UPSC QUIZ 25.05.2024

Explanation:

• Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India recently convened the first meeting to discuss biomass cultivation on degraded land for green biohydrogen production and bioenergy generation.
• This significant meeting gathered key stakeholders, and research institutes, to explore the potential of utilising degraded, barren, and uncultivated lands for biomass cultivation.
• The Government of India established the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) in November 1999. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the first PSA of the country from 1999-2001.
• The PSA’s office aims to provide pragmatic and objective advice to the Prime Minister and the cabinet in matters of Science and Technology.
• The Office of PSA was placed under the Cabinet Secretariat in August 2018.

Explanation:

• A recent study conducted by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) focusses on the unprecedented ‘land squeeze’, threatening farmers and food production.
• Land squeeze refers to the situation where the demand for land for various purposes (agriculture, urbanisation, infrastructure, etc.) outpaces the available cultivable land.

Key Highlights of the Report

• The report warns of prevalent "land squeeze" due to rising land prices, land grabs, and carbon schemes, threatening farmers and food production.
• Globally, the top 1% of the world’s largest farms now control 70% of the world’s farmland.
• As land becomes scarce, it can be converted from productive agricultural land to other uses, impacting food production
• Between 2008-2022, there has been a doubling of global land prices.

Explanation:

Governments of Albania, Burkina Faso, India, Montenegro, and Uganda have united to combat chemical pollution by launching a USD 134-million project to eliminate the use of mercury in medical devices.

Key Highlights of the Initiative to Eliminate Mercury

• The initiative is led by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF), and executed by World Health Organisation (WHO), aiming to reduce the impact of healthcare on the environment and human health.
• It aims to support global efforts in improving the management of mercury waste and promote the use of alternatives.
• The project aims to phase out mercury-added thermometers and sphygmomanometers at a rate of 20% per year, improving the lives of over 1.8 million people.
• Medical thermometers and sphygmomanometers (devices that measure blood pressure) contain mercury and are harmless as long as they remain intact.

Explanation:

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved a significant surplus transfer of Rs 2.11 lakh crore to the Central Government for the accounting year 2023-24.
• This transfer marks a substantial increase from the previous year's dividend, showcasing a notable rise in surplus income.

How does the RBI Determine the Allocation of Dividends

• The surplus calculation was based on the Economic Capital Framework (ECF) recommended by the Bimal Jalan committee, which advised the RBI to maintain a Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) between 5.5% and 6.5% of its balance sheet.
• This risk provisioning is made primarily from retained earnings and only then is the surplus income transferred to the government as dividends.
• This range includes provisions for monetary and financial stability risks as well as credit and operational risks.

Explanation:

• 16th Joint Working Group meeting between India and UK on Counter Terrorism held in New Delhi.
• The meeting was led by the Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism in the Ministry of External Affairs, K D Dewal and Head of Counter Terrorism Network for Asia and Oceania, Government of United Kingdom Chris Felton.
• During the meeting they discussed the ongoing anti-terrorism cooperation between the two countries.
• Both countries stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner.
• Both sides shared their assessments of terrorist and extremist threats in their respective areas and regions, including threats posed by globally recognized terrorist entities and individuals.
• The 17th Joint Working Group meeting between India and UK on Counter Terrorism will be held in UK.