Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 05-12-2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about the kashmir stag or Hangul

1. Hangul is placed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
2. Dachigam National Park is located near their habitat

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 only
   2. 2 only
   3. Both 1 and 2
   4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

In the early 1900s, the population of the Kashmiri deer, hangul, was estimated to be around 5000. The numbers have declined with just 261, and perhaps less, are reported to be surviving today.

The decline in hangul numbers has been attributed to the fragmentation of habitat and impact on wildlife corridors by human intervention, urbanisation, illegal industries, mass tourism as well as military presence.

The presence of cement factories is one of the main concerns cited by local experts, which they say impacts the hangul habitat and in turn, the population. In the mid-1980s, cement factories were established in the region owing to massive limestone deposits.

The hangul, according to some assessments, is considered one of the six easternmost sub-species of the European red deer found in Asia. However, in his research, Khursheed Ahmad, a scientist heading the department of wildlife sciences at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST), found that the Kashmiri deer (hangul) is a separate species with more relations to the deer family from Samarkand and Bukhara in central Asia. Hangul is placed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the J&K Wildlife Protection Act, 1978.

Located close to Srinagar city, Khrew, an area adjacent to a wildlife sanctuary, is a vital corridor connecting wildlife-rich areas such as Dachigam National Park and Gurez Valley in northern Kashmir with other protected areas in Kashmir such as Shikargah conservation reserve (now part of Tral Wildlife Sanctuary), Overa Aru Wildlife Sanctuary and Kishtwar National Park.

Long-ranging animals such as the hangul use this corridor for seasonal migration and movement. Over the years, said Ahmad, especially in the last two decades, many cement factories have been built in Khrew, encroaching the hangul habitat and corridor.

Q2. 'Master of Roster' is the privilege of

1. Chief Justice of India
2. Collegium
3. Chief Secretary of law Ministry
4. Chief Justice of India and Second senior most Judge

Answer (a)

Explanation:

'Master of Roster' refers to the privilege of the Chief Justice to constitute Benches to hear cases. Be it the Chief Justice of India or Chief Justice of any high court it is he or she who heads the administrative side. This includes allocation of matters before a judge as well.

Q3. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Launched in 2005, the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.

The Problem:

Greater one-horned, or Indian, rhinoceros once roamed from Pakistan to the Indo-Burmese border, and in parts of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. But by the beginning of the 20th century, hunting and habitat loss had reduced the species to fewer than 200 individuals in northern India and Nepal. Thanks to strict protection implemented by Indian and Nepalese authorities, the population has rebounded to more than 3,600 today.

Despite these successes, however, Indian rhinos are still threatened by poaching and habitat loss. Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, holds about two-thirds of the world population. This is worrisome for two reasons – the park may have reached its carrying capacity and might not be able to support any more rhinos; and the entire species’ population could be decimated by a disease outbreak, natural disaster, or other acute threat.

Irrawaddy Dolphin:

The dolphin population in Odisha has nearly doubled in a year, the state forest department claimed in April 2021. The state’s Chilika lake is known for its Irrawaddy dolphins, drawing in a large number of tourists every year.

Officials said they counted 188 dolphins, including 162 Irrawaddy dolphins and 26 bottlenose dolphins, in Chilika Lake in 2021. They sighted 163 dolphins — 146 Irrawaddy and 17 bottlenose — in the lake in 2020. Irrawaddy dolphins are the flagship species inhabiting the lake. The species is spotted only in Asia — from Chilika to Indonesia.

Sangai Deer:

The brow-antlered deer or the dancing deer is found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Park over the floating biomass locally called "phumdi" in the southeastern part of Loktak Lake.

Q4. The members of Election Commission of India are selected by

1. Collegium of Prime Minister (PM), Home Minister and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
2. The PM, with the aid and advice of the council of ministers.
3. Collegium of Prime Minister (PM), the Chief Justice of India and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
4. Collegium of Prime Minister (PM), the Chief Justice of India, Home Minister and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

Answer (b)

Explanation:

The Supreme Court warned the central government that it must make a law on the appointment of election commissioners or face an intervention by the judiciary.

• At present the PM with the aid and advice of the council of ministers makes the appointment as per the transaction of business rules.
• The rules only assign responsibility to start the process but are silent on what should be the qualification of a candidate.
• Thus, in the absence of a law, the government has a free hand in selecting officials as members of the three-member poll body.

• The SC has said that the Election Commissioners selection has to be made in the most transparent
• The court has even remarked that the Parliament was in “breach” of its duty.
• Thus, norms similar to the for appointing a CBI director are required to meet the constitutional mandate.

Q5. Consider the following statements

1. The leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world
2. They are found on Great Nicobar Islands

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 only
   2. 2 only
   3. Both 1 and 2
   4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

The leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world. They are the only species of sea turtle that lack scales and a hard shell. They are named for their tough rubbery skin and have existed in their current form since the age of the dinosaurs. Leatherbacks are highly migratory, some swimming over 10,000 miles a year between nesting and foraging grounds. They are also accomplished divers with the deepest recorded dive reaching nearly 4,000 feet—deeper than most marine mammals.

The leatherback turtle has the widest global distribution of any reptile, with nesting mainly on tropical or subtropical beaches. Once prevalent in every ocean except the Arctic and Antarctic, the leatherback population is rapidly declining in many parts of the world. They face threats on both nesting beaches and in the marine environment. The greatest of these threats worldwide are incidental capture in fishing gear (bycatch), hunting of turtles, and collection of eggs for human consumption. The Pacific leatherback turtle populations are most at-risk of extinction. Pacific leatherbacks are one of nine ESA-listed species identified in NOAA’s Species in the Spotlight initiative. Through this initiative, NOAA Fisheries has made it a priority to focus recovery efforts on stabilising and recovering Pacific leatherback populations in order to prevent their extinction.

NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to conserving and recovering leatherback turtle populations worldwide. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and recover this endangered species. We engage our partners as we develop regulations and recovery plans that foster the conservation and recovery of leatherbacks and their habitats, and we fund research, monitoring, and conservation projects to implement priorities outlined in recovery plans.

Reconsider the Great Nicobar infra project:

• At the southernmost tip of the subcontinent lies the Great Nicobar Island — a repository of rich biodiversity, some of the last untouched forests in the country and, if the government has its way, a ₹75,000- crore development project that includes an International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT); a greenfield airport; eco-tourism; a residential township; and a 450 MVA gas or solar-based power project.
• That this ambitious scheme, whose economic potential is untested, is risky is to state the The project will likely involve the diversion of around 15% of the island’s forest area and compensated by afforestation in Haryana’s Aravallis, a different ecosystem.
• While green rules allow such a move, it will not help compensate for the damage caused to the sensitive ecosystem in Great Nicobar, which, according to the environmental impact assessment report, harbours a range of This includes tropical evergreen forests, mountain ranges and coastal plains that foster rich diversity and several rare and endemic species.

,

• Along the coastal beaches of the island, Leatherback and Olive Ridley turtles are known to nest. Questions must be raised whether it is worth endangering this tropical oasis.

Strategic location:

• Science has shown us untrammelled development can cause drastic, unpredictable and irreversible changes to the environment. While the strategic location of the site is key — it lies adjacent to the western entrance to the Malacca Strait — policymakers must weigh the environmental risks anew and reconsider the environmental clearance given to the project.
• Biodiversity is a critical part of India’s intangible heritage and Preserving it to the maximum extent possible is our duty.