UPSC QUIZ 5.04.2024

Explanation:

• An international team of scientists, including from India, has discovered strong evidence indicating the presence of ozone on Jupiter’s moon Callisto.
• This discovery was made by R. of the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Division of the Indian Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. Ramachandran and his team.
• This research sheds light on the chemical evolution of sulfur dioxide ice responsible for the formation of ozone.
• The aim of this research is to understand the process of ozone formation on the surface of Callisto.
• The discovery of ozone on Callisto has revealed the presence of oxygen.

Explanation:

• The Forest and Wildlife Department of Delhi is setting up a tissue culture lab at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary for propagation of endangered or rare native Delhi trees in a controlled environment.
• This tissue culture lab will be set up at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary .It aims to help grow endangered Delhi trees in a controlled environment and to regenerate plants whose seeds are not available in large quantities.
• It will specifically target most of the native Aravalli or ridge species that face regeneration challenges.
• The Forest Department has identified about 10 such species which include Hingot, Khair, Bistendu, Siris, Palash, Chamrod, Dudhi, Dhau, Desi Babul and Kullu. Both of them are in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Explanation:

• Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois discovered vast reserves of water beneath the Earth's surface.
• Scientists at Northwestern University have discovered an ocean using 2000 seismographs deployed throughout the United States.
• In this research, scientists studied seismic waves from 500 earthquakes. According to scientists, when seismic waves travel through the Earth's core, they slow down.
• This shows that there is a lot of water in the Earth's interior and rocks, which slows down the waves.
• This underground water source is 3 times the size of all the Earth's oceans combined. It is located about 700 kilometers below the earth's surface.
• This research is helpful in understanding the Earth's geology and water cycle.

Explanation:

• A new and more user-friendly version of the grievance redressal system, "SCORES 2.0" launched by SEBI.
• The new version of SCORES will make the process more efficient through auto-routing, auto-escalation, monitoring, and reduction in timelines.
• In SCORES 2.0, the time limit for the redressal of complaints has been reduced to 21 days. Moreover, there will be two levels of review.
• The first level review will be done by the ‘Designated Body’ and if the investor is dissatisfied, SEBI will conduct a second review.
• The market regulator has added a KYC registration agency database for easy registration of investors on SCORES.
• From today, investors will be able to lodge complaints only through the new version of SCORES.
• This website is available at https://scores.sebi.gov.in.
• The old website, https://scores.gov.in will remain operational only to check the status of old complaints.
• SEBI has informed that the old Scores app has been discontinued and a new app will be launched soon.

Explanation:

• In the fiscal year 2023–2024, India for the first time achieved the production of one billion tons of coal and lignite.
• In the previous fiscal year 2022–2023, India produced a total of 937 million tonnes (MT) of coal and lignite.
• Over the past ten years, India's production has increased by 70%.
• India has fixed the target to stop importing coal by 2025–2026.
• When comparing this fiscal year to the previous financial year, the percentage of imported coal used for blending has decreased.
• In FY24, over 22.20 million tonnes of coal were imported for blending.
• It was 30.80 million tonnes in 2022–2023 fiscal year.