Daily Quiz 26 August 2023

Explanation:

India is hosting a special exhibition at the UN headquarters in New York focused on ‘Mission LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment).

• Option (3) is the correct answer: Mission LiFE is an India-led global mass movement which aims to nudge individual and collective action to protect and preserve the environment. It was first introduced in 2021 by Prime Minister Modi at the UNFCCC’s COP 26 in Glasgow. To mobilize at least 1 billion Indians and other global citizens to take individual and collective action for protecting and preserving the environment in the period 2022 to 2027. Within India, at least 80% of all villages and urban local bodies are aimed to become environment-friendly by 2028. NITI Aayog will curate and incubate Mission LiFE in the first year. Subsequently, it will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in a non-linear and non-sequential manner. It will run as a 5-year programme, visualizing three core shifts in our collective approach towards sustainability. In 2022-23, the mission will focus on Phase I (see the image below).

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: India is the first country to develop and adopt an agroforestry policy – the National Agroforestry Policy (NAP). The policy was announced by the Indian government in 2014 at the World Congress on Agroforestry in New Delhi, becoming the world’s first nation to establish an agroforestry policy. The policy contains framework to address growth of agricultural livelihoods and minimizing climate change by boosting agricultural production.
• Statement 2 is correct: Currently, agroforestry is practiced on 13.5 million hectares in India. About 65 per cent of the country’s timber and almost half of its fuel wood come from trees grown on farms. Agroforestry is currently generating 450 employment-days per hectare per year in India. The forest cover in India has grown from 21% to 25%. This 4% growth has been contributed by agroforestry in recent years.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: A Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) was initiated by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare in 2016. The aim of the submission was to expand the tree coverage on farmland complementary with agricultural crops. The “Har Medh Par Ped” scheme was launched in 2016-17 to encourage tree plantation on farmland along with crops/ cropping systems to help the farmers get additional income and make their farming system more climate resilient and adaptive.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The second edition of the State of India’s Birds (SoIB) Report has been recently launched at the India International Centre in New Delhi. The report assessed 942 species of birds and found that populations of raptors, migratory shorebirds, and ducks are on the sharpest decline in India. While half of all bustards worldwide are threatened, the three species that breed in India, the Great Indian Bustard, the Lesser Florican, and the Bengal Florican have been found to be most vulnerable.
• Statement 2 is correct: Birds that are endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot have rapidly declined in India over the past few decades. In the Western Ghats, most endemics are inhabitants of rainforest, such as White-bellied Treepie and Wayanad Laughingthrush. In particular, the Great Grey Shrike has shown a long-term decline of more than 80%.

Explanation:

• Statements 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect: Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is the highest decision-making body in the defence ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services and the Indian Coast Guard. It aims to ensure expeditious procurement of the approved requirements of the armed forces.
• Statement 3 is correct: The defence minister is the chairman of DAC. Its members include the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Functions of DAC are as follows:
  • Categorization of the acquisition proposals relating to ‘Buy’, ‘Buy & Make’, and ‘Make’.
  • Look into issues relating to single vendor clearance.
  • Take decisions regarding ‘offset’ provisions in respect of acquisition proposals above Rs 300 crore.
  • Take decisions regarding the Transfer of Technology under the ‘Buy & Make’ category of acquisition proposals.
  • Field trial evaluation.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
• Statement 2 is correct: The GCC was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981. The aim of GCC is to have coordination, integration and inter-connection between Member States in all fields and strengthening ties between their peoples. The structure of the GCC consists of the Supreme Council, the Ministerial Council and the Secretariat General. The council is the largest trading bloc of India.
• Statement 3 is correct: Among the economic regions, GCC is the top source of imports for India. Imports from GCC countries were $133 billion in 2022-23, up 20.3% on year, while exports were 16.7% higher at $51.3 billion. India’s exports to the GCC member countries grew by 58.26% to about USD 44 billion in 2021-22 against USD 27.8 billion in 2020-21.