Today in History (September 12^th, 1686)

Aurangzeb ended Adilshah’s kingdom. The garrison lost heart and surrendered Sikandar who was sent to the state prison at Daulatabad. Bijapur was invested and the city opened its gates to the Mughals. Bijapur as an independent kingdom ceased to exist.

Let’s Revise

A) A study which ranked countries based on plastic pollution was published in which journal?

1. The Lancet
2. Nature
3. Chemical Reviews
4. Science

Answer: 2)
Explanation: The study published in Nature has reported India ranks first due to a lack of access to waste collection facilities.
B) Which country has secured the top spot as the biggest plastic polluter in the world?

1. China
2. India
3. Nigeria
4. Indonesia

Answer: 2)
Explanation: India releases 20% of the global plastic pollution or 9.3 million tonnes of plastic annually, making it the top plastic polluter.
C) What percentage of global plastic emissions does India contribute?

1. 10%
2. 15%
3. 20%
4. 25%

Answer: 3)
Explanation: India contributes roughly one-fifth (20%) of global plastic emissions.
D) What is the primary reason for India’s top ranking in plastic pollution?

1. High plastic production
2. Lack of waste collection facilities
3. High population
4. Industrial waste

Answer: 2)
Explanation: The study attributes India’s top ranking to inadequate waste collection facilities.
E) What is the official waste generation rate in India per capita per day?

1. 0.10 kilograms
2. 0.12 kilograms
3. 0.15 kilograms
4. 0.20 kilograms

Answer: 2)
Explanation: India’s official waste generation rate is approximately 0.12 kilograms per capita per day.
F) Which countries rank second and third in plastic emissions after India?

1. China and Indonesia
2. Nigeria and Indonesia
3. Brazil and China
4. Pakistan and Bangladesh

Answer: 2)
Explanation: Nigeria and Indonesia rank second and third with 3.5 Mt and 3.4 Mt of emissions, respectively.
G) How many countries contribute to roughly 69% of the world’s plastic waste emissions?

1. 10
2. 15
3. 20
4. 25

Answer: 3)
Explanation: 20 countries contribute to roughly 69% of the world’s plastic waste emissions.
H) How many high-income countries are ranked in the top 90 plastic polluters?

1. 0
2. 4
3. 7
4. 9

Answer: 1)
Explanation: No high-income countries are ranked in the top 90 polluters due to better waste management.
I) What was the largest emission source in the Global North?

1. Industrial waste
2. Littering
3. Uncollected waste
4. Agricultural waste

Answer: 2)
Explanation: Littering was the largest emission source in the Global North.
J) What was the dominant source of plastic emissions in the Global South?

1. Industrial waste
2. Littering
3. Uncollected waste
4. Agricultural waste

Answer: 3)
Explanation: Uncollected waste was the dominant source across the Global South.
K) What is the goal of the Global Plastics Treaty?

1. Increase plastic production
2. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from plastic
3. Promote plastic use
4. Ban plastic completely

Answer: 2)
Explanation: The treaty aims to reduce plastic pollution, mandatory chemical test, regular evaluations, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, use, and disposal.
L) Which of the following is NOT a finding of the study?

1. High-income countries have higher plastic waste generation rates
2. High-income countries are ranked in the top 90 polluters
3. Littering is the largest emission source in the Global North
4. Uncollected waste is the dominant source in the Global South

Answer: 2)
Explanation: High-income countries are not ranked in the top 90 polluters due to effective waste management.
M) Which of the following is caused by plastic burning?

1. Water pollution
2. Sound pollution
3. Air pollution
4. All of the above

Answer: 3)
Explanation: Plastic burning causes air pollution by releasing poisonous gases into the environment. It also emits soot contributing to weather change.
N) Choose a biodegradable substance.

1. Thermoplastic
2. Thermosetting plastic
3. PVC pipes
4. None of the above

Answer: 4)
Explanation: Substances that can be degraded by natural facets like fungi, bacteria, temperature and oxygen are known as biodegradable substances. Thermoplastic, thermosetting plastic and PVC pipes can not be degraded by natural facets and therefore are classified as non-biodegradable substances.
O) Which of the following is a thermosetting plastic?

1. Silicones
2. Vulcanised rubber
3. Polyester
4. All of the above

Answer: 4)
Explanation: A plastic which, when once moulded, cannot be softened and moulded again is known as thermosetting plastic. Silicones, vulcanised rubber and polyester are examples of thermosetting plastics.
P) Which of the following is used to make handles of utensils?

1. Polyvinyl chloride
2. Bakelite
3. Both (a) and (b)
4. None of the above

Answer: 2)
Explanation: Bakelite is used to make handles of utensils as it is a thermosetting plastic, i.e. it does not soften up and conduct heat.
Q) PVC is the abbreviation of _______.

1. Polyvinyl chloride
2. Polyvenyl chloride
3. Polyoxyvinyl chloride
4. None of the above

Answer: 1)

Summary of Today’s News

Madrasas ‘unfit’ for proper education, NCPCR tells SC

• The NCPCR highlighted issues of curriculum, eligibility of teachers, opaque funding, and others.
• Just a few NCERT books for the name sake it does not ensure that children are receiving formal and quality education, it says
• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the top child rights protection body in the country,
• It has told the Supreme Court that madrasas are “unsuitable or unfit” places for children to receive “proper education”.
• The NCPCR, made the submission in response to petitions challenging an Allahabad High Court judgment which struck down the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act, 2004.
• The commission said the textbooks in madrasas “profess supremacy of Islam”.
• The NCPCR highlighted issues of

• curriculum,
• eligibility of teachers,
• opaque funding,
• violation of land laws, and
• failure to provide children a holistic environment as problems associated with madrasas.

• “The teachers appointed in madrasas are largely dependent on the conventional methods used in learning Koran and other religious texts.
• The ‘scanty and unregularised’ working in madrasas creates a haywire system which just stands alone on the conventional ground of religion,” it said.
• “Majority of madrasas have no idea as to how to plan social events or extracurricular activities, such as

• field trips, that could provide students with some level of experiential learning… Madrasa education is neither all-encompassing nor thorough.
• It is not helping children advance since it lacks so many crucial components of learning.
• Madrasas infringe on children’s fundamental right to a good education by failing to provide these basic requirements.
• Children are denied not only a suitable education but also a healthy atmosphere and improved opportunities for growth,” the commission said.

• It said children from faiths other than Islam were also studying in madrasas in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
• Providing Islamic religious education to non-Muslims was a violation of Article 28(3) of the Constitution, which upholds the right against forced participation in religious instruction or worship.
• The High Court had ordered the transfer of madrasa students to regular schools.
• The top court stayed the implementation of the High Court decision in April.
• On Wednesday, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said the petitions would be taken up for a detailed hearing soon.
• Taking Uttar Pradesh’s case, the NCPCR drew the court’s attention to the Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa founded in Deoband in Saharanpur district.
• “According to the information available the Deoband Madrasa fanned out across South Asia and has also set up seminaries, or madrasas, teaching an austere version of Islam, particularly along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border…
• it has also been alleged by Taliban extremists groups to have been influenced by the religious and political ideologies of Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa…
• the Deoband Madrasa issues fatwas online as well as offline and has a very strict and conservative interpretation of Sharia, as evidenced by its issuance of roughly 2,50,000 fatwas which restrict followers in terms of faith, life, and many other aspects,” the NCPCR submitted.
• “Though madrasas dot the country, only States such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand have Madrasa Boards.
• Large number of children attend madrasas that are either unrecognised or unmapped,” the commission observed.