The chaparral vegetation is dominated by shrubs and is adapted to periodic fires, with some plants producing seeds that only germinate after a hot fire. The ashes left behind after a fire are rich in nutrients, such as nitrogen, that fertilize the soil and promote plant regrowth.

Allopatric speciation is speciation that happens when two populations of the same species become isolated from each other due to geographic changes. Speciation is a gradual process by which populations evolve into different species.

Edge effect refers to the changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats (ecotone). Sometimes the number of species and the population density of some of the species in the ecotone is much greater than either community. This is called edge effect. The organisms which occur primarily or most abundantly in this zone are known as edge species.

MISSION KARMAYOGI · The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (‘NPCSCB’) – aims to prepare Indian civil servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative.

Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs inaugurated the Doorstep Banking Services by PSBs and participated in the awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index.

Panama disease, also called banana wilt, a devastating disease of bananas caused by the soil-inhabiting fungus.- The scientists of Indian Council of Agriculture Research or ICAR, have found a cure for one of the most dreaded agricultural diseases one such as Panama Disease.

Gas hydrates with their abundant resource potential is emerging as a potential fuel resource. The preliminary assessment of geological condition and limited available seismic data suggests high possibility of occurrence of large quantity of gas hydrates within the EEZ of India. The multi‐channel seismic data collected by various organisations during the last Plan period has been evaluated and based on the data, two promising sites of 100 km x 100 km in the Krishna‐Godavari (KG) and the Mahanadi basins have been identified and surveyed.

Recently the government has formed an expert committee headed by KN Dikshit for conducting a study on the origin and evolution of Indian culture dating back to around 12,000 years ago.

The Abraham Accord between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain is mediated by the USA. It is the first Arab-Israeli peace deal in 26 year

Indian scientists have reported a first-of-its-kind discovery of morphological phenotypic plasticity (MPP) in the Kalinga cricket frog. Both statement 1 and statement 2 are correct: MPP is the ability of an organism to show drastic morphological (physical features) variations in response to natural environmental variations or stimuli. Scientists claim the morphological phenotypic plasticity found in the Kalinga cricket frog is first such in India.

Recently, in the criticism against the Supreme Court’s ruling that held advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court, his counsel has invoked the ‘Mulgaonkar principles’, urging the court to show restraint. S Mulgaonkar v Unknown (1978) is a case that led to a landmark ruling on the subject of contempt of court. In the verdict which had a 2:1 majority, the court held Mulgaonkar, then editor of The Indian Express, not guilty of contempt although the same Bench had initiated the proceedings. Justices P Kailasam and Krishna Iyer formed the majority going against then Chief Justice of India M H Beg. Justice Iyer’s counsel of caution in exercising the contempt jurisdiction came to be called the Mulgaonkar principles

The committee was constituted which is headed by Prasanna Kumar
Mohanty, Director Central Board of RBI.
● The committee was constituted to:
○ To examine the preferred corporate structure for banks and harmonisation of norms.
○ To review the norms of long-term shareholding in banks by the promoters and other
shareholders.
○ To review the eligibility criteria for individuals/ entities to apply for a banking license.

n order to fight the war against HIV Aids, the government has launched this ‘90:90:90 Strategy’. It is a new HIV treatment that lays the groundwork to end the AIDS epidemic. 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status (90% diagnosed). 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy (90% on HIV treatment). 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression (90% suppressed)

The “patient zero” is a term used to describe the first human
infected by a viral or bacterial disease in an outbreak.

Param Siddhi, the supercomputer established under the National
Supercomputing Mission (NSM), has achieved 63rd rank in the list of 500 most powerful
supercomputers in the world. India has one of the largest supercomputer infrastructures in the
world.

If an MLA or an MP holds a government office and receives benefits from
it, then that office is termed as an “office of profit”. Under the provisions of Article 102 (1) and
Article 191 (1) of the Constitution, an MP or an MLA (or an MLC) is barred from holding any
office of profit under the central or state government. A person will be disqualified if he holds an
office of profit under the central or state government, other than an office declared not to disqualify its holder by a law passed by Parliament or state legislature. The expression “office of profit” has not been defined in the Representation of the People Act, 1951 not in the Constitution.

Typhoons: tropical cyclones are known as Typhoons in the China Sea and the Pa-cific Ocean.
○ Hurricanes: In the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
○ Tornados: In the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA.
○ Willy-willies: In north-western Australia and
○ Tropical Cyclones: In the Indian Ocean Region.

Earthquake waves get recorded in seismographs located at far off
locations. However, there exist some specific areas where the waves are not reported. Such a zone is called the ‘shadow zone

UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous
surfaces. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis. For this reason, UVC lamps are often called “germicidal” lamps.

