Answer: D
Soln:
● The President can declare a State emergency, when the government of a state cannot be
carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. This is also known as
breakdown of Constitutional machinery. Administrative breakdown cannot be the reason
for declaration of State emergency. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
● The proclamation of Presidents Rule, must be approved and ratified by both the Houses of
Parliament within 2 months from the date of its issue by a simple majority. Hence,
statement 2 is incorrect.
● The President's Rule cannot extend beyond a period of 3 years in total.

4. The ‘Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)’ is related to

Answer: A
Explanation
● The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was built on the ‘Shanghai Five’ grouping of
Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which had come together in the
post-Soviet era in 1996, in order to work on regional security, reduction of border troops,
and terrorism. In 2001, the Shanghai Five inducted Uzbekistan into the group and named it
the SCO.
● India and Pakistan joined the SCO as observers in 2005, and were admitted as full
members in 2017.
● Iran has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as its ninth member.
● Iran has been an observer in the SCO since 2005, and almost after 15 years, its bid for full
and permanent membership in the organization was approved at the 2021 Summit in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
● Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia enjoy Observer status in the SCO, while six other
countries — Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka — have
Dialogue Partner status.
● The organization has two permanent bodies — the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing and
the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent.
● The Heads of State Council is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO. It meets once
a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organization.
What are the main goals of the SCO?
● The SCO describes its main goals as:
○ strengthening mutual trust and neighborliness among the member states;

○ promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, research and
technology and culture as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism,
environmental protection, and other areas;
○ making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the
region; and
○ moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new
international political and economic order.

5. Rafah is a city that straddles the border between which two regions?

Answer: A
Explanation
● Rafah is a city that is uniquely positioned along the border between the Gaza Strip and
Egypt. This strategic location makes it a significant point of transit for people and goods
moving between these two regions.
● The Rafah border crossing is the only entry and exit point for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
that is not controlled by Israel, making it crucial for travel and trade.

1. With reference to the SATAT initiative, consider the following statements.
1. It aims at boosting production and availability of Compressed BioGas (CBG) as an alternative and affordable clean fuel for the transportation sector.
2. It was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Answer: A
Explanation
● Statement 2 is incorrect: SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable
Transportation) initiative was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in
2018 for boosting production and availability of Compressed BioGas (CBG) as an
alternative and affordable clean fuel for the transportation sector. Hence, statement 1 is
correct.
About CBG
● Bio-gas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste /
bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid
waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc. After purification, it is compressed and called
CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95%.
● Compressed Bio-Gas can be produced from various bio-mass/waste sources, including
agricultural residue, municipal solid waste, sugarcane press mud, distillery spent wash,
cattle dung and sewage treatment plant waste.
● The other waste streams, i.e, rotten potatoes from cold storages, rotten vegetables, dairy plants, chicken/poultry litter, food waste, horticulture waste, forestry residues and treated organic waste from industrial effluent treatment plants (ETPs) can be used to generate
biogas.
Significance
● The initiative has the potential to boost availability of more affordable transport fuels,
better use of agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste, as well as to
provide an additional revenue source to farmers.
● This initiative holds great promise for efficient municipal solid waste management and in
tackling the problem of polluted urban air due to farm stubble-burning and carbon emissions.
● Use of CBG will also help bring down dependency on crude oil imports and in realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of enhancing farmers’ income, rural employment and entrepreneurship.
● The scheme envisages setting up of 5000 CBG plants by FY 2023-24.

2. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is

3. Net metering; is sometimes seen in the news in the context of promoting the

Answer: B
Explanation
● Established in 1951, International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading inter-
governmental organization in the field of migration.

● IOM works to ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote
international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions
to the challenges of migration and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need,
including refugees and internally displaced people.
● In 2016, IOM entered into an agreement with the United Nations, becoming a related
organization. (not part of the UN system). Hence option B is correct.
● IOM serves as coordinator of the United Nations network on migration, established by
the Secretary-General in 2018.
● According to IOM’s latest strategic plan, the organization’s three main objectives for 2024-
2028 are: to save lives and protect people on the move, drive solutions to displacement and facilitate pathways for regular migration.

4. The term mercenary is most closely associated with which of the following
characteristics?

Answer: A
Explanation:
What is Net Metering?
● Net metering (also known as net energy metering or NEM) is a solar incentive that allows
you to store energy in the electric grid. When your solar panels produce more electricity
than you need, that energy is sent to the grid in exchange for credits. Then, at night or other
times when your solar panels are under-producing, you pull energy from the grid and use
these credits to offset the costs of that energy.
Advantages of Net Metering:
● The net metering policy makes solar energy more attractive and affordable for users. It not
only brings down the energy cost drastically, but also helps create small power generation
units in almost every nook and corner of the country.
● Another most important advantage of Net Metering is that it helps trim peak load demand during the day and reduces load shedding. Further it helps State DISCOMS reduce their T&C
wheeling losses.
● As solar energy systems are connected to the state’s distribution system, the demand for electricity generated by traditional methods will reduce – thus preserving the environment.

5. With reference to the Securities Appellate Tribunal, consider the following statements
1) It is a statutory body established under the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act,
1992.
2) It hears and disposes of appeals against orders passed by the Insurance Regulatory
Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
3) There is no appeal against the orders of the Securities Appellate Tribunal.