The correct answer is Meghalaya

Key Points

Census 2011:

• According to the 2011 Census, Meghalaya state in India had the highest growth rate of population among all states in the country.
• The population of Meghalaya grew at a rapid pace during the period between 2001 and 2011, leading to a significant increase in its population.
• The growth rate of Meghalaya's population during this period was recorded at 27.8%, which was the highest among all the states in India.
• The increase in population can be attributed to various factors such as high birth rates, improved healthcare facilities leading to reduced mortality rates, and migration from neighboring states.
• Meghalaya's population growth rate surpassing the national average indicates the state's growing importance and development.
• The rapid population growth poses challenges in terms of providing adequate infrastructure, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities to meet the needs of the expanding population.
• Efforts need to be made to ensure sustainable development and balanced growth to manage the population growth effectively and address the associated socio-economic challenges.

The correct answer is A - 4, B - 3, C - 2, D - 1.

Key Points

Article 324 :

• ​Article 324 in the Indian Constitution gives power to the Election Commission to direct, control, and conduct elections to all Parliament, to the Legislature of every state, and of elections to the offices of the President and Vice President held under the Constitution.
• Article 324 of the Constitution vests the "superintendence, direction and control of elections" in an Election Commission consisting "of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix".

Article 315 :

• There shall be a Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service Commission for each State.
• Two or more States may agree that there shall be one Public Service Commission for that group of States, and if a resolution to that effect is passed by the House or, where there are two Houses, by each House of the Legislature of each of those States, Parliament may by law provide for the appointment of a Joint State Public Service Commission to serve the needs of those States.
• Any such law as aforesaid may contain such incidental and consequential provisions as may be necessary or desirable for giving effect to the purposes of the law.
• The Public Service Commission for the Union, if requested so to do by the Governor of a State, may, with the approval of the President, agree to serve all or any of the needs of the State.
•  References in this Constitution to the Union Public Service Commission or a State Public Service Commission shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as references to the Commission serving the needs of the Union or, as the case may be, the State as respects the particular matter in question.

Article 280

• According to Article 280, the Finance Commission is established for a period of 5 years.
• The Finance Commission is a 'constitutional body' constituted by the President of India which gives its suggestion to the President on the states' share in the taxes of the Center
• Finance Commission is constituted by the President for a period of 5 years.
• The President lays the reports of the Finance commission before both the Houses of the Parliament.
• The finance commission recommends to the President relating to the distribution of the net taxes to be shared between the centre and the states.
• The finance commission consists of a Chairman and four members.

Article 338

• According to Article 338, There shall be a Commission for the Scheduled Castes to be known as the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes.
  • The Special Officer for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall be appointed by the President
  • It is the responsibility of the Special Officer to examine all matters pertaining to the safeguards laid down in this Constitution for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and to report to the President on the operation of such safeguards at such periods as may be ordered by the President, and the President shall make all such reports available to each House of Parliament.
  • References to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall be interpreted in this Article as including references to those other backward groups which the President can, upon receipt of the report of the Commission appointed pursuant to Article 340(1), designated by order and also to the Anglo-Indian community.

The correct answer is Prashasti Srivastava. 

In News

• Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer Prashasti Srivastava has won the ‘Ati Vishisht Rail Seva award’ for innovation in in freight train operations.

Key Points

• Prashasti Srivastava, is an IRTS officer of 2017 batch posted as divisional commercial manager of Agra division, North Central Railway.
• An inventive concept of conveyor belt used in loading and unload goods from wagon and saving time in freight train operations has earned her the ‘Ati Vishisht Rail Seva award’.
• 'Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Award’ is the highest award of the Indian Railways.

Additional Information

• As part of the earning model from an innovative non-fare revenue scheme, back in 2021-2022 as pilot project she had introduced third party owned mechanised conveyor belt system in Yamuna Bridge and Kuberpur goods shed of Agra.
• The owner of system would pay ₹5 lakh annually to the railway and charge conveyor service from the customer whose goods were transported to Yamuna bridge goods shed via railway’s freight train.

The correct answer is 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, Dubai.

In News

• ​The Climate Change Performance Index 2023 was unveiled in 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), in Dubai, UAE, from 30 November to 12 December 2023.

Key Points

• The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is an instrument to enable transparency in national and international climate politics.
• The CCPI is Published annually since 2005 by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network.
• The Index is assessed in four categories: GHG Emissions (40%), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%) and Climate Policy (20%).
• The CCPI evaluates 63 countries and the European Union, which together generate 90%+ of global greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who's a Minister in the UAE and works on climate change, was appointed to serve as the COP 28 President. 
• The Previous 27th UN Climate Change Conference took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 -18 November 2022.

The correct answer is Shri Maguni Charan Kuanr.

Key Points

• Born in 1937 in Keonjhar, Odisha, Shri Maguni Charan Kuanr hails from a family with a rich tradition of puppetry.
• Initiated into the art of Kandhei Nach, which involves rod puppets, by his father Shri Baishnab Charan Kuanr, he further expanded his skills in sculpture, working with clay, stone, and wood under the guidance of Shri Bhagaban Jena, a seasoned traditional sculptor.
• Renowned for his expertise in puppetry, Shri Maguni Charan Kuanr has played a pivotal role in elevating the recognition of Kandhei Nach beyond the borders of Odisha.
• Establishing his own troupe, the Utkal Vishwakarma Kalakunja Kandhei Nach, based in Keonjhar, he is not only the mastermind behind creating his unique puppets but also designs costumes and narrates the performances.
• Shri Kuanr's contributions to the traditional puppetry of Odisha have earned him prestigious accolades, including recognition from the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi and the North Orissa University.
• In acknowledgment of his remarkable achievements, he was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at a civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• At the age of 86, Shri Maguni Charan Kuanr was honored with the Padma Shri for the year 2023, recognizing his significant contributions to the field of art. Alongside him, three other individuals from Odisha were chosen for the Padma Shri in 2023—Krishna Patel for art, Antaryami Mishra for literature and education, and Patayat Sahu for agriculture.

