10 PM Daily Current Affairs Quiz | March 3 2021

Non-tariff barriers are trade barriers that restrict the import or export of goods through means other than tariffs. Nontariff barriers include quotas, embargoes, sanctions, and levies.

— Countries may use licenses to limit imported goods to specific businesses.

— Countries often issue quotas for importing and exporting both goods and services. With quotas, countries agree on specified limits for products and services allowed for importation to a country.

— Embargoes are when a country–or several countries–officially ban the trade of specified goods and services with another country.

# Countervailing Duties (CVDs) are tariffs levied on imported goods to offset subsidies made to producers of these goods in the exporting country.

Registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Statement 1 is correct. The candidates set up by a political party registered with the Election Commission of India will get preference in the matter of allotment of free symbols vis-à-vis purely independent candidates.

Statement 2 is incorrect. If a political party is treated as a recognised political party in four or more States, it shall be known as a `National Party’ throughout the whole of India, but only so long as that political party continues to fulfill thereafter the conditions for recognition in four or more States on the results of any subsequent general election either to the House of the People or to the Legislative Assembly of any State.

# A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation, due to the prevailing pandemic this rule has been relaxed by the ECI and has reduced the notice period from 30 days to 7 days for the parties who have published their public notice on or before 26.02.2021.

Statement 1 is correct. Ethanol is a clear, colorless alcohol made from a variety of biomass materials called feedstocks. Fuel ethanol feedstocks include grains and crops with high starch and sugar content such as corn, sorghum, barley, sugar cane, and sugar beets.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Ethanol contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, to varying degrees, depending on the volume percentage of ethanol in the blend. Denatured ethanol (98% ethanol) contains about 30% less energy than gasoline per gallon.

Statement 3 is correct. Ethanol can also be produced by breaking down cellulose in plant fibers. This cellulosic ethanol is considered an advanced biofuel and involves a more complicated production process than fermentation. Trees, grasses, and agricultural residues are potential feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production.

Sri Lanka government has said that it will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port, along with India and Japan. High Commission of India had “approved” Adani Ports, which was to invest in the ECT project earlier, Japan is yet to name an investor.

Recently Sri Lanka had opted out of the 2019 tripartite agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal (ECT), citing resistance to “foreign involvement”.

In January 1948, the Security Council adopted resolution 39, establishing the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) to investigate and mediate the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Karachi Agreement on 27 July 1949 established a ceasefire line (not LoC) to be supervised by UN military observers. On 30 March 1951, following the termination of UNCIP, the Security Council, by its resolution 91 decided that UNMOGIP should continue to supervise the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir.

In July 1972, India and Pakistan signed an agreement defining a Line of Control in Kashmir which, with minor deviations, followed the same course as the ceasefire line established by the Karachi Agreement in 1949. India took the position that the mandate of UNMOGIP had lapsed, since it related specifically to the ceasefire line under the Karachi Agreement.

Statement 2 is incorrect. UNMOGIP is not party to the Simla Agreement of 1972 and India has since adopted a non-recognition policy towards third parties in their bilateral exchanges with Pakistan over the question regarding the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Statement 1 is incorrect. It is based at United Nations and the United Nations Capital Development Fund serves as the secretariat.

Statement 2 is correct. India became a member of the Better Than Cash Alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion and to share success stories from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the world’s largest financial inclusion program.

Statement 3 is correct. The Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to responsible digital payments to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

# The Government of India, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance today hosted Merchant Digitization Summit 2021: Towards AatmaNirbhar (Self Reliance) Bharat with special focus on Himalayan Regions, North East Regions and Aspirational Districts of India.

Ex Desert Flag is an annual multi-national large force employment warfare exercise hosted by the United Arab Emirates Air Force.

The Indian Air Force is participating for the first time in Exercise Desert Flag-VI along with air forces of United Arab Emirates, United States of America, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Bahrain. The exercise is scheduled from 03 Mar 21 to 27 Mar 21 at Al-Dhafra airbase, UAE.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.

Statement 2 is correct. Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL), New Delhi, under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, was today recognized as a Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) for Asia-Pacific Region.

With its recognition as RCL, CRCL joins a select group of Customs Laboratories in the region like those in Japan & Korea.

Option 1 is incorrectly matched. Araku Valley Arabica coffee can be described as coffee from the hilly tracks of Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha region at an elevation of 900-1100 Mt MSL. The coffee produce of Araku, by the tribals, follows an organic approach in which they emphasise management practices involving substantial use of organic manures, green manuring and organic pest management practices.

Option 2 is correctly matched. Shaphee Lanphee is a traditional textile fabric woven and embroidered, usually as a shawl, with embroidered motifs with cotton threads generally by Meitei women of Manipur.

Option 3 is correctly matched. Chanderi Fabric is a traditional sari made in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is produced by weaving in silk and golden Zari in the traditional cotton yarn.

A committee headed by former Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash constituted in November 2019 was mandated “to work out the modalities and prepare the guidelines for pooling resources, manpower and technology for the merger of the two channels”.

After nearly two years of work, the merger of the Lok Sabha TV (LSTV) and the Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) has been finalised and will be replaced by Sansad TV.