1.
Justice Tahira Safdar has been sworn-in as the first woman Chief
Justice of Balochistan High Court at a ceremony held at the Governor House in
Balochistan. She will remain in this post until 4 October 2019. With this, she
became the first female chief justice of any court in the history of Pakistan.
Earlier, Safdar created history in 1982 when she became the first female civil
judge in Balochistan. Currently, Justice Tahira is a member of the 3-judge
special court conducting the trial of former president Pervez Musharraf for
committing treason by proclaiming a state of emergency on 3rd November 2007.
2.
The 4th International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) 2018 has been
inaugurated by Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik at Leiden, the
Netherlands on September 1. The congress would focus on promotion and
propagation of Ayurveda in the Netherlands and its neighbouring countries of
Europe. The 2-day congress is jointly organized by International Maharishi
Ayurveda Foundation (Netherlands), All India Ayurvedic Congress (New Delhi) and
the International Academy of Ayurveda (Pune) in association with the Indian
Embassy in the Netherlands. A special Seminar is also organized by the Indian
Embassy titled “India-Netherlands collaboration in Healthcare, including
Ayurveda”.
3.
Pranab Bardhan (60) and Shibnath Sarkar (56) have created
history by clinching India’s first-ever gold in bridge at the Asian Games. They
finished at the top after scoring 384 points in the final of the men’s bridge
pair event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. The Chinese pair of Lixin Yang and
Gang Chen won the silver with a score of 378 and the Indonesian combination of
Henky Lasut and Freddy Eddy Manoppo bagged the bronze scoring 374 here. The
card game has been featured as a sport at the Asian Games for the first time,
in the 2018 edition.
4.
Sunil Mehta, the MD &chief executive of Punjab National Bank
(PNB), has been elected as the new chairman of the Indian Banks Association (IBA)
for 2018-19. Apart from him, Dinabandhu Mohapatra, MD & CEO of Bank of
India (BoI), has been elected as IBA’s Deputy Chairman. The IBA is a
representative body of management of banking in India and has its headquarters
in Mumbai.
5. Two Indians, Dr. Bharat Vatwani and Sonam
Wangchuk received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2018 on August 31.
The award, which is regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, was
established in 1957. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, in its citation,
stated that Wangchuk was recognised for his uniquely systematic, collaborative
and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus
improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth. Vatwani was recognised for
his tremendous courage and healing compassion in embracing India’s
mentally-afflicted destitute. Beside them, Youk Chhang from Cambodia, Maria de
Lourdes Martins Cruz from East Timor, Howard Dee from the Philippines and Vo
Thi Hoang Yen from Vietnam are the other winners of the 2018 award.
6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese
counterpart K P Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated a 400-bed Nepal-Bharat Maitri
Pashupati Dharamshala in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a rest house for pilgrims,
which is located on the banks of the Bagmati River. The Dharmashala is build
with the Indian assistance and has provision for family rooms, kitchen, dining
hall, library and some multipurpose halls to meet the requirements of the
travellers and families on pilgrimage to Pashupatinath Temple.
7. Renowned Digambar Jain Muni Tarun Sagar ji
(51), who was popularly known for his sermons titled ‘Kadve Pravachan’, has
passed away in New Delhi on September 1, 2018. He was born as Pawan Kumar Jain
on 1967 in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, and accepted celibacy and decided
to lead a life of a monk in the year 1981. Unlike most other Digambar jain
monks, his audience often includes a majority of non-Jains. His discourses
often address family or society issues, topics generally avoided by other Jain
monks. All his life, he spread the message of peace and non-violence in the
society.
8. On September 1, Indian boxer Amit Panghal from
Haryana won a historic gold after beating Rio Olympics gold medallist Hasanboy
Dusmatov in the final of Men’s Light Flyweight 49kg category at the Jakarta
Asian Games 2018. It is India’s only boxing gold at the 18th Asiad. With this,
Panghal became the 8th Indian boxer to claim the gold medal at the Asian Games.
Beside him, Vikas Krishan Yadav (75kg) settled for the bronze in the ongoing event.
In the 2014 Asian Games, M.C. Mary Kom was the lone gold medallist for India.
While, Vijender Singh and Vikas Krishan were the last set of male gold
medallists for India at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
9. Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee (18) became the first
female athlete to be named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at Asian Games after
she scooped an unprecedented six gold medals in the Jakarta pool. She also won
two silvers. With this, Ikee also became the first female athlete in any sport
to win six gold medals at a single Asian Games. Only North Korean shooter So
Gin-man, who won 7 golds and a silver at 1982 New Delhi Games, has won more
titles at one Asian Games. Beside this, Ikee also became the 4th Japanese
athlete to win the MVP award since its inception at the 1998 Bangkok Games.
10. In Men’s hockey, Indian men’s national field
hockey team defeated arch rival Pakistan 2-1 to clinch a Bronze at the 2018
Jakarta Asian Games. Akashdeep hit the first goal and 2nd was scored by
Harmanpreet. Pakistan’s lone goal came from a counter-attack scored by Muhammad
Atiq. With this, India ranked at 8th position with 69 medals – 15 gold, 24
Silver and 30 Bronze – at the 18th Asian Games. China leads the medals tally
followed by Japan.
11. Singapore is currently holding the Chair of
ASEAN. There, the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM)
and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) was held in September 1,
2018. It was attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries and their 8
dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New
Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States. The meeting recognized
the importance of ongoing work to maximize the opportunities of, and address
the challenges presented by, the digital economy and the rise of regional and
global value chains, as part of their efforts to promote economic growth and
integration in the region. It was announced in the Singapore meeting that the
next ASEAN-India Business Summit will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in
November 2018, which will be followed by the 4th India-ASEAN Dialogue Partner
Expo and Summit scheduled for 21-23 February 2019, in New Delhi.
12. Rani Rampal, the Indian women hockey captain,
was India’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony of the 18th Asian Games 2018.
India ended their Asian Games 2018 campaign with the highest medal tally at the
tournament ever, with a total of 69 medals which includes 15 gold, 24 silver
and 30 bronze medals. In addition to local artists and a Chinese segment, the
South Korean boybands Super Junior and iKon, and Indian singer Sidharth Slathia
performed in the closing ceremony. More than 10,000 athletes gave their best at
the Asian Games 2018, winning medals for their respective countries. 465 gold
medals were won by the athletes of 28 countries. 37 out of 45 participating
nations were able to win medals at the Asian Games 2018. China finished on top
of the medal tally with 132 gold medals. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was
India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. In it, the Games flag for the 2022
Asian Games received by Mayor of Hangzhou Xu Liyi.
13. The book “Moving On, Moving Forward: A year in
Office” has been authored by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, which was
recently released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The book is based on Naidu’s
tenure as Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He talks about his
vision in the chapter ‘Retired from politics but not from public life’. As
Chairman, he also records his disappointment over the first two sessions of the
House he presided over. The 245-page book with 7 chapters deals with Naidu’s
focussed engagement on four key issues — unrealised demographic dividend, need
for an effective ecosystem for farmers to thrive, scientific advancements to better
the life of people and public awareness about rich Indian heritage.
14. The World Coconut Day (WCD) is observed every
year on September 2 to enhance coconut farming with focus on productivity and
product diversification. The day is also celebrated to commemorate the
formation day of Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC). In India, the day is
celebrated every year under the aegis of Coconut Development Board (CDB) in
various coconut growing states across the country. The 2018 theme is “Coconut
for Good Health, Wealth & Wellnessis”. APCC is an inter-governmental
organisation of 18 member countries mandated to promote, coordinate and
harmonize coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region to
achieve maximum economic development. India is one of the founder members of
APCC. India is one of the founder members of APCC and stands first in global
coconut production and productivity. The annual coconut production of India is
2437.80 crore and the productivity is 11616 coconuts per hectare.
