March 28 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect

• DRDO tested the Vertically Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM).
• It is an indigenously developed, vertically launched surface-to-air missile with all-weather capability.
• Purpose: A ship-based air defence system to be used by the Navy to neutralise aerial threats, including fighter jets, helicopters, and incoming missiles at short ranges.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Key Features:
  • Vertical Launch System (VLS): Allows 360-degree engagement capability and quick response.
  • Weight: 170 Kg
  • Range: Short-range engagement (specific range usually around 40-50 km).
    • With high kill probability, the missile can identify, track and destroy targets at a range of up to 80 km.
  • Maximum Speed: Mach 4.5

Answer: (b) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Options 1, 2 and 3 are correct

• India is reviewing the draft National Wildlife Health Policy (NWHP) under the National One Health (NOHM) Mission to strengthen wildlife disease monitoring, research, and diagnostics.
• One Health Approach: An integrated, unifying approach, a holistic strategy that aims to balance and optimise human, animal and environmental health to prevent and control zoonotic diseases and public health emergencies.
• Launched in 2022 to coordinate pandemic preparedness across ministries.
• National Institute for One Health (Nagpur): Acts as the nodal center for One Health initiatives.
• Initiated based on PM-STIAC’s recommendation to unify existing One Health activities & bridge gaps.
• Key Ministries & Departments Involved: MoHFW, MoEFCC, AYUSH, DHR, DBT, DoP, DAHD, NCDC, NDMA, DRDO, PSA to the Government of India.

  

  • Key Pillars of NOHM:
    • Integrated Surveillance: Technology-enabled monitoring across human, animal and wildlife habitats.
    • Biosafety-Level 3 (BSL-3) Labs: National network for investigating emerging high-risk pathogens.
    • Collaborative R&D: Development of vaccines, diagnostics & therapeutics for outbreak-prone pathogens.
    • Data Integration & Analysis: Strengthening disease monitoring and response systems.
    • Capacity Building: Enhancing expertise in pandemic preparedness across sectors.

Answer: (c) Only three; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Constitutional Provisions: Article 124(4) and Article 218 provide the legal basis for removing Judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, respectively.

Statement 2 is correct

• Difficult Impeachment Process: No judge has ever been removed through impeachment due to political and procedural hurdles.

Answer: (a) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• UNESCO publishes the WWDR on behalf of UN-Water.
• UNESCO released ‘The UN World Water Development Report 2025 – Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers’ to mark the 1st ever World Day for Glaciers on March 21.
• Key Issues Highlighted in 2025 Report:

Answer: (b) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• Origin of Commonwealth:
  • Established: In 1949, through the London Declaration, to maintain an association between former British colonies as free and equal members.
  • Genesis: Its origin traces back to the Balfour Declaration of 1926 at the Imperial Conference, forming the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Statement 2 is correct

• Membership:
  • Criteria: Any country can join the modern Commonwealth. Currently, 56 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific are its members.
  • The Pacific nation of Nauru is the smallest Commonwealth member country, while India is the most populous member country.
  • India is also a founding member of the Commonwealth.
  • Head: British Monarch (Currently, King Charles III). The position is symbolic.

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Commonwealth Games:
  • The Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event, is held every 4 years.
  • The 2022 Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham (UK), and the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow (Scotland).

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• India is reviewing the draft National Wildlife Health Policy (NWHP) under the National One Health Mission to strengthen wildlife disease monitoring, research, and diagnostics.

Statement 1 is correct

• Challenges in Current Wildlife Health Management:
  • Siloed Disease Monitoring: Lack of coordination among ministries and agencies.
  • Absence of a Centralized Database: No unified platform for tracking wildlife health.
  • Limited Diagnostic Facilities: Shortage of specialised wildlife disease labs.
  • Capacity Constraints: Insufficient training for forest officials and veterinarians.
  • Unchecked Human-Wildlife Interactions: Illegal wildlife trade and livestock grazing near forests increase zoonotic risks.
  • Regulatory Gaps: Existing laws prioritise conservation over disease prevention.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• Need for a NWHP:
  • Rising Zoonotic Threats: Over 60% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from animals.
  • Extensive Wildlife Ecosystem: India has 1,014 protected areas covering 5.32% of its land, housing terrestrial, avian, and marine species.
  • Wildlife as Disease Reservoirs: Continuous monitoring of wildlife health to prevent zoonotic spillovers.
  • Fragmented Disease Surveillance: Multiple agencies handle disease monitoring, leading to poor coordination and data gaps.

Answer: (a) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Easy