Answer: (b)

Explanation: 

Recently, for the first time, India has set up its own pavilion, at the World Hydrogen Summit 2024, being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, during May 13 – 15, 2024.

National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM):

• India launchedNGHM in January 2023 with a budget of Rs. 19,744 crores.
• Objective: 
  • Statement 1 is Correct: To make India the Global Hub for production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives
  • To contribute India’s aim to become Aatmanirbhar through clean energy
  • To enable India to assume technology and market leadership in Green Hydrogen.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission Outcomes by 2030:
• • Statement 2 is Incorrect: Development of a green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) per year.
  • Addition of about 125 GW of renewable energy capacity.Over Rs. 8 lakh crore in total investments.Creation of over six lakh jobs.
  • Reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. 1 lakh crore.
  • Averting nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
• India has also released scheme guidelines for the use of Green Hydrogen in steel, transport, and shipping sectors.
• Statement 3 is Correct: The nodal ministry, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) established guidelines to delineate the emission benchmarks that must be fulfilled for hydrogen production to qualify as ‘Green’, signifying its origin from renewable sources.

Answer: (a) 

Explanation:

The Election Commission of India (ECI) in its report on enforcement of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has stated that it expects star campaigners to lead by example and not vitiate the fabric of society. This has raised a debate about ECI powers to de-recognise a political party for violation of MCC violations.

Legal Framework for Recognition:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Governed by the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 (Symbols Order).
• Recognition criteria include winning a requisite number of seats and/or obtaining a required percentage of votes in general elections to Lok Sabha or State Assembly.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The RP Act does not confer explicit powers on the ECI to de-register any political party if it fails to contest elections, conduct inner-party elections or lodge requisite returns. 

Grounds for Deregistration of a Political Party:

• A party can only be de-registered if:
  • Its registration was obtained by fraud;
  • Statement 3 is correct: It is declared illegal by the Central Government; or
  • A party amends its internal Constitution and notifies the ECI that it can no longer abide by the Indian Constitution.

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

Kanwar lake, Bihar’s only Ramsar site, faces a challenge of survival but not a poll issue in ongoing lok sabha election.

About Kanwar Lake:

• Kanwar Lake, also known as Kabartal jheel, is Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake and Bihar’s only Ramsar site, formed by the meandering of the Gandak river, a tributary of the Ganga.

About Lonar Lake:

• Lonar Lake, also known as Lonar crater, is a notified National Geo-heritage Monument, a saline soda lake located at Lonar in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, formed by a meteorite impact around 52,000 years ago.

About Bhimtal lake:

• Bhimtal Lake, the largest in Nainital district and Kumaon region, named after Pandava Bhima, is a natural lake formed by Earth’s crust shifts, with a masonry dam constructed in 1883 during British rule.

About Kuttanad lake:

• Kuttanad Lake is a region in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, known as the “Rice Bowl of Kerala,” characterized by its vast paddy fields below sea level, intersected by a network of rivers, canals, and lakes.

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prequalified a second vaccine for dengue, made by the Japanese drug maker Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

• Known as TAK-003, it is a live-attenuated vaccine containing weakened versions of the four serotypes of the virus that cause dengue.

About Dengue: 

• Dengue, spread by Aedes mosquitoes, can cause mild to severe illness, including death.
• It’s caused by four viruses: Dengue virus 1, 2, 3, and 4, allowing for multiple infections in a person’s lifetime.
• Found in tropical regions worldwide, prevention focuses on vector control.
• Early medical care lowers fatality rates for severe cases.

Answer: (c) 

Explanation: 

Recently, the Governments of Albania, Burkina Faso, India, Montenegro and Uganda have united to combat chemical pollution today, launching a $134-million project to eliminate the use of mercury in medical devices.

Statement 1 is Correct: Medical thermometers and sphygmomanometers (devices which measure blood pressure) contain mercury and are harmless as long as they remain intact.

• However, when these devices break or are taken out of service, the mercury they contain can escape into the environment where it vaporises, exposing health care workers and patients to harmful fumes.

Statement 2 is Correct: Gold mining activity is a source of mercury pollution in the world. 

• Mercury is used in gold mining to separate gold from ore, leading to its release in the environment causing pollution.

Minamata Disease:

• Statement 3 is correct: It is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. It was first identified in Minamata city in Japan in 1956. 
• Cause: The disease was caused by the release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory, which contaminated the Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea.