Answer: Option B - India Meteorological Department (IMD)

Explanation:

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) celebrated its 150th anniversary on January 15, 2025.
• Established in 1875 during British rule, it was founded due to the significance of monsoons and cyclones in South Asia.
• The IMD’s role expanded after India’s independence, joining the World Meteorological Organization in 1949.
• With regional centers and state-level meteorological units, it monitors weather patterns crucial for agriculture, disaster management, and climate research.

Answer: Option A - Gene Duplication

Explanation:

• Gene duplication is a critical process for creating new genes. When a gene is duplicated, one copy retains its original function, while the other can mutate and acquire new functions.
• This allows for genetic diversity and adaptation. Additionally, methylation of duplicated genes helps regulate protein production, preventing overproduction.
• The ability of duplicated genes to evolve over time is essential for the development of new genetic traits in organisms.

1. Right to Life and Personal Liberty

Answer: Option B - Right to Privacy

Explanation:

• The K.S. Puttaswamy judgment (2017) by the Supreme Court of India declared the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• It reaffirmed its importance for personal autonomy, dignity, and liberty.
• The judgment highlighted the need for state actions that respect privacy, balancing it with national security and public interest.
• It reinforced privacy's role in safeguarding individual freedoms in a modern democratic society.

Answer: Option D - Establishing a legally binding requirement for countries to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050

Explanation:

• The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.
• It encourages countries to submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years but does not set a legally binding requirement for net-zero emissions by 2050.
• While climate finance is encouraged, achieving net-zero by 2050 remains an aspirational goal for many nations, not a mandated target.

Answer: Option B - Energy

Explanation:

• In the last couple of years, the energy sector was the largest contributor to India's greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 75.66% of the total emissions.
• This includes emissions from electricity generation, transportation, and other energy-intensive industries.
• Efforts in land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sequestered 522 million tonnes of CO2, contributing to a 22% reduction in the country’s total emissions.