Answer: (B)

Explanation: Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) aims to enhance the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. Maritime Domain Awareness is the effective understanding of any activity associated with the maritime environment that could impact upon the security, safety, economy or environment. IPMDA is a technology and training initiative to enhance maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific region and to bring increased transparency to its critical waterways. IPMDA was announced by the Quad grouping, comprising India, Australia, Japan and U.S., at the Tokyo summit in early 2022. IPMDA harnesses innovative technology, such as commercial satellite radio frequency data collection, to provide partners across Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific. It seeks to track “dark shipping” and build a “faster, wider, and more accurate maritime picture of near-real-time activities in partners’ waters”. It integrates 3 critical regions in the Indo-Pacific region that is the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Answer: (C)

Explanation: Ramlila, literally means “Rama’s play”, is a performance of then Ramayana epic in a series of scenes that include song, narration, recital and dialogue. It is performed across northern India during the festival of Dussehra, held each year according to the ritual calendar in autumn. The most representative Ramlilas are those of Ayodhya, Ramnagar and Benares, Vrindavan, Almora, Sattna and Madhubani. This staging of the Ramayana is based on the Ramacharitmanas, one of the most popular storytelling forms in the north of the country. This sacred text devoted to the glory of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, was composed by Tulsidas in the sixteenth century in a form of Hindi in order to make the Sanskrit epic available to all. The majority of the Ramlilas recount episodes from the Ramacharitmanas through a series of performances lasting 10 to 12 days, but some episodes may last an entire month. Festivals are organized in hundreds of settlements, towns and villages during the Dussehra festival season celebrating Rama’s return from exile. Ramlila recalls the battle between Rama and Ravana and consists of a series of dialogues between gods, sages and the faithful. Ramlila’s dramatic force stems from the succession of icons representing the climax of each scene. The development of mass media, particularly television soap operas, is leading to a reduction in the audience of the Ramlila plays. Ramlila is featured in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. Hence, all statements are correct.

Answer: (C)

Explanation: In the 1990s, the Indian military and Assam police launched successive crackdowns against militant groups in Assam, putting them under pressure. At the same time, Bangladesh ceased to be a place of refuge as well, with the pro-India Awami League government under Sheikh Hasina coming to power in 1996 and taking action against them. As a consequence, these groups set up camps in southeast Bhutan, particularly in the Samdrup Jongkhar district that borders Assam. According to the Bhutan government, at the time of its crackdown, there were many militant camps in its territory. While Bhutan ignored and did not engage with the Indian insurgents in its territories in the initial years, pressure began to mount on it as it began to strain diplomatic relationships with India. Bhutan had entered into dialogue with these groups in 1998 but still been reluctant to take coercive action to drive them out, a major factor in which was the small size and inexperience of its military. The talks did not yield any outcome for the government despite five rounds of talks with the ULFA and three rounds with the NDFB. In the Bhutan Royal Assembly session of June-August 2003, a resolution was taken that the government would make one last attempt to persuade the militants to leave the country. Operation All Clear was a military operation conducted by Royal Bhutan Army forces against Assam separatist insurgent groups in the southern regions of Bhutan. It was the first military operation by the Bhutan in 140 years against militants under 'Operation All Clear' in 2003. On 15 December 2003, the 6000-member Royal Bhutan Army launched simultaneous attacks on the camps of all three outfits with logistical and medical assistance from the Indian Army. In January 2004, India’s Chief of Army Staff General claimed that at least 650 insurgents from the three groups had been either killed or captured. Hence, both statements are not correct.

Answer: (A)

Explanation: River dolphins are a group of freshwater cetaceans that inhabit various river systems across Asia and South America. The Six Surviving River Dolphin Species include the Amazon, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy, Tucuxi, and Yangtze finless porpoise. The Amazon River dolphin is also known as the pink river dolphin or boto. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
The Ganges River dolphin has been recognized by the Government of India as its National Aquatic Animal. However, the Ganges River dolphin is not the largest river dolphin. The Amazon River dolphin is the largest river dolphin. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
Recently, Conservation efforts in populated river basins like the Indus and Yangtze have seen success. For instance, the Indus River dolphin population in Pakistan doubled due to joint stakeholder action. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Answer: (A)

Explanation: Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) is an ambitious initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) which aims to develop technologies and capabilities for deep sea exploration. Also, DOM is one of nine missions under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC). Samudryaan and Matsya6000: As a part of DOM, India’s flagship deep ocean mission, Samudrayaan, was initiated in 2021 by the Minister of Earth Sciences. With Samudrayaan, India is embarking on a groundbreaking crewed expedition to reach a depth of 6,000 m to the ocean bed in the Central Indian Ocean.