15. According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s
annual data, Mauritius accounted for the largest source of Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) into India in the financial year FY18 followed by Singapore.
The data shows that the total India’s FDI stood at $37.36 billion in the FY18,
which is a marginal rise over the $36.31 billion recorded in the previous
fiscal FY17. The provisional data for the financial year ended March revealed
that FDI into the manufacturing sector witnessed a substantial decline to $7.06
billion, as against $11.97 billion in the year-ago period. However, FDI into
communication services rose to $8.8 billion in 2017-18 as compared to $5.8
billion. The inflows into retail and wholesale trade also shot up to $4.47
billion as against $2.77 billion, while financial services sector too witnessed
a rise in inflows to $4.07 billion from $3.73 billion in the previous year.
16. The major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock
exercise (drill) “IOWave18” has started from September 4, which is being
organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
The purpose of the 2-day exercise is to increase tsunami preparedness, evaluate
response capabilities in each state and improve coordination throughout the
region. It will also enhance tsunami preparedness at the community level. The
IOWave18 exercise will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put in a tsunami
warning situation and require the National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWC), i.e.,
INCOIS in case of India, and the National and Local Disaster Management Offices
(NDMO/LDMO) to implement their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). India
along with 23 other nations is participating in the tsunami mock exercise that
would involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half
a dozen states.
17. Nepal is hosting the International Women
Entrepreneurs Summit (IWES) 2018 in Kathmandu with theme “Equality begins with
Economic Empowerment” from September 3. The main purpose of the 3-day summit is
to bring together achievers, women business leaders, professionals,
international service providers, resource organizations, experts, government
representatives and other stakeholders with a focus on innovative economic
transformation through discussions and collaborations. The delegates from the
SAARC, ASEAN, EU, Africa, Arab countries and China participating in the summit.
The event is organised by the South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF).
18. The joint military exercise “Rapid Trident
2018″ has started in the western Ukrainian village of Starychi, which will
continue from September 2 to 15. It was launched by Ukraine with the United
States and a string of other NATO countries as tensions with Russia remain high
over the Kremlin-backed insurgency in the country’s east. The aim of the exercise
is to practice countering armed aggression in conditions of the hybrid war. The
exercise is composed of a multinational, brigade-level, computer-assisted
command post exercise i.e. integrated with a battalion-level field training
exercise, and a platoon-level situational training exercise. The Rapid Trident
2018 started a week before Russia holds its biggest military exercise ”
Vostok-2018″ since the Cold War, in the east of the country and with the
participation of China and Mongolia. Approx 2,200 soldiers from 14 nations are
participating in the exercise.
19. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently
announced to launch Mars Mission “HOPE”, which is expected to be launched by
2020. Upon launch, it will become the first mission to Mars by any Arab or
Muslim country. The aim of the mission is to enrich the capabilities of Emirati
engineers and to increase human knowledge about the Martian atmosphere. The
Hope probe will study the atmospheric layers of Mars in detail and will provide
data to study the causes of the corrosion of its surface that has made it
impossible for water to exist on the planet. The project will also provide
insights about the weather on the Red Planet. It will observe weather phenomena
such as dust storms and changes in temperature and how the atmosphere interacts
with topography, from the highest volcano peaks to ice sheets to the vast
deserts and the deepest canyons. It is expected to reach Mars in 2021, which
coincides with the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s formation.
20. The 2018 edition of Maralal International
Camel Derby event was held at Maralal town in Kenya. It is best Kenya’s best
known and most prestigious camel race that attracts both local and
international competitors. The event is a major draw for spectators as well as
racers. It is an entertaining festival of fun and local competition that brings
this small desert town to life.
21. Dr Arif Alvi has been elected as the new
President of Pakistan and will take the oath of the office on September 9. He
will succeed Mamnoon Hussain. Dr. Alvi is a close ally of Prime Minister Imran
Khan and one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
22. The joint maritime naval exercise
“SLINEX-2018” will be held between Indian & Sri Lankan navy at Trincomalee,
Sri Lanka from September 7 to 13. The exercise which was previously held
biannually has been converted to an annual event from year 2018 to enhance
cooperation in the maritime domain and to further strengthen mutual trust and
interoperability between the two navies. The exercise to be conducted in two
phases, namely the Harbour and Sea Phase, will involve conduct of joint
training, exchange of expertise, helicopter and maritime patrol aircraft
operations, search and rescue, and maneuvers at sea. It would also involve
sports fixtures and cultural events which would provide an opportunity for
personnel from both navies to learn from each other and to build individual
bonds of friendship and camaraderie.
23. India and France has recently signed an
agreement to collaborate on ISRO’s first human spaceflight programme
“Gaganyaan”. It was announcement by French space agency president Jean-Yves Le
Gall at the 6th edition of the Bengaluru Space Expo. The first step under the
MoU is to exchange specialists to work on (space) medicine. The ambit of the
cooperation includes giving ISRO access to space hospital facilities in France
and combining expertise of the two space agencies in fields of space medicine,
astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris
protection and personal hygiene system. The two space agencies also plan to
work on Mars, Venus and asteroids. The aim of the Gaganyaan mission is to send
a 3-member crew to space for a period of 5 to 7 days by 2022. Its objectives
are to inspire youth, increase science and technology levels in the country,
improve industrial growth, develop technology for social benefits, etc.
24. Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the son of former Assam
chief minister Keshab Chandra Gogoi, will become the 46th Chief Justice of
India (CJI), after the current CJI Dipak Misra retires on October 2. He will
have tenure of 13 months – till November 17, 2019. As per convention, the
senior-most judge of the Supreme Court has to be appointed as the next CJI.
Therefore, once the recommendation by CJI Misra is approved, Justice Gogoi will
become the first CJI from North-Eastern states. His appointment is crucial as
it comes at a time when Assam is preparing to release a final National Register
of Citizens (NRC), possibly by the end of the year 2018. Justice Gogoi was one
of the four senior-most judges of the court who had called an unprecedented
press conference this January, when they had publicly raised concerns about the
administration of the court and the formation of benches for the allocation of
important cases. He is also one of 11 judges in the Supreme Court who have
disclosed their assets.
25. The Indo-Kazakhstan joint Army exercise
‘KAZIND 2018’ will be conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from 10
to 23 Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan. This is the 3rd joint military
exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive
cooperation in the defense arena. The aim of the 14-days exercise is to build
and promote bilateral Army to Army relations and exchange skills and experiences
between Kazakhstan Army and the Indian Army. The exercise will also serve as a
platform for exchange of drills and procedures. The conduct of the joint
exercise will set the stage for greater defence cooperation and consequently
will manifest in stronger ties between the two great nations.
26. The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu
will address the 2nd World Hindu Congress (WHC) 2018, which is scheduled to be
held in Chicago, United States on September 7 to 9. Apart from addressing the
congress, Mr. Naidu will also participate in a programme organized by 14 Telugu
Associations of the US at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. He will also
participate in bilateral discussions with several world leaders, who are
attending this event, on the sidelines of this Congress. The WHC is a global
platform for Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact
the common good. It offers Hindus an opportunity to introspect towards
improvement and tap into their collective resources to seek tangible solutions
to the most pressing issues of this age. The global event also marks the
commemoration of 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Historic Speech at
the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893.
