Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme with the aim to facilitate collateral free working capital loans to street vendors to restart their businesses, which were adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statement 2 is correct: State/Urban Local Bodies are responsible for the identification of eligible street vendors and the mobilisation of new applications under the scheme. However, in order to increase the number of beneficiaries, the Ministry is taking initiatives which include, inter-alia conduct of regular review meetings with States/UTs/ULBs/Lending Institutions, awareness campaigns like broadcasting of radio jingles, Television advertisements and newspaper advertisements carried out from time to time. States/UTs have also been provided Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material in local languages regularly for outreach and dissemination of the benefits to the vendors to avail the benefits of the scheme.

Statement 3 is correct: The scheme has the following objectives;

• Facilitate collateral free working capital loans up to ₹10,000, of one year tenure, with enhanced loans of ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 in the second and third tranches respectively, on repayments of earlier loans.
• Incentivize regular repayment, through interest subsidy @ 7% per annum; and
• Reward digital transactions, by way of cashback up to ₹1,200 per year.

Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act.

Statement 2 is correct: The Tiger Conservation Authority may, in the exercise of its powers and performance of its functions under section 38O (1) and (2) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006 issue directions in writing to any person, officer or authority for the protection of tiger or tiger reserves and such person, officer or authority shall be bound to comply with the directions.

Ans: D

Exp:

Wild elephant calf rescued by Forest officials in Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.

About Anamalai Tiger Reserve:

It is located on the South Western Ghat surrounded by Parambikulum Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulum National Park on the South Western side. The reserve is also surrounded by Nenmara, Vazhachal, Malayattur, and Marayur reserved forests of Kerala.  The Kariyan shola, Grass hills, and Manjampatti of Anamalai Tiger Reserve has been identified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Anamalai Tiger Reserve was declared as a Tiger reserve in the year 2007. There are two Divisions and six ranges in this Reserve. The ranges found in this reserve include Amaravathi and Udumalpet falling in the Thiruppur Division and Pollachi, Ulandy, Valparai, and Manamboli in Pollachi Division. There are several wildlife corridors which include Navamalai near Monkey Falls, Punachi in the Valparai range, Waterfall, Siluvaimedu, Nadu Ar, Sethumadai–Nenmara, and Chinnar check post.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The National Horticulture Board (NHB) was set up by the Government of India in 1984 as an Autonomous organization under the administrative control of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and registered as a society under Societies Registration Act. The broad aims and objectives of the Board are to develop production clusters/hubs for integrated Hi-tech commercial horticulture, development of Post-harvest and cold chain infrastructure, ensuring availability of quality planting material and to promote adoption of new technologies/tools/ techniques for Hi-tech commercial horticulture etc.

Statement 2 is correct: The management of all the activities of NHB is undertaken by a paramount body, the “Board of Directors”, which is headed by the Hon’ble Union Agriculture Minister as its President and Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Agriculture as its Vice-President. The main objectives of the NHB are to improve the integrated development of the Horticulture industry and to help coordinate and sustain the production and processing of fruits and vegetables.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, popularly known by the pseudonym ‘Kuvempu’ was the first among the Kannada writers to be awarded the prestigious Jnanpith Award for his work ‘Sri Ramayana Darshanam’. He wrote popular novels like ‘Kaanuru Heggadati’ and ‘Malegalalli Madumagalu’.

Statement 2 is correct: The award carries a cash prize of Rs five lakh and a silver medal. Kuvempu made the distinction between mati (reason and rationality) and mata (sectarian belief or dogmatic knowledge based on false understanding). Mata is illusionary and misleading and mati is the power of intelligence.

Statement 3 is correct: The Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Trust instituted this national annual literary award in 2013 to recognise litterateurs who had contributed to any language recognised by the constitution of India. Shirshendhu Mukyopadhyaya, the renowned Bengali writer and novelist, is the recipient of the 2023 Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar.