All Options are Correct: The Department of fertilizers is implementing NBS Policy for P&K fertilizers w.e.f. 1.4.2010. Under the NBS Policy, a fixed rate of subsidy (in Rs. per Kg basis) is announced on nutrients namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) by the Government on annual basis. The per Kg subsidy rates on the nutrient N, P, K, S is converted into per Tonne subsidy on the various P& K fertilizers covered under NBS Policy. Any variant of the fertilizers covered under the subsidy scheme with micronutrients namely Boron and Zinc, is eligible for a separate per tonne subsidy to encourage their application along with primary nutrients. MRP of P& K fertilizers has been left open and fertilizer manufacturers/marketers are allowed to fix the MRP at reasonable rates. In effect, the domestic prices are determined by demand-supply mechanism.

Option D is Correct: Against the backdrop of rising cases in the Supreme Court, the Union Cabinet approved increasing the number of judges in the Supreme court from the present 31 to 34, including the Chief Justice of India. Once the bill to increase the number of judges gets the parliamentary nod, the number of judges would go up to 34, including the CJI. At present, the Supreme Court consists of thirty-one judges (one chief justice and thirty other judges). In February 2009, the centre notified an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges from twenty-six to thirty-one, including the Chief Justice of India. This followed the enactment of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2008. Originally, the strength of the Supreme Court was fixed at eight (one chief justice and seven other judges). The Parliament has increased this number of other judges progressively to ten in 1956, to thirteen in 1960, to seventeen in 1977 and to twenty-five in 1986.

Both Statements are Incorrect: National Mission to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level (NISHTHA). NISHTHA is the world’s largest teachers’ training programme of its kind in the world. Its objective is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students. Under it, teachers will develop their skills on various aspects related to Learning Outcomes, School Safety and Security, ICT in teaching-learning including Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Concerns and School Based Assessment in a joyful learning manner. It aims to build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering all teachers and Heads of Schools at the elementary level in all Government schools, faculty members of SCERTs, DIETs as well as Block Resource Coordinators and Cluster Resource Coordinators in all States/UTs. Training will be conducted directly by 33120 Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State Resource Persons (SRP) identified by the State and UTs, who will in turn be trained by 120 National Resource Persons identified from NCERT, NIEPA, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), CBSE and NGO.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY). The Index evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development. SARAL currently captures five key aspects – Robustness of policy framework, Implementation environment, Investment climate, Consumer experience and Business ecosystem. Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in the Index. Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have got 2nd, 3rd and 4th rank respectively. NITI Aayog brings out an Agricultural Marketing and Farm Friendly Reforms Index, rating States on their implementation of such reforms. In the initial edition of that Index in 2016, Maharashtra stood first in the rankings, followed by Gujarat. The i ndex is based on the implementation of seven provisions proposed under the model APMC Act like joining e-NAM initiative, special treatment to fruits and vegetables for marketing and level of taxes in mandis. Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards 2019 i s a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog. Recently NITI Aayog and Facebook-owned WhatsApp, under the aegis of its Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), have announced a partnership to support the growth of a robust ecosystem to promote women entrepreneurs in India. The WTI Awards, since its inception in 2016, has been recognising and celebrating stories of exemplary women from across India. The theme for WTI Awards 2019 is “Women and Entrepreneurship”.

Both Statements are Correct: The Cabinet Secretariat functions directly under the Prime Minister. The administrative head of the Secretariat is the Cabinet Secretary who is also the ex- officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board. The business allocated to Cabinet Secretariat under Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 i ncludes: (i) Secretarial assistance to the Cabinet and Cabinet Committees; and (ii) Rules of Business. The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 facilitating smooth transaction of business in Ministries/ Departments. The Secretariat assists in decision-making in Government by ensuring Inter-Ministerial coordination, ironing out differences amongst Ministries/Departments and evolving consensus. Management of major crisis situations in the country is also one of the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat. National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention or NACWC is an office in Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, set up by a resolution of Cabinet Secretariat dated 5th May 1997 and was l ater accorded a statutory status through Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000.

