UPSC EXAM QUIZ 05.08.2024

Explanation:

• Madhya Pradesh High Court has given its decision on the tomb of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's daughter-in-law. In its decision, the court has clearly said that three historical buildings located in Burhanpur, one of which is the tomb of Begum Bilkis, can never be a part of the property of the Waqf Board.
• The court said that if a monument has been declared ancient and protected under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904, then it cannot be declared a Waqf property.

Shah Shuja Memorial (Kharbuja Mahal)

• This monument is the tomb of Begum Bilqis, wife of Shah Shuja, son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• It is also known as “Kharbuja Mahal”.
• It is made of stone and plastered with mortar and decorated with paintings.

Explanation:

• Union Environment Ministry’s recent approval for exploratory oil and gas drilling in Assam’s eco-sensitive zones has raised concerns about the potential threat to the endangered hoolock gibbons.
• Cairn India, the oil and gas unit of Vedanta Ltd, seeks to use 4.4998 hectares of reserved forest land for exploration in the eco-sensitive zone of the Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary.

How Will Oil and Gas Drilling Impact the Hoolock Gibbon

• Endangered Species at Risk: The hoolock gibbon, a canopy dweller, is highly sensitive to habitat fragmentation. Any disruption, even minor, can severely impact their movement and survival.
• Presence of Multiple Species: The area proposed for exploration is home to elephants, leopards, and hoolock gibbons, highlighting the rich biodiversity at stake.The are concerns raised that oil drilling could exacerbate human-wildlife conflicts and disrupt these species' habitats.

Explanation:

• The central government announced to reduce the import duty on gold from 15% to 6% in Budget 2024-25. Apart from this, the government wants to finalize its decision on the future of Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB).

Status of Gold Industry in India

Gold Reserves in India

• According to the National Mineral Inventory, the total reserves of gold ore in India were estimated at 501.83 million tonnes as of 2015.
• Of the total gold ore reserves found in India, the major reserves are located in Bihar (44%), followed by Rajasthan (25%), Karnataka (21%), West Bengal (3%), Andhra Pradesh (3%), and Jharkhand (2%).

Gold Production in India

• Karnataka contributes about 80% of the country's total gold production.
• Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) located in Kolar district is considered to be one of the oldest and deepest gold mines in the world.

Explanation:

• Government allowed automatic 100% foreign direct investment in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).
• The government has declared that imports of aviation parts, testing equipment, tools, and toolkits will be subject to a standard 5% IGST rate.
• This will apply regardless of their HSN categorization as long as certain specified conditions are met.
• Government has extended the period for export of goods imported for repairs from six months to one year.
• Additionally, the period of time that items may be reimported for warranty repairs has been increased from three to five years.
• Royalties were abolished in the New MRO Guidelines, which went into effect on September 1, 2021.
• These guidelines made the land allotments for MROs in AAI airports more transparent and definite.
• Beginning on April 1, 2020, the GST rate on MRO has been lowered from 18% to 5% with a full Input Tax Credit.
• Beginning on April 1, 2020, subcontracts from overseas original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to domestic MRO are regarded as "exports" and are subject to zero-rated GST.

Explanation:

• Indian scientists have developed an enhanced genome-editing system.
• CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, Scientists have developed an enhanced genome-editing system that can modify DNA more precisely and efficiently.
• This is more efficient than the existing CRISPR-based technologies.
• As a part of the immune system, CRISPR occurs naturally in some bacteria that limit infection by recognising and destroying viral DNA.
• Scientists have developed an approach for editing the genomes of higher-order organisms.
• With the help of CRISPR-Cas9, researchers can add, remove or alter specific DNA sequences in the genome of animals.
• This system has been used in various fields, including in agriculture and healthcare.
• The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool uses a guide-RNA (gRNA) designed to find and bind to a specific part of the target genome.
• Cas9 recognizes and binds to the PAM sequence, and acts as a molecular scissor that snips some damaged DNA.
• Cas9, called FnCas9, is highly precise, it has a low efficiency as well.