D. Greek Debt Crisis
Answer: C
Explanation
● Kyiv has been central to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, especially since the annexation
of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the subsequent war in Eastern Ukraine.

1. Which of the following is a shallow stretch of water that separates the southeastern coast
of India from the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka?

Answer: B
Explanation
● The Palk Strait is a narrow and shallow stretch of water that separates the southeastern
coast of India from the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. It is situated between Tamil Nadu in
India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka.
● The strait connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Gulf of Mannar in the
southwest.

2. Which of the following national parks is hosting the reintroduced cheetahs in India from Namibia?

Answer: C
Explanation
● Project Cheetah, India’s cheetah introduction programme, has completed one year after the
first batch of eight Namibian cheetahs was released in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National
Park (KNP).
● Under the initiative, in total, 20 adult African cheetahs have been imported so far.
Value addition
Asiatic Cheetah
● Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is classified as a “critically endangered”
species by the IUCN Red List, and is believed to survive only in Iran.
● Asiatic cheetahs were once widespread across India but were eradicated in the country as
they were hunted for sport.
● In 1952, Asiatic cheetah was declared extinct from India, after decades of human
intervention, hunting and habitat degradation.
● Asiatic cheetahs are almost identical in appearance to their better known African cousins.
However, there are subtle differences. 
○ The Asiatic cheetah is slightly smaller and paler than its African cousin.

African Cheetah
● The African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) is spread out across Africa from Northwest
Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa.
● With a bigger territory, the African cheetahs have higher populations compared to Asiatic
cheetahs.
● They are categorized as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
Project Cheetah

● Project Cheetah is India's ambitious attempt to introduce African cats in the wild in the
country.
● The translocation of African Cheetah is a part of Government of India to reintroduce the
fastest land animal in India after extinction of the Asiatic cheetah in the 1950s.
● The goal of the introduction of African cheetahs is to establish viable cheetah
metapopulation in India.
Why do conservationists want to reintroduce cheetahs?
● A section of conservationists has long advocated the reintroduction of the species in the
country.
● They argue that introductions of large carnivores have increasingly been recognised as a
strategy to conserve threatened species and restore ecosystem functions.
● Cheetahs dwell on open plains and it is mainly a grassland species. Conserving cheetahs
will lead to the conservation of all grassland species.
● The cheetah is the only large carnivore to have gone extinct in India, mainly by over-
hunting in India in historical times.
● India now has the economic ability to consider restoring its lost natural heritage for ethical
as well as ecological reasons.

3. Which of the following benefits are provided under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana scheme?
1) Accidental Insurance Cover
2) Free Health Insurance for the entire family
3) RuPay Debit Card
4) Overdraft Facility

Answer: C
Explanation
● In 2014, the government launched Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) to bring about
comprehensive financial inclusion in the country.
● PMJDY envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking
account for ‘every adult’, financial literacy, access to credit, insurance and pension
facility.
Features of PMJDY
● Under the scheme, a basic savings bank deposit (BSBD) account can be opened in any
bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitra) outlet, by persons not having any
other account.
● There is no requirement to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts. Hence
statement 1 is correct.
● Interest is earned on the deposit in PMJDY accounts. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
● Rupay Debit card is provided to PMJDY account holders.
● Accident Insurance Cover of Rs.2 lakh is available with RuPay card issued to the PMJDY
account holders.
● An overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs. 10,000 to eligible account holders is available.

● PMJDY accounts are eligible for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti
Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension
Yojana (APY), Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme.

4. Which of the following statements about the FATF is incorrect?

Answer: D
Explanation
● The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an intergovernmental organization that
designs and promotes policies and standards to combat financial crime.
● The FATF sets standards or recommendations for countries to achieve in order to plug the
holes in their financial systems and make them less vulnerable to illegal financial activities.
● Recommendations of the FATF target
○ Money laundering
○ Terrorist financing
○ Other threats to the global financial system.
● The FATF was created in 1989 by the G7 countries and is headquartered in Paris.
● There are 37 members, including India and two regional organizations - European
Commission and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
● The decision-making body of the FATF, known as its plenary, meets thrice a year. Its
decisions are taken by consensus.
What are FATF’s ‘grey’ and ‘black’ lists?
● At the end of every plenary meeting, FATF comes out with two lists of countries.
● The grey list countries are designated as “jurisdictions under increased monitoring”,
working with the FATF to counter criminal financial activities.
○ For such countries, the watchdog does not tell other members to carry out due-
diligence measures vis-a-vis the listed country but does tell them to consider the
risks such countries possess. Currently, more than 20 countries such as Bulgaria,
Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Croatia, Philippines, South Africa,
Vietnam, etc. are on the grey list.

● Black list means countries designated as ‘high-risk jurisdictions subject to call for
action’.
○ In this case, the countries have considerable deficiencies in their AML/CFT (anti-
money laundering and counter terrorist financing) regimens and the body calls on
members and non-members to apply enhanced due diligence.
○ In the most serious cases, members are told to apply counter-measures such as
sanctions on the listed countries. Currently, North Korea, Iran and Myanmar are
on the black list.

● Being listed under the FATF’s lists makes it hard for countries to get aid from
organisations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB),
and the European Union. It may also affect capital inflows, foreign direct investments,
and portfolio flows.