UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 31st JULY 2021

Solution (c)

The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy.

It tracks this demand through an ecological accounting system. The accounts contrast the biologically productive area people use for their consumption to the biologically productive area available within a region or the world (biocapacity, the productive area that can regenerate what people demand from nature). In short, it is a measure of human impact on the environment.

The Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources (fish and forests, for instance) and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year.

Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year), by humanity’s Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year:

(Earth’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365 = Earth Overshoot Day

In 2020 the calculated overshoot day fell on August 22 (more than three weeks later than 2019) due to coronavirus induced lockdowns around the world.

For the year 2021, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), humanity has again used up all biological resources that our planet regenerates during the entire year by 29th July, 2021.

Causes:

• The prime driver was the 6.6% increase in the global carbon footprint in 2020.
• There was also a 0.5% decrease in ‘global forest biocapacity’ due to a rise in deforestation of the Amazon’s rainforests.

Article Link: Earth Overshoot Day has shifted back to July 29, says WWF

Solution (d)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to allow non-bank payment system providers (PSPs), including prepaid payment instruments (PPI) issuers like mobile wallets, card networks and white label ATM operators to participate in the Centralised Processing System (CPS) as direct members.

CPS includes Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Funds Transfer systems (NEFT), owned and operated by the RBI.

This recent move of RBI means: 

• Allotment of a separate Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) to non-banks.
• Opening a current account with the RBI in its core banking system (e-Kuber) and maintaining a settlement account with the RBI. 
• It will also mean membership of Indian Financial Network (INFINET). 
• Use of Structured Financial Messaging System (SFMS) to communicate with CPS.

According to the RBI, direct access for non-banks to CPS lowers the overall risk in the payments ecosystem.

This move will bring advantages to non-banks like reduction in cost of payments, minimising dependence on banks, reducing the time taken for completing payments.

Article Link: Mobile wallets, card networks, white label ATM operators allowed to join RBI’s CPS

Solution (b)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Members: Presently, the SCO comprises eight member states namely India, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005.

India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

The SCO is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.

The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. The Head of RATS is elected to a three-year term. Each member state also sends a permanent representative to RATS.

Article Link: Terrorism is the most serious threat to international peace: Rajnath Singh

Solution (d)

According to National Mineral Inventory data under the Indian Bureau of Mines, India has 501.83 million tonnes of gold ore reserves as of April 1, 2015. Out of these, 17.22 million tonnes were placed under reserves category and the rest under remaining resources category.

The largest reserves of gold ores are located in Bihar (44 per cent), followed by Rajasthan (25 per cent), Karnataka (21 per cent), West Bengal (3 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (3 per cent), Jharkhand (2 per cent).

The remaining 2 per cent reserves are in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is actively engaged in geological mapping, followed by mineral exploration and surveys, of various mineral commodities with an aim to identify potential mineral rich zones and establish resources. The cost of extraction of any mineral, including gold, varies from mine to mine.

The Government of India recently amended the Minerals Evidence of Mineral Contents Rules to allow auction of composite licence at G4 level for deep-seated minerals, including gold. This is expected to bring more participation from private players with advanced technology in the field of exploration and mining of deep seated minerals, which is expected to reduce the cost of extraction of gold.

Article Link: India has 500 million tonnes of gold ore reserves: Govt

Solution (b)

The UN’s cultural agency removed Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City from the world heritage list, nine years after it was moved to the ‘in danger’ list.

The committee cited the “irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value of the property” as a reason for the removal of the site from the world heritage list.

The six areas in the historic centre and docklands of the maritime mercantile City of Liverpool were included on the World Heritage List in 2004. The areas of the heritage site were the world’s major trading centres in the 18th and 19th centuries, a testimony to the development of maritime mercantile culture. The modern dock technology, transport systems and port management were the significant features of the maritime city.

Article Link: Why Unesco stripped English city of Liverpool of its world heritage status?