The Thirty-meter telescope (TMT) project is an international partnership
between CalTech, Universities of California, Canada, Japan, China, and India. This can help in the
understanding of the universe and the enigmas in it. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project
being installed at Maunakea in Hawaii. India, a partner in the construction of one of the largest
telescopes in the world, TMT, has said it wants the project to be moved out of the proposed site at
Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii.

Kerala government approved the Athirapally Hydro
Electric Project (AHEP) on the Chalakudy river in Thrissur district of Kerala. Chalakudy River
originates in the Anamalai region of Tamil Nadu and is joined by its major tributaries
Parambikulam, Kuriyarkutti, Sholayar, Karapara and Anakayam in Kerala. It flows through
Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala.

Recently, India has added Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site, a conservation status conferred by International Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Previously, the Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, Sur Sarovar (also known as Keetham lake) in Agra and Kabartal in Bihar’s Begusarai district were added to the list of Ramsar sites. Ashtamudi Lake (Ashtamudi Kayal), in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is also included in the list of wetlands of international importance. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Hence, all the statements are correct.

Recently, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan has arrived at Sihanoukville Port, Cambodia as part of ongoing Mission Sagar-III. This Mission is being undertaken in accordance with the Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision.

Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) is India’s policy or doctrine of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. It was first launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building its maritime security capabilities.

A habitable zone, also called the “Goldilocks zone”, is the area around a star where it is not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface of surrounding planets. Our Earth is in the Sun’s Goldilocks zone. If Earth were where the dwarf planet Pluto is, all its water would freeze; on the other hand, if Earth were where Mercury is, all its water would boil off. Life on Earth started in water, and water is a necessary ingredient for life as we know it.

All the interacting organisms that live together in a specific habitat or biotope, forming an ecological community

Amensalism is a biological interaction among two species. In this contact between two organisms, one is destroyed or inhibited, and other remains unaffected.

India and Afghanistan soon likely to sign an agreement on building the Shahtoot
dam across the Maidan river, a tributary of River Kabul in Afghanistan.

Biofuels are broadly classified into four categories based on their raw materials. They are First-generation biofuels: Made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology. Common first-generation biofuels include Bioalcohols, Biodiesel, Vegetable oil, Bioethers, Biogas. Second-generation biofuels: Produced from non-food crops, such as cellulosic biofuels and waste biomass (stalks of wheat and corn, and wood). Examples include advanced biofuels like biohydrogen, bioethanol. Third-generation biofuels: Produced from microorganisms like algae. Fourth-generation biofuels: Made from genetically engineered crops which consume high amounts of carbon. The crops are then converted into fuel using second-generation techniques. National Biofuel Policy 2018: It categorises biofuels as “Basic Biofuels” viz. First Generation (1G), Second Generation (2G) and Third Generation (3G) biofuels.

Recently, the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii’s Big Island erupted which was followed by an earthquake of magnitude 4.4.

Mucormycosis is also known as Black Fungus or Zygomycosis. It is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of moulds called mucormycetes which exist in the environment. It is not a zoonotic disease, which cannot spread between people or between people and animals. People get mucormycosis through contact with fungal spores in the environment. Mucormycosis most commonly affects the sinuses or lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air, or the skin after the fungus enters through a cut, burn or other types of skin injury. According to the advisory, it can occur in any part of the body. It needs to be treated with prescription antifungal medicine. Often, mucormycosis also requires surgery to cut away the infected tissue.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants, usually crops, without soil on the water which is rich in essential nutrients. Chemical nutrients are used for providing essential nutrients to the plants. The yield is low here. The system requires regular flush up and replacement with nutrient-rich water, due to salt build-up.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is going to launch ‘Main Bhi Digital (me too digital)’ drive for the street vendors to enable them to accept and make payments digitally. The drive has been encouraged by the success of the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PMSVANidhi) scheme which was launched as the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdown, to provide street vendors microcredit to restart their business.

Recently, Israel launched the Beresheet 2 project aimed at landing an unmanned
craft on the moon in 2024.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body
with over 180 members, within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme. It was
established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the
World Health Organization (WHO), with the purpose of protecting the health of consumers and
ensuring fair practices in the food trade. The Commission also promotes coordination of all food
standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Codex texts are voluntary and non-binding

UN Population Award is established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 and recognises contributions in the fields of population and reproductive health. HelpAge India gets the first Indian NGO to be awarded the prestigious 2020 UN Population Award in the institutional category. It is a leading charity in India working with and for disadvantaged elderly for nearly 4 decades. It was set up in 1978 and is registered under the Societies’ Registration Act of 1860. Only two Indians have been awarded in the past four decades since the award was established in 1981: former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1983 and industrialist-philanthropist J.R.D.Tata in 1992. Bhutan’s Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck has been awarded the United Nations Population Award in the individual category for 2020 for her work on sexual health and ending gender violence.

