UPSC Daily Quiz | 4 May 2024

Explanation:

• Standard Essential Patents are patents that are essential to implement a specific industry standard or technology. They play a vital role in promoting innovation and ensuring compatibility among various devices and systems. 
• By licensing these patents under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, companies can develop products that adhere to common standards, leading to greater interoperability and a more efficient technological ecosystem. 
• This, in turn, benefits both companies and consumers by fostering competition, encouraging innovation, and offering a wider range of compatible products.

Explanation:

•  The officials of India and Japan exchanged views on developments in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation relating to nuclear, chemical and biological domains.
•  The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the 10th Round of India-Japan Consultations on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control was held in Tokyo.
• Statement 1 is correct: India’s quasi-sovereign wealth fund, the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) launched a $600-million fund to invest in sustainability projects.JBIC will contribute 51% of that figure, and India the rest, the Indian government said in a statement.
• Statement 2 is correct: Recently, the armies of India and Japan conducted the fourth edition of joint military exercise, ‘Ex Dharma Guardian’, at Camp Imazu in Japan’s Shiga province.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Union Cabinet has approved a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on developing a semiconductor supply chain partnership, which will focus on research and development (R&D), manufacturing, design, and talent development for the industry.

Explanation:

•  According to a recent Central Water Commission report, the southern area, which includes the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, has dramatically reduced water storage compared to historical averages, accounting for only 17% of reservoir capacity.
• The reduced storage levels in the southern region are indicative of worsening water scarcity and potential challenges for irrigation, drinking water supply and hydroelectric power generation in these states.
• Water levels at major dams like as Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam (in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Tungabhadra, and Ghataprabha (in Karnataka) have been falling.
• The correct order of these dams from north to south is Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam and Tungabhadra.

Explanation:

•  Forest fires in Uttarakhand’s Nainital region have been raging for more than 36 hours, prompting the Indian Air Force and Army to intervene.
•  The fire that broke out in the forest near Nainital district headquarters spread to the residential High Court Colony in the Pines area, disrupting traffic flow.
• Statement 1 is correct: According to the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR) released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2019, more than 36% of India’s forest cover was prone to frequent fires. 
• Statement 2 is incorrect:  In India, the forest fire season lasts from November to June, with hundreds of thousands of minor and big fires burning each year, particularly beginning in February as summer approaches. April and May are often the worst fire months around the country.  Severe fires break out in dry deciduous forests, while evergreen, semi-evergreen, and montane temperate forests are comparatively less prone to fires. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The forests of Northeast India, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand are the most prone to fires from November to June.
  •  The highest number of forest fires have been reported from Mizoram (3,738), Manipur (1,702), Assam (1,652), Meghalaya (1,252), and Maharashtra (1,215), as per FSI data.

Explanation:

• India emphasised on the need to adopt a “zero-tolerance approach” towards terrorism in all its forms for prosperity and development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
• — “During the meeting, a protocol was signed by the defence ministers of all SCO member states. A Joint Communique was issued after the meeting, in which the SCO defence ministers agreed, amongst other initiatives, to developing the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which is rooted in the ancient Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.”
• Statement 1 is correct: The Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai (PRC). It succeeded the Shanghai Five mechanism.
• Statement 2 is correct:The SCO’s top decision-making body is the Council of Heads of State (CHS). It meets once a year to make decisions on all of the Organization’s critical concerns.  The Organisation has two permanent bodies: the Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.