Ans: B

Exp:

Google celebrated International Nowruz Day 2024 with a custom Doodle by Iranian artist Pendar Yousefi, capturing the joy of his childhood Nowruz memories and welcoming spring.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Nowruz, means “new day” in Persian, starts at the moment of the spring equinox when the sun passes over the equator on its way north. 

• • An ancient festival with roots in Zoroastrianism, Nowruz marks the beginning of the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar and falls on or around the spring equinox, typically between March 19th and March 21st.
  • The festival is generally observed in countries along the Silk Roads, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

• The festival of ‘Khordad Sal’ marks the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Zoroaster, founder of Zoroastrianism.

Statement 2 is correct: Nowruz was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. 

• In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognised March 21st as the International Day of Nowruz, emphasising its global observance and cultural significance.
• In India, Nowruz 2024 will be celebrated on two dates due to different calendar traditions.
• One on March 20, 2024, coinciding with Nowruz on the Solar Hijri calendar, and another on August 15, 2024, according to the Shahenshahi calendar, observed by the Parsi community in India.

Statement 3 is correct: One of the rituals during this festive time is visiting the Fire Temple/Agiary, which serves as a place of worship for the Parsi community.

Ans: B

Exp:

Tiger Triumph exercise commenced on the Eastern seaboard on Monday and will continue till March 31, 2024.

Statement 1 is correct: Tiger Triumph – 24 is a bilateral tri-Service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise between India and the United States.

•  It is scheduled to take place on the Eastern Seaboard from March 18 to 31, 2024.

Statement 2 is incorrect: it is conducted with India and the United States.

• This exercise, aimed at enhancing readiness and cooperation between the two forces, is part of the ongoing partnership between India and the US.

ns: D

Exp: 

Delhi has become the world’s most polluted capital city again, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organisation IQAir.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The World Air Quality Report is compiled by the Swiss organisation IQAir (not UNEP).

• IQAir is a Swiss air quality technology company, specialising in protection against airborne pollutants, developing air quality monitoring and air cleaning products.
•  IQAir also operates AirVisual, a real-time air quality information platform.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The 6th Annual World Air Quality Report reveals troubling details of the world’s most polluted countries, territories, and regions in 2023. 

• As per the World Air Quality Report 2023, India has emerged as the world’s third most polluted country.

•  In 2023, India’s air quality, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre, was better than only two countries – Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Ans: A

Exp:

• • Tata AIA introduces Rising India Fund. The New Fund Offering (NFO) will remain open until March 31, with units offered at a Net Asset Value of ₹10 per unit during the NFO period.

• New Fund Offer is the first subscription offering for any new fund being launched by an investment company.

• Any asset management company launching a new mutual fund in the market can raise capital for the same by announcing a new fund offer (NFO).
•  Similar to the concept of an initial public offering (IPO), details of the portfolio such as the company shares to be purchased, kind of securities to be procured, fund manager, etc. are incorporated in such new fund offers.

Ans: A

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: SEIAA is a regulatory body established by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006.

• The SEIAAs grant clearances on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committees which go through every project proposal that has the potential to have a substantial environmental impact.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that its plan to implement a star-rating system for states based on their promptness in awarding environmental clearances to industrial or infrastructure projects has not yet been operationalised.

• The star-rating system was introduced in 2022 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).