Daily Quiz – 19th Jan 2024

Explanation:

The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC):

• This body was initially established by an act in the Parliament in 1993, but it was not a constitutional body then.
• It became a constitutional body after the President of India assented to the Constitution (102nd Amendment) Act, 2018. This act provides constitutional status to the NCBC.
• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC):
• The NHRC is a statutory body established by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
• It is not a constitutional body.
• The National Law Commission:
• A Law Commission of India, is neither a constitutional nor a statutory body. Instead, it is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India.
• The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC):
• The NCDRC is a statutory body set up under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 (replaced by the Consumer Protection Act 2019).
• It is not a constitutional body.
• Hence among the organisations mentioned, only the National Commission for Backward Classes is a constitutional body out of the four bodies listed.

Explanation:

• Azadirachta indica is commonly known as neem tree.
  • It is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae.
  • Neem Tree can grow up to 30 m tall and 2.5 m in girth.
  • The roots penetrate the soil deeply, at least where the site permits, and, particularly when injured, they produce suckers.
• The tree is easily propagated - both sexually and vegetatively. It can be planted using seeds, seedlings, saplings, root suckers, or tissue culture.
• Neem leaf has various properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and immune upregulation. It is used in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the proliferation of some species of insects and mites.
  • It is also used for skin diseases and digestive system disorders.
• Neem Oil can also be obtained from solvent extraction of the neem seed and this solvent-extracted oil is mostly used for soap manufacturing.
• Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the proliferation of some species of insects and mites. Neem seeds are used in the manufacture of biofuels and hospital detergents (not any particular source).

Explanation:

Lake Faguibine

• It is an isolated lake in Mali, west of Timbuktu (Tombouctou).
• It lies north of the Niger River in the Macina depression, and it is reached by branches of Niger in times of flood.
• At high water, it reaches a length of about 50 miles (80 km).
• One example of increasing aridity in Mali appears in Lake Faguibine.
• These false-colour Landsat satellite images of the lake show how it changed over the decades.
• Lake Faguibine has experienced widely fluctuating water levels since the turn of the twentieth century but, at its fullest, has ranked among the largest lakes in West Africa.
• In 1974, this lake covered roughly 590 square kilometres (230 square miles).
• Starting in the late 1980s, a drop in precipitation steadily dried the lake.
• By the late 1990s, the traditional livelihoods of fishing, agriculture, and livestock herding became impractical. Even though normal rainfall resumed after the year 2000, the lake remained nearly dry.

Explanation:

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a statutory body that was established in 2010 by the National Green Tribunal Act.
• It was set up to handle cases and speed up the cases related to environmental issues.
• The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.
• New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata, and Chennai shall be the other 4 places of sitting of the Tribunal.
• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the statutory organisation, was constituted in September 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
• Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelled out in the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,
• to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution, and
• to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.

Explanation:

• India’s Defence Ministry has decided to replace Microsoft Operating System (OS) in all its computers that can connect to the Internet with Maya, an Ubuntu-based OS built locally.
• The new OS is currently being rolled out only in the Defence Ministry computers, and not the three Services. While the Navy is said to have cleared Maya for use in its systems, the Army and the Air Force are still evaluating the software.
• Maya has been developed by Indian government agencies within six months, and it is aimed at preventing malware attacks by cybercriminals who are increasingly targeting critical infrastructure and government agencies.
• The new OS will be backed by a protection system called Chakravyuh. This end point system is also being deployed in the computers that have Maya installed.e software.