Established in September 1969, headquartered at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It
is the second-largest organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents.

NHRC is a statutory body, constituted under the Protection of Human
Rights Act, 1993, to protect and promote human rights

The UNESCO has decided to launch an international prize in the field of
‘creative economy’ in the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

The UN-Based Better Than Cash Alliance was created in 2012 as a partnership of governments, companies and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to responsible digital payments. Member nations- The Alliance has 75 members which are committed to digitizing payments. India became a member of the Better Than Cash Alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion

The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement works on a 5- year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action carried out by countries.

Statement 1 is correct: The 11th BRICS Summit took place from 13th-14th November 2019 in Brasilia, Brazil. The theme of the 2019 BRICS summit is “Economic Growth for an Innovative Future.” BRICS countries adopted the Brasilia Declaration. BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In 2001, the British economist, Jim O’Neill, coined the term BRIC to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Statement 2 is not correct: BRICS’s New Development Bank and BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement agreements signed in Fortaleza in 2014.

Statement 3 is correct: The BRICS was officially formed in 2006, originally including Brazil, Russia, India and China. Its first summit took place in Russia in 2009.

Statement 1 is not correct: In India’s development plan exercise we have two types of schemes i.e central sector and centrally sponsored scheme. Under Central sector schemes, it is 100% funded by the Union government and implemented by the Central Government machinery. Central sector schemes are mainly formulated on subjects from the Union List. Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) a certain percentage of the funding is borne by the States in the ratio of 50:50, 70:30, 75:25 or 90:10 and the implementation is by the State Governments.

Statement 2 is not correct: Centrally Sponsored Schemes are formulated in subjects from the State List to encourage States to prioritise in areas that require more attention.

Statement 3 is correct: The centrally sponsored schemes are divided into two categories – core of the core schemes and core schemes. MGNREGA or the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act falls under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes: Core of the core schemes.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body decision-making body. It was established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris to develop policies against money laundering. India became an Observer at FATF in 2006. Since then, it had been working towards full-fledged membership. On June 25, 2010, India was taken in as the 34th country member of FATF. As of 2020, FATF has blacklisted North Korea and Iran over terror financing. Twelve countries are in the grey list, namely: Bahamas, Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, Panama, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Yemen.

Recently, Bangladesh started shifting Rohingyas to Bhasan Char island.

Recently, China has powered up its nuclear fusion reactor for the first time.
The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear
fusion experimental research device that can potentially unlock a powerful clean energy source.
HL-2M Tokamak device is used in it to replicate the nuclear fusion process that occurs naturally
in the sun.

Mahaparinirvan Diwas is observed every year on 6th December to
commemorate the death anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar.

After Sikkim, Lakshadweep is the first Union Territory to become 100
per cent organic as all farming is carried out without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides,
providing access to safer food choices and making agriculture a more environment-friendly
activity.

The name “Boko Haram” is translated as “Western education is
forbidden” and it is the militant group in northern Nigeria that has killed tens of thousands of
people.
• It was founded upon the principles of the Salafism advocating Sharia law and developed
into a Jihadist group in 2009

Ken River passes through Panna tiger reserve.

According to the PwC report on AI, India reported a 45 per cent increase in
the use of AI, the highest among all countries, while the US recorded a 35 per cent rise, the UK 23
per cent and Japan 28 per cent, following the outbreak of the virus. The sectors with the highest
Covid-19 led disruption adopted AI solutions in a more definitive manner. In the travel and
hospitality sector, 89% of firms have implemented AI in some form. Recently, India joins Global
Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) as a founding member to support the responsible
and human-centric development and use of AI.

During Quit India Movement (1942) parallel Government established in a part of India i.e in Ballia (By Chittu Pandey), Tamluk(Bengal), Satara(Maharastra). The parallel government of Satara ran for long time comparatively to others.

Abbas Tyabji was an Indian freedom fighter who hailed from Gujarat, who once served as the Chief Justice of the (Baroda) Gujarat High Court. Mahatma Gandhi appointed Tyabji, at the age of seventy-six, to replace him as leader of the Salt Satyagraha in May 1930 after Gandhi’s arrest. Tyabji was arrested soon afterward and imprisoned by the British Indian Government. Gandhi and others respectfully called Tyabji the “Grand Old Man of Gujarat“,

The kiwis of Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro Valley region are the only certified
organic fruit of their kind in the country. Kiwis of Ziro Valley — located in Lower Subansiri
district of Arunachal Pradesh were certified as organic following a standard three-year-process.
In October, Arunachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to obtain organic certification
for its kiwis.