10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: March 17, 2020

The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) has been constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and is the primary fund available with state governments for responses to notified disasters. The Central government contributes 75% towards the SDRF allocation for general category states and UTs, and over 90% for special category states/UTs which includes northeastern states, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The disasters covered under the SDRF include cyclones, droughts, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches and pest attacks among others.

Chaitra Jatra is celebrated at Tara Tarini hill shrine in the Hindu month of Chaitra. Tara Tarini hill shrine is located at Kumari hill on banks of the Rushikulya River. It is a major centre of Shakti worship in Odisha. The annual Chaitra Jatra festival scheduled to be held in Odisha’s Tara Tarini hill shrine was cancelled as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 infection.

The Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) visited ROPAX service at Bhaucha Dhakka in Maharashtra. The ministry also visited ROPAX terminal and inspected the facilities created for the passengers as the ROPAX Service from Bhaucha Dhakka to Mandwa. ROPAX service is a ‘Water Transport Service Project’, under Eastern Waterfront Development. The benefits of this service include reduction in the travel time, vehicular emission and traffic on the road. The road distance from Mumbai to Mandwa is about 110 kilometres, and gruelling road journey takes three to four hours, whereas by waterway it is about 18 kilometre and journey of just an hour.

Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism is a market based instrument to promote renewable energy and facilitate compliance of renewable purchase obligations (RPO). It is aimed at addressing the mismatch between availability of RE resources in state and the requirement of the obligated entities to meet the renewable purchase obligation (RPO). The Electricity Act, 2003 and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) provide for a roadmap for increasing the share of renewable in the country. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) had notified the Regulation on Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) in 2010.

Government e Marketplace is an online marketplace setup in 2016 for procurement of commonly used goods and services by government ministries, departments and CPSEs. It aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement. It is a National Procurement Portal of India. It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.