Ans: A

Exp:

As per recently conducted study by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, public knowledge and awareness about Hepatitis B is dismal in India.

• Statement 1 is correct: Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. 
  • The virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery, in early childhood, as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids during sex with an infected partner, unsafe injections or exposures to sharp instruments.
• Statement 2 is correct: As per World Health Organization, HBV is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV. It is the world’s most common liver infection, with over 292 million people affected with it. 
  • HBV can lead to chronic infection — increasing the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: A vaccine against Hepatitis B has been available commercially since 1982. 

• The hepatitis B vaccine is the first anti-cancer vaccine because it can help prevent liver cancer. 
• There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C (HCV), but antiviral treatments are available and can cure the infection in many cases.

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, the Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed university for arts and culture, has lifted gender restrictions to learn Mohiniyattam. 

• This decision is allowing boys to join the Mohiniyattam course. It is conventionally a solo dance performed by female artists.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Mohiniyattam is an Indian classical dance form that evolved in the state of Kerala.

• Mohiniyattam dance derives its name from the word ‘Mohini’, a female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Its roots date back to the age-old Sanskrit Hindu text on performing arts called ‘Natya Shastra’.

Statement 2 is correct: At a time when the Devadasi tradition was prevalent in many parts of south India, Mohiniyattam used to be performed by Devadasis (temple dancers) in temples, during the rule of the Chera kings from 9th to 12th C.E. 

• This dance form also has elements of other performing art forms of Kerala viz. Koothu and Kutiyattam in it.

Statement 3 is correct: References of Mohiniyattam can be found in the texts Vyavaharamala written in 1709 by Mazhamagalam Narayanan Namputiri and in Ghoshayatra, written later by great poet Kunjan Nambiar.

• The initiation and patronage of the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore, Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, a poet and brilliant music composer, in the early 19th century saw the eventual development and systematisation of present day Mohiniyattam.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, the Central Government notified new wage rates for unskilled manual workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 for the financial year 2024-2025, with Goa having the maximum hike and Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand recording the lowest hike.

• MGNREGA is one of the largest work guarantee programmes in the world launched in 2005 by the Ministry of Rural Development.
• The primary objective of the scheme is to guarantee 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work.

Statement 1 is correct: The Central government fixes state-wise wage rates for MGNREGA workers under sub-section (1) of section 6 of the MGNREG Act, 2005. 

• The MGNREGA wage rates are fixed according to changes in the CPI-AL (Consumer Price Index- Agriculture Labor), which reflects the increase in the inflation in the rural areas.

Statement 2 is incorrect: There is an emphasis on strengthening the process of decentralisation by giving a significant role to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in planning and implementing these works.

• The act mandates Gram Sabhas to recommend the works that are to be undertaken and at least 50% of the works must be executed by them.

Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, the Supreme Court of India has set aside a Telangana High Court order rejecting a detenu’s appeal by mentioning that the essential concept of preventive detention is that the detention of a person is not to punish him for something he has done but to prevent him from doing it. 

Statement 1 is correct: Preventive detention refers to the detention of a person without trial and conviction by a court with an aim to prevent that person from committing an offence in the near future.

• Article 22(2) of the Indian Constitution grants protection to persons who are arrested or detained under a preventive detention law. This fundamental right is available to both citizens as well as aliens.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The detention of a person cannot exceed three months unless the advisory board reports sufficient cause for extended detention. The board is to consist of judges of a High Court.

Article 22 of the Indian Constitution also authorises the Parliament to prescribe circumstances and classes of cases in which a person can be detained for more than three months under a preventive detention law without obtaining the opinion of an advisory board.

Ans: D

Exp:

India is set to replace its minimum wage system with a living wage system by 2025. The government is seeking technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to develop a framework for estimating and implementing the living wage.

• India is a founding member of the ILO and a permanent member of its governing body since 1922, passed the Code on Wages in 2019. 

Statement 1 is correct: Article 43 of the Indian Constitution reflects the commitment of the State towards ensuring the welfare and protection of workers. By emphasising the provision of a living wage, decent working conditions, and the promotion of cottage industries, this article seeks to create a more equitable and just society.

Statement 2 is correct: The Supreme Court of India made a landmark jurisprudence in the ‘Raptakos’ case (1991) which advocated the concept and the right of a living wage.

• The living wage is the wage level required to afford a decent standard of living for workers and their families, considering the country’s circumstances, and calculated for the work performed during normal hours.