27. Recently, the Delta Force has celebrated its
25th Raising Day on September 6 in the memory of those who sacrificed their
lives in the line of duty. It is the counter insurgency force of the Indian
Army that has been instrumental in eliminating terrorism from the Chenab Valley
and ushering peace in the region. Till date, the Force has been honoured with
1,380 Gallantry Awards including one Ashok Chakra, five Kirti Chakras and 46
Shaurya Chakras
28. In the first round of the ‘two-plus-two
dialogue’ in New Delhi, India and the United States signed military communications
pact “COMCASA” , which will give India access to advanced new defence systems
like armed drones and will enable the Indian armed forces to exploit existing
US-origin platforms much more efficiently. COMCASA is an India-specific version
of the Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement
(CISMOA). It comes into force immediately & is valid for a period 10 years.
The term “COMCASA” stands for Communications Compatibility and Security
Agreement (COMCASA) and is one of the four foundational agreements that the
U.S. signs with allies and close partners to facilitate interoperability
between militaries and sale of high end technology. COMCASA allows India to
procure transfer specialised equipment for encrypted communications for US origin
military platforms like the C-17, C-130 and P-8Is.
29. In a landmark judgement on September 6, the
Supreme Court of India (SCI) struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC) and decriminalized homosexuality. The five-judge Constitution Bench, led by
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra unanimously scrapped a 156-year old
colonial-era law banning gay sex that was punishable by a jail sentence of up
to 10 years. Thereby, this verdict is the beginning of a journey towards
greater dignity, equality and liberty. However, the court held that Section 377
will apply to “unnatural” sexual acts like bestiality. Sexual acts without
consent continue to be a crime under the Section. IPC Section 377 came into
force in 1861 during the British rule of India (modelled on the Buggery Act of
1533) which criminalised sexual activities “against the order of nature”,
including homosexual activities.
30. The Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation
Convention (MGISC-2018) will be organized by the Union Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation in New Delhi from September 29 to mark the beginning of
the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. It will be a 4-day
international conference that will bring together Sanitation Ministers and
other leaders in WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) from around the world.
The purpose of the Convention is to share sanitation success stories and
lessons from the participating countries. It will culminate on October 2nd,
Gandhi Jayanti, which is also celebrated as the Swachh Bharat Diwas. Several
mass mobilisation events and campaigns are being planned across the States in
the run up to this Day.
31. India is hosting the 4th edition of World
Summit on Accreditation (WOSA 2018) in New Delhi from September 7 with theme
“Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome-Based Accreditation”. The focus of the
3-day summit is on challenges and opportunities in outcome-based accreditation.
The WOSA 2018 will bring about new ideas and help in establishing new trends of
identifying opportunities and challenges in professional education world-wide.
The Summit is a biennial event organized by the National Board of Accreditation
(NBA) which provides platform to its stakeholders to share their knowledge and
information on accreditation.
32. Indian sprinter Hima Das has been officially
named as the Sports Ambassador of Assam for her recent achievements in the 2018
Jakarta Asian Games and IAAF World U-20 Championship 2018 at a function held at
Srimanta Sankardev International Auditorium, Guwahati. Beside this, Chief
Minister Sarbanand Sonowal handed over a cheque worth Rs 1.6 crore to Hima and
also offered her a job in the senior category of Sports and Youth Welfare
Department. He also announced to develop 500 village stadiums in the state. In
recently concluded Asian Games, she set a national record by clocking 51.00 to
qualify for the 400m final and bettered it with 50.79 to clinch silver. She
went on to win silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bagged gold in the women’s
4x400m relay. Apart from this, she has already scripted history by becoming the
first Indian woman athlete to clinch a gold in a track event at the IAAF World
U-20 Athletics Championships 2018 in Finland.
33. Akshay Kumar, the National Award-winning
actor, has been made the first Honorary Ambassador of the Lal Bahadur Shastri
Memorial Foundation. It is the social organisation founded by the family of
India’s second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.
34. The Chagos Archipelago (or Chagos Islands) is
a group of 7 atolls consists of more than 60 individual tropical islands in the
Indian Ocean about 500 km south of the Maldives archipelago. The sovereignty
over the Islands is disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom (UK).
Recently, it is in news because India has supported Mauritius in International
Court of Justice (ICJ) on the issue of de-colonisation of the Chagos
Archipelago, which is home to Diego Garcia — the key military base of the U.K.
and the U.S. in the Indian Ocean. India told ICJ that the historical survey of
facts indicates that the Chagos Archipelago throughout the pre- and
post-colonial era has been part of the Mauritian territory. These islands came
under the colonial administration of the UK as part of Mauritian territory. Of
the 22 countries which are giving their legal opinion at ICJ, the UK is
supported by the US, Australia and Israel, while Mauritius is being supported
by 17 countries, including India.
35. The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and
rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam, which is expected to complete
at the end of 2018. Sited about 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh town, the 4.94km
bridge will facilitate road and rail connectivity between the north and south
banks of the Brahmaputra in the eastern part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The bridge is 32m above the water level of the Brahmaputra and is fashioned on
a bridge that links Sweden and Denmark. It has three lane roads on top and
double line rail below. Upon completion, Bogibeel will be the longest
rail-cum-road bridge in India and 2nd longest bridge over the Brahmaputra after
Dhola-Sadiya Bridge which is a road bridge of length 9.15 km.
36. The Government of India (GoI) has constituted
a committee, headed by former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan, to
select the next Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). Apart from Jalan, secretary of
the department of personnel and training C Chandramouli and economic affairs
secretary Subhash Chandra Garg will be members of the panel which will vet the
applications received and conduct the interviews. Recently, Arvind Subramanian
resigned from CEA post before his tenure ends in May 2019 citing personal
reasons. He has since joined as a visiting professor at Harvard University. The
CEA is under the direct charge of the Minister of Finance and is the ex-officio
cadre controlling authority of the Indian Economic Service (IES).
37. The Indian Air Force has successfully carried
out the first-ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously build fighter
aircraft Tejas MK 1 with an IL-78 MKI tanker of the 78 Sqn. The feat was achieved
when 1,900 kg of fuel was transferred from the mid-air refuelling Russian-built
tanker IL78 to the Tejas LSP8 at an altitude of 20,000 feet. The tanker
aircraft was launched from Agra, while the fighter was launched from Gwalior.
The specially modified Tejas aircraft carried out a series of test profiles
including a ‘Dry Contact’ with the tanker. The IAF IL78, piloted by Wing
Commander Siddarth Singh, accomplished the task with designers from HAL and
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) closely monitoring system parameters from
the ground station at Gwalior. With this first trial, the aircraft gets much
closer to the important battle-ready tag, called the FOC or the final
operational clearance. Beside this, India has also joined an elite group of countries
having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes.
38. Software major Infosys has recently signed a
3-year partnership with the Australian Open as its official digital innovation
partner. The partnership is about creating new ways of experiencing the
Australian Open. As per agreement, Infosys will leverage its expertise in
emerging technologies like Big Data and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence as
well as Virtual and Augmented Reality, to provide unique, innovative and
engaging experiences for fans. However, the financial details of the deal were,
not disclosed. Tennis Australia is the governing body of tennis in Australia,
promoting and facilitating participation the sport at all levels, as well as
conducting national and international tournaments and events.
39. The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in
Bengaluru is set to become the first airport in Asia to use face recognition as
the boarding procedure for passengers to board flights and move across
different sections of the airport. For this, the agreement was signed between
Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) & Portuguese software firm
‘Vision-Box’ in Lisbon to launch paperless biometric self-boarding technology.
The first implementation milestone at Kempegowda will be completed in the first
quarter of 2019, with Jet Airways, Air Asia and SpiceJet passengers as first
users. The goal of the programme is to simplify the journey by making it
paperless from registration to boarding. Biometric technology will identify
passengers by their face as they move across the airport. The technology will
avoid stops and the repeated presentation of boarding passes, passports or
other physical identity documents.
