Daily Current Affairs MCQ: 22nd October 2024 - UPSC MCQ

The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) enacted by the European Union (EU) primarily aims at restoring degraded ecosystems and addressing environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. This legislative measure represents a significant model for tackling interconnected environmental crises, emphasizing the restoration of ecosystems with high potential for carbon capture, storage, and disaster risk reduction. Member States are mandated to restore a minimum of 20% of the EU's land and marine areas by 2030 and develop comprehensive restoration plans to meet these targets.

- Statement 1: This statement is incorrect. The eShram platform is specifically designed for unorganised workers, not organised workers. It aims to streamline access to various social security schemes for those registered on the eShram portal, targeting the unorganised sector.

- Statement 2: This statement is correct. Registration on the eShram portal is Aadhaar verified, and it indeed allows for registration under 400 different occupations spanning across 30 broad sectors. This process ensures that unorganised workers are correctly identified and can access the intended benefits.

- Statement 3: This statement is correct. The eShram platform integrates key welfare schemes such as the One Nation One Ration Card and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. This integration helps provide comprehensive support to unorganised workers, ensuring they receive the benefits they are entitled to.

Thus, only statements 2 and 3 are correct, making Option D the correct answer.

1. eShram Portal - Correctly matched. The eShram portal is indeed designed for unorganised workers' registration, which is Aadhaar verified.

2. Nilgiri tit Butterfly - Incorrectly matched. The Nilgiri tit Butterfly is found in the Nilgiris, India, and not in the Amazon rainforest.

3. Nature Restoration Law (NRL) - Correctly matched. The NRL is a European Union initiative that aims to restore at least 20% of the EU's land and marine areas by 2030.

4. One Nation One Ration Card - Correctly matched. This scheme is one of the welfare schemes integrated into the eShram platform to streamline benefits for unorganised workers.

Thus, only three pairs are correctly matched.

Statement-I correctly defines the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) as a legislative measure enacted by the European Union to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation through ecosystem restoration. Statement-II accurately reflects a key mandate of the NRL, which requires Member States of the EU to restore a minimum of 20% of the EU's land and marine areas by 2030, encompassing various environments. Statement-II logically aligns with Statement-I by elaborating on a specific requirement outlined in the NRL, indicating that both statements are correct, and Statement-II provides additional contextual information that explains Statement-I.

The main function of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to ensure the safe, secure, and peaceful application of nuclear science and technology. It collaborates with member states and global partners to advocate for the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technologies, implements safeguards, and works to prevent the diversion of nuclear materials for weapons purposes.

1. Statement 1 is correct. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is indeed an autonomous organization which reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. This dual reporting is part of its structure to ensure oversight and integration within the broader UN framework while maintaining a degree of independence to effectively manage its mandate.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect. The IAEA's primary function is not to promote the use of nuclear energy for military purposes. Rather, the agency is dedicated to the safe, secure, and peaceful application of nuclear science and technology. It aims to prevent the diversion of nuclear materials for non-peaceful purposes and plays a critical role in the implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is focused on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.
3. Statement 3 is incorrect. The headquarters of the IAEA is located in Vienna, Austria, not Geneva, Switzerland. Vienna is known for hosting several international organizations and serves as a hub for diplomatic activities related to nuclear energy and security.
Thus, only Statement 1 is correct.

Statement-I is incorrect because the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) primarily focuses on civilian applications of nuclear technologies, not military applications. Statement-II is correct as the IAEA operates within the framework of the United Nations and is indeed dedicated to ensuring the safe, secure, and peaceful application of nuclear science and technology. Therefore, the correct answer is option B, where both statements are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I.

The primary concern linked to an aging population is the rise in the dependency ratio, indicating a larger portion of the population relying on the working-age group for economic support. This situation can lead to increased healthcare and social security investments and potentially affect workforce dynamics.

- Statement 1: This statement is correct. Southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have historically achieved lower fertility rates earlier than their Northern counterparts, contributing to an aging population. This demographic shift poses challenges such as increased dependency ratios and potential political implications.

- Statement 2: This statement is incorrect. It is the Southern states that are projected to have nearly one in four people over 60 by 2036, not the Northern states. In contrast, Northern states are expected to retain a younger demographic, with only about 12% of their population in the 60+ age bracket.

- Statement 3: This statement is incorrect. Pro-natalist policies, which aim to encourage larger families, have generally seen limited success in reversing declining fertility rates, especially in economically prosperous and educated societies. This trend is observed globally and is relevant to the context of Southern India as well.

Therefore, only statement 1 is correct. The correct answer is Option A: 1 only.

1. Uttar Pradesh - Expected to reach replacement fertility rate of 2.1 in 2025

This pair is correctly matched. Uttar Pradesh is expected to achieve the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman by 2025.

2. Andhra Pradesh - Contributed significantly to India's population growth from 2011 to 2036

This pair is incorrectly matched. Andhra Pradesh, along with other southern states, is projected to contribute only about 2.9 crore to India's population growth during this period, which is not considered significant relative to other states like Bihar.

3. Kerala - Concerns about losing parliamentary seats due to low population growth

This pair is correctly matched. Kerala, like other southern states, has successfully reduced fertility rates leading to low population growth, raising concerns about losing parliamentary representation.

4. Bihar - One of the states expected to see the most population growth by 2036

This pair is correctly matched. Bihar is indeed one of the states projected to account for a significant portion of India's population growth by 2036.

Thus, out of the four pairs, only pairs 1, 3, and 4 are correctly matched. Therefore, the answer is Option B: Only two pairs are correctly matched.