Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 06.01.22

Q1. Consider the following statements

1. The Official Language of the Union government is Hindi in Devanagari script
2. According to Article 348, language to be used in the Supreme Court and in high courts and for bills, acts etc will be in the English language
3. The Governor of a state can authorise the use of the official language of the state in proceedings before its high court

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

English is the language of the court, says Gujarat HC

Q2. Consider the following statements

1. There are 5 Takhts in Sikh religion
2. A Takht, which means a throne, is a seat of temporal authority for Sikhs
3. All Sikh Takhts are situated in Punjab

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

What is a Sikh Takht?
A Takht, which means a throne, is a seat of temporal authority for Sikhs. There are five Sikh Takhts, three in Punjab and one each in Maharashtra and Bihar

Akal Takht: Located in Amritsar, it is the oldest of the Takhts, and considered supreme among the five. It was set up in 1606 by Guru Hargobind, whose succession as the sixth Guru after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan Dev, is considered a turning point in Sikh history. The Akal Takht, a raised platform that he built in front of the causeway leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), symbolised the coming together of the temporal authority and the political sovereignty of the Sikh community (Miri) with the spiritual authority (Piri). It is seen as the first marker of Sikh nationalism. The Akal Takht is a five-storey building today; the first storey houses the Guru Granth Sahib.

The other four Takhts are linked to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.
Takht Keshgarh Sahib: Located in Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh raised Khalsa, the initiated Sikh warriors, in 1699.
Takht Patna Sahib: Guru Gobind Singh was born here in 1666.
Takht Hazur Sahib: In Nanded, where Guru Gobind Singh spent time and where he was cremated in 1708.
Takht Damdama Sahib: In Talwandi Sabo of Bathinda. Guru Gobind Singh spent several months here

Q3. Consider the following statements about the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

1. It is established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002
2. It assists foreign authorities and international organisation concerned to facilitate coordination and universal action for wildlife crime control
3. It is mandated to collect and collate intelligence related to organised wildlife crime

Which of the above is/are correct?

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : b

Why is the Question ?

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to combat organised wildlife crime in the country. The Bureau has its headquarters in New Delhi.
Functions:
1. Under Section 38 (Z) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, it is mandated to collect and collate intelligence related to organised wildlife crime activities and to disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action so as to apprehend the criminals;
2. to establish a centralised wildlife crime data bank;
3. coordinate actions by various agencies in connection with the enforcement of the provisions of the Act;
4. assist foreign authorities and international organisation concerned to facilitate coordination and universal action for wildlife crime control;
5. capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for a scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assist State Governments to ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crimes;
6. advise the Government of India on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and international ramifications, relevant policy and laws. 

7. It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.

Q4. Arrange the following milestones in Global environmental actions in chronological order

1. Stockholm conference
2. Rio Summit
3. Montreal Protocol Enforcement
4. Kyoto Protocol Enforcement

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1, 2, 3, 4
b. 2, 1, 3, 4
c. 1, 3, 2, 4
d. 1, 2, 4, 3

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

The first world conference on the environment (1972) The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm was the first world conference to make the environment a major issue. The participants adopted a series of principles for sound management of the environment including the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment and several resolutions.

The Stockholm Declaration, which contained 26 principles, placed environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialised and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water, and oceans and the well-being of people around the world.
The Action Plan contained three main categories: a) Global Environmental Assessment Program; b) Environmental management activities; (c) International measures to support assessment and management activities carried out at the national and international levels. In addition, these categories were broken down into 109 recommendations.

One of the major results of the Stockholm conference was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Rio Summit (1972)
In June 1992 representatives from 172 nations convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), commonly called the Earth Summit.
The massive interest and participation of nations and NGOs in the Earth Summit indicated a shift in global attitudes toward the environment. Scientific evidence gathered in the second half of the twentieth century indicated that human activity was taking a toll on the environment. The scientific evidence also indicated that pollution and depletion of natural resources that occurred in one country could have a profound effect on the environment of other nations or the entire planet. At the Earth Summit, world leaders devised plans and policies to protect the environment by involving national and local governments and NGOs. 

The Montreal Protocol (1987)
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is the landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 manmade chemicals referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS). When released into the atmosphere, those chemicals damage the stratospheric ozone layer, Earth’s protective shield that protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Adopted on 15 September 1987, the Protocol is to date the only UN treaty ever that has been ratified by every country on Earth - all 197 UN Member States.
The Montreal Protocol phases down the consumption and production of the different ODS in a stepwise manner, with different timetables for developed and developing countries (referred to as “Article 5 countries”). Under this treaty, all parties have specific responsibilities related to the phase-out of the different groups of ODS, control of ODS trade, annual reporting of data, national licensing systems to control ODS imports and exports, and other matters. Developing and developed countries have equal but differentiated responsibilities, but most importantly, both groups of countries have binding, time-targeted and measurable commitments.
The treaty evolves over time in light of new scientific, technical and economic developments, and it continues to be amended and adjusted. The Meeting of the Parties is the governance body for the treaty, with technical support provided by an Open-ended Working Group, both of which meet on an annual basis. The Parties are assisted by the Ozone Secretariat, which is based at UN Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kyoto Protocol (COP-3) (2005)
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted on 11 December 1997. Owing to a complex ratification process, it entered into force on 16 February 2005. In short, the Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing industrialised countries to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets. The Convention itself only asks those countries to adopt policies and measures on mitigation and to report periodically.