40. The World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is
observed every year on September 10 to provide worldwide commitment and action
to prevent suicides. It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO)
that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year across the world – that means
one person every 40 seconds. Thus, the day aims to open up the conversations
and help those in the darkness. The 2018 theme “Working Together to Prevent
Suicide” highlights the most essential ingredient for effective global suicide
prevention- collaboration.
41. The first-ever joint military exercise of
BIMSTEC, named MILEX-18, has started at Aundh Military Station in Pune from
September 10 to enhance cooperation in dealing with the challenge of terrorism
in the region. The aim of the week-long anti-terror exercise is to boost
inter-operability among the forces and exchanging best practices to contain
terror related activities. The exercise will include training in
search-and-cordon operations and handling and neutralisation of improvised
explosive devices (IEDs) among other things. The militaries of BIMSTEC member nations
barring Nepal are participating in the exercise. The BIMSTEC is a regional
grouping comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and
Nepal. The grouping accounts for 22% of the global population & has a
combined gross domestic product of USD 2.8 trillion.
42. The 2018 Global Summit on Climate Action will
be held at San Francisco in California, United States from September 12 to 14,
2018. The summit is a platform that brings together several decision makers and
officials, as well as people, from around the world to discuss proposals for
future action on climate change. It will serve as a starting point for broader
and more effective global commitments, to reduce the impacts of climate change
and achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. It will also promote climate
action in five key areas: Healthy Energy Systems, Inclusive Economic Growth,
Sustainable Communities, Land and Ocean Stewardship and Transformative Climate
Investments. The Summit will culminate in a call to action to nations to step
up their ambition under the Paris Agreement, and cut emissions on a
science-based trajectory that limits warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
43. India and France have signed an implementation
agreement on Mobilise Your City (MYC) programme in New Delhi on September 7.
The aim of MYC is to support three pilot cities – Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad –
in their efforts to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to
urban transport by implementing urban mobility plans at local level and to help
India at national level to improve their sustainable transport policy. The MYC
is part of an international initiative which is supported by the French and the
German Governments and was launched at 21st Conference of Parties (COP21)
meeting in December 2015. The details of the project activities will be worked
out by AFD in consultation with Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
and the three partner cities including institutions such as the respective
Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for Smart Cities, the Municipal Corporations
and any transport authority or transport related SPV.
44. The 14th edition of the joint military
exercise “Yudh Abhyas 2018” will be conducted between India and United States
in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from September 16 to
29. The exercise will simulate a scenario where both nations will work together
in counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment in mountainous terrain
under United Nation charter. The two week exercise will witness participation
of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength of the Indian Army.
It will witness a Division Headquarter based Command Post Exercise, an Infantry
Battalion carrying out Field Training Exercise and discussions on issues of
mutual interest by experts of both countries. The training will culminate with
a final validation exercise in which troops of both countries will jointly
carry out an operation against terrorists in a fictitious but realistic
setting.
45. Actor R Madhavan will host the National
Geographic’s new series ‘Mega Icons’, which examines the success stories of
five prominent personalities. It is scheduled to premier on September 24. The
five-part television series will feature episodes on former Indian President
APJ Abdul Kalam, movie star and politician Kamal Haasan, Nobel laureate the
Dalai Lama, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and the first woman Indian Police
Service officer, Kiran Bedi. Each episode would be a journey into the life of
an iconic personality, with help of not only intimate interviews with the icons
and their families but also through research and analysis by experts.
46. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has
recently re-commissioned an upgraded version of nuclear research reactor
‘Apsara-U’ with a higher capacity, which was shut down permanently in 2009 for
revamp. The indigenously made reactor ‘Apsara-U’ uses plate type dispersion
fuel elements made of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU). By virtue of higher neutron
flux, this reactor will increase indigenous production or radio-isotopes for
medical application by about 50% and would also be extensively used for
research in nuclear physics, material science and radiation shielding. This
development has re-emphasized the capability of Indian scientists and Engineers
to build, complex facilities for health care, science education and research.
Apsara was the Asia’s first research reactor that was made operational in
Trombay campus of BARC on 4th August 1956. The design of the pool-type reactor
using enriched uranium fuel was conceptualised in 1955 by Dr Homi Bhabha
himself. The name ‘Apsara’ was coined by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
47. NITI Aayog has collaborated with Intel and
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) to set up a Model International Center
for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI). The collaboration aims to
bring together fundamental and applied research, innovation and technology
development to solve important problems.The ICTAI will work towards developing
and deploying artificial intelligence based research projects in critical
domains such as health care, agriculture, smart cities and mobility. The
initiative is part of NITI Aayog’s National Strategy for Artificial
Intelligence discussion paper that focuses on establishing ICTAI through
private sector collaboration.
48. The 13th edition of Indo-Mongolian joint
military exercise “Nomadic Elephant 2018” has commenced at Mongolian Armed
Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ullanbaatar on September 10. During
the 12 days long exercise, both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a
series of well developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats
that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. Experts from both sides will
also hold detailed discussions to share their experience on varied topics for
mutual benefits. Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual, bilateral exercise
since 2006 which is designed to strengthen the partnership between Indian Army
and Mongolian Armed Forces. The exercise will see them improve their tactical
and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist
operations in rural and urban scenario under United Nations mandate.
49. On September 11, India, Iran and Afghanistan
held their first tripartite meeting in Kabul during which implementation of the
Chabahar port project and a host of other issues discussed. The Indian
delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale while the Iranian team
was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister
Hekmat Khalil Karzai chaired the meeting. The meeting focused on consolidating
economic cooperation, including Chabahar, as well as enhancing cooperation on
counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and continuing support to the peace and
reconciliation process that is led and owned by Afghanistan. As per officials,
the three sides agreed to hold the next round of consultation in 2019 at an
appropriate time in India.The Chabahar port is being considered a gateway to
golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central
Asian countries besides ramping up trade among the three countries in the wake
of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi.
50. The
National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), which is India’s first
railway university, has recently started operations in Vadodara, Gujarat. This
institute is located in the National Academy of Indian Railway (NAIR) having
about 55 acres of campus. It is India’s first university focused on
transport-related education, multidisciplinary research and training. NRTI will
offer multi-disciplinary programmes designed to cater to the needs of India’s
transportation sector. The Institute will follow a demand-driven curriculum,
while aligning with industry priorities. To ensure best-in-class of education,
NRTI will follow a highly experiential and unique inter-disciplinary
pedagogical approach, that incorporates the latest technologies such as live
classrooms and online programs, and is delivered by high-quality faculty with
global exposure. It is established as a deemed to be university under de-novo
category. NRTI is a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently
offering its flagship undergraduate programmes in Transportation Technology and
Management.
51.
The second edition of the 10-day
Nepal-China joint military exercise “Sagarmatha Friendship-2018” will be held
at Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, from
September 17. The aim of the exercise is to share expertise in disaster
management and to fight terrorism, among others. This will reduce Nepal’s
dependence on India and allow China to get a firm foothold
in the sub-continental drama. This comes at a time when Nepal refuses to
participate in the first-ever BIMSTEC military exercise “MILEX-18”, which has
started in India from September 10.
52. Veteran BJP leader L K
Advani has been renominated as the chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee
by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.The Committee examines complaints relating to
unethical conduct by members of Parliament. It is also free to take up suo motu
investigation into the matters relating to ethics and unethical conduct by a
member, wherever necessary, and make such recommendations, as it may deem fit.
P Karunakaran has also been renominated as chairman of the Committee on Absence
of Members from the Sittings of the House. While, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will
head the Committee on Government Assurances, it said. Chandrakant B Khaire was
renominated as chairman of the Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, and
Dilipkumar Mansukhlal Gandhi as the chairman of the Committee on Subordinate
Legislation.
53. Indian
pacer Jhulan Goswami has become the first bowler in women’s cricket to pick 300
international wickets. She achieved this feet after reaching the landmark
figure in India’s 9-wicket win over Sri Lanka on September 11. Earlier, Indian Cricketer
Mithali Raj became the most capped player in the history of
Women’s ODI cricket.
54. The
Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) has recently launched an indigenously
designed and developed India’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck (Model
BH205-E) in its Mysuru plant, with an objective of strengthening the ‘Make in
India’ initiative. This new rear dump truck is expected to address the growing
demand for higher capacity equipment in the mining industry. BH205E is powered
by Tier -II emission compliant Modular Common Rail Electronic Engine with 2300
HP. The AC drive system has been engineered to provide exceptional haul road
performance with reduced maintenance. The Dump Truck is environmental friendly
in relation to mechanical drive due to its superior efficiency. The truck
weighs 335 tonnes when fully loaded but it is easily manoeuvrable with
power-steering and short turning radius. It has been developed for use in the
project of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Singrauli.
55. As
per culture study survey by US-based multi-national workforce management firm
Kronos Incorporated, India leads the way as the world’s hardest working country
with 69% of full-time employees are happy with 5-day workweek. Indians stated
that they would work five days a week even if they had the option to work fewer
days for the same pay. Mexico was the 2nd-highest at 43% of workers, followed
by the US at 27%. The study found workers in the United Kingdom, France and
Australia were least content with the standard five-day workweek. According to
a survey If pay remained constant, one-third of global workers felt their ideal
workweek would last four days (34%), while 20% said they would work 3 days a
week. For this study, the survey was carried out amongst 2, 700 full and part-time
employees living in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the UK
and the US. It was conducted by Future Workplace on behalf of Kronos
Incorporated between July 31 to August 9, 2018. The study also found that in
the matter of overtime, US leads the way with 49% clocking more than 40 hours
each week. This was followed by India (44%), Mexico (40%) and Germany (38%).
56. India’s
first tribal circuit tourism project under the Swadesh Darshan scheme has
launched at Gangrel in Chhattisgarh on September 13. It covers 13 sites in
Chhattisgarh which are Jashpur, Kunkuri, Mainpat, Kamleshpur, Maheshpur,
Kurdar, Sarodadadar, Gangrel, Kondagaon, Nathiya Nawagaon, Jagdalpur,
Chitrakoot and Tirthgarh. Under the tribal circuit theme of the scheme the Ministry
of Tourism has sanctioned 4 projects to Nagaland, Telangana and Chhattisgarh
for Rs. 380 crore. Major components sanctioned in the tribal circuit theme
include eco log huts, craft haats, souvenir shops or kiosk, tourist reception
and facilitation centres, open amphitheatre, tribal interpretation centres,
workshop centres, tourist amenities centres, last mile connectivity, wayside
amenities, viewpoints, nature trails, solar illuminations, signages and solid
waste management among others. The Swadesh Darshan scheme was launched in 2014
-15 for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and
prioritized manner.
57. The
National Hindi Divas (NHD) is celebrated every year on September 14 in India.
On this day, in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi
written in Devanagari script as the official language of India under Article
343. In all, there are 22 Scheduled languages of India, of which, two are
officially used at Union government of India level: Hindi and English.
58. The Supreme
Court has appointed a 3-member committee headed by D.K. Jain, a former judge of
the court, to probe the harrowing arrest and alleged torture of former space
scientist Nambi Narayanan in the ‘ISRO spy scandal’ that turned out to be fake.
A 3-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India CJI) Dipak Misra also awarded Mr.
Narayanan Rs. 50 lakh in compensation for the mental cruelty he suffered all
these years. The committee will explore “ways and means” to bring justice to
the former space scientist besides probing the officers who caused the
“harrowing” incidents. The Centre would take care of the committee’s facilities
and expenses.
59. Under
article 124 of the constitution, President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed
Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the 46th Chief Justice of India (CJI). He will assume
office after the current CJI Dipak Misra retires on October 2. He will have
tenure of 13 months – till November 17, 2019. Currently, Justice Gogoi is
heading the Bench monitoring the sensitive Assam National Register of Citizens
(NRC) case. Thus, Justice Gogoi will become the first CJI from North-Eastern
states. He is the son of former Assam chief minister Keshab Chandra Gogoi.
Justice Gogoi was one of the four senior-most judges of the court who had
called an unprecedented press conference this January, when they had publicly
raised concerns about the administration of the court and the formation of
benches for the allocation of important cases. He is also one of 11 judges in
the Supreme Court who have disclosed their assets.
60. India
has been ranked 130 among 189 countries in the latest Human Development Index
(HDI) report 2018, which is released by the United Nations Development
Programme. As per report, between 1990 and 2017, India’s HDI value saw a 50%
increase from 0.427 to 0.640, an indicator of the country’s remarkable
achievement in lifting millions of people out of poverty. During the period,
India’s life expectancy at birth increased by nearly 11 years, with the average
years of children staying in school increased by 4.7 years. India’s gross per
capita income increased by a staggering 266.6% between 1990 and 2017. The HDI
is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions
of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent
standard of living. Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and Germany led the
ranking, while Niger, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Chad and
Burundi have the lowest scores in the HDI’s measurement of national
achievements in health, education and income.
61.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned
indigenously built patrol vessel ‘Vijaya’ in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is capable
of carrying limited pollution response equipment to contain oil spill in sea.
The 98-metre Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) was designed and built by Larsen
& Toubro India at Kattupalli shipyard and is fitted with advanced
navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery. The ship is
designed to carry one twin engine helicopter and four high speed boats,
including two inflatable boats for boarding, search and rescue, law enforcement
and maritime patrol operations. The vessel is fitted with a 30 mm gun and will
be fitted with a 12.7 mm gun with a Fire Control System (FCS). It will be based
at Paradip Port, Odisha and be deployed in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
for surveillance and other duties.
62.
India’s first underwater robotic drone “EyeROV TUNA”
was launched and handed over to Kochi-based DRDO lab “Naval Physical and
Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL)”. The drone can send real-time videos of ships
and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance. It
will be used by NPOL for research and development activities which in turn
would result in a commercial product for defence purposes. The robotic drone
can be navigated up to a depth of 50 meters to take real-time HD video images
to examine ship hulls or undersea cables or bridge moorings and can eliminate
the need for costlier and riskier manual inspection by divers. The first
commercial Remotedly Operated Vehicle (ROV)/underwater drone “EYEROVTUNA” was
developed by EyeROV Technologies, a company incubating at the Kalamassery-based
Maker Village which is said to be the largest hardware incubator in the
country.
63.
The Rajasthan government has recently inaugurated
the first lion safari of the state at Nahargarh Biological Park (NBP), which is
located about 12 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. The visitors will
be able to see lions in their natural habitat in the park spanning 38 hectares
and enclosed by a fence. They will be taken on a nearly 4 km safari in a closed
bus. Though, the Safari will be thrown open for the tourists from October 2018.
64.
The International Day of Democracy is observed every
year on September 15 to highlight the values of freedom and respect for human
rights as essential elements of democracy. It is an opportunity to look for
ways to invigorate democracy and seek answers to the systemic challenges it
faces. This includes tackling economic and political inequalities, making
democracies more inclusive by bringing the young and marginalized into the
political system, and making democracies more innovative and responsive to
emerging challenges such as migration and climate change. The 2018 theme is “Democracy
under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World”.
65.
India’s first exclusive and certified ‘Dog Park’ has
come up in Hyderabad, which is spread over 1.3 acres. The park has been
developed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at a cost of
Rs. 1.1 crore on a site which was earlier a dump yard. The park has dog
training and exercise equipment, splash pool, two lawns, an amphitheatre, loo
café, separate enclosures for big and small dogs among other facilities.
