is correct: SFBs are registered as public limited companies under the Companies Act, 2013. 
  • SFBs are granted the scheduled bank status after being operational and are deemed suitable under section 42 of the RBI Act, 1934.
  • SFBs are licensed under Section 22 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
  • Capital requirement → Minimum paid-up voting equity capital of ₹200 crore (except for such SFBs which are converted from Urban Cooperative Banks).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: SFBs are required to extend 75% (not 50%) of their Adjusted Net Bank Credit to priority sectors.