Focus Merit

Tag: India

India-Russia to sign MoUs on AK-203 assault rifles

January 7, 2020

The Indian Army and Russia is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the procurement of over 7.5 lakh AK-203 assault rifles. The rifles will be manufactured by the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh.

The facility is being set up between the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) from the Indian side, and Rosoboron Exports and Kalashnikov on the Russian side. The OFB owns 50.5% equity and Russian side holds the remaining 49.5%. The Army has been looking to replace the indigenous INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System) rifles in use with a modern rifle.

India ranks 34th in Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index

January 6, 2020
taj mahal india travel and tourism

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.

India to Host 36th International Geological Congress

January 3, 2020

India will host the 36th International Geological Congress, from March 2-8 2030 aimed at the development of Earth Sciences, in the National Capital Region (NCR). The theme of the science programme at the 36th IGC is ‘Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Future.’

The IGC is a geosecientific event held under aegis of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). India is the only Asian country to host the Congress twice. The 22nd session of IGC was held in New Delhi in 1964.

The “Olympics of Geosciences,” the event will witness debates and discussions on a wide range of issues affecting the world, such as sustainable development, climate change, water and mineral resources.

India’s second spaceport to be in TN’s Thoothukdi: ISRO

January 1, 2020

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has earmarked 2,300 acres of land in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, to set up its second launch centre after the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. The country’s premier space agency is in the process of acquiring the land for a yet-to-be-named new launch centre. ISRO chairman K Sivan stated that the new centre was part of ISRO’s capacity-building exercise.

The new launch centre will be initially for missions involving launching small satellites and small satellite launch vehicles (SSLVs). To carry forward the industry production of space systems, ISRO incorporated New Space India Limited (NSIL) under the Department of Space and efforts in realising PSLVs from industry have already been initiated.