According to a survey, there are about 2.5 lakh pet owners in the West Zone and
the Central Zone limits of the city which are nearer to the park. Public can
bring in their pet dogs and use the facilities in the park. The park is
certified by Kennel Club of India and would be inaugurated within 10 days.
66.
Moutaz Mousa Abdallah has been sworn-in as the new
Prime Minister of Sudan at the presidential palace in Khartoum on September 15,
2018. Mousa Abdallah is also holding the finance portfolio in a bid to revive
the country’s ailing economy. He succeeded Bakri Hassan Saleh, who will retain
the post of first vice president. Sudan has been grappling with an acute
foreign exchange shortage and inflation above 65% for several months, which
prompted President Omar al-Bashir to sack the previous cabinet to fix the
situation.
67.
On September 16, the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the NovaSAR and S1-4 earth
observation satellites of U.K from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C42 (PSLV)
injected the satellites into orbit 17 minutes and 45 seconds after lift off and
placed them in a sun synchronous orbit at a height of 583 km from the earth.
The satellites, both weighing 889 kg, have been developed by UK-based Surrey
Satellite Technologies Ltd (SSTL). NovaSAR is intended to be used for forest
mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood & disaster monitoring. On
the other hand, S1-4 will be used for surveying resources, environment
monitoring, urban management and disaster monitoring. The mission is a
commercial arrangement between the company and Antrix Corporation Limited,
which is the commercial wing of ISRO. This was the 44th flight of the PSLV and
the 12th launch of a core-alone version of the PSLV.
68.
ISRO chairman Dr. K Sivan has launched an S–band
Polarimetry Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota spaceport, Andhra Pradesh on September 16, 2018. This Radar was
indigenously developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore under
Technology Transfer from ISRO. This is the 7th Radar manufactured in the
country under “Make in India” Concept. The Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) is used
for the observation of the weather system up to a range of 500 km and helps in early
warning of severe weather events. The DWR provides detailed information on a
storm’s internal wind flow and structure, while conventional radars are able to
track and predict cyclones. The polarimetric capability of the DWR will
significantly improve the accuracy of rainfall estimation leading to accurate
and timely flash flood warnings.
69.
Dr. Subramanya Jaishankar, the former foreign
secretary of India, has joined the board of the US-India Strategic Partnership
Forum (USISPF). Currently, he is the president of Global Corporate Affairs for
the Tata Group. USISPF is a forum founded with the objective of promoting a
strategic relationship between the US and India, and finding common ground on
important issues facing businesses in both countries. The headquarters of
USISPF is located at Washington.
70.
The Government of India (GoI) has proposed to merge
state-owned Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank and Bank of Baroda (BoB) to create India’s
third largest lender as parts of reforms in the public sector banking segment.
The decision was taken at the meeting of a ministerial panel headed by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley which oversees merger proposals of state-owned banks. One
of the reasons behind the choice of these banks was perhaps the fact that all
three use the same core banking system—Finacle from Infosys—making the task of
merging the technology platforms and back-ends relatively easier. Now, the
boards of the three banks will consider the proposal. The combined lending
entity will have a strong presence across the nation with more than 34% of
low-cost deposits, a capital buffer of nearly 12% and a business book of Rs
14.82 lakh crore. Bank of Baroda is the biggest of the three with Rs 10.29 lakh
crore of total business, followed by Vijaya Bank at Rs 2.79 lakh crore and Dena
Bank at Rs 1.72 lakh crore.
71.
Germany has recently rolled out the world’s first
hydrogen-powered trains that only emit steam and water. These bright blue
Coradia iLint trains are built by French TGV-maker Alstom, which are costlier
than diesel powered trains but eco-friendly. The new trains are equipped with a
hydrogen tank and fuel cells on the roof and will produce electricity by
combining water and hydrogen. The company revealed that the excess energy
produced will be stored in ion-lithium batteries. The green trains can travel
600 miles (1,000km) on a single tank of hydrogen, similar to the range of
diesel trains. The two Coradia iLint trains will replace conventional diesel
engines on the 100 km route that links German towns- Cuxhaven and Buxtehude.
Germany will introduce 14 other hydrogen train in the Lower Saxony region of
the country by 2021.
72.
The third and final book of Vineet Bajpai’s Harappa
trilogy “Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple” has recently launched in New Delhi.
The book tells an intriguing story of a lost civilisation. The three books in
the series combine mythology, history, fantasy, crime and the modern-day
thriller element. The first two books are “Harappa: Curse of the Blood River”
and “Pralay: The Great Deluge”. Bajpai is the founder and chairman of the
Magnon Group, a digital and advertising agency.
73.
The International Day for the preservation of the
Ozone Layer is observed every year on September 16 to commemorate the date of
signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 on substances that deplete the Ozone
layer. It is mainly intended to spread awareness of the depletion of the Ozone
Layer and search for solutions to preserve it. The 2018 theme ‘Keep Cool and
Carry On: The Montreal Protocol’ is a motivational rallying call urging all of
us to carry on with the exemplary work of protecting the ozone layer and the
climate under the Montreal Protocol. The Ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas
that protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun and
thus helps in preserving life on the planet. Substances like
Chlorofluorocarbons, halons, Carbontetrachloride are responsible for ozone
layer depletion.
74.
The 2nd edition of the Nepal-China joint military
exercise “Mt Everest Friendship Exercise (or Sagarmatha Friendship-2018” has
started at Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, from
September 17. The aim of the 10-day exercise is to share expertise in disaster
management and to fight terrorism, among others. This will reduce Nepal’s
dependence on India and allow China to get a firmer foothold in the
sub-continental drama. This comes at a time when Nepal refuses to participate
in the first-ever BIMSTEC military exercise “MILEX-18”, which has started in
India from September 10.
75.
On 2018 World Ozone Day (WOD), the Union Environment
Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan released a draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)
and a booklet on ‘Montreal Protocol – India’s Success Story’. With this, India
has become the world’s first country to develop such a document (ICAP), which
addresses cooling requirement across sectors and lists out actions which can
help reduce the cooling demand. This will help in reducing both direct and
indirect emissions. The thrust of the ICAP is to look for synergies in actions
for securing both environmental and socio-economic benefits. The overarching
goal of ICAP is to provide sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all
while securing environmental and socio-economic benefits for the society. The
Montreal Protocol is the only environmental treaty, which enjoys universal
ratification of 197 UN numbers countries, to protect the stratospheric ozone
layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting
substances (ODS).
76.
Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have
been signed as ambassadors of Skill India Campaign to promote and endorse the
Skill India Mission. The actors will next be seen in “Sui Dhaaga – Made in
India”, which highlights the untapped potential of India’s talented craftsmen
and skilled workers at the grassroot level and the challenges and issues faced
by them. Varun plays a tailor named Mauji and Anushka essays the role of his
wife and embroiderer Mamta. The film, which is directed by Sharat Katariya, hit
the theatres on September 28, 2018. The Skill India Mission was launched by PM
Narendra Modi on July 2015 to train over 40 crore people in different skills by
2022. It includes various initiatives of the government like “National Skill
Development Mission”, “National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
2015”, “Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)” and the “Skill Loan
scheme”.
77.
Anna Rajam Malhotra (91) was the India’s first woman
IAS officer after Independence, who passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on
September 17, 2018. Born in July 1927 in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, she
joined the civil services in 1951 and had served in the Madras cadre under then
CM C Rajagopalachari and in the central government. Besides serving under
Rajagopalachari, she had worked closely with Rajiv Gandhi when he was in charge
of the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi. She had also accompanied late Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi on many state trips. She married RN Malhotra, who had served as
the Governor of RBI between 1985 and 1990. Anna, who retired in 1996, was also
responsible for building the country’s first computerised port Nhavasheva in
Mumbai. In 1989, she was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award.
