Recently, the term entomophagy is seen in news, it refers to:
- Eating green leaves
- Eating Fruits
- Eating Fishes
- Eating Insects
Answer: (d) Eating Insects
Explanation:
In NEWS: Promote insect-eating to benefit indigenous peoples
- Call it the desperation to reduce the environmental impact of modern food production or an attempt to secure nutrition for the growing population, bugs are slowly regaining their space in the global food plate.
- Since a 2013 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN promoting edible insects as both food and feed across the world.
- Anthropologists say the stigma associated with entomophagy, or eating of insects, in some societies, particularly in the West, is a recent phenomenon. Hence option (d) is correct
- Besides, according to FAO, edible insects are a great source of protein, vitamins, fibres and minerals. They are the source of high-quality protein and provide essential amino acids
- Consider the tribes inhabiting the Eastern Himalayas and North-Eastern India. Some of the common insects relished by communities in this region include snails, water bugs, grasshoppers and field cricket.
- The insects can be stored for long without any additives. The Mishing tribe and Ahom community of Assam are particularly fond of an unlikely species, the red ant (Myrmica rubra), which they collect in large numbers by hand and grind to prepare chutneys during festivities.
- The Nagas of Manipur, Assam and Nagaland and several other tribal communities of the Northeast prefer even smaller and softer creatures — adult termites, pre-pupal stage of Eri silkworm and the hornets’ grubs.
- In fact, the grubs of ferocious hornets are such a delicacy among the Nagas that one of their sub-tribes, the Tangkhul Nagas, inhabiting the Ukhrul district of Manipur, have mastered the art of rearing two of its species — Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) and Asian hornet (Vespa velutina)
Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/food/promote-insect-eating-to-benefit-indigenous-peoples-74887
Consider the following Statements regarding Lumpy skin disease
- It is an infectious disease in cattle caused by a virus
- It is a zoonotic disease
- It easily spreads by blood-sucking insects like mosquitoes, flies and ticks and through saliva and contaminated water and food
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1,2 and 3
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
In NEWS: Lumpy skin disease: The deadly pandemic that has taken root among India’s bovines
- A strange but familiar fear has prevailed over the village of Kammana in Kerala’s Wayanad district since the beginning of the year. It was much like what the residents experienced around the same time last year, when the state reported India’s first novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case. This time the virus is different and so is the host, but the disease is equally contagious, unknown, stealthy and debilitating.
- Local veterinarians have identified it as lumpy skin disease (LSD), a viral illness that causes prolonged morbidity in cattle and buffaloes. It appears as nodules of two to five centimetre diameter all over the body, particularly around the head, neck, limbs, udder and genitals.
About Lumpy skin disease
- Lumpy skin disease (LSD), a viral illness that causes prolonged morbidity in cattle and buffaloes. It appears as nodules of two to five centimetre diameter all over the body, particularly around the head, neck, limbs, udder and genitals. Hence statement 1 is correct
- The lumps gradually open up like large and deep wounds. In some cases — under 10 per cent according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) — the infected animal succumbs to the disease.
- While the LSD virus easily spreads by blood-sucking insects like mosquitoes, flies and ticks and through saliva and contaminated water and food, veterinarians say no treatment is available for the disease, that is being reported for the first time in India. Hence statement 3 is correct
- Historically, LSD has remained confined to Africa, where it was first discovered in 1929, and parts of West Asia. But in recent years, the disease has spread to territories beyond the endemic areas. In 2015, it made an incursion into the European part of Turkey and Greece.
- LSD does not cause chronic disease. It does not exhibit latency and recrudescence of disease does not occur.
- LSDV is not zoonotic. Hence statement 2 is incorrect
- The disease causes permanent damage to the skin of the animals and hence has great economic implications.
