QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 16 February 2019

Solution: d)

FAO work towards:

·         Help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition

·         Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable

·         Reduce rural poverty

·         Enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems

·         Increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises

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Solution: a)

1. The Policy categorises biofuels as “Basic Biofuels” viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and “Advanced Biofuels” – Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
2. The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol production.
3. Farmers are at a risk of not getting appropriate price for their produce during the surplus production phase. Taking this into account, the Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
4. The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.

Expected Benefits:

• Reduce Import Dependency: One crore lit of E10 saves Rs.28 crore of forex at current rates. The ethanol supply year 2017-18 is likely to see a supply of around 150 crore litres of ethanol which will result in savings of over Rs.4000 crore of forex.

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Solution: b)

The objective of the Scheme is to facilitate technology up-gradation in MSEs by providing an upfront capital subsidy of 15 per cent (on institutional finance of upto Rs 1 crore availed by them) for induction of well-established and improved technology in the specified 51 sub-sectors/products approved. In other words the major objective is to upgrade their plant & machinery with state-of-the-art technology, with or without expansion and also for new MSEs which have set up their facilities with appropriate eligible and proven technology duly approved under scheme guidelines.

The Scheme is a demand driven one without any upper limit on overall annual spending on the subsidy disbursal.

The revised scheme aims at facilitating technology up-gradation by providing 15% up front capital subsidy to MSEs, including tiny, khadi, village and coir industrial units, on institutional finance availed by them for induction of well-established and improved technologies in specified sub-sectors/products approved under the scheme.

      Solution: c)

National Board for Wildlife:

1. It is a “Statutory Organization” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
2. Its roles is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country.
3. Primary function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests.
4. It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
5. No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL.
6. The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Solution: b)

The Kimberley Process (KP) is a commitment to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain. Today, participants actively prevent 99.8% of the worldwide trade.

Uniting governments, civil society and the wider industry, the Kimberley Process (KP) defines conflict diamonds as: ‘rough diamonds used to finance wars against governments’ – around the world.

KP members are responsible for stemming 99.8% of the global production of conflict diamonds.

The Kimberley Process (KP) is a multilateral trade regime established in 2003 with the goal of preventing the flow of conflict diamonds. The core of this regime is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) under which States implement safeguards on shipments of rough diamonds and certify them as “conflict free”.

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