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Q 1. What is the conservation status of the Snow Leopard in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species?
A. Endangered
B. Vulnerable
C. Near Threatened
D. Critically Endangered
Answer: (B)
Recently, a study conducted by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies highlighted the relation between habitat uses by Snow Leopard, Siberian ibex and blue sheep. It aimed at examining how the predator used habitat in the presence or absence of its prey species and vice-versa.
Option (B) is correct: The snow leopard has been protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1 July 1975 which means commercial international trade in snow leopard is prohibited. The snow leopard is listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Q 2. With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consider the following statements:
1. United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was adopted in 1982 to establish jurisdictional limits over ocean areas.
2. The convention defines a distance of 12 nautical miles from the baseline as the Territorial Sea limit and a distance of 200 nautical miles distance as the Exclusive Economic Zone limit.
3. India is not a member of UNCLOS because of a dispute with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh over the Territorial Sea limit.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (A)
Recently, the United Nations organized the Intergovernmental Conference to draft the first-ever treaty on the Ocean’s Biological Diversity to conserve marine diversity in the High Seas. A series of conferences was set in motion in 2018 to draft international legislation under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in these areas.
Statement 1 is correct: The ‘Law of the Sea Treaty,’ formally known as the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was adopted in 1982 to establish jurisdictional limits over ocean areas. Under INNOCENT PASSAGE IN THE TERRITORIAL SEA, Subject to this Convention, ships of all States, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
Statement 2 is correct: The convention defines a distance of 12 nautical miles from the baseline as the Territorial Sea limit and a distance of 200 nautical miles distance as the Exclusive Economic Zone limit. It provides for technology and wealth transfer from developed to underdeveloped nations and requires parties to implement regulations and laws to control marine pollution.
Statement 3 is not correct: India became a signatory to the UNCLOS in 1982.
Q 3. Which of the following statement is correct about Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahtab?
1. He was the ruler of Burdwan Estate, Bengal in British India from 1887 till his death in 1941.
2. In 1938, he was a member of the Francis Floud Commission to suggest changes in the Permanent Settlement of 1793.
3. The commission recommended the replacement of the zamindari system with a ryotwari (tenancy) system.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D)
Recently, the West Bengal Government has decided to erect a statue of Bardhaman’s Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahatab and his wife Radharani in front of the Lord Curzon Gate.
Option (D) is correct: Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahtab was the ruler of Burdwan Estate, Bengal in British India (present-day West Bengal, India) from 1887 till his death in 1941. In 1899, Bijay Chand Mahtab passed the entrance examination of Calcutta University and was the first in the Raj family to obtain a formal educational qualification. In 1903, he invited Governor General Lord Curzon to the Bardhaman palace and to commemorate the event constructed a gate now known as Curzon Gate in Gothic style, which is a major landmark of Burdwan and stands at the junction of Bijaychand Road and Grand Trunk Road.
- He was a member of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1907 to 1918, and of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1909 to 1912.
- He was associated with the state administration in subsequent years and a Member of the Executive Council of Bengal for the years 1919–1924.
- He was also the President of the British Indian Association from 1911 to 1918 and again in 1925.
- In 1914, he was appointed as one of the members of the committee that investigated riots of Budge Budge and Komagata Maru incidents.
- In 1924, he was one of the members of a committee headed by Sir Charles Todhunter, which looked into taxation reforms in British India, and submitted its report in 1925. and was also a member of the Indian Reforms Enquiry Commission of 1924.
- In 1938, he was a member of the Francis Floud Commission to suggest changes in the Permanent Settlement of 1793. The commission recommended the replacement of the zamindari system with a ryotwari (tenancy) system in which the ownership of land would vest with the ryot (tenant) and the land revenue payable by him could be revised periodically.
Q 4. Which of the following offences is/are investigated by National Investigation Agency (NIA)?
1. Offenses affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, security of the State, and friendly relations with foreign States.
2. Against atomic and nuclear facilities.
3. Smuggling in High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D)
The High Court of Karnataka has directed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to furnish information and documents submitted for securing Aadhaar by 12 Bangladesh nationals to NIA.
Option (D) is correct: National Investigation Agency (NIA) is established under the National Investigation Agency Act 2008. Its Works under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is also the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency. It is empowered to deal with terror-related crimes across states without special permission from the states. National Investigation Agency (NIA) is a central agency to investigate and prosecute offences:
- affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, security of the State, and friendly relations with foreign States.
- against atomic and nuclear facilities.
- smuggling in High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency.
Q 5. With reference to pardoning power of the president and governor, consider the following statements:
1. The scope of the pardoning power of the President under Article 72 is wider than the pardoning power of the Governor under Article 161.
2. The President can grant pardon in all cases including the death sentence, but the pardoning power of the Governor does not extend to death sentence cases.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (C)
Eleven men who were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano were released this week from a jail in Gujarat. State governments have developed premature release rules that include the power to give effect to the Governor’s powers of remission under Article 161 of the Constitution.
The pardoning power is founded on the consideration of public good and is to be exercised on the grounds of public welfare, which is the legitimate objective of all punishments. Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution contain the law governing the grant of pardon.
Statement 1 is correct: Article 161 deals with the Pardoning Power of the Governor. The Governor can grant pardons, reprieves, respites and remissions of punishments or suspend, remit and commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the state extends. The scope of the pardoning power of the President under Article 72 is wider than the pardoning power of the Governor under Article 161.
Statement 2 is correct: The President can grant pardon in all cases where the sentence given is the sentence of death but the pardoning power of the Governor does not extend to death sentence cases.
