Daily Quiz 2 September 2023

Explanation:

• Option (1) is correct: All India Committee on Prison/Jail Reforms (also known as Justice Mulla Committee) assigned by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Correctional Administration Division, thus, fitted very well into its range of activities. As is well known, the Committee (1980- 83) examines the situation of prisons in the states and UTs. The Committee appraised their situation and made momentous recommendation:
  • All India cadre for prison staff and bringing prison under the concurrent list.
  • Government should form a National Policy on Prisons.
  • Government to use alternatives to imprisonment such as community service etc.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct: Prisons serve as correctional homes that are designed to punish and rehabilitate individuals who have been convicted of crimes. They are an integral part of the criminal justice system (CJS) that deals with crime prevention, investigation, prosecution, punishment and correction. Prison governance in India are as follows:
  • Prison is a State subject under List-II of the Seventh Schedule in the Constitution.
  • The modern prison system was conceptualised by Macaulay in 1835.
  • The management and administration of Prisons falls exclusively in the domain of the State Governments, and is governed by the Prisons Act, 1894 and the Prison Manuals of the respective State Governments.
• Statement 3 is correct: India’s prisons are understaffed by at least 33 per cent with the highest vacancies found at the officer and correctional staff levels. This has increased the workload of the staff and is having an impact on the ‘correctional’ aspect of imprisonment.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Nuclear fuel contains a high energy density, meaning that it can produce a large amount of energy from a small amount of fuel. Moreover, the energy density of nuclear fuel is about 2 million times higher than that of any chemical (like fossil fuel, biofuel, or batteries).
• Statement 2 is correct: India has the largest reserves of thorium, a naturally occurring radioactive element that can be used as a fuel in nuclear reactors. With the world’s largest reserves of thorium, estimated at around 360,000 tonnes, India has the potential to become a major player in the nuclear energy sector. In addition to thorium, India also has significant reserves of uranium (70,000 tonnes), which can be used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: India has over 22 nuclear reactors in 7 power plants across the country which produces 6780 MW of nuclear power. Also, the government plans to commission 20 more nuclear power plants by 2031 and will add nearly 15,000 MW to power generation capacity. Today, India is the sixth largest in the world in the number of functional reactors and the second largest in the total number of reactors including those under construction.

Explanation:

Statements 1 is correct: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860. National Mission for Clean Ganga, endeavours to deploy the best available knowledge and resources across the world for Ganga rejuvenation. NMCG is supported by State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) which act as implementing arm of State Ganga Committees.

Statement 2 is correct: NMCG acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986. It aims to ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for comprehensive planning and management and to maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.

Statement 3 is incorrect: National Ganga Council was established in October 2016 under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. It is headed by the Prime Minister of India. This Council is responsible for controlling pollution and revitalizing the Ganga River Basin, which includes the Ganga River and its tributaries.

Explanation:

The Delhi High Court has recently permitted two children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to undergo stem cell therapy for treatment of their condition. Stem cells are unspecialised cells, meaning they can eventually become any one of the various types of cells that make up different parts of the body. They can replenish cells in the skin, bone, blood and other organs during development, and regenerate and repair tissues when they’re damaged. There are different types of stem cells:

• Statement 1 is correct: Embryonic stem cells are the first cells that initially form after a sperm fertilises an egg, and can give rise to all other cell types in the human body.
• Statement 2 is correct: Adult stem cells are more mature, meaning they can replace damaged cells only in one type of organ and have a limited ability to multiply.
• Researchers can reprogram adult stem cells, or differentiated cells, in the lab to act like embryonic stem cells.