Daily Current Affairs Quiz 24 April 2023

d) Nepal

The Mt Annapurna is situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province of Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres above sea level.
The mountain was recently in news as, an Indian climber Anurag Maloo, who went missing after falling into a deep crevasse on Mount Annapurna, has been found alive in critical condition by rescuers.

c) Centre for Science and Environment

The Coalition of Coastal Cities to Combat Marine Litter was launched recently by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
It is a coalition of coastal cities that will combat marine litter pollution across India. Of the 460 million tonnes (MT) of global plastic production, nearly 353 MT comes back as plastic waste; 8 MT (2.26 per cent) of which is leaked into the marine ecosystem.

d) Bangkok

The 8th India-Thailand Defense Dialogue is being organized in Bangkok. Special Secretary in the Ministry of Defense, Nivedita Shukla Verma is organizing this meeting along with Thailand’s Deputy Permanent Secretary of Defense General, Nuchit Sribunsong. Defence cooperation between the two countries will be reviewed in this meeting as well as new initiatives will also be considered to further strengthen bilateral relations.

b) UNFPA

The State of World Population report titled ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities’ was released recently by the United Nations Population Fund.
According to this report released by UNFPA, India is now the most populous country in the world, as it has surpassed China’s population numbers.

c) 1 and 3

These are a type of renewable fuel made from organic materials such as wood, agricultural residues, and energy crops.
· These are produced by compressing organic materials under high pressure. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

These are two kinds
· Torrefied: It is processed at 250-350°C in the absence of oxygen, leading to the formation of torrefied biomass.

· Non-torrefied: In this biomass is shredded, grinded and sent to a pellet reactor, where it is compressed into pellet form with the help of binders such as sawdust, bagasse, molasses, starch and others. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

The policy to use biomass pellets in coal-burning thermal power plants came into force in October 2022.
· It is mandatory in India to use biomass or agricultural residue as combustion fuel along with coal in coal-fired thermal power plants.

· The biomass used for co-combustion in the power plants is processed and refined into pellets with a calorific value comparable to coal. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Recently, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revised the financial grants for biomass pellet manufacturing units.