QUIZ – 2016: Insights Current Affairs Quiz – 23 September, 2016

Solution: a.

• India’s first inter-State river interlinking project was given a go-ahead by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) at a meeting chaired by Environment Minister Anil Madhav on August 23, according to a report that was made public on Tuesday.
• This would be the first time that a river project will be located within a tiger reserve.
• The Rs. 10,000-crore Ken-Betwa project will irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region but in the process
• will also submerge about 10% of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, feted as a model tiger-conservation reserve.
• The main feature of the project is a 230-km long canal and a series of barrages and dams connecting the Ken and Betwa rivers that will irrigate 5 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 14,000 hectares of Uttar Pradesh, in Bundelkhand. The key projects are the Makodia and Dhaudhan dams, the latter expected to be 77 m high and responsible for submerging 5,803 hectares of tiger habitat in the Panna tiger reserve.

Primary Reference: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/wildlife-panel-clears-first-phase-of-kenbetwa-project/article9128892.ece

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Secondary Reference: http://www.india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Ken-Betwa_Link

Solution: d.

This question has been framed not with a prelims perspective but with a mains perspective.

• Nearly 29 lakh acres of paddy crop in TN and an estimated 14 lakh acres of paddy and semi-dry crops in Karnataka are currently dependent on Cauvery water.
• In its final order on February 5, 2007, the Tribunal awarded 419 TMC ft out of 740 TMC ft to Tamil Nadu, 270 TMC ft to Karnataka, 30 TMC ft to Kerala and 7 TMC ft to Pondicherry. The remaining 14 TMC ft was reserved for environmental protection and outflow to sea. (To understand why the allocation has been skewed, read the historical background to the dispute in the article, the link to which has been provided below.)
• Agriculture experts have pointed to the refusal of farmers in both states to move towards cultivating less water-intensive but profitable crops even in the drier years. “Almost all irrigated areas are growing paddy. In unirrigated areas, ragi is the predominant crop. If the Kharif ragi could be grown under irrigated conditions instead of paddy, there would be saving in water without any economic detriment to the farmers…,” a Fact Finding Committee reported on the cropping pattern in Karnataka.

http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-fight-over-the-cauvery-questions-of-economy-and-culture-3043387/

Solution: d.

“The Tamil kingdoms that rose in the Cauvery basin were early purveyors of irrigation projects. The oldest dam on the river, Kallanai, upstream of the city of Trichy, is said to have been built by Karikala Chola, who ruled Cholamandalam (Early or Sangam Chola King) in the 2nd century. At the great Chola port city of Kaveripoompattanam or Poompuhar (capital of the Early Cholas and located at the end point of River Cauvery), trading ships from distant lands docked. The port, described in great detail in Silappadikaram, has now been lost to the sea, and the river can be crossed on foot in the lean season.”

Primary Reference: http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-fight-over-cauvery-jewel-among-maidens-the-life-force-of-civilisation/

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Secondary Reference: Page 88, Tamil Nadu History Textbook, Class XI

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Solution: c.

“The ghatam is one of the most ancient percussion instruments of South India. It is a clay pot with narrow mouth. The pot is usually placed on the lap of the performer, with the mouth facing the belly.”

“Ghatam produce a distinctive metallic sound and are made in several sizes, each size having a different pitch. As used in Karnatak music, the ghatam is positioned with its mouth pressed against the player’s stomach. The player taps the surface of the ghatam with the fingers and the base of the palm and changes the pitch and resonance of the instrument by varying the pressure of the pot against the stomach.”

Primary reference: https://www.britannica.com/art/ghatam;

Improvisation: This article appeared in a regional edition of the Hindu’s Friday review.

Solution: b.

“Two decades later, Gurus Raja and Radha Reddy look at their brainchild, the Natya Tarangini Institute of Kuchipudi dance with a sense of fulfilment as they get ready to host Parampara, their annual festival which is also into its 20th year. From a festival that focussed and promoted Kuchipudi, a classical dance specific to the land of the Telugus-Andhra Pradesh, to a national and later an international stage hosting the best in the fields of classical dance and music.”

http://ccrtindia.gov.in/kuchipudi.php

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This article appeared in a regional edition of the Hindu’s Friday review.

Solution: b.

The Indian Air Force’s fighter squadron strength requirement will still not be met even if the deal is signed. The requirement is at least 42 squadrons, whereas it has 33 at present. The Rafale deal will ensure 2 more squadrons (each squadron consists of around 18 fighters). See image:

Page 12, The Hindu, 23^rd September 2016;

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