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EnvironmentHard

Which facility did the syndicate misuse to swap the cargo in the container, as per the preliminary investigation?

  1. A.The self-sealing facility of a manufacturer-exporter
  2. B.Duty drawback on exports
  3. C.Bonded warehousing
  4. D.Transhipment permission

Correct answer

A. The self-sealing facility of a manufacturer-exporter

Explanation

The correct answer is the self-sealing facility of a manufacturer-exporter. The investigation found that the group arranged an export consignment through such an exporter, took the container to a private godown, removed the declared paper laminate rolls and packed red sanders logs in their place before sending it on for export. A search of that godown recovered the original declared cargo, an industrial weighing scale and traces of red sanders, confirming the method. Options B, C and D are real trade measures but none of them figures in this case. The broader lesson the agency drew is the one to remember: facilitation measures designed to speed up honest exports were turned into a route for organised wildlife trafficking, and three key members of the syndicate were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.

Read the full article: DRI Seizes Red Sanders Worth Rs 7.72 Crore at Chennai Port

Practice Questions

Q1.EnvironmentMedium

Red sanders, seized by the DRI at Chennai Port, is listed in which Schedule of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972?

  1. A.Schedule I
  2. B.Schedule II
  3. C.Schedule III
  4. D.Schedule IV
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Schedule IV

Red sanders, whose botanical name is Pterocarpus santalinus, is a protected species listed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and also in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, better known as CITES.

Q2.EnvironmentMedium

What was the quantity and value of the red sanders seized by the DRI at Chennai Port?

  1. A.About 8,000 kg worth Rs 4.50 crore
  2. B.About 13,000 kg worth Rs 7.72 crore
  3. C.About 18,000 kg worth Rs 9.20 crore
  4. D.About 22,000 kg worth Rs 12.40 crore
Show answer
Correct answer: B. About 13,000 kg worth Rs 7.72 crore

The detailed examination put the exact weight at 12.87 metric tonnes of high-grade logs, which rounds to roughly 13,000 kg, and the value at approximately Rs 7.72 crore.

Q4.EnvironmentMedium

Which research institute is the Ministry of Tribal Affairs working with on this project?

  1. A.CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow
  2. B.ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research
  3. C.Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata
  4. D.CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Show answer
Correct answer: A. CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow

The ministry launched the project in collaboration with that institute, and its Chief Scientist is the principal investigator of the work.

Q5.EnvironmentMedium

The new medicinal plants project of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs covers how many tribal hotspots and in how many States and Union Territories?

  1. A.12 hotspots in 10 States and UTs
  2. B.16 hotspots in 13 States and UTs
  3. C.20 hotspots in 16 States and UTs
  4. D.13 hotspots in 16 States and UTs
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 16 hotspots in 13 States and UTs

The project picks sixteen tribal pockets spread over thirteen States and Union Territories, running from Kargil in Ladakh and Dharchula in Uttarakhand in the north to Wayanad in Kerala and Kodagu in Karnataka in the south, with three of the sites, Kandhamal, Balangir and Koraput, lying in Odisha itself.