1. Which is India’s first 12,000 HP electric locomotive?
a. MISHA-10B
b. SHERA-11B
c. WAG-12B
d. RAIN-10B
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• The first WAG12B (12000 HP) locomotive, manufactured under government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative recently departed from the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya railway station in Uttar Pradesh.
• The 12,000 HP electric locomotive, a first for Indian Railways, has been manufactured as well as assembled at Alstom’s factory in Madhepura, located in the state of Bihar. The national transporter got the locomotive from Alstom as part of a 3.5 billion euros ‘Make in India’ deal.
• The WAG12B (12000 HP) freight locomotive is powerful and is capable of high speed, thus, it is a significant addition to the Indian Railways network.
• The train departed with WAG/12B-60027 at a speed of 100 Kmph from DDU at 2:08 PM in long haul formation for Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Barwadih Junction (BRWD) section of DDU and DHN divisions of East Central Railway zone.
• In Indian Railways bid to go green and reduce the carbon footprint, the WAG12B (12000 HP) locomotive marks a significant milestone.
• The WAG12-class locos will be used to power trains on Indian Railways’ Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) and conventional corridors.
• The project which is a joint venture of the national transporter and Alstom, involves the manufacturing of as many as 800 fully electric super-powered double-section locomotives as well as their maintenance for over a period of 11 years. So far, eight such locomotives have been rolled out, while the others will be rolled out on an annual basis.
• During its trial run, the locomotive achieved a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. It has hauling power of up to 6,000 tonnes. The electric loco makes use of low voltage cables as well as, it has LED lamps, making it a “green loco”.
• The locomotive can withstand India’s extreme heat and humidity as well. Equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)-based propulsion technology, the electric locomotive will lead to savings in the consumption of energy due to the use of regenerative braking.
2. Who among the following headed the ICC committee that banned saliva use to shine the ball?
a. Sourav Ganguli
b. Anil Kumble
c. Rahul Dravid
d. Steve Smith
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• The ICC Cricket Committee headed by Anil Kumble banned saliva use to shine the ball.
• Also, non-neutral umpires made a coronavirus-forced return for all international matches.
• The ICC says changes to regulations have been brought in to “to mitigate the risks posed by the COVID-19 virus and protect the safety of players and match officials”.
• With regards to the saliva ban, the Cricket Committee acted on ICC Medical Advisory Committee chair Dr. Peter Harcourt’s advice. The regulation to ban saliva to shine the ball has been put in place because spitting on the ball elevates the risk of virus transmission.
• Players can use sweat to polish the ball. This is in accordance with the guidelines issued by WHO and the Johns Hopkins University. Both omit sweat as a transmitting agent of the virus.
• International matches can go ahead with all non-neutral match officials. For example, if the West Indies tour England in July for a three-Test series, the matches will be officiated by local umpires. The ICC, though, says this is a short-term measure because of the COVID-19 crisis.
• The Cricket Committee has recommended the change keeping an eye on international travel restrictions, closed borders and mandatory quarantine periods.
• As a back-up, the Cricket Committee has recommended that “an additional DRS review per team per innings is introduced” across formats as an interim measure. All recommendations of the Cricket Committee will be presented before the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee in early June for approval.
3. To how many countries did India supply medicine essential medicines during COVID-19?
a. 123
b. 112
c. 110
d. 108
S-a
4. What percentage of rural roads will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles?
a. 5%
b. 4%
c. 8%
d. 9%
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Coir Geo textiles, a permeable fabric, natural, strong, highly durable, resistant to rots, moulds and moisture, free from any microbial attack, has finally been accepted as a good material for rural road construction.
• A communication from the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency under Ministry of Rural Development, said, Coir Geo textiles will be used for construction of rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, PMGSY-III.
• The decision will give a big boost to the coir industry especially in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic.
• As per the PMGSY new technology guidelines for road construction, 15 per cent length in each batch of proposals, is to be constructed using new technologies. Out of this 5 per cent roads are to be constructed using IRC accredited technology. The IRC has now accredited coir Geo textiles for construction of rural roads.
• As per these instructions, 5 per cent length of the rural roads under PMGSY-III will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles.
5. In how many shifts are the government officials working during the Lockdown 4.0?
a. Three
b. Four
c. Seven
d. Nine
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Government has said that Biometric attendance will continue to be suspended during the fourth phase of the lockdown.
• Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has issued guidelines on regulation of attendance in government offices to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
• All officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above shall attend office on all working days.
• For regulating the attendance of officers and staff below the level of Deputy Secretary, all Heads of the Department shall prepare a roster to ensure that 50 per cent of officers and staff attend office on every alternate day.
• Those officers or staff who are not required to attend office on a particular day shall work from home and should be available on telephone and electronic means of communications at all times.
• The Ministry said, all Heads of the Department shall also ensure that the 50 percent officers and staff who attend office observe staggered timings. First shift - 9:00 AM to 5.30 P.M, second shift - 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM and the third shift between 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM.
