Ans: A

Exp:

The 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is set to host its first clean economy investor forum in Singapore in June 2024.

Statement 1 is correct: The IPEF comprises four pillars of cooperation namely: Trade; Supply Chains;  Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Infrastructure and Tax and Anti-Corruption. 

Statement 2 is incorrect: The IPEF is designed to be flexible, meaning that IPEF partners are not required to join all four pillars.

• India joined three pillars of the IPEF, while it has an observer status in the trade pillar.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The IPEF was launched in May 2022 and currently includes 14 partners – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States and Vietnam. 

• All member countries of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue are members of IPEF. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), commonly known as the Quad, is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States. 

Ans: B

Exp:

After Chabahar, India recently gained the rights to operate a second overseas port, Sittwe, in Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has approved a proposal for India Ports Global (IPGL) to take over the operations of the entire port located on the Kaladan River.

• IPGL is a company 100% owned by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Chabahar Port is a seaport in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran’s only oceanic port.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Sittwe Port is a deepwater port in Rakhine State, Myanmar, on the Bay of Bengal.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Port of Jebel Ali, is a deep port located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the largest man-made harbour, and the biggest and by far the busiest port in the Middle-East.

Pair 4 is correctly matched: The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe. It is located in and near the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. 

Ans: C

Exp:

Chital (spotted deer), which was introduced to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for game hunting in the early 1900s by the British, now has become an “invasive” problem for the Union Territory’s authorities.

• To deal with the “invasive species”, the forest department has been seeking solutions — to either rehabilitate the chital or relocate them elsewhere. 

Statement 1 is correct: Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, an officer of the rank of Chief Wildlife Warden can permit translocation for the purpose of scientific management. The law mandates that such translocation should cause minimum trauma to animals.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 was adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It recognizes invasive alien species as a major threat to the environment, second only to habitat destruction.

• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, 1979 aims to conserve migratory species and includes measures to control or eliminate invasive alien species already present.

Statement 3 is correct: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, 2022, consists of global targets to be achieved by 2030 to safeguard biodiversity. Governments have committed to reduce the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030.

Ans: D

Exp:

India is deploying atomic clocks across the country to ensure the time is truly based on Indian Standard Time. These atomic clocks are being installed by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) under the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

• This project of atomic clocks was initiated in India after the Kargil War, when India was denied information on the GPS location of Pakistani intruders.

Statement 1 is incorrect: India will join an exclusive group of four other countries—the US, the UK, Japan, and Korea—to have their own atomic clocks. 

• An atomic clock is a highly accurate time-keeping device that uses the vibrations of atoms to measure time. It is used in many applications that require precise timing, such as GPS systems and scientific research.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Louis Essen’s 1955 invention of the first practical atomic clock changed the basis of timekeeping from the periodic motion of the Earth.

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) introduced new rules outlining different forms for enrolling in Aadhaar and updating them for resident and non-resident Indians. 

• Age-gating under India’s new privacy law need not mean websites asking for personal documents. Aadhaar-based age tokens can solve a privacy problem.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Bombay High Court in State of Maharashtra vs Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Case, 2022 clarified the scope and limitations of Aadhaar as an identity document. 

• The Court said that Aadhaar is only a proof of identity and residence, not of citizenship or date of birth. 
  • Simply, Aadhaar is primarily an identity verification tool and not a proof of birth.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Initially, as per the Aadhaar Act of 2016, every Indian resident is eligible to get an Aadhaar card. A resident, as per the Aadhar Act, is an individual living in India for 182 days or more in the preceding 12 months.

• However, as per the new Aadhaar Act in July 2019, the UIDAI issued Aadhaar cards on arrival to NRIs with Indian passports, thus removing the mandatory waiting period of 182 days, ensuring quicker processing and ease of obtaining Aadhaar for NRIs visiting India.