Consider the following Statements regarding Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
- It is a medium-sized species found only in tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- These turtles are carnivores
- It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1,2 and 3
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Explanation:
In NEWS: Marine turtles tagged in Odisha after nearly two decades
- The forest department plans to tag 30,000 turtles in Odisha this year during the nesting season
- The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Odisha forest department tagged six sea turtles January 12, 2021 at Rushikulya, a mass-nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles in Ganjam district
- Sea turtles are tagged to help researchers recognise individuals or cohorts. Tagging is most often conducted to obtain information on reproductive biology, movements and growth rates
- The tagging helps us in studying their migratory route and areas of foraging. Tagging data also proves the interconnections of turtle populations that navigate from one country’s waters to another’s
About Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
- It is a medium-sized species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.(Atlantic oceans too) Hence statement 1 is incorrect
- Sea turtles are also known to migrate over thousands of kilometres between their nesting beaches and feeding grounds all over the world.
- These turtles are carnivores and get their name from their olive colored carapace. Hence statement 2 is correct
- They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
- They lay their eggs over a period of five to seven days in conical nests about one and a half feet deep which they dig with their hind flippers.
- In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups at Rushikulya rookery near Gahirmatha in Odisha.
- The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
- The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Hence statement 3 is correct
Consider the following Statements regarding Great Green Wall initiative
- It is launched in 2007 by the African Union
- It aims to make Sahel green again by restoring degraded lands and providing decent livelihoods to its people
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation:
In NEWS: Great Green Wall project on a slow track due to funds crunch; President of France Emmanuel Macron announces $14 billion to scale up work
- GGW, as conceived by 11 countries located along the southern border of the Sahara and their international partners, is aimed at limiting the desertification of the Sahel zone.
- The GGW countries, according to a United Nations report released September 2020, need to speed up the current pace of land restoration to an average of 8.2 million hectares every year. And France has rushed to help: President Emmanuel Macron January 11, 2021 announced $14 billion to scale up work.
- The amount is nearly 42 per cent of $33 billion needed to achieve the GGW’s ambitions by 2030.
- The World Bank, too, in a statement January 11 pledged $5 billion for greening and development of the degraded lands in the Sahel region. PROGREEN, a World Bank global fund dedicated to boosting countries’ efforts to address landscape degradation, will also invest $14.5 million in five countries in the Sahel region: Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Mali and Mauritania.
About Great Green Wall project
- The GGW initiative, launched in 2007 by the African Union, aims to transform the lives of 100 million people by growing an 8,000-kilometre-long and 15-km-wide mosaic of trees, grasslands, vegetation and plants. Hence statement 1 is correct
- The initiative aims to make Sahel green again by restoring degraded lands and providing decent livelihoods to its people, snaking the Sahel all the way from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East, providing jobs and opportunities for millions of people in Africa, according to the United Nations. Hence statement 2 is correct
- By 2030, the ambition of the initiative is to restore 100 million ha of currently degraded land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs.
- The GGW goals will also contribute to 15 of the 17 UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals. One of the key objectives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is to reach Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030, a target also included in the SDG 15. It will also contribute to implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
- Sahel is a semiarid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan. It forms a transitional zone between the arid Sahara (desert) to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south.
Consider the following statements regarding Light Combat Aircraft Tejas mk 1A variant
- It is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft.
- It is the first Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured category procurement of combat aircrafts with an indigenous content of 50% which will progressively reach 60% by the end of the programme.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation
In News: Cabinet approves Procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircrafts (LCA) ‘Tejas’ from HAL for IAF
- Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft. Hence statement 1 is correct.
- This aircraft is equipped with critical operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force, IAF.
- It is the first “Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)” category procurement of combat aircrafts with an indigenous content of 50% which will progressively reach 60% by the end of the programme. Hence statement 2 is correct.
- The Cabinet has also approved infrastructure development by IAF under the project to enable them handle servicing at their base depot so that the turnaround time would get reduced for mission critical systems and would lead to increased availability of aircraft.
- The Union Cabinet has approved procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircrafts and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 Trainer aircrafts at the cost of Rs. 45,696 Crore along with Design and Development of Infrastructure sanctions worth Rs.1,202 Crore.
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1688287
Which of the following country is the first one which approved insects as human food by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA)?
- Mealworms
- Cockroach
- Mosquito
- None of the above
Answer: a) Mealworms
Explanation:
In NEWS: Overcoming the ‘yuck factor’: Yellow grub becomes EU’s first insect food
- Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Despite their name, mealworms are beetle larvae rather than worms.
- Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
- Larvae typically measure about 2.5 cm or more, whereas adults are generally between 1.25 and 1.8 cm in length.
- The decision by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) paves the way for the yellow grubs to be used whole and dried in curries and other recipes and as a flour to make biscuits, pasta and bread.
- Rich in protein, fat and fibre, they are likely to be the first of many insects to feature on European’s plates in the coming years.
- Mealworms may soon find their way into Europe’s pasta bowls and dinner dishes, after becoming the first insect approved in the region as a human food. Hence option (a) is the correct answer.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/overcoming-the-yuck-factor-yellow-grub-becomes-eus-first-insect-food-7144878/
Consider the following Statements regarding Houbara Bustard
- It is a large bustard native to North Africa and southwestern Asia, where it lives in arid habitats.
- It is listed as Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List
Select the correct answer using the code given below
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: a) 1 only
Explanation:
In NEWS: Why Pakistan is outraged over Arab royals getting permits to hunt vulnerable houbara bustard
- Pakistan has issued special permits to Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the crown prince and five other members of their family to hunt houbara bustard during the 2020-21 hunting season.
- The houbara bustard — a large terrestrial bird found in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa — is known to migrate in thousands to the Indian subcontinent every winter. In fact, it is similar to the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, which is native to India.
- After breeding during the spring season, the Asian bustards migrate south to spend the winter in Pakistan, the Arabian Peninsula and nearby Southwest Asia. Some Asian houbara bustards live and breed in the southern part of their ranges including parts of Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
- It is a large bustard native to North Africa and southwestern Asia, where it lives in arid habitats. Hence statement 1 is correct
- It is listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Red List. hence statement 2 is incorrect
Consider the following Pairs
| Festival | State |
| Lohri | Punjab |
| Makar Sankranti | Madhya Pradesh |
| Uttarayan | Uttar Pradesh |
| Magh Bihu | Assam |
| Makkara Vilakku | Kerala |
Select the correct answer using the code given below
- 1, 2, 4 and 5 only
- 1, 2 and 5 only
- 1,4 and 5 only
- 1,2,3,4 and 5
Answer: d) 1, 2, 4 and 5
Explanation:
In NEWS: Vice President greets the nation on the eve of Makar Sankranti and Pongal
- Makar Sankranti is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, in reference to deity Surya (sun). It is celebrated in various state such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisa
- Paush Parbon in Bengal,
- Pongal in Tamil Nadu,
- Uttarayan in Gujarat. Hence Pair 3 is incorrect
- Bhogali Bihu in Assam,
- Lohri in Punjab and Jammu,
- Maghi in Haryana and Himachal.
- Makar Sankramana in Karnataka,
- Saen-kraat in Kashmir.
- Sukaraat in Madhya Pradesh,
- Khichdi Parwa in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
- Magh Bihu in Assam
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1688275
Recently, Reserve Bank of India has constituted a working group chaired by Jayant kumar Dash, which is related to?
- Digital Lending
- Currency Convertibility
- Banking Reforms
- Balance of Payment Crisis
Answer: a) Digital Lending
Explanation:
In News: RBI forms working group on digital lending
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a working group on digital lending — including online platforms and mobile apps — to study all aspects of digital lending activities in the regulated financial sector as well as by unregulated players.
- The working group consists of both internal and external members and is chaired by Jayant Kumar Dash, Executive Director, RBI. Hence option (a) is the correct answer.
- The working group will
- evaluate digital lending activities and assess the penetration and standards of outsourced digital lending activities in RBI regulated entities;
- identify the risks posed by unregulated digital lending to financial stability, regulated entities and consumers; and
- suggest regulatory changes to promote orderly growth of digital lending.
- It will also recommend measures for expansion of specific regulatory or statutory perimeter and suggest the role of various regulatory and government agencies. It will also recommend a robust fair practices code for digital lending players.
- The group will submit its report within three months.
The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its
- advisory jurisdiction
- appellate jurisdiction
- original jurisdiction
- writ jurisdiction
Answer: c) original jurisdiction
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