Daily Current Affairs UPSC: News Based MCQs Quiz | 18th August 2025

Answer: (D) None of the above

Detailed Explanation

• The GST reforms aim to bring the tax slabs at 5% and 18%.
• The government plans to tax sin goods like tobacco, cigarettes, pan masala, gutkha, alcohol, and likely online gaming at a special 40% GST rate. This moves to simplify the current complicated tax system where sin goods can face over 100% combined taxes.

Answer: (A) Only one

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (A) Divergence of Air Masses

Detailed Explanation

• A cloudburst is a sudden, localized, and intense rainfall event where a large amount of precipitation falls in a short period, often exceeding 100mm (10cm) within an hour over a small area.
• Several conditions contribute to cloudburst formation, including intense updrafts, high moisture content in the atmosphere, and specific geographic and atmospheric factors.
• Rapid Updrafts: Warm, moist air rises rapidly, carrying water vapor high into the atmosphere where it condenses into clouds. This rapid ascent is often triggered by topographic features like mountains or by atmospheric instability.
• High Moisture Content: Abundant atmospheric moisture is essential for cloud formation and heavy rainfall. High humidity and water vapor levels contribute to the rapid condensation and precipitation.
• Cumulonimbus Clouds: These are towering, vertical clouds that are capable of holding large amounts of water and are often associated with thunderstorms and cloudbursts.
• Specific Geographic Locations: Cloudbursts are frequently observed in hilly and mountainous regions, where terrain can force air upwards, intensifying condensation and rainfall. The Western Ghats and Himalayan regions in India are known for their susceptibility to cloudbursts.
• Atmospheric Instability: Instability in the atmosphere, with warm, moist air overlaid by cooler, denser air, can lead to rapid convection and intense rainfall.
• Topographic Effects: Hilly or mountainous terrain can force moist air upwards, leading to rapid cooling, condensation, and the formation of cumulonimbus clouds.
• Convergence of Air Masses: When moist air masses collide with cooler, denser air, it can trigger rapid vertical uplift, intensifying rainfall.
• Delayed Lightning Discharge: In some cases, delayed lightning discharge can retain latent energy within the cloud, leading to a more intense release of moisture.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is the Nodal Department for coordinating the initiatives under Ease of Doing Business which are aimed at creating a conducive business environment. Some of the steps taken by DPIIT in enhancing ease of doing business are as under:
• India ranks 63rd in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report (DBR), 2020 published in October, 2019 before its discontinuation by the World Bank. India’s rank in the DBR improved from 142nd in 2014 to 63rdin 2019, registering a jump of 79 ranks in a span of 5 years.
• DPIIT is spearheading the dynamic reform exercise of Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP), wherein all the States and UTs in the country are assessed on the basis of reforms implemented by them on designated parameters. The focus of the reforms has been on streamlining the existing regulations and processes and eliminating unnecessary requirements and procedures. BRAP covers reform areas such as Information Wizard, Single Window Systems, Online Building Permission System, Inspection Reforms, Labour Reforms, etc. BRAP exercise has helped in building knowledge base as well as instilling competition within states/ UT’s in improving their business environment.
• DPIIT also coordinates with Ministries/Departments and States/UTs for initiatives to reduce compliance burden on citizen and business activities. The objective of this exercise is to improve Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living by Simplifying, Rationalizing, Digitizing and Decriminalizing Government to Business and Citizen Interfaces across Ministries/States/UTs.
• The key focus areas of the initiative are:
  • Simplification of procedures related to applications, renewals, inspections, filing records, etc.
  • Rationalization of legal provisions, by repealing, amending or omission of redundant laws,
  • Digitization of government processes by creating online interfaces, and
  • Decriminalization of minor, technical or procedural defaults.
• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 was passed in Lok Sabha on 27th July 2023 and Rajya Sabha on 2nd August 2023. The Assent of the President was received on 11th August 2023. The Act decriminalized 183 provisions of 42 Central Acts administered by 19 Ministries/Departments.
• The Act has helped in rationalizing criminal provisions and ensuring that citizens, businesses and the government departments operate without fear of imprisonment for minor, technical or procedural defaults. The Act has paved the way for rationalizing laws, eliminating barriers and bolstering growth of businesses.

Answer: (B) 2 only

Detailed Explanation

• Bioplastics are not always biodegradable. While some bioplastics are designed to be biodegradable, meaning they can be broken down by microorganisms, others are not. Additionally, some bioplastics labelled as biodegradable may require specific conditions, like industrial composting facilities, to decompose, and may not be suitable for disposal in landfills or the natural environment.
• Bioplastics, specifically polylactic acid (PLA), are often produced by extracting sugar from plants like corn and sugarcane and converting it into lactic acid, which is then polymerized to create PLA. This process makes PLA a biodegradable plastic derived from renewable resources.

Answer: (A) 1 only

Detailed Explanation

• Whale vomit,” also known as ambergris, is a valuable substance produced by sperm whales to protect their digestive system from sharp squid beaks.
• It’s highly sought after in the perfume industry for its ability to enhance and preserve fragrance.
• Historically, it has also been used as incense, an aphrodisiac, and in traditional medicine.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is a national park located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, Assam, India. It was designated a Biosphere Reserve in July 1997 with an area of 765 km2 (295 sq mi), including a core area of 340 km2 (130 sq mi) and a buffer zone of 425 km2 (164 sq mi).
• It is located at about 12 km (7. 5 mi) north of Tinsukia town at an average elevation of 118 m (387 ft), ranging from 110 to 126 m (361 to 413 ft). The park is bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit Rivers in the north and DibruRiver in the south.
• It mainly consists of moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes and grasslands. It is the largest salix swamp forest in north-eastern India, with a tropical monsoon climate with a hot and wet summer and cool and usually dry winter. Annual rainfall ranges from 2,300 to 3,800 mm (91 to 150 in).
• It is a haven for many endangered species and rich in fish diversity. In December 2020, Gauhati high court stayed a permission given to Oil India Limited for hydrocarbon exploration at seven locations inside the protected area.
• The area was declared as Dibru Reserved Forest in 1890. In 1920, an additional area was added to the Dibru Reserve Forest. In 1929, Saikhowa Reserve Forest was declared. In 1933, more area was added to the Dibru RF.
• In 1986, an area of 650 km2 was preliminarily declared as a wildlife sanctuary out of which finally 340 km2 was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1995.
• In 1997, Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve was declared with an area of 765 km2 that included the 340 km2 of sanctuary area as the core. In 1999, the 340 km2 sanctuary area was declared as a national park.
• Originally created to help conserve the habitat of the rare white-winged wood duck, the park is also home to other rare creatures such as water buffalo, black-breasted parrotbill, tiger and capped langur.
• The park also has some eco lodges.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• About 60-70 tonnes of water is required to cultivate one tonne of sugarcane. Many sugarcane growing regions in India do not receive the 1,500 to 3,000 millimetre rainfall that is necessary for the crop’s optimal growth.
• This leads to groundwater extraction and unsustainable Irrigation methods. A 2023 Central Groundwater Board report says that sugarcane growing districts in Maharashtra extract more groundwater than nearby regions. Distress among sugarcane growers in that State has been widely reported. Unsustainable agriculture practices accelerate land degradation. The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India 2021 found that almost 30% of India’s land is degraded. The water intensive nature of sugarcane and the impact on ground water reserves at a time of extreme weather has been absent from the discussion on ethanol-blended petrol.
• The Centre, however, says it is looking to diversify ethanol supplies. The Food Corporation of India’s rice allocation for ethanol jumped to a record 5. 2 million metric tonnes, which is about 3. 6% of output, from less than 3,000 tonnes allocated last year. Similarly, in 2024-25, over 34% of corn output was diverted for ethanol production. This diversion forced India to import about 9. 7 lakh tonnes of corn during 2024-25 – a six-fold increase over the previous year’s 1. 37 lakh tonnes.
• The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the shift to ethanol-blended petrol “has helped India reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700 lakh tonnes.”
• Shifting to EVs, however, will achieve far higher rates of emissions reductions and speed up transport’s decarbonisation, which is the third largest carbon emitting sector globally after energy and industry.
• The success of cities like Beijing in cutting air pollution is mainly due to the rapid adoption of EVs. Of course, this switch has to be backed by renewable energy rather than coal, to aid in decarbonising transport.
• Adoption of EVs has been much slower in India when compared to other large economies like the U. S. , the European Union and China. About 7. 6% of vehicle sales in 2024 was electric. Sales of EVs have to increase by over 22% in the next five years to reach the government’s own target of 30% by 2030.