General Knowledge Questions

The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed a new technology to manufacture cheaper, quicker and pollution-free bio-fuel. The ‘soil-to-soil’ manufacturing technology developed at the P K Sinha Centre for bio-energy at IIT-KGP is in the process of being patented. The technique will ensure relatively quicker production of bio-fuel and the process is completely green. The green leafy part of corn and sugarcane plants, the waste part of paddy straw, bamboo, banana plant, pineapple and cotton plants, kans grass (kassh phool), castor plant and even non-edible weeds that grow in dry and waste land and a mix of all has been used by IIT-KGP to produce bio fuel. The project is funded by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Plant development is influenced by quality, quantity and duration of light. Plants cannot get too much light, but they can get too much of the heat energy that comes with the light.

Plants requires what quantity of light?

* Most of the garden vegetables require full sun, i.e 6 - 8 hrs of direct sunlight daily.

* Plants that grow in partial sun only need 3 - 4 hrs of direct sunlight daily.

* While plants that thrive in shade need less than 2 hours of sunlight daily.

The central government has said that India has emerged as the 3rd largest aviation market in the world with a passenger traffic of over 10 crore reported for 2016-17. This was stated by minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha at a media event on the achievements of the ministry of civil aviation on the completion of three years of the NDA government.