All Current Affairs - Focus Merit

ISRO inks pact with NITK to set up Regional Academic Centre

January 6, 2020

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set up a Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S) at National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) at Surathkal in Mangaluru, to carry out advanced joint research and development (R&D) activities in the area of space technology applications.

The centre will help pursue advanced research in the areas of relevance to the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian space programme. The centre will act as a facilitator for the promotion of space technology activities in the southern region comprising Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Lakshadweep. It will become an ambassador for the capacity building, awareness creation, and R&D activities of ISRO in the region.

The activities of the centre will be guided by a Joint Policy and Management Committee (JPMC) consisting of top executives from the two organizations. JPMC will also facilitate collaborative activities between the partner institutions of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Lakshadweep. ISRO will provide necessary annual grant, as recommended by the JPMC, to the tune of ₹2 crore for conducting R&D projects, promotional activities and administrative expenses.

Prakash Javadekar to confer first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’

January 6, 2020

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar will confer the first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’ to 30 media houses in New Delhi. The Ministry had instituted the award in June last year to mark the contribution of media in spreading the message of Yoga.

Eleven awards will be conferred under the category of Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Newspapers, Eight under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Television while 11 awards to be conferred under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Radio. The award will consist of a special medal, plaque, trophy and a citation.

Braille Version of ‘Exam Warriors’ launched by PM Modi

January 6, 2020

On January 4th – World Braille Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his famous book for children ‘Exam Warriors’ will now be available in Braille.

Exam Warriors is a book by PM Modi for the youth which talks about how children can ace exams through a fun and interactive style, with illustrations, activities and yoga exercises.

Ex-CRPF DG Bhatnagar appointed Advisor to J&K Lt. Governor

January 6, 2020

IPS officer Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, who recently retired as the CRPF DG, has been appointed as an advisor to the Lt. Governor of Jammu-Kashmir. Bhatnagar is a 1983-batch officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He superannuated as the CRPF Director General (DG) on December 31 last year after heading the 3.25 lakh personnel force for over two and a half years.

The Advisor shall assist the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the effective discharge of his functions. G C Murmu, an IAS officer, is the LG of Jammu Kashmir UT since its creation on October 31 last year.

India ranks 34th in Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index

January 6, 2020

India’s rank in Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index of World Economic Forum has moved to 34th position from 65th rank in 2013. Foreign Tourist Arrivals also registered a growth of 3.2 percent last year. Government is committed to make policies and programmes for the development and promotion of tourism and the year 2019 witnessed several steps in this direction.

Reducing E-visa fees, decreasing GST rates on hotel room booking and opening 120 new peaks for mountaineering are among the major highlights of Tourism Ministry in 2019. Along with these several steps taken under Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD Scheme and various other events of Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat were also undertaken during the year.

An initiative called – ‘Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ has been launched for developing tourist amenities at heritage and tourist sites and making them tourist-friendly. E-visa has been further liberalized and visa fee on e–visa has been substantially reduced to increase tourism competitiveness of the country. The Government has also opened more than 120 mountain peaks for mountaineering and trekking for promoting adventure tourism in the country.

Kochi to host global meet on marine ecosystem

January 6, 2020

Eminent marine scientists, oceanographers, fisheries researchers and marine biotechnologists from across the globe are expected to participate in the 3rd international symposium on marine ecosystems – challenges and opportunities (MECOS-3) in Kochi from January 7 to 10.

Organised by the Marine Biological Association of India, MECOS-3 will serve as a platform for discussions on a range of topics, including the impact of the climate crisis on marine ecosystems and an unusual warming of the Arabian Sea.

The four-day meet, which will be held at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, assumes significance in the backdrop of the recent spate of cyclonic storms and other climatic phenomena in the Arabian Sea. The meet will also focus on the UN’s sustainable development goal-14 (life under water), development of small-scale fisheries, recent developments in aquaculture, eco-labelling and green fishing technologies.

Madhya Pradesh Govt starts health insurance scheme for staff

January 6, 2020

The Madhya Pradesh government has given its 12.55 lakh employees a new year bonanza by approving a health insurance scheme Mukhyamantri Karmachari Swasthya Bima Yojana.

The scheme will be effective from April 1 and will make every government employee and their families eligible for medical treatment worth Rs 5 lakh annually. For some critical diseases, the eligibility will be enhanced to Rs 10 lakh.

All permanent and contractual employees, teachers, retired employees, home guards and others getting salary from contingency fund will reap the benefits of this scheme. Staff of autonomous institutions of the state will also be covered.

Delhi: First smog tower to combat air pollution

January 6, 2020

Delhi’s first smog tower will start working at Lajpat Nagar central market. The 20-feet-tall tower is fitted with exhaust fans to suck in polluted air and can remove up to 80% of the particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM10). The smog towers were to be installed on the lines of China, which has experimented with this technology.

A separate pilot project has been proposed to consider the efficacy of smog towers and this is being undertaken by the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-Bombay) in collaboration with IIT-Delhi and the University of Minnesota.

This tower will purify the air within a circumference area of up to 750 metres. Such initiatives are important to combat air pollution in Delhi, which has also become a pollution capital. In February 2018, the Delhi government had installed an anti-pollution tower at ITO in central Delhi on pilot basis.

Bihar to inaugurate First-of-its kind turtle rehab centre

January 6, 2020

A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020. The rehab centre, spread over half a hectare, will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time. This centre will play a significant role in treating these animals and their proper upkeep before being returned to their natural habitat. The size of turtles found in eastern Bihar is good as well. A turtle weighing up to 15 kilograms can be found.

Turtles are being frequently targeted for meat and are also being poached for the pet trade. Such turtles are in high demand in south east Asia, China and Japan. According to a recent study conducted by Traffic India, around 11,000 turtles are being smuggled in India every year. In the past 10 years, as many as 110,000 turtles have been traded.

RevFin and PNB MetLife joined hands to offer life cover

January 5, 2020

India’s leading Digital lending startup, RevFin has joined hands with PNB MetLife India Insurance Company to offer protection to the RevFin’s customers by bundling life insurance cover on their loans. This insurance covers loans up to ₹3 lakh for a period of 3 years.

The collaboration will help PNB MetLife to reach out to unbanked areas & drive greater financial inclusion in the country by securing the families of the borrowers against loan repayment in case of unfortunate death of the borrower.

Category: All Current Affairs