UPSC Quiz – 2024 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 22nd June 2024

·       These are photosynthetic, single celled organism.

·       These are microscopic algae and serve as a base of the aquatic food chain. Due to their sensitivity towards any water chemistry changes, they are excellent indicators of aquatic health.

·       They are a major group of algae and form one of the most common forms of phytoplankton.

·       Habitat: They are found in almost every aquatic environment including fresh and marine waters.

·       Diatoms have cell walls made of silica, each species has a distinct pattern of tiny holes in the cell wall (frustule) through which they absorb nutrients and get rid of waste.

·       Collectively, they are responsible for generating up to 50% of the oxygen produced globally each year.

Key facts about Indiconema

·       It differs in having a pore field at both the head and foot pole rather than having only at the foot pole.

·       Researchers reported one species of Indiconema from the Eastern Ghats and another from the Western Ghats. A similar pattern of sharing endemic elements between two mountain systems has been observed for other endemic-rich groups, such as reptiles.

·       Based on the morphological features of this group, the researchers have suggested that Indiconema is sister to Afrocymbella, a genus endemic to East Africa.

·       The Speaker Pro-tem is appointed by the President of India/Governor.

·       The President/Governor administers the oath of office to the pro-tem Speaker.

·       As per convention, a senior most member will be appointed as the pro tem speaker with the agreement of assembly members, who then carry on the activities until the permanent speaker is chosen.

·       Pro-tem is a Latin phrase which translates to ‘for the time being’ in English, and so the pro-tem speaker is a temporary speaker appointed for a limited period of time to conduct the work in Lok Sabha or in state legislatures.

·       A Pro-tem speaker is chosen for the conduct of the house when the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies have been elected and the vote for the speaker and deputy speaker has not taken place.

·       The Constitution of India does not expressly use the term ‘Pro-tem Speaker’.

·       The office of the pro tem speaker ceases to exist after the new Speaker of the House is chosen.

·       Presiding over the first sitting of the Lok Sabha/ State Legislative Assemblies.

·       Administering the oath of office to the newly elected MPs/MLAs.

·       Conducting the floor test to prove the government’s majority.

·       Holding the vote to elect the speaker and deputy speaker

·       Super Absorbent Polymers, also known as SAP is a new type of macro molecular synthetic water absorbing polymer material.

·       SAPs are generally white sugar-like hygroscopic materials that swell in water to form a clear gel made of separate individual particles and can retain moisture even under pressure without risk of conflagration or rupturing/blasting.

·       SAP is a compound that can absorb a large amount of water, at times more than its own weight.

·       The key component in SAP is sodium ions, which have a strong affinity for water molecules due to their charge.

·       It is more efficient than cotton.

·       The molecular structure of SAP is a complex network that readily interacts with water.

·       It will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), an SPV with 74% stake from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and 26% from Maharashtra Maritime Board.

·       Core infrastructure, terminals and other commercial facilities will be developed on PPP mode.

·       Aligns with PM Gati Shakti objectives, estimated to create around 10 lakh direct/indirect jobs.

·       Upon completion, Vadhavan aims to be one of the top 10 ports globally

·       It is published by the World Economic Forum.

·       It was developed with the ambitious aim to comprehensively monitor the global energy transition.

·       The heart of the Index is an analytic framework that measures transition as a shift towards an energy system that supports sustainability, security and access, and towards institutions that enable this performance.

Key points about Energy Transition Index 2024 (ETI-2024)

·       European countries lead the World Economic Forum Energy Transition Index 2024 rankings; Sweden came top, followed by Denmark, Finland, Switzerland and France.

·       Emerging economies such as Brazil and China made notable progress, although 83% of countries moved backwards from last year in at least one of the three energy system performance dimensions – security, equity and sustainability.

·       India has been ranked 63rd in ETI -2024.

·       The gap in energy transition performance between advanced and developing economies continues to narrow, although disparities in investments and regulation remain.

·       While 107 of the 120 countries benchmarked in the report demonstrated progress on their energy transition journeys in the past decade, the overall pace of the transition has slowed and balancing its different facets remains a key challenge.

·       The WEF also lauded the strides made by India in its clean energy infrastructure, with renewable energy and biomass comprising 42 per cent of its power generation capacity, making it the fourth-largest renewables market globally.