QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 28 March 2019

Solution: b)

• The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Convention is a multilateral treaty that was concluded at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative formalities of international road transport.
• The 1975 convention replaced the TIR Convention of 1959, which itself replaced the 1949 TIR Agreement between a number of European countries.
• The conventions were adopted under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
• India became the 71st country to ratify the convention.
• The ratification is a part of India’s multi-modal transport strategy that aims to integrate the economy with global and regional production networks through better connectivity.
• Significance of this convention:
  • TIR is the only global customs transit system that provides easy and smooth movement of goods across borders in sealed compartments or containers under customs control from the customs office of departure to the customs office of destination.
  • It plays an important role in boosting regional connectivity and facilitating cross-border trade flows, according to connectivity experts.
  • The TIR system has a globally accepted electronic control system for integrated transit operations.

The TIR system not only covers customs transit by road but a combination is possible with other modes of transport (e.g., rail, inland waterway, and even maritime transport), as long as at least one part of the total transport is made by road.

The first shipment under the United Nations ‘Transports Internationaux Routiers’ (TIR) convention arrived in India from Afghanistan through Chabahar Port of Iran.

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Solution: d)

Ministry of Power, Government of India launched an ambitious program to encourage the deployment of Energy Efficient chiller systems in the country. The Chiller Star Labelling Program has been formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The program envisages providing star rating in terms of its energy performance. Initially, the program is launched on voluntary basis and will be valid upto 31^st December 2020.

This initiative will promote advancement technology for central HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and will also facilitate energy efficient solutions for the large commercial and industrial applications.

Chillers are used extensively for space conditioning of buildings and for industrial process cooling applications.

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Solution: c)

• World Economic Forum has released its global Energy Transition index. The annual list ranks 115 economies on their ability to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability.
• The index considers both the current state of the countries’ energy system and their structural readiness to adapt to future energy needs.
• Sweden retained its top spot on the list, followed by Switzerland and Norway in the second and third positions respectively.

·         India has moved up two places to rank 76th on a global energy transition index. WEF said India is amongst the countries with high pollution levels and has a relatively high CO2 intensity in its energy system

Solution: d)

• It is Indian Navy’s state of the art Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Training Facility (NBCTF)which was inaugurated recently at INS Shivaji, Lonavala.

• The new facility is expected to help train personnel of naval ships fitted with nuclear, biological and chemical detection and protection systems.
• The nuclear training facility will help Indian Navy in providing realistic simulation of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological warfare to its personnel during their NBC damage control training, which was till now largely limited to theoretical training.

Source 

Solution: c)

India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant has successfully completed its first deterrence patrol. With this, India completed its survivable nuclear triad by adding maritime strike capability to land and air-based delivery platforms for nuclear weapons.

INS Arihant is India’s first indigenously-designed, developed and manufactured nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. Its design is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine. It can carry 12 Sagarika K 15 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) having range of over 700 km.

The Shaurya missile is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Shaurya missile is speculated to be the land version of the under-water Sagarika K-15 missile.