28 July 2022: Daily Current Affairs & GK for HAS/HPAS & Allied Services
1. By
2023, what percentage of ethanol blending in petrol does India aims to achieve
through the National Policy on Biofuels -2018?
a) 8%
b) 10%
c) 12%
d) 20%
Answer
(d)
Why in News:
The Union Cabinet has approved the Amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels
-2018. It was notified by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2018 in
supersession of the National Policy on Biofuels, promulgated in 2009.
- Due to advancements in the field of Biofuels, various decisions were taken in the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) meetings to increase biofuel production, to advance to introduce Ethanol Blended Petrol with up to 20% ethanol throughout the country from 01.04.2023.
- Main amendments approved to the National Policy on Biofuels:
- to allow more feedstocks for the production of biofuels,
- to advance the ethanol blending target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol to ESY 2025-26 from 2030,
- to promote the production of biofuels in the country, under the Make in India program, by units located in Special Economic Zones (SEZ)/ Export Oriented Units (EoUs),
- to add new members to the NBCC.
- to grant permission for the export of biofuels in specific cases, and
- to delete/amend certain phrases in the Policy in line with decisions taken during the meetings of the National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
- This proposal will also attract and foster developments of indigenous technologies which will pave the way for the Make in India drive and thereby generate more employment.
- Since many more feedstocks are being allowed for the production of biofuels, this will promote the Atmanirbhar Bharat and give an impetus to the Prime Minister’s vision of India becoming 'energy independent' by 2047.
2.
HANSA-NG is an indigenously built aircraft that was seen recently in new. What
role does it play?
a) It is a
fighter jet
b) It is a
flying trainer aircraft
c) It is a
mid-air refueling aircraft.
d) It is an
Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) aircraft
Answer (B)
Why in
News: India’s first indigenous Flying Trainer HANSA-NG designed and
developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), has successfully completed
the sea level trials at Puducherry from 19th February to 5th March 2022.
- The aircraft was flown to Puducherry, covering 140 nautical miles in one and half hours at a cruising speed of 155 km/hr.
- HANSA-NG is one of the most advanced flying trainers powered by Rotax Digital Control Engine with unique features like Just-In-Time Prepreg (JIPREG) Composite light weight Airframe, Glass Cockpit, Bubble Canopy with wide panoramic view, electrically operated flaps, etc.
- It is designed to meet the Indian flying club needs and it is an ideal aircraft for Commercial Pilot Licensing (CPL) due to its low cost and low fuel consumption.
- NAL has already received more than 80 nos. of LoIs (Letter of Intents) from various flying clubs.
3. The
Governor's power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of
punishment or to suspend, remit or commute a "life sentence" of any person
convicted of any offense against any law relating to a matter to which the
executive power of the State extends under Article 161, is exercised in which
of the following way?
a) Governor
takes the decision with the aid and advice of the State government.
b) It is a
discretionary power of the Governor.
c) Decision
is taken by the governor in consultation with the High court of the state.
d) The
Governor has no power in the cases of life sentences.
Answer (A)
Why in News: In the Perarivalan case, the judgment of the death sentence was commuted to a life sentence by the Supreme court in 2014. Later the governor of Tamil Nadu decided to Pardon him in the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case.
- However, a claim by the Centre that the President, and not the Tamil Nadu Governor, has “exclusive power” to decide on the plea for pardon by the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict A.G. Perarivalan drew flak from the Supreme Court on Wednesday before it reserved the case for judgment.
- A three-judge Bench, led by Justice L. Nageswara Rao, said the government's argument if taken on face value, would leave Article 161 (the constitutional power of Governors of States to grant pardon) a “dead letter”.
- “The advice of the State Cabinet is binding on the Governor in matters relating to commutation/remission of sentences under Article 161. No provision under the Constitution has been pointed out to us nor any satisfactory response tendered as to the source of the Governor’s power to refer a recommendation made by the State Cabinet to the President of India. In the instant case, the Governor ought not to have sent the recommendation made by the State Cabinet to the President. Such action is contrary to the constitutional scheme,” the Supreme Court held.
- Article 161. The Governor of a State shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offense against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the State extends.
4. The
position of the Governor of a State can automatically lay vacant in which of
the following scenarios?
a) The Union
government advises the President to remove the governor.
b)
Completion of the five-year term.
c)
Resignation addressed to the Chief Minister of the state.
d) All of
the above
Answer (A)
Article 156 -
Term of office of Governor - reads that -
- The Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President.
- The Governor may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office.
- Subject to the foregoing provisions of this article, a Governor shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office: Provided that a Governor shall, notwithstanding the expiration of his term, continue to hold office until his successor enters upon his office.
- Option c is incorrect because the resignation must be assigned to the President according to Article 156(2)
- Option b is incorrect because according to 156(3) after the completion of the term of 5 years, Governor does not automatically leave the office.
