Answer: (D)

Explanation: In the recently held standing committee meeting of the National Board for Wildlife, Raman Sukumar, an Indian ecologist and IISc professor said that multiple inconsistencies in the elephant corridor report, 2023. A corridor is a small patch of land that provides connectivity for elephant movement across habitats, largely within a landscape of the elephant reserve. According to the report there is increase of 62 ‘elephant corridors’ in the country since 2010, bringing the total to 150, an increase of 40 %. West Bengal has the most elephant corridors (26) that amounts to 17% of the total elephant corridors. Elephants have seen increased presence in Madhya Pradesh found in Sanjay Tiger reserves and Bandhavgarh. The decrease in corridor use is attributed to the habitat fragmentation, shrinkage and destruction. The elephant corridor in forest areas shall be notified under the rules mentioned under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The elephant corridor areas with revenue lands and private lands must be notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Hence, all statements are not correct.

Answer: (D)

Explanation: Recently the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy unveiled the National Efficient Cooking Programme to revolutionize cooking practices in India. The National Efficient Cooking Programme (NECP) introduces induction-based cook-stoves, offering a cost advantage of 25-30% over traditional cooking methods. It aims to promote both energy savings and cost-effective cooking solutions by introducing affordable and energy-efficient induction-based cookstoves. It was launched by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which is under Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy. By deploying 20 Lakh Induction cook-stoves across India, EESL seeks to reduce the environmental impact of cooking methods, ensuring cleaner air and improved health for citizens. Hence, both statements are not correct.

Answer: (A)

Explanation: Recently Karnataka has stepped up surveillance after a mosquito pool in Chickballapur was found to be positive for Zika virus. Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus first identified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey. Zika virus is a vector-borne flavivirus transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms; those who do typically have symptoms including rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache that last for 2–7 days. The virus during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations as well as preterm birth and miscarriage. The infection is associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis in adults and children. In February 2016, World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Zika-related microcephaly a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). WHO declared the end of the PHEIC of Zika virus in November of 2016. Although cases of Zika virus disease declined from 2017 onwards globally, transmission persists at low levels in several countries in the Americas and other endemic regions. Hence, option (a) is correct.

Answer: (A)

Explanation: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has designated as Payment Aggregator-Cross Border (PA-CB) those organizations that facilitate cross-border payments for the import and export of goods and services. PAs-CB enables cross-border online payments for permitted products and services import and export. A payment processor (also known as a merchant aggregator) is a third-party service provider that enables merchants to take client payments by integrating them into their websites or apps. It enables various payment transactions, such as cash/cheque, internet payments via several payment sources, and offline touchpoints. It enables merchants to accept bank transfers without requiring the establishment of a bank-based merchant account. It means that a merchant does not need to open a merchant account with a bank. The Companies Act of 2013 governs the incorporation of a PA in India. A PA might be a bank or a non-banking organization. Because a PA deals with money, the RBI requires a license. Only non-bank payment aggregators require special permission from the RBI because 'handling funds' is regarded as a routine aspect of bank PAs' banking connections. Amazon (Pay) India, Google India, Razorpay, Pine Labs, and others are examples. Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Researchers looking for fossil fuels beneath the ground in northern France recently discovered a massive store of white hydrogen. White hydrogen is sometimes known as "natural," "gold" or "geologic" hydrogen. It is naturally created in the Earth's crust and is thought to be a potential source of clean energy. Hence, statement 1 is correct. It is abundant in nature and renewable. Its deposits have been discovered all over the world, including the United States, Eastern Europe, Russia, Australia, France, and others. There could be tens of billions of tonnes of white hydrogen in the world, according to estimates. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.