The Correct answer is Option 3.

In News

•  The PIB News: India has been selected as pioneer lead country for International Maritime Organization (IMO) Green Voyage2050 Project.

Key Points

Green Voyage 2050 project:

• The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project is supporting shipping’s transition towards a low carbon future.
• India has been selected as pioneer lead country for International Maritime Organization (IMO) Green Voyage2050 Project, with the objective to assist developing countries in their efforts to reduce Green House Gases (GHG) emissions from ships. Hence, Option 3 is correct.
• Due to the global nature of international shipping having a diversity of stakeholders of all nationalities involved, emission from the maritime transport sector is addressed by the IMO through the International Convention for Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
• India is a signatory to this Convention.

Additional Information

•  A National Centre of Excellence for Green Ports and Shipping (NCoEGPS) has been set up which is India’s first such Center of Excellence.
• Some other steps undertaken as proactive measures to help those ships which are unable to meet even the present carbon intensity reductions are:-
  • `The Government of India has permitted the use of sustainable bio fuels and their blends as fuels by Indian ships as a cost effective option.
  • A digital module has been developed and is in operation to capture fuel consumption from each ship operation for each voyage that is at anchorage, port stay, sailing period, etc., in order to ensure efficient operations.

The Tamil epic, "Silappadikaram' was composed by Ilango.

Key Points

• Some of the best–known epics were written during the Sangam period.
• Epics are grand, long compositions, about heroic men and women, and include stories about gods.
• A famous Tamil epic, the Silappadikaram, was composed by a poet named Ilango, around 1800 years ago.
• It is the story of a merchant named Kovalan, who lived in Puhar and fell in love with a courtesan named Madhavi, neglecting his wife Kannagi.
• Later, he and Kannagi left Puhar and went to Madurai, where he was wrongly accused of theft by the court jeweller of the Pandya king.

• The king sentenced Kovalan to death.

• Kannagi, who still loved him, was full of grief and anger at this injustice, and destroyed the entire city of Madurai.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Tamil epic, "Silappadikaram' was composed by Ilango.

The Correct answer is 13th December, 1946.

Key Points

• The Constituent Assembly in "The objective resolution", moved by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The Objective Resolution was moved on December 13, 1946. Hence option 4 is Correct.
• This resolution was adopted by the Assembly on 22nd January 1947.
• The fundamental source of philosophy of the Indian constitution is the objective Resolution It was as under:
  • Constituent Assembly declares India as an independent, sovereign, republic and to draw up for her future governance a constitution.
  • India shall be the union of states.
  • All powers and authority of India and the Government are derived from the people.
  • People will get a guarantee about Justice, equality and liberty.
  • Whereby shall be maintained the integrity of the territory of the Republic.
  • To provide adequate safeguards for minorities, backward and tribal areas and depressed and other backward classes.

Additional Information 

• The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly took place on December 9, 1946, at New Delhi with Dr Sachidanand being elected as the Interim President of the Assembly.
• On December 11, 1946, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President and H.C. Mukherjee as the Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly.

The correct answer is 8th.

Key Points

• The Industrial Liberalization policy was adopted during the Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997) in India. 
• This plan marked a significant shift in India's economic policy, with a focus on liberalizing and opening up the industrial sector to promote growth and development.
•  The aim was to remove barriers to entry, encourage private investment, and reduce government intervention in the industrial sector. 
• The policy included measures such as deregulation, privatization of state-owned enterprises, simplification of industrial licensing procedures, and opening up of foreign direct investment in various industries. 
• The Industrial Liberalization policy aimed to enhance competitiveness, attract foreign investment, and promote industrial growth in India.​

Additional Information

6th Five-Year Plan

• The Sixth Five-Year Plan in India was implemented from 1980 to 1985.
• The primary goal of this plan was to achieve rapid economic growth and reduce poverty through targeted development strategies.
• The plan focused on sectors such as agriculture, industry, infrastructure, and social welfare.

7th Five-Year Plan

• The Seventh Five-Year Plan in India was implemented from 1985 to 1990.
• The main objective of this plan was to achieve balanced and sustainable economic growth while addressing the needs of the marginalized sections of society.
• The plan emphasized poverty alleviation, employment generation, and improving the quality of life for all citizens.

5th Five-Year Plan

• The Fifth Five-Year Plan in India was implemented from 1974 to 1978.
• The primary focus of this plan was on achieving self-sufficiency in food production, reducing poverty, and promoting social justice.
• It aimed to accelerate the pace of economic development and bring about a more equitable distribution of resources.

The correct answer is Short-Range Ballistic Missile.

In News

• Training launch of Short-Range Ballistic Missile ‘Agni-1’ was carried out successfully from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.

Key Points

• Agni-1 is a proven very high precision missile system.
• The Agni I has a range of 700–1,200 km.
• Agni-I is a single stage, solid fuel, road and rail mobile, Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).
• Designer-Defence Research and Development Organisation
• Manufacturer-Bharat Dynamics Limited.

Additional Information

• It is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with an estimated payload of 1,000 kg.
• The latest upgrade to the Agni-1 missile includes a new guidance system that makes it more accurate and a new warhead that increases its destructive power.
• It is road-mobile, which gives it a high degree of mobility and makes it difficult for an enemy to target.
• It was first test-fired in 2002.
• The Indian Army’s Strategic Forces Command first deployed this missile in 2007.
• The Agni-I originated from India’s 1983 Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).