Ans: C

Exp:

The CAA Rules open the door to dual citizenship by not requiring renunciation of previous citizenship.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) amended the Citizenship Act, of 1955 to make Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan only, eligible for citizenship of India.

Statement 2 is correct: The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 relaxes the requirement of naturalisation from 11 years to 5 years as a specific condition for applicants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian Communities.

Statement 3 is correct: The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 adds that the provisions on citizenship for illegal migrants will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. 

• These tribal areas include Karbi Anglong (in Assam), Garo Hills (in Meghalaya), Chakma District (in Mizoram), and Tripura Tribal Areas District. It will also not apply to the areas under the Inner Line Permit under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

Statement 4 is correct: If an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder has violated any of the provisions of this Act,, then his/her registration as OCI card holder can be cancelled by the central government.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Recently, the House of Representatives (HoR) of Nepal has endorsed the Charter of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Statement 1 is incorrect: This sub-regional organisation was established in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. 

• It was founded with four member states under the abbreviation ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation). After Myanmar joined, it was called ‘BIMST-EC’ in 1997.

Statement 2 is correct: BIMSTEC consists of five South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka) and two ASEAN countries (Myanmar and Thailand).

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was created on December 8, 1985, when the SAARC Charter was signed in Dhaka. 
• It is an intergovernmental organisation founded by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka Afghanistan joined SAARC later.
• Myanmar and Thailand are the only BIMSTEC countries that are not SAARC members. 
• BIMSTEC comprises seven members from South and Southeast Asia. Its members are India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, 10 Indian States have identified parcels of degraded forest land available for individuals, groups, and public and private sector units to earn and potentially trade green credits.

Statement 1 is Correct: The Green Credit Scheme is a voluntary programme launched by the government of India . 

• It rewards individuals and entities for making positive contributions to the environment. Green Credits are units of incentive. These are given to those who take part in environmentally friendly activities.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Green Credit Initiative was launched by the Indian PM on the sidelines of COP 28 (held in 2023 at Expo City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

• It is an initiative within the government’s Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement.

Statement 3 is Correct: The Green Credit Rules, 2023, were notified on 12 October 2023 under the Environment Protection Act 1986. 

• These rules establish a mechanism to encourage voluntary environmental positive actions resulting in the issuance of green credits. 
• In its initial phase, voluntary tree plantation is envisaged on degraded land, wasteland, watershed areas, etc., under the control and management of Forest departments.
• The generation of Green Credit under Green Credit Rules, 2023 is independent of the carbon credit under Carbon Credit Trading Scheme 2023.

Ans: A

Exp:

Recently,  H5N1 has been detected in over 12 herds from six states ­— Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Idaho and Ohio.

Statement 1 is correct: Avian influenza or bird flu refers to the disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. H5N1 is a type of influenza virus that causes avian influenza (or “bird flu”). These viruses naturally spread among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. Bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Almost all cases of H5N1 infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds or H5N1-contaminated environments. The virus does not infect humans easily, and its spread from person to person appears unusual. 

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, the presumptive TB testing rate in the country increased from 1,352 per lakh population in 2022 to 1,710 per lakh population in 2023.

Statement 1 is correct: The Government of India has launched a national program called Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) to provide free diagnosis and treatment of TB, and CB-NAAT is a key component of this program.

Statement 2 is correct: TB is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Ministry has developed the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis (2017-2025) with the goal of ending TB by 2025. To bring together all community stakeholders to support those on TB treatment and accelerate the country’s progress towards TB elimination, Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan plays a significant role.

Statement 4 is correct:  Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana(NPY)(Nutritional Support to TB)  –  It helps meet TB patients’ nutritional requirements, especially the underserved. From 2018 till present, around Rs. 1,707 crore has been disbursed to more than 65 lakh people on TB treatment across the country.