78. Anushka
Sharma has been bestowed with the prestigious Smita Patil Memorial Award 2018
at the 34th edition of Priyadarshni Academy’s Global Awards in a non-profit,
socio-cultural and educational organization.
79. According
to Mercom India Research, the total installed capacity of solar power
generation of India has crossed 25 giga watts (GV). This includes both
large-scale and rooftop solar. The utility-scale solar PV projects in India
accounts for over 22.5 GW of installed capacity & the rooftop solar
projects account for over 2.4 GW as of date. Karnataka is the top solar state
of India followed by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Mercom India
Research forecasts solar installations of approximately 8.3 GW in CY 2018. Out
of this, over 5 GW of solar projects have been installed in the first half of
the year. Installation rates are forecasted to decline in the second half due
to lack of a strong project pipeline. The solar installations of approximately
8.3 GW in CY 2018. Out of this, over 5 GW of solar projects have been installed
in the first half of the year. Installation rates are forecasted to decline in
the second half due to lack of a strong project pipeline. The solar
installations in 2019 are also expected to be flat as longer commissioning
timeline will push approximately 1.3 GW of large-scale projects from 2019 to
2020.
80. The
joint air tactical exercise “Aviaindra-18” has started between Indian Air Force
(IAF) and the Air Force of the Russian Federation at Lipetsk, Russia from
September 17 to 28. The second session of Aviaindra 18 would be conducted in
Jodhpur, India from December 10 Dec to 22. The aim of the exercise is focused
towards anti-terrorist operations in a bi-lateral scenario. The exercise would
further enhance the co-operation and understanding each other’s Concept of
Operations. In addition to flying exercise, there would be formal interactions,
discussions, exchange of ideas and friendly sports matches to enhance bonhomie
between the two Air Forces. Exercise Aviaindra is an Air Force level exercise
between India and the Russian Federation. First Aviaindra was conducted in 2014
and has been planned as a bi-annual exercise.
81. The
Odisha Assembly has recently passed a unanimous resolution to name the
newly-built Jharsuguda airport after noted freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the airport on 22 September
2018. Earlier, in July 2018, the Centre had asked the State government naming
of the airport is to be considered only after a resolution passed in the Odisha
assembly. Jharsuguda airport will be the 2nd operational airport in Odisha
after Biju Patnaik International airport in Bhubaneswar. Veer Surendra Sai, who
was born on January 1809 in Sambalpur district of the State, had sacrificed his
life fighting against British East India company. He and his associates
resisted the British and successfully protected most parts of Western Odisha
region for some time from the British rule. Many of them were hanged by the
British & a few died in the Cellular Jail in the Andamans. Surendra Sai
died in Asirgarh Jail on 23rd May 1884.
82. All-women
crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National
Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and
sailing across the world for 8 long months. The award ceremony will be held at
Rashtrapati Bhawan on September 25. The award is the highest national
recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea
and air. The women Navy officers had spent as many as 194 at sea as part of a
mission under the Navika Sagar Parikrama project that began in September 2017.
The crew was also bestowed with Nav Sena Medal on the occasion of 72nd
Independence Day. The team had arrived in Panaji, Goa on May 21 after
successfully circumnavigating the globe for 8 months. They also set a record by
becoming the first-ever all-women crew to complete circumnavigation. The INSV
Tarini team, led by Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi, is comprised Lt. P. Swathi,
Lt. Pratibha Jamwal, Lt. Vijaya Devi, Sub Lt. Payal Gupta and Lt. B Aishwarya.
83. India’s
first indigenously developed 500-megawatt (mw) prototype fast breeder reactor
at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu is expected to achieve criticality in 2019. This was
stated by Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary,
Department of Atomic Energy, at the 62th General Conference of International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, on 19th September 2018. The indigenously
developed Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)is now undergoing sodium
commissioning. The reactor was designed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic
Research (IGCAR).Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (Bhavini), a public sector
company under DAE, has been given the responsibility to build the fast breeder
reactors in the country.
84. Indian
Cricket Captain Virat Kohli and world champion Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will
honoured with the prestigious 2018 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by President Ram
Nath Kovind on 25th September 2018. Chanu was chosen for the prestigious award
following her gold medal in 48-kilogram category at the World Championships in
2017. She also bagged the yellow metal in 2018 Commonwealth Games but did not
compete at the Asian Games due to injury. Kohli, the world’s top-ranked batsman
in both Tests and ODIs as per the ICC rankings, has been in stupendous form in
the past three years. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is among 20
sportspersons picked for the Arjuna Awards. The President will also present the
Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awards on the same day.
85. The
indigenously developed surface-to-surface Short-range tactical ballistic
missile “Prahar” has been successfully flight tested by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) from complex-III of the Integrated Test Range
(ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. Fuelled by a solid propellant, Prahar is about 7.3
m long and can carry a payload of 200 kg. The missile has a strike range of 150
km & can be transported to anywhere within a short span of time. It is a
quick-reaction, all-weather, all-terrain, highly accurate battlefield support
tactical weapon system. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation,
guidance and electro-mechanical actuation systems with latest onboard computer.
The missile is capable of carrying different types of warheads & will
operate as battle field support system to the Indian Army. It has a greater
manoeuvring capability, acceleration and can be deployed in different kinds of
terrain making it more effective against strategic targets.
86. Dr.
Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and MD of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, has been
conferred with the ‘Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle’, the highest honour
accorded to non-nationals by the Government of Mexico at the 128th National Day
of Mexico. The honor is given because of the efforts to strengthen bilateral
ties between India and Mexico.
87. Assamese
movie “Village Rockstars” has been chosen to represent India in the Best
Foreign Language category at the 91st Academy Awards 2019. The film, which is
directed by Rima Das, also won the Best Feature film Award at the 65th National
Film Awards. The film follows Dhunu, a girl who grows up in poverty and learns
to fend for herself. However, that does not prevent her from following her
dream of forming a rock band and owning a guitar someday.
88. India’s
biggest cyclotron facility “Cyclone-30” has become operational at the
Kolkata-based Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) under the Department of
Atomic Energy (DAE) for treatment of cancer. The facility produces a 30MeV beam
that will be used to produce radioisotopes for medical imaging & diagnosis.
The Cyclone-30 is in the first phase of production generating Flouro
Deocyglucose (FDG), a radioisotope used for date imaging and oncological tissue
imaging. It will be the first and only facility in the country to produce
Germanium 68 isotopes, which is used in the diagnosis of breast cancer.
Simultaneously, it will also produce Palladium 103 isotopes, which is used for
the treatment of prostate cancer. The machine has a capacity of catering to 60
to 90 patients in a day. In its future stages, the machine will also work on
the production of Iodine 123 isotopes, which can help detect thyroid cancer.
The machine can also be used for research in the fields of material science and
nuclear physics.
89. On
September 22, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the centenary celebrations
of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (DBHPS) in New Delhi. The mail goal
of DBHPS is to improve Hindi literacy among the non-Hindi speaking people of
South India. It was established in 1918 by Mahatma Gandhi, who held the post of
president till his death. The headquarters of the organisation is located at
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
90. The
Tamil Nadu government has announced a novel scheme for the protection of the
exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in
12 years. This came after the complaints of packaging and selling of these rare
and ecologically unique flowers on commercial basis. The state department has
warned that strict fines will be imposed in offenders. The Neela Kurinju is a
shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats. It is a major
attraction to foreign & native tourists and one of the prime foreign
exchange earners from tourism. The Kurinji plant belongs to the genus
Strobilanthes, which was first scientifically described by Christian Gottfried
Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in the 19th century. The Paliyan tribal people living
in Tamil Nadu used it as a reference to calculate their age.
