Solution (b)

Net Present Value

• It is a mandatory one-time payment that a user has to make for diverting forestland for non-forest use, under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
• This is calculated on the basis of the services and ecological value of the forests.
• It depends on the location and nature of the forest and the type of industrial enterprise that will replace a particular parcel of forest.
• These payments go to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) and are used for afforestation and reforestation.
• Decided by: The Forest Advisory Committee.
• The Committee is constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and decides on whether forests can be diverted for projects and the NPV to be charged.
• It is a statutory body constituted by the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980.

Article Link: Govt. moots easier clearance for forest land use

Solution (d)

As per the report released by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), the world lost about 14 per cent of its coral reefs.

Highlights of the report:

• Coral reefs across the world are under relentless stress from warming caused by climate change. Coral bleaching events caused by rise in elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) were responsible for coral loss.
• Large scale coral bleaching events were responsible for killing eight percent of the world’s corals in 1998. This is equivalent to more than the coral that is currently living on reefs in the Caribbean or Red Sea and Gulf of Aden regions.
• Ocean-acidification, warmer sea temperatures and local stressors such as overfishing, pollution, unsustainable tourism and poor coastal management causes threat to the survival of coral reefs.
• The analysis found that since 2010, the amount of algae on the world’s coral reefs has increased by about 20 per cent. Algal bloom on coral ridges are a sign of stress on the structures. Prior to this, on average, there was twice as much coral on the world’s reefs as algae.  
• The worst-hit are the corals in South Asia, Australia, the Pacific, East Asia, the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.

Article Link: Climate change: 14% coral reefs lost since 2010, says study

Solution (c)

The Coral Triangle is a marine area located in the western Pacific Ocean. It includes the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Solomon Islands. 

Named for its staggering number of corals (nearly 600 different species of reef-building corals alone), the region nurtures six of the world’s seven marine turtle species and more than 2000 species of reef fish. 

The Coral Triangle also supports large populations of commercially important tuna, fueling a multi-billion dollar global tuna industry. 

Over 120 million people live in the Coral Triangle and rely on its coral reefs for food, income and protection from storms.

Solution (b)

Edayur Chilli and Kuttiattor Mango which recently receives G.I. tag, belongs to the state of Kerala.

Low pungency is the unique character of Edayur chilli (known as Edayur Mulaku in Malayalam).

Kuttiattoor mango (Kuttiattoor manga in Malayalam) is a popular and tasty traditional mango cultivar of Kuttiattoor and the nearby Grama Panchayaths of Kannur district in North Kerala, India.

Article Link: Edayur Chilli, Kuttiattoor Mango receives GI tag

Solution (c)

Shyamji Krishna Varma (4 October 1857 – 30 March 1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist.

Shyamji Krishna Varma founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and The Indian Sociologist in London.

The monthly Indian Sociologist became an outlet for nationalist ideas and through the Indian Home Rule Society, he criticised the British rule in India. 

Shyamji Krishna Varma, who became the first President of Bombay Arya Samaj, was an admirer of Dayanand Saraswati, and he inspired Veer Savarkar who was a member of India House in London. Verma also served as the Divan of a number of states in India.

Krishna Varma moved to Paris in 1907, avoiding prosecution.

Article Link: PM pays tributes to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti