Answer: (A)

Explanation: Indian warship, INS Kabra, an indigenous fast attack craft, docked at the Colombo port in a move aimed at fostering bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka. It is a naval vessel named after an island of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. It belongs to the Car Nicobar class of high-speed offshore patrol vessels are built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy. It was the eighth in a series of 10 Fast Attack Crafts. The vessels are designed as a cost-effective platform for patrol, anti-piracy and rescue operations in India's Exclusive Economic Zone. The class and its vessels are named for Indian islands. They are the first water jet propelled vessels of the Indian Navy. Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Chief of Naval Staff recently flagged off the first indigenously manufactured Drishti 10 'Starliner' Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the Navy. It is an indigenously manufactured Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). It was developed by Adani Defence and Aerospace. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
It is an advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform with 36 hours endurance and a 450 kg payload capacity. It is an all-weather military platform which has clearance to fly in both segregated and unsegregated airspace. It is designed to possess high endurance, combat-proven capabilities, and advanced features, providing a significant boost to India’s naval capabilities. One of the distinguishing features of the Drishti 10 ‘Starliner’ is its minimal maintenance requirements, making it cost-effective and operationally efficient. This characteristic ensures increased operational readiness, reducing downtime, and maximizing deployment opportunities. It is equipped with advanced communication systems, including satellite communication and Line-of-Sight (LOS) data links, ensuring reliable and secure data transmission. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Answer: (C)

Explanation: Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare recently inaugurated the country’s first healthy & hygienic food street, ‘Prasadam’, at Neelkanth Van, Mahakal Lok, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. It will connect people in every corner of the country with pure and safe local and traditional food. Spread over 939 square metres with 19 shops, Prasadam offers convenient and culturally rich dining options for the 1-1.5 lakh devotees who visit the Mahakaleshwar Temple daily. The food street is designed to provide various facilities, including a kids’ play area, drinking water facility, CCTV surveillance, parking, public conveniences, and seating spaces. Hence, both statements are correct.

Answer: (D)

Explanation: The Karnataka Forest Department recently started collecting green tax, Rs 10 from two-wheelers and Rs 20 from four-wheelers, entering BR Hills through BRT Tiger Reserve. Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve is located in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka State. The tiger reserve derives its name from 'BILIGIRI ', the white rocky cliff which has a temple of Lord 'VISHNU', locally known as ‘Rangaswamy’. This unique bio-geographical entity, situated in the middle of the bridge between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats in South India, was constituted as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1974. BRT Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2011. Hence, option (d) is correct.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Scientists have found a natural remedy to protect eucalyptus forest plantations from a pest, eucalyptus snout beetle, which is known to cause serious damage to eucalypts. It is a leaf-feeding beetle that is a major defoliator of eucalypts. It is also known as eucalyptus weevil. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
The pest is indigenous to Australia but occurs in many countries throughout the world where eucalypts are grown. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
The beetle feeds on leaves, buds and shoots, resulting in stunted growth and deflation and causing heavy losses. It can cause damage over vast areas as it had a great flight capability and gets transferred with transport of forest products. The pest is mainly controlled with the help of microwasps Anaphes spp — an expensive solution. Hence, statement 3 is correct.