What is PM-AASHA ?

 What is PM-AASHA ?

Ans :

PM-AASHA is a larger programme which integrates Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and Price Stabilisation Funds (PSF) - all aimed at providing remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce and also controlling price volatility of essential commodities by ensuring their availability at affordable prices to consumers.  

The government on February 10, 2025 approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) scheme during the 15th Finance Commission Cycle up to 2025-26. 

In the Union Budget 2025-26, PM-AASHA was Rs 6,941.36 crore, an increase of 7.8 per cent from Revised Estimates of 2024-25. 

What are Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) ?

 

What are Small Modular Reactor (SMRs)

Ans :

SMRs are actually advanced , miniature nuclear reactors with a power capacity of upto 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about a third of the capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors 

Question: What are the benefits of SMRs?

Ans:

Advantages of SMRs stem from their small and modular design.

Due to their compact size, SMRs can be sited in locations that may not be suitable for larger nuclear plants. 

What are the 'climate change' risks ?

 

Question: What are the 'climate change risks ' ?

Ans: There are essentially two types of risks emanating from climate change that we need to address: physical, and transition risks. 

a) Physical risks :-  

Physical risks stem from both gradual and sudden climate impacts, such as natural disasters, affecting real assets and financial instruments. 

These risks cause direct damage to assets, leading to loan losses and collateral damage, as well as indirect costs, including business disruptions, capital replacement, and supply chain issues.

These risks can affect trade, fiscal policy, monetary policy, and financial stability, requiring ongoing assessment. Estimating loan losses from physical risks is difficult due to lack of historical data on such losses, as financial institutions have not tracked them. 

Even the available data is of limited use due to the changing frequency, intensity, and location of physical events making projections based on past data a bit risky. Such data on loan losses is important for financial institutions as they impact credit risk, including the probability of default and loss given default.

b)Transition risks :- 

Transition risks arise from efforts to mitigate climate change. It arises from the need for transition by the firms and economies as they strive to achieve their net zero targets, which can be disruptive. 

It could be a result of adaptation to low carbon technologies, as well as change in consumer behaviour, investor preferences about investments to specific sectors. 

It can also be a fall out of climate related regulations such as carbon pricing and taxes, transparency requirements, products, and service regulations. 

Thus, the transition risk emerges because of a disconnect arising from the expectations of various economic factors and could lead to rapid economic adjustment costs in a broad range of sectors. It creates uncertainty for firms and investors, which may further lead to financial risks, with its resultant impact on financial stability.

What is Machine Learning ? What you have observed in the Caste based survey conducted by Telangana Government in 2024?

 

 

1)What are the common features between Dhanbad and Adilabad ?

Clue: Dhanbad is famous for its coal reserves, and thus known as the Coal Capital of India.

In undivided Adilabad district (Telangana) , coal reserves are there in Bellampalli, Ramakrishnapuram etc.

 

 

2)What is Machine Learning ?

 

 

 

 

3) What you have observed in the Caste based survey conducted by Bihar Government in 2023  ?

4)What you have observed in the Caste based survey conducted by Telangana Government in 2024?

 

 

 

4) Use of mobile phones and TABs by children below 10 years of age,had a bad effect on the yes of children.    Constant exposure of children to mobile phone screen lighting , is leading is Myopia .  Under these circumstances distributing Mobile phone or Tabs for school going children, for education purpose is it justified ?

 

5) AI  whether it can create more jobs or more unemployees in the near future ?

 

6)Who are famous flute players  in India?

 

7)Who are best lawn tennis players in India ?

 

Ten Bagless Days a Year

 

Ten Bagless Days a year for students from 6th class to 8th class as per NCERT guidelines under New Education Policy 2020.

The guidelines said bagless days were important to provide exposure to the world outside the classroom with transactions that affect and contribute to day-to-day life; to build observation-based learning capacity and scope for practice; and to develop an understanding of the connectedness of community and interdependence. Bagless days will also help develop interdependence in classrooms, with theoretical as well as practical application and promote the dignity of labour through hands-on activity and existing local vocations

In the guidelines, the bagless days’ curriculum has been divided into three themes — exposure to aspects of science, environment and tech; exposure to public office, local industry and business; and art, culture, and history.

Article 341 of Constitution of India

 Article 341 of Constitution of India :

1)The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in relation to that State or Union territory , as the case may be . 

2) Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in a notification issued under clause (1) any caste, race or tribe or part of or group within any caste, race or tribe, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.  

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Dt: 17.7.2024

The Supreme Court has held that the States cannot tinker with the Scheduled Castes List notified under Article 341 of the Constitution.

“Any inclusion or exclusion of any caste, race or tribe or part of or group within the castes, races or tribes has to be, by law, made by the Parliament, and not by any other mode or manner,” a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P.K. Mishra said while clarifying on the law.

The judgment by the top court came in a challenge by Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Vichar Manch, Patna, to a July 1, 2015 notification issued by the Bihar government, on the basis of the recommendation of the State Backward Classes Commission to merge the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) of Tanti-Tantwa with the Scheduled Caste of Pan/Sawasi in the Scheduled Castes List. The merger would enable the Tanti-Tantwa to claim the benefits of Scheduled Castes.

Justice Nath, who authored the judgment, pronounced the 2015 resolution as “patently illegal and erroneous”.

“The State government had no competence/authority/power to tinker with the lists of Scheduled Castes published under Article 341 of the Constitution,” Justice Nath concluded in the July 15,2024 verdict.

Triple Dip La Nina

 

What is Triple-dip La Nina ?

Ans : A 'triple-dip La Nina is a multiyear cooling of the surface temperature of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

La Nina refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean surface tempertaures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds,pressure and rainfall. 

In La Nina strong winds blow warm water on the surface of the Pacific Ocean near the coast of South America across the equator toward Indonesia, other parts of Asi and Australia.

This causes cooler water to rise to the surface of the Pacific Ocean, which has wide-ranging ripple effects on the weather.

Impact :

1)Good rainfall during monsoon season in Inda

2)Increase in number of hurricanes and tropical cyclones

3)Excessive rainfall and flooding in India's neighbouring country i.e., Arabian coast

4)Persistence of La Nina can worsen drought in Africa

5)In most parts of USA, La Nina may be associated with very dry winters.

Thus, prolonged La Nina can result in widespread drought in USA

6)In Australia and Indonesia, and generally in the tropical reion, La Nina is expected to bring more rain fall and thus prolonged La Nina may result in flooding.