5. Kuruva
Paral Project that was recently seen in the news protects the Kuruva Paral. Which
of the following type of organism does it refer to?
a) A fish
b) A Bird
c) A Mammal
d) A shrub
Answer (A)
Kuruva Paral project: The project, even though launched in January 2020, was delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
- The conservation measures being taken up by Kufos are supported under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-India High Range Landscape project that also aims to help trained aquaculturists among Adivasis to take up farming of these freshwater species.
- The university has also set up a hatchery at Idamalayar with the support of the UNDP.
- In a recent development, Kufos distributed materials for creating artificial fish tanks as well as fingerlings of Kuruva Paral to Adivasi families in Kuttampuzha panchayat, nestled close to the Western Ghats. The breeders for the Kuruva Paral project were collected from Idamalayar dam and Bhoothathankettu. Eleven Adivasi members from the panchayat have been trained at the University for taking up aquaculture.
Why in News:
- A team of scientists at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) has standardized the techniques for artificial breeding of Olive barbs (Kuruva Paral) and Filament barb (Kalakkodiyan), and have developed brood stocks for Highfin barb (Kooral) and Carnatic carp (Pachilavetti). These freshwater species of barbs and carp used to be found widely in the Idamalayar Dam, Bhoothathankettu, and the Kol fields of the Thrissur district.
- However, indiscriminate fishing and changes in habitat conditions have brought these species, especially Kuruva Paral, to the brink of extinction.
6.
Consider the following statements about the Kuznets curve:
a) According
to it, as an economy develops, market forces first increase and then decrease
economic inequality.
b) It is a
graphic representation of the economic relationship between the rate of
unemployment and the rate of change in money wages.
c) It is a
graphic representation of the relationship between tax rates, and the amount of
tax revenue collected.
d) It is a
graphical representation of unemployment and job vacancy rate.
Answer (A)
Why in
News: The Kuznets curve expresses a hypothesis advanced by economist Simon
Kuznets.
- According to this hypothesis, as an economy develops, market forces first increase and then decrease economic inequality.
7.
‘Project Kuiper’, which was recently in news, is related to which of the
following?
a) It is a
mission of NASA for exploring the Kuiper belt which lies beyond Neptune’s
orbit.
b) It is a
constellation of low earth orbit satellites that will provide high-speed
broadband connectivity.
c) It is
related to using high-altitude balloons to create an aerial wireless network.
d) It is a
constellation of satellites to be placed in the geostationary orbit for
providing internet connectivity.
Answer (B)
Why in
News:
- Project Kuiper is an initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.
- The project has been launched by amazon.
8.
Consider the following statements regarding Jim Corbett National Park:
1. Jim Corbett
National Park is India’s and Asia’s first national park.
2. It was the
first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
3. It
completely encompasses the Shivalik’s, near the foothills of the Himalayas.
Which of the
above statements are correct?
a) 1 and 2
only
b) 2 and 3
only
c) 1 and 3
only
d) 1, 2 and
3
Answer (A)
Why in
News: Statement 2 is correct: Jim Corbett National Park is Located in the
Himalayan foothills near the tourist hill station of Nainital. With its hills,
grasslands, and streams, Corbett is ideal tiger territory. T From here Project
Tiger was launched in 1973, with its tiger population of 163, it boasts of the
single largest tiger population in a tiger reserve and one of the highest tiger
densities in the country.
- Statement 1 is correct: Set up in 1936 as India’s — and Asia’s — first national park, it was named Hailey National Park.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: Rajaji National Park is an Indian national park and tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivalik’s, near the foothills of the Himalayas.
9. Nord
stream pipeline, recently seen in the news, runs through which of the following
seas?
a) the Black Sea
b) the Caspian
Sea
c) the Mediterranean Sea
d) Baltic
Sea
Answer (D)
Why in
News: Nord Stream, the longest subsea pipeline, is an export gas pipeline
that runs under the Baltic Sea carrying gas from Russia to Europe.
- Nord Stream consists of two pipelines, which have two lines each. Nord Stream 1 was completed in 2011 and runs from Vyborg in Leningrad (Russia) to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany. Nord Stream 2 which runs from Ust-Luga in Leningrad to Lubmin was completed in September 2021 and can handle 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year once it becomes operational.
- The Nord Stream crosses the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of several countries including Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, and the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany. In Germany, the pipeline connects to the OPAL (Baltic Sea Pipeline) and NEL (North European Pipeline) which further connects to the European grid.
10. Consider
the following statements about Cotton Corporation of India:
1. It is under the
control of the Commerce Ministry.
2. Its only
headquarter is located in Mumbai.
3. Its role is
to undertake price support operations, whenever the market prices of cotton
fall below the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by Govt. of India,
without any quantitative limit.
Which of the
following above statements is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 1 and 2
only
c) 1, 2 and
3
d) 2 and 3
Answer (D)
Why in
News: Cotton Corporation of India
- CCI has established in 1970 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles as a Public Sector Undertaking under the Companies Act 1956. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
- Headquarters: CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra). Hence statement 2 is correct.
- Role: To undertake price support operations, whenever the market prices of cotton fall below the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by Govt. of India, without any quantitative limit. Hence statement 3 is correct.
