1. Consider the following pairs of National parks/wildlife sanctuaries and associated rivers passing through:
- Kaziranga National Park – Diphlu
- Bhitarkanika National Park – Baitarani
- Singalila National Park – Rammam
- Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary – Kuno
How many pairs given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: D [Only 4 pairs]
Notes:
- Kaziranga National Park is crisscrossed by four main rivers — Brahmaputra, Diphlu, Mora Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.
- Bhitarkanika national park is inundated by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, Pathsala.
- River Rammam and River Sirikhola flow through the Singalila National Park.
- Kuno Wildlife sanctuary derives its name from the Kuno, a tributary of the river Chambal; this perennial river flows through the middle, bisecting the sanctuary.
2. Payments Vision 2025 document has been released recently. Which of the following statements related to it are correct?
- Its core theme is E-payments for everyone, everywhere, everytime (4Es).
- It has proposed enabling of geotagging of digital payment infrastructure and transactions.
- It expects the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to register growth of 50% and more than 3x increase in the number of digital payment transactions by 2025.
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
Correct Answer: D [1, 2 & 3]
Notes:
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has unveiled the Payments Vision 2025 document. The Payments Vision 2025 has the core theme of E-payments for everyone, everywhere, everytime (4Es) and aims to provide every user with safe, secure, fast, convenient, accessible and affordable e-payment options.
- The document proposes a host of innovative payment systems and regulation of BigTechs, fintechs, buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) systems, and introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), among others.
- It has also proposed enabling of geotagging of digital payment infrastructure and transactions and revisiting guidelines for prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), including closed system PPIs.
- It also proposed a framework for regulation of all significant intermediaries in payments ecosystem and link credit cards and credit components of banking products to UPI. It expects the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to register growth of 50% and more than 3x increase in the number of digital payment transactions by 2025.
- Other proposals include bringing in enhancements to Cheque Truncation System (CTS), including One Nation One Grid clearing and settlement perspective, and creating payment system for processing online merchant payments using internet and mobile banking.
3. India and Bangladesh are parties to which of the following projects?
- Padma bridge
- Agartala-Akhaura link
- Maitri bridge
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
Correct Answer: C [Only 2 & 3]
Notes:
- Padma bridge is the longest bridge in Bangladesh that will significantly reduce the distance between the capital city of Dhaka to the Mongla sea port. It connects to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the southwest of the country, to the northern and eastern regions. It has been built by the China Major Bridge Engineering Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Railway Group.
- The Agartala-Akhaura railway link is 15 km long and would connect Akhaura in Bangladesh with an international immigration station at Nischintapur in India along the India-Bangladesh international border.
- The Maitri bridge connects Sabroom in Tripura with the Chittagong port in Bangladesh providing landlocked North East India with access to the sea, and enabling the transport of heavy machines and goods to North East India via Bangladesh.