UPSC Daily Quiz | 2 May 2024

Explanation: 

• In India, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) of 1985 classifies cannabis as a prohibited substance. The act makes it illegal to cultivate, produce, possess, use, consume, purchase, sell, transport, warehouse, import, or export cannabis for recreational purposes. 
• However, the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes, such as producing industrial hemp or for horticultural use, is legal in India.

Explanation:

• The James Webb Space Telescope is gearing up for a significant mission targeting K2-18b, a distant planet with potential for extra-terrestrial life.
• Scientists are focusing on detecting dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in its atmosphere, a gas primarily produced by life on Earth. Preliminary data suggests a high probability of DMS presence.

Explanation:

•   The Strait of Hormuz connects Oman and Iran.
•  It connects the Gulf to the north, the Gulf of Oman to the south, and the Arabian Sea beyond.
• It is 21 miles (33 km) broad at its narrowest point, with the shipping channel only two miles (three kilometres) wide in either direction.
• Almost a fifth of the world’s oil goes through the Strait, or 17.2 million barrels per day (bpd), compared to consumption of approximately 100 million bpd in 2017.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The PM SVANidhi scheme does not provide subsidized housing loans to street vendors. Instead, it is a micro-credit scheme that offers collateral-free working capital loans of up to ₹10,000 to street vendors to help them resume their livelihoods, which were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to street vendors and support their economic recovery. 
• Statement 2 is correct. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 aims to protect and regulate street vending, focusing on both the livelihoods of vendors and the regulation of vending activities in cities.
  •  The Act provides for the protection of livelihood rights, social security, and the regulation of urban street vending. It also establishes guidelines for the allocation of vending zones and the issuance of licenses and permits to street vendors.

Explanation:

• The Kawah Ijen volcano, located on the Indonesian island of Java, has made news for more than just its violent eruptions.
•  The Kawah Ijen volcano is spouting lava that is not the typical fiery red, but an unearthly electric blue.
•  The striking electric blue lava of Kawah Ijen is caused by the burning of sulfuric gases emitted from the volcano’s depths.
•  When sulphur gases react with oxygen-rich air, they produce ethereal blue flames.