Option (d) is correct

Explanation:

• Recently, a team of researchers  have made significant progress in developing multi-valent mRNA vaccines against monkeypox virus (MPV), the agent that can cause smallpox-like disease in humans.
• Statement 1 is not correct: Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, that is, a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans due to the virus (Monkeypox virus).
• It is called monkeypox because it was first isolated in monkeys. However, rodents, not monkeys, are the primary carriers of the virus.
• Its transmission can occur through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets and contaminated objects.
• Statement 2 is not correct: Human-to-human transmission is limited and the longest documented chain of transmission is six generations (meaning the last person to be infected in this chain was six links away from the original sick person).

Option (b) is correct

Explanation:

• With the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to the USA, the U.S. Senate will introduce legislation to give India ‘NATO plus five’ defence status. India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, however, had already rejected the framework for India.
• The arrangement currently exists between the U.S, its NATO partners and five countries: Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel. 

Option (a) is correct 

Explanation:

• The Asia pacific Plant Protection Commission Unanimously elected India as chair of the Standing Committee on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the biennium 2023-24 during the 32nd Session of the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC) held in Bangkok during November 2022.
• The Asia-Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC) convened for the first time in 1956. 
  • It was established in 1956 as a regional body approved by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
• The Commission administers the Regional Plant Protection Agreement for Asia and the Pacific. 
• It reviews the plant protection situation at the national level in member countries, and also at the regional level. 
• Statement 1 is not correct: A total of 25 countries including India are members and the APPPC meets at least once every two years.
• Statement 2 is correct: Member Countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa (Western), Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Vietnam.
• The Commission is assisting members with ratification and implementation of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. 

Option (c) is correct

Explanation:

• The Sixth Technical Expert Dialogue (TED 6) of the ad hoc Work Programme on the New Collective Quantified Goal was held at the 58th Subsidiary Body Meetings in Bonn, where details on ways to determine the quantum of as well as options of framing the mobilisation and provision of financial sources were discussed.
• The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance is expected to be finalised by 2024. It will replace the current climate finance goal of $100 billion annually from developed countries.

Option (d) is correct

Explanation:

• A few weeks ago, the Karnataka government submitted a revised proposal to the National Wildlife Board and MoEFCC in connection with the Mahadayi project, The government sought permission to divert 26.92 hectares of forest land for non-forest purposes.
  • The government floated tenders for the Kalasa Banduri scheme just 20 minutes before the announcement of polls.
• As per the plans, barrages are to be built on Kalasa and Banduri streams — tributaries of Mahadayi — and water diverted towards Karnataka’s parched districts. 
• Mahadayi originates in the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi district of Karnataka, and flows into the Arabian Sea in Goa.
• Godavari: Its principal tributaries are the Pravara, the Purna, the Manjra, the Penganga, the Wardha,the Wainganga the Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), the Indravati and the Sabri.
• Krishna: Its principal tributaries are the Ghataprabha, the Malaprabha, the Bhima, the Tungabhadra and the Musi.

Option (b) is correct

Explanation:

• India was ranked 127 among 146 countries in gender parity — up eight places from last year’s place — in the Gender Gap Report, 2023 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
• India was ranked 135 in 2022. The country had improved by 1.4 percentage points from then, marking a partial recovery towards its 2020 parity level.
• Important Findings of Report with respect to India:
  • India had closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap 
  • Economic Participation and Opportunity: India had reached only 36.7% parity.
  • Education: The country had attained parity in enrolment across all levels of education.
  • Wages, Income & Women Participation: There had been an uptick in parity in wages and income, while the share of women in senior positions and technical roles had dropped slightly since the last edition.
  • Political Empowerment: India has registered 25.3% parity, with women making up 15.1% of MPs.
  • Sex Ratio: For India, the 1.9% point improvement in sex ratio at birth has driven up parity after more than a decade.
  • Gender Parity: Compared with top scoring countries that register a 94.4% gender parity at birth, the indicator stands at 92.7% for India
• Other Important Findings:
  • Neighbours: The index ranked Pakistan at 142, Bangladesh at 59, China at 107, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at 115 and Bhutan at 103. 
  • Iceland is the most gender-equal country for the 14th consecutive year and the only one to have closed more than 90% of its gender gap.

Additional Information:

• Major Reports Published by WEF:
  • Energy Transition Index
  • Global Competitiveness Report
  • Global IT Report (WEF along with INSEAD, and Cornell University publishes this report)
  • Global Gender Gap Report
  • Global Risk Report
  • Global Travel and Tourism Report