Solution (b)

Article 212 of the Constitution provides for Courts not to inquire into proceedings of the Legislature –

1. The validity of any proceedings in the Legislature of a State shall not be called in question on the ground of any alleged irregularity of procedure
2. No officer or member of the Legislature of a State in whom powers are vested by or under this Constitution for regulating procedure or the conduct of business, or for maintaining order, in the Legislature shall be subject to the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the exercise by him of those powers

Therefore, the Courts cannot interfere at interim stage of proceedings or interfere to decide questions of disqualification under the anti-defection law.  (same was observed in Kihoto Hollohan case)

Article reference: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajasthan-speaker-challenges-in-supreme-court-hc-order-to-defer-anti-defection-proceedings-against-pilot/article32158540.ece

Solution (c)

Correct pairs:

1. Dibru­Saikhowa : : Assam
2. Keoladeo National Park : : Rajasthan
3. Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone : : Uttarakhand

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/ngt-seeks-explanation-on-drilling-for-oil-in-assam-national-park/article32159368.ece

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1639387

Solution (a)

Lonar Lake

• The 56,000-year-old Lonar crater sanctuary lake in Buldhana district, Maharashtra has turned red/pink, most probably due to salinity and presence of algae in the water body.
• Lonar Lake was created by a meteor impact during the Pleistocene Epoch. 
• It is the only known hyper velocity meteorite crater in basaltic rock anywhere on Earth.
• It was notified as a National Geo-heritage Monument in 1979 by Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• Two other similar ones are in Dhala and Ramgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively but both are relatively unknown.  

Reference source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lonar-lake-turned-pink-due-to-haloarchaea-microbes-probe/article32161619.ece

Solution (d)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. Since then, the GEF has provided close to $20.5 billion in grants and mobilized an additional $112 billion in co-financing for more than 4,800 projects in 170 countries.

The United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Program, and the World Bank are the three initial partners implementing GEF projects.

The GEF work focuses on the following main areas:

• Biodiversity
• Climate Change (Mitigation and Adaptation)
• Chemicals
•  International Waters
• Land Degradation
• Sustainable Forest Management / REDD +
• Ozone Layer Depletion

Article reference: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/another-front/article32165636.ece

Solution (a)

Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a preferential tariff system extended by developed countries to developing countries (also known as preference receiving countries or    beneficiary countries). It is a preferential   arrangement in the sense that it allows concessional low/zero tariff imports from developing countries.  

Developed countries including the US, EU, UK, Japan etc., gives GSPs to imports from developing countries. GSP involves reduced/zero tariffs of eligible products exported by beneficiary countries to the markets of GSP providing countries.  

“GSP provide opportunities for many of the world’s poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies and climb out of poverty” –USTR. 

India exports nearly 50 products of the 94 products on which GSP benefits   are   stopped.  The GSP removal will leave a reasonable impact on India as the country enjoyed preferential tariff on exports worth of nearly $ 5.6 billion under the GSP route out of the total exports of $48 bn in 2017-18. Withdrawal of the GSP benefit is expected     to     adversely     affect exports from India.

Article reference: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/almost-there-piyush-goyal-on-limited-trade-deal-with-us/article32153317.ece