QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 13 March 2018

• Solution: a.

  The ISA has set a target of 1 TW (1,000 GW) of solar energy by 2030, of which India will account for one-tenth by 2022 (India has set a target to produce 100GW of solar energy by 2022). It has been estimated that this to achieve this target, the alliance will have to mobilise more than 1 trillion US dollars of investments.

   

  Statement 1 is correct.

   

  http://www.thehindu.com/business/what-is-international-solar-alliance/article23041912.ece;

  From 2016: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=135794;

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Solution: c.

A similar question was posted here earlier (we asked you to match the fighter plane with the country that the manufacturer belonged to).

Single Engine fighter aircrafts:

• F-16: Lockheed Martin, USA
• Gripen: Saab, Sweden

Twin engine fighter aircrafts:

• Rafale: Dassault Aviation, France
• F-18: Boeing, USA
• Typhoon: Eurofighter (a consortium of Leonardo, Airbus, and BAE Systems)
• Mig-35: Mikoyan, Russia

In the news: Earlier, the IAF was looking for a single-engine jet to replace the MiG-21s and MiG-27s. The new jets were to be manufactured in India by the private industry under the Strategic Partnership model. However, the contest is now being opened up. While the Lockheed Martin F-16 and SAAB Gripen are single-engine fighters, the contest will be now open to Boeing F-18, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian MiG-35.

From 2017: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/trump-regime-supports-sale-of-f-16-and-f-18/article19637853.ece;

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Solution: d.

For the mass housing segment, the EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) rating, requiring compliance on lesser specifications, has been developed by GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc., a part of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)) with the help of IFC and the World Bank.

EDGE, will help save 20% in energy, 20% on water costs and 20% reduction in embodied energy that goes into materials, reducing the energy components. If LEED (Leadership  in Energy and Environmental Design) is the preferred choice, savings will be more.

GBCI has also introduced its global rating system called Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) in India with an aim to issue certification for the power sector, as it has done with LEED for buildings.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/us-council-urges-green-norms-for-mass-housing/article23037775.ece;

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Solution: d.

In the news: “…He added that development in the 115 districts would be a work of social justice and if the lawmakers worked sincerely for one year, with people’s participation, it would bring about a sea change, and help India go up in the Human Development Index.”

About the programme: The Prime Minister has given a Vision for a new and vibrant India by 2022, the year when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence. One of the initiatives in this regard is to make a dramatic improvement in overall socio-economic development of backward districts. The strategy envisaged is to adopt a focussed approach, ensure convergence of efforts of the Central, State and local Government and establish a real time monitoring mechanism to focus on outcomes that matter to common people in these districts beside giving rise to a virtuous cycle of economic development.

• A total of 115 districts have been identified for this purpose on the basis of objective criteria. Such criteria include education, health, nutrition basic infrastructure like rural road connectivity, rural household electrification, access to potable water and individual toilets etc.
• These districts include 35 districts which are affected by violence by Left Wing Extremists.
• While selecting these districts, it has been ensured that Ministries of Government of India, implementing social sector Scheme would select at least one most backward districts in every State for extending the reach of the programme in different parts of the country. Improvement in one district is likely to spur similar growth in neighbouring districts through demonstration effect.

Solution: a.

For India, in the future, biofuels would be the cost-effective, pollution-free import substitute to polluting fossil fuels. While first generation biofuels are made from sugars via molasses and vegetable oils, advanced biofuels are made from lignocellulosic biomass or woody crops, agricultural residues and municipal waste. Elaborating on this he said we are committed to reaching the target of 10 percent blending of ethanol in petrol by the year 2022. He also said 12 bio-refineries are being set up in the country by the Oil PSUs to enhance the ethanol production capacity.

Noting that biofuels in India are currently “only made from molasses”, Pradhan pointed out that Budget 2018-19 presented last month had announced incentives for “waste-to-wealth” conversion projects, including the Gobar Dhan scheme focused on producing bio-CNG.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=177108

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