Question 02:

Answer : c

Liberalized Remittance Scheme by RBI
• Under the Liberalized Remittance Scheme, all resident individuals, including minors, can freely remit up to USD 2,50,000 per financial year (April – March) for any permissible current or capital account transaction or a combination of both.
• The remittance facility under the Scheme is not available for the following:
• Remittance for any purpose expressly prohibited under Schedule-I (like the purchase of lottery tickets/sweepstakes, proscribed magazines, etc.) or any item restricted under Schedule II of Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transactions) Rules, 2000.
• Remittance from India for margins or margin calls to overseas exchanges/overseas counterparty.
• Remittances for purchasing FCCBs issued by Indian companies in the overseas secondary market.
• Remittance for trading in foreign exchange abroad.
• Capital account remittances, directly or indirectly, to countries identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as “non-cooperative countries and territories”, from time to time.
• Remittances directly or indirectly to those individuals and entities identified as posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism as advised separately by the Reserve Bank to the banks.

Question 01: Consider the following statements about Anti-ship missile

1. India has recently test-fired its first indigenous air launched anti-ship missile recently.

2. It is long-range missiles that can be launched form a ship in the sea.

3. It operates at super-sonic speed that can strategically target main areas of a large ship and make it dysfunctional.

Question 02: Consider the following statements about Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

1. The recent COP15 of UNCCD was concluded in Tuvalu which adopted 38 decisions including on tenure, migration and gender.

2. It hosted discussion on Great Green Wall initiative that aims to sequester 250 million tons of carbon and restore 100 million hectares of degraded land in 11 countries.

3. It is the first Conference of the Parties of the three Rio Conventions taking place in 2022, ahead of the COP27 of UNFCCC and COP15 of UN CBD.

Question 01:

Answer: a

• The Naval Anti-Ship Missile (Short Range) (NASM-SR) is the first indigenous air-launched anti-ship missile system for the Indian Navy.
• It has a short range of 55 km and is set to replace the Navy's sea eagle missiles.
• It will reportedly be hosted on MH-60R helicopters.
• It can carry a 100 kg warhead and can travel at 0.8 Mach sub-sonic speed
• It can be fired from the shore at a ship in the sea. It can strategically target main areas of a large ship and make it dysfunctional.

Question 02:

Answer: d

• The 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), concluded May 20, 2022 in Abidjan, capital of Ivory Coast.
• It is the first Conference of the Parties of the three Rio Conventions taking place in 2022, ahead of the COP27 of UNFCCC and COP15 of UN CBD.
• It hosted discussions on the Great Green Wall, an ambitious project to restore a vast stretch of African desert across Sahara and Sahel into a flourishing green belt that supports surrounding communities.
• Its overarching goal is to create10 million jobs, sequester 250 million tons of carbon and restore 100 million hectares of degraded land in 11 countries.
About UNCCD:Established in 1994.
• It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
• It is the only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio Conference’s Agenda 21.
• To help publicise the Convention, 2006 was declared “International Year of Deserts and Desertification”.
• Focus areas: The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
• Aim: Its 197 Parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The end goal is to protect land from over-use and drought, so it can continue to provide food, water and energy.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal Ministry for this Convention.

Question 01: Consider the following statements regarding Phytoremediation:

1. It is the use of plants, microalgae, and seaweeds to remove toxic heavy metals from the soil.

2. Hyper accumulator plants typically occur only in soils that are rich in nickel, cobalt, and manganese.

3. This process cannot be used to remove organic pollutants from the ground due to metabolic breakdown.