UPSC QUIZ 04.11.2023

Explanation:

• The workfree pilot project launched in Telangana in 2022 highlights the positive outcomes of Universal Basic Income (UBI) on individuals and families.

Workfree Pilot Project

• The project is a collaborative effort between the University of Bath, Montfort Social Institute, Hyderabad and India Network for Basic Income, with funding by the European Research Council.
• Under the pilot project, Rs 1,000 is paid to an adult and Rs 500 per month to a child for 18 months.
• The project provides assistance to 1,250 residents in five slums in Hyderabad.
• The WorkFree Pilot Project has been presented as a transformative initiative, highlighting its positive outcomes on individuals and families.

Explanation:

• The second anniversary of the International Day of Biosphere Reserves, observed on 3 November, highlights the key points of Biosphere Reserves (BR) in promoting the protection and sustainability of our environment.
• In this context, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 'Ridge to Reef' theme concluded the 10th South and Central Asian Biosphere Reserve Network Meeting (SACAM) in Chennai, India in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Center for Sustainable Coastal Management.
• The SACAM program achieved consensus on supporting sustainable environmental practices in South and Central Asia.

Explanation:

• A recent report from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) warns that the number of people living in countries facing serious ecological threats is expected to increase from the current 1.8 billion to 2.8 billion by 2050. These worrying findings come as a result of increasing environmental challenges and climate-related events.

Hotspot in sub-Saharan Africa

• The IEP's Ecological Threats Report 2023 highlights that more than half of the countries facing serious threats are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report assesses global ecological threats and pinpoints countries and regions most susceptible to conflict, civil unrest and displacement due to environmental degradation.

Explanation:

• An MoU signed between the National Skill Development Corporation of India and EFS Facilities Services Group (EFS).
• This MoU's primary objective is to promote skilled International Workforce Mobility (IWM) for Indian nationals with a special focus on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• EFS Facilities Services Group (EFS) is a facilities management firm based in the United Arab Emirates.
• The MoU outlines the collaborative efforts of these two entities to structure a principled framework to achieve the common objective of promoting skilled workforce mobility.
• The aim of the MoU is to develop co-branded skill institutes to equip Indian citizens with the skills required for international and local employment.
• It also aims to create access to around 5000 overseas jobs for skilled Indian nationals over the next three years.
• Besides, NSDCI and EFS will jointly design the curriculum for the Skill India Digital App.

Explanation:

• Recent research published in the journal Nature Geoscience has shown that dust emitted into the atmosphere by the impact of an asteroid (Chicxulub Impactor) on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago played an important role.
• The research was based on paleoclimate simulations (PS) using sediments from a North Dakota paleontological site called Tannis.
• PS simulates Earth's climate to study past climate and predict future changes.
• This effect caused wildfires, earthquakes, and climate disasters, darkening the sky, dropping temperatures as low as 27°F, and blocking photosynthesis, which is essential for plant life, resulting in serious consequences. Effective winter conditions were observed with.
• Researchers calculated that the total amount of dust produced by the impact was more than 2,000 gigatons, 11 times the weight of Mount Everest.
• The 6-9 mile wide asteroid ended the Cretaceous period (which began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago), causing the extinction of three-quarters of Earth's species, including dinosaurs. Meanwhile, small, adaptable mammals evolved and eventually emerged as Earth's dominant species.
• Recovery took approximately 20 years, with pre-impact conditions returning in the same time frame.