Option A is Correct: ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon is an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission to ease the lives of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets smarter, more accessible, and easier to use. The initiative is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and 91 springboard. In this hackathon, the government is looking for smart, scalable and innovative solutions for economical toilets for individual and community use in rural and urban contexts. Technology enthusiasts have been called to apply by or before August 28th, 2019. The shortlisted applicants will work to develop their prototype during the two-day Hackathon scheduled to be held in the month of September in New Delhi

Statement 1 is Incorrect: A buyback is a mechanism through which a listed company buys back shares from the market. A buyback can be done either through open market purchases or through the tender offer route. Under the open market mechanism, the company buys back the shares from the secondary market. Historically, most companies had preferred the open market route. Under tender offer, shareholders can tender their shares during the buyback offer. Buybacks are typically done when a company has a significant cash reserve and feels that the shares are not fairly valued at the current market price. Since the shares that are bought back are extinguished, the stake of the remaining shareholders rise. Since a buyback is usually done at a price higher than the then prevailing market price, shareholders get an attractive exit option, especially when the shares are thinly traded. It i s also more tax-efficient than dividends as a way to reward shareholders. Promoters also use this mechanism to tighten their grip on the firm.

All Statements are Correct: Minister of New and Renewable Energy has recently approved a proposal to declare ocean energy as Renewable Energy. The New and Renewable Energy Ministry has clarified to all stakeholders that energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion will be considered as Renewable Energy. It will be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO). The decision will give a boost to ocean energy in the country. Technology: Ocean energy is mostly exploited following technologies – Tidal Energy: The tidal cycle occurs every 12 hours due to the gravitational force of the moon. The difference in water height from low tide and high tide is potential energy. Wave Energy: Wave energy is generated by the movement of a device either floating on the surface of the ocean or moored to the ocean floor. Current Energy: Marine current is ocean water moving in one direction. This ocean current is known as the Gulf Stream. Tides also create currents that flow in two directions. Kinetic energy can be captured from the Gulf Stream and other tidal currents with submerged turbines.

Statement 3 is Incorrect: Bangladesh is studying the feasibility of applying Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to control the dengue outbreak. A team of experts from WHO-FAO and IAEA arrived in Dhaka to discuss the feasibility of this technique. Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a ‘ mosquito fights mosquito technique’. Under this, radiation sterilised male mosquitoes are released in areas with dengue causing female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes turning them infertile. This is an environmentally friendly method to control mosquitoes as no pesticide is used. This breakthrough technique has been tested successfully at two sites in Guangzhou in China.

Option D is Correct: The Anubhav portal was created on the call of Prime Minister in 2015 with a vision to preserve the rich experience of a retired official in digital form. It is an initiative of the Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Government of India. It is envisaged that their rich experience will be preserved for future generation to learn and explore knowledge on various aspects of governance, culture & development history of a particular region. An award scheme to incentivize and encourage more retiring employees to submit their write-ups was introduced in 2016. Since then, three annual awards ceremony have been organized. This was the fourth annual award in the series.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: Historically, their range covered most of Southeast Asia from Nepal and southern China through Thailand, Indonesia, and Borneo. It i s regionally extinct in Singapore and Taiwan’. In India, it occurs in north-east and West Bengal. It is the state animal of Meghalaya. Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram has one of the highest population densities. Habitat is Subtropical/Tropical Moist Forests. Conservation status is IUCN-Vulnerable; CITES-Appendix I. In 2018, India added clouded leopards to its Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species to aid more research and strengthen conservation efforts.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: Gravitational Lensing i s a natural phenomenon that magnifies light around galaxies. The phenomenon occurs when a huge amount of matter, such as a massive galaxy or cluster of galaxies, creates a gravitational field that distorts and magnifies the light from objects behind it, but in the same line of sight. This makes dim, faraway objects that otherwise would be undetectable, like an individual star, visible. The effect allows researchers to study the details of early galaxies too far away to be seen otherwise with even the most powerful space telescopes. The NASA program aimed at using gravitational lensing via its Webb telescope is called “Targeting Extremely Magnified Panchromatic Lensed Arcs and Their Extended Star Formation (TEMPLATES)”. Under i t, researchers want to measure how many new stars are forming, to determine how rapidly galaxies form stars. The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch in 2021.

Both statements are correct.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has received a request for merger of a company following green channel combination route.

In a bid to facilitate mergers and acquisitions (combination) in the country, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has taken inspiration from the customs department and established a ‘green channel’.

Every Combination above a certain threshold, seeking to be sanctioned has to necessarily pass the CCI scanner in order to be approved.

The CCI characterizes the ‘green channel’ as an automatic system of approval for Combinations wherein the Combination is deemed to be approved upon filing the notice in the format prescribed.

The ‘green channel automatic approval upon notification route’ is a right step by CCI towards the propogation of ease of doing business in India.

Statement 1 is Incorrect:
The Tropical Butterfly Conservatory Tiruchirappalli (TBCT) has been developed in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirappalli to create awareness among the public about the importance of the butterfly and its ecology.

It was inaugurated during November 2015 at Tiruchirappalli with the objective of propagating the importance of butterflies and conserving the biodiversity of the district through environmental education.

Conservation Measures:
Eggs of non-scheduled butterfly species are collected and bred in captivity in the in-house incubation laboratory by keeping them in ventilated plastic containers with the leaves of host plants as feed.

After attaining the transformation of larva (caterpillar) and pupa (transition), the adult butterfly finally comes out with gorgeous colours and at this stage they are released into the natural habitat.

Non-scheduled butterfly species are bred and released by the park authorities into their natural surroundings.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs has recently launched an e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India. The objective of the course is to create awareness and understanding about natural hazards and help in the identification of regions with high vulnerability such as earthquakes, and landslides. The e-course would be a tool for effective and efficient disaster mitigation and management in the field of architecture, civil engineering, urban and regional planning, housing and infrastructure planning, construction engineering. The course would be offered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in collaboration with the School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC).

Option D is Correct: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs announced “Angikaar”, a campaign for change management. The campaign will be rolled out in all Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) [PMAY (U)] cities. It will be initiated in all target cities on 2nd October 2019 and culminate on the occasion of Human Rights Day, 10th December, 2019. Angikaar has been launched for social behaviour change, focusing on issues such as water & energy conservation, waste management, health, tree plantation, sanitation and hygiene for beneficiaries of completed houses under PMAY (U), through community mobilisation. For this purpose, the campaign will converge with schemes/services of various urban missions and other central ministries dealing with these subjects. The convergence would especially focus on Ujjwala for gas connection and Ayushman Bharat for health insurance to the beneficiaries of PMAY (U).

Statement 3 is Incorrect: Salient features of the Bill: Provisions related to increasing penalties of traffic violations, addressing issues on third-party insurance, regulation of cab aggregators and road safety are proposed in the amendment. It proposes a scheme to allow cashless treatment of victims in a road accident during the golden hour. It proposes to increase the minimum compensation for hit and run cases. In case of the death, the compensation has been raised from 25,000 to 2 l akh rupees, and in case of grievous injury, it will be from 12,500 to 50,000 rupees. The government will open motor driving training schools to impart skill trainings to drivers. The government will also give one crore rupees grant to those who want to open such training schools. The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: CAMPA Act: To compensate for the loss of forest area and to maintain sustainability, the Government of India came up with a well-defined Act, known as CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority). The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state. These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments. The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%. According to the Act’s provision, a company diverting forest land must provide alternative land to take up compensatory afforestation. For afforestation, the company should pay to plant new trees in the alternative and provided to the state.

Both Statements are Correct: Researchers conducting a study in Odisha’s Chilika Lake have found the presence of a viable, breeding population of a fishing cat in the brackish water lagoon. Wild cat species usually hunt on ground. But the fishing cat hunts in water. It has specialised features like partially webbed feet and water-resistant fur that helps it to thrive in wetlands. The flat-headed cat of south-east Asia is the only other feline that shares similar features. This makes them unique among all 39 extant cat species.

Both Statements are Correct: Meaning: Artificial gravity means spacecraft generating their own gravity by spinning around in space. Concept: These researchers are examining ways to design revolving systems that might fit within a room of future space stations and even moon bases. Under it, a short-radius centrifuge will rotate around the room, gathering more and more speed. The angular velocity generated by the centrifuge will push astronauts’ feet toward the base of the platform — almost as if he was standing under his own weight. Application: It will one day help keep astronauts healthy as they venture into space, allowing humans to travel farther from Earth than ever before and stay away longer. Astronauts could crawl into these rooms for just a few hours a day to get their daily doses of gravity. Present status: The concept of artificial gravity has so far as existed only in science fiction.