PIB Analysis for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- ICAT
- Direct Port Entry
1 . ICAT
Context : International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) released India’s first Type Approval Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage – VI (BS – VI) norms for the two wheeler segment in New Delhi today.
About ICAT
- ICAT is the premier testing and certification agency authorized by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component manufacturers in India and abroad.
- It has the latest equipment, facilities and capabilities to develop, validate, test and certify the engines and vehicles for the latest norms in the field of emission and many other facilities like crash lab, NVH lab, EMC lab and test tracks.
About Bharat Stage
- 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, fourwheelers and construction equipment vehicles.
- The norms were introduced in 2000. With appropriate fuel and technology, they limit the release of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulate matter (PM) and sulphur oxides from vehicles using internal combustion engines. As the stage goes up, the control on emissions become stricter.
- To curb growing menace of air pollution through the vehicles emission, the Government of India has decided to leapfrog from the exiting BS – IV norms to the BS- VI, thereby skipping the BS – V norms, and to implement the BS – VI norms with effect from 1st April 2020.
- Only those vehicles will be sold and registered in India from 1st April 2020 onwards,which comply to these norms. The norms are stringent and at par with global standards.
Difference betwen BS IV and BS VI
- The extent of sulphar is the major difference between Bharat Stage IV and Bharat Stage VI norms.
- BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, the BS-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur. BS VI can bring PM in diesel cars down by 80 per cent .
- The new norms will bring down nitrogen oxides from diesel cars by 70 per cent and in petrol cars by 25 per cent.
- BS VI also make on-board diagnostics (OBD) mandatory for all vehicles. OBD device informs the vehicle owner or the repair technician how efficient the systems in the vehicle are.
2 . Direct Port Entry
Context : The V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin and Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding todayfor facilitating Direct Port Entry (DPE) of e-sealed factory stuffed export container tothe port under ‘Ease of Doing Business’.
About Direct Port Entry
- The Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility would enable direct movement of containers from factories without intermediate handling requirement at any Container Freight Station thus facilitating the shippers to gate-in their factory-stuffed goods directly to the Container Terminal on 24 x 7 basis.