Answer: (A)

Explanation:

National Building Code of India, 2016

• The code is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the building construction activities across the country. Hence statement 2 is incorrecr
• It serves as a Model Code for adoption by all agencies involved in building construction works be they Public Works Departments, other government construction departments, local bodies or private construction agencies.
• It was published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Part 4 of the Code deals with Fire and Life Safety.
• The document provides specifications and guidelines for design and materials that reduce the threat of destructive fires.
• Under the Code, all existing and new buildings are classified by nature of use, such as residential, educational, institutional, assembly (like cinemas and auditoria), business, mercantile, industrial, storage and hazardous.
• Hospitals come under the institutional category. Hence statement 3 is incorrect
• National Building Code (NBC) is a “recommendatory document”, and States have been asked to incorporate it into their local building bylaws, making the recommendations a “mandatory requirement”.
• Evidently, fire safety rules exist in every State, but the provisions of the Code are ignored in practice, and even mandatory certifications do not reflect compliance.

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm

• The Prime Minister announced a National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), with an investment of over Rs 11,000 crore over a five-year period.
• However, some environmentalists have raised concerns over the disastrous impact of palm oil plantations.
• NMEO-OP is a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It is proposed to have an additional 6.5 lakh hectares for palm oil by 2025-26.
• It will involve raising the area under oil palm cultivation to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 16.7 lakh hectares by 2029-30.
• Oil palm farmers will be provided financial assistance and will get remuneration under a price and viability formula.
• The Viability Formula is a Minimum Support Price-type mechanism and the government will fix this at 14.3% of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) price.
• It will eventually go up to 15.3%.
• Another focus area of the scheme is to substantially increase the support of inputs/interventions.
• Special assistance will be given to replant old gardens for their rejuvenation.
• The special emphasis of the scheme will be in India’s North-Eastern (NE) states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the conducive weather conditions in the regions. Hence, option (a) is correct.
• To attract industry to the NE and Andaman regions, a provision of Rs 5 crore of 5 mt/hr (million tonnes per hectare) with a pro-rata increase for higher capacity will be given.
• To harness domestic edible oil prices that are dictated by expensive palm oil imports and become self-reliant in edible oil.
• To raise the domestic production of palm oil by three times to 11 lakh MT by 2025-26.

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• The head of state council of SCO meets annually and adopts guidelines and decisions on all important matters. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
• Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

• The Golden jackal possesses distinctive characteristics such as elongated, pointed ears, a coat of long and fluffy hair, a tail with fur that varies from yellow to pale gold with a brown tip.
• It is an opportunistic omnivore, consuming both plants and meat.
• The Golden jackal is a territorial animal that hunts in packs.
• Its scientific name is Canis aureus.
• It has a broad distribution, spanning from North and East Africa to southeastern Europe and South Asia, including Burma.
• Golden jackals are commonly found in valleys, along rivers, tributaries, canals, lakes, and seashores, but they are less common in foothills and low mountains.
• The Golden jackal has a wide distribution in India, ranging from the Himalayan foothills to the Western Ghats. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• In terms of conservation status, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Golden jackal as "Least Concern," indicating that it is not currently facing significant threats to its population. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
• Additionally, the species is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 in India, which provides legal measures for its conservation and protection.

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

Kalamata Port

• It is situated approximately 250 kilometres southwest of Athens, the capital city of Greece. The two cities are located in different regions, with Athens being in the Attica region and Kalamata in the Peloponnese region.
• Kalamata Port is an important seaport in Greece, serving as a vital transportation hub and contributing to the country's economy. It facilitates maritime trade, fishing activities, and tourism, connecting the region to other domestic and international ports.
• The administration and management of Kalamata Port fall under the responsibility of the Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, specifically the Hellenic Port Authority (OLTH).

Patenga Container Terminal

• Bangladesh is set to sign an agreement with a Saudi company on operation, modernisation and expansion of the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) beside Chittagong seaport, in the first go of Riyadh’s port-venture bids here.

Tiksi Port

• As part of measures to circumvent the impacts of Western economic sanctions and to support the growth of the North Sea Route, Russia has opened one of its strategic ports in the Arctic to foreign cargo ships. In a development that is designed to promote and increase trade with new partners, particularly in Asia and Africa, Moscow issued a decree expanding the list of seaports open to foreign ships to include the port of Tiksi.
• Located on the coast of the Laptev Sea in the north of Yakutia, the port will become an international facility and will be open to foreign ships.