91. The
Government of Nepal has appointed former Member of Parliament and renowned
Indian actress Jaya Prada as Goodwill Ambassador for tourism and culture for
four years. Tourism is one of the important sources of employment and income
generation in Nepal and India is the biggest source market for Nepal. As per
officials, the appointment of Jaya Prada will strengthen age old cultural ties
between the two countries and help in promoting Nepal’s tourism in India. The
Govt. of Nepal has decided to observe the year 2020 as the ‘Visit Nepal Year’
with a target of at least two million international arrivals every year.
92. Nepal is set to
become the world’s first country to double its tiger population. On the
occasion of 2018 National Conservation Day (NCD), Nepal announced that there
are now an estimated 235 wild tigers in the country, nearly doubling the
baseline of around 121 tigers in 2009. According to a press release issued by
WWF-Nepal, if these trends continue, Nepal could become the first country to
double its national tiger population since the launch of ambitious TX2 goal at
the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 to double the world’s wild tiger
population by 2022. Nepal conducted its national tiger survey between November
2017 and April 2018 in the trans-boundary Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a vast
area of diverse ecosystems shared with India. The earlier tiger survey in 2013
had estimated the tiger population at 198.
93. India has
recently celebrated the 100 years of Battle of Haifa with a grand function in
New Delhi on September 23, 2018. It is being commemorated in Israel, Delhi and
Jaipur. On this day, in 1918, the Indian soldiers from the Mysore, Hyderabad
and Jodhpur Lancers liberated the strategically important city of Haifa, known
for its deep water bay in the eastern Mediterranean. The sacrifice made by the
Indian soldiers is honoured and memorialized in 7 cemeteries across Israel,
from Jerusalem to Haifa. Close to 900 Indian soldiers are buried in these
cemeteries, which act as an immortal testimonial for their heroism. The Indian
Army commemorates September 23 every year as Haifa Day to pay its respects to
the two brave Indian Cavalry Regiments “Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers” that helped
liberate the city following a dashing cavalry action by the 15th Imperial
Service Cavalry Brigade.
94. Opposition
leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has won the 2018 presidential election of
Maldives. He will take office on 17th November 2018, after having defeated
President Abdulla Yameen in the election. The Maldives is a key battleground in
the rivalry between China and India. Solih’s win presents an opportunity for
India to rebuild the traditionally strong ties between the two countries in
order to counter China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region. The
Maldives is made up of 26 coral atolls and 1,192 islands. More than 400,000
people live there but its future hangs in the balance due to climate change. Tourism
is a vital part of its economy
95. Andhra Pradesh
has topped the charts among States in terms of “2018 Ease of Living Index”
rankings launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Odisha
and Madhya Pradesh bagged second and third best performing awards. The Ease of
Living Index is a transformative initiative of the Ministry under AMRUT (Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation). The index seeks to assist
cities in undertaking a 360-degree assessment of their strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats. This initiative will encourage all cities to move
towards an ‘outcome-based’ approach to urban planning and management and
promote healthy competition among cities.
96. The first-ever
women-only foreign minister conference was held in Montreal, Canada on
September 21-22, 2018 . The aim of the conference was to highlight women’s key
role in politics and decision-making processes. The meeting was cochaired by
Canada’s top diplomat Chrystia Freeland, and the foreign affairs representative
of the EU, Federica Mogherini. The foreign ministers from almost 20 countries
discussed topics including international security and peace, promoting and
strengthening democracy and the elimination of gender-based violence. The
conference is also being attended by female top diplomats from Andorra,
Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Guatemala,
Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia, Norway, Panama, South Africa, Rwanda,
Saint Lucia and Sweden.
97. Luka Modric, who
led Croatia to their first-ever FIFA World Cup final, was named The Best FIFA
Men’s Player at the Best FIFA Football Awards in London. Modric won the
Champions League for the third time in a row with his club “Real Madrid” in May
2018 before leading Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final, where they lost 4-2 to
France. He is the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to
win the FIFA award since Kaka in 2007. Beside Modric, Brazil and Orlando Pride
forward Marta was named the FIFA women’s player of the year for the 6th time
but the first time since 2010. France’s Didier Deschamps — whose side beat
Modric’s Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final — was named best men’s coach.
Mohamed Salah won the Puskas award for the best goal for his effort against
Everton in the Premier League at Anfield in December 2017.
98. The United
Nations (UN) has recently declared the period from 2019 to 2028 as the Nelson
Mandela Decade of Peace at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York on 24
September 2018. UN has called for redoubling efforts to pursue international
peace and security, development and human rights. This political declaration
was unanimously adopted by nearly 100 nations from around the world to revive
the values for which Nelson Mandela stood by emphasising human dignity. A
statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nations to honour the
late South African leader’s 100th birth anniversary.
99. The Supreme
Court of India (SCI) has recently constituted a Committee on Prison Reforms
chaired by former apex court judge, Justice Amitava Roy, to examine the various
problems plaguing prisons in the country. The committee has been asked to
recommend steps for the psycho-social well-being of minor children of women
prisoners, including their education and health. It would also probe the
reasons for violence in prisons and correctional homes and recommend measures
to prevent unnatural deaths and assess the availability of medical facilities
in prisons and correctional homes and make recommendations. It would assess the
availability and inadequacy of staff in prisons and correctional homes, suggest
training and educational modules for the staff and assess the feasibility of
establishing open prisons. The court asked the committee to complete the
collection of data and information and make submit it in a year.
100. The United Arab
Emirates (UAE) has signed a cooperation agreement with the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support the humanitarian response plan in
Yemen, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in addition to
support ICRC’s budget, totaling $11 million. Under the agreement, the UAE will
provide the ICRC with $6 million to support health centres, water and
sanitation facilities in Yemen, $1 million to support the Organisation’s
humanitarian efforts in Myanmar, $1 million to support humanitarian efforts in
DRC, in addition to $3 million to support general programmes. The agreement
also includes support to health centres, water and rehabilitation of sanitation
structures and meeting basic needs of those affected, as well as assisting
disabled persons through the provision of physical rehabilitation services. The
UAE is a member of the donor support group of the ICRC.
101. In Nepal, the
famous Indra Jatra festival 2018 is being celebrated in Kathmandu with gaiety
and religious fervor. The 8-day long annual festival is observed to worship
Indra, the lord of rain and good harvest. It also marks end of monsoon and
beginning of harvest season and festivity. The chariot procession and mask dances
are the main attraction of Indra Jatra. On fourth day of festival the chariot
procession of living Goddess Kumari, Lord Ganesha and Lord Bhairav began from
historic Basantapur Durbar Square on Monday. Nepal’s living Goddess Trishna
Shakya made her first public appearance after she was appointed in September
2016. President Bidya Devi Bhandari and thousands of people attended the Jatra
celebrations.
102. Dr Harsh
Vardhan, the union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change
(MoEF&CC), has inaugurated air pollution control device – Wind Augmentation
Purifying Unit (WAYU) at ITO in New Delhi. WAYU is developed by Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research –National Environmental Engineering Research
Institute (CSIR-NEERI) to mitigate air pollution at traffic junctions. The
prototype device has the capacity to purify air in an area of 500 meter square.
It consumes only half a unit of electricity for 10 hours of running and has a
maintenance cost of only Rs. 1500 per month. Along with particulate matter, the
device will remove poisonous gases such as volatile organic compounds and
carbon monoxide. This device works on two principles mainly wind generation for
dilution of air pollutants and active pollutants removal.
103. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has been awarded with the UN’s highest environmental honour
‘Champions of the Earth 2018’ for his leadership of the International Solar
Alliance (ISA) and pledge to eliminate single use plastic in India by 2022. The
other winners of the 2018 award include indigenous activist Joