Inspired by: ICAT Releases India’s 1st BS – VI Certificate in 2W Segment
https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/icat-releases-indias-1st-bs-vi-certificate-in-2w-segment/
Answer: (c)
BS Norms
• Bharat Stage norms are the automotive emission norms which the automotive manufacturers have to comply to sell their vehicles in India.
• These norms are applicable to all two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers and construction equipment vehicles.
• To curb growing menace of air pollution through the vehicles emission, the Govt. has decided to leapfrog from the exiting BS – IV norms to the BS- VI with effect from 1st April 2020.
How is BS VI Different from BS IV?
• The major difference between the existing BS-IV and forthcoming BS-VI norms is the presence of sulphur in the fuel.
• While the BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, the BS-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur content.
• Also, the harmful NOx from diesel cars can be brought down by nearly 70%. In the petrol cars, they can be reduced by 25%.
About ICAT
• ICAT is one of the premier testing and certification agency authorized by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• Aim: Providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component manufacturers in India and abroad.

There are currently six government-owned autonomous testing agencies nationwide charged with type approval and COP testing for emissions from new vehicles. The six testing agencies are listed below:

Automotive Research Association of India, Pune (ARAI)
Vehicle Research & Development Establishment, Ahmednagar (VRDE)
Central Farm Machinery Testing and Training Institute, Budhni (CFMTTI)
Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun (IIP)
Central Institute of Road Transport, Pune (CIRT)
International Centre for Automotive Technology, Manesar (ICAT)

Inspired by: Cabinet Secretary
https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/cabinet-secretary/
Cabinet Secretary: Origin of the post
• Before the adoption of the portfolio system in India, all Governmental business was disposed of by the Governor-General in Council, the Council functioning as a Joint Consultative Board.
• This procedure was legalized by the Indian Councils Act, 1861 during the time of Lord Canning, leading to the introduction of the portfolio system and the inception of the Executive Council of the Governor-General.
• The Secretariat of the Executive Council was headed by the Private Secretary to the Viceroy, but he did not attend the Council meetings.
• Lord Willingdon first started the practice of having his Private Secretary by his side at these meetings.
• Later, this practice continued and in November, 1935, the Viceroy’s Private Secretary was given the additional designation of Secretary to the Executive Council.
• The constitution of the Interim Government in 1946 brought a change in the name, though little in functions, of this Office. The Executive Council’s Secretariat was then designated as Cabinet Secretariat.
• It no longer remained concerned with only the work of circulating papers to Ministers and Ministries, but developed into an organisation for effecting coordination between the Ministries.

Project Sashakt
• Project Sashakt was proposed by a panel led by PNB chairman Sunil Mehta to help consolidate stressed assets.
• Bad loans of up to ₹ 50 crore will be managed at the bank level, with a deadline of 90 days.
• For bad loans of ₹ 50-500 crore, banks will enter an inter-creditor agreement, authorizing the lead bank to implement a resolution plan in 180 days, or refer the asset to NCLT.
• For loans above ₹ 500 crore, the panel recom¬mended an independent AMC, supported by institutional funding through the AIF.

Inspired by: Recognizing a National Party
https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/recognizing-a-national-party/
Answer: (c)
Recognizing a National Party
• The Election Commission lists political parties as “national party”, “state party” or “registered (unrecognised) party”.
• The conditions for being listed as a national or a state party are specified under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
• A party has to satisfy any one of a number of these conditions.
For recognition as a NATIONAL PARTY, the conditions specified are:
1. a 6% vote share in the last Assembly polls in each of any four states, as well as four seats in the last Lok Sabha polls; or
2. 2% of all Lok Sabha seats in the last such election, with MPs elected from at least three states; or
3. recognition as a state party in at least four states.
For recognition as a STATE PARTY, any one of five conditions needs to be satisfied:
1. two seats plus a 6% vote share in the last Assembly election in that state; or
2. one seat plus a 6% vote share in the last Lok Sabha election from that state; or
3. 3% of the total Assembly seats or 3 seats, whichever is more; or
4. one of every 25 Lok Sabha seats (or an equivalent fraction) from a state; or
5. an 8% state-wide vote share in either the last Lok Sabha or the last Assembly polls.
Losing the recognition
• Once recognised as a national or a state party, a political party retains that status irrespective of its performance in the next elections.
• It loses the given status only if it fails to fulfil any of the conditions for two successive Assembly and two successive Lok Sabha elections.

R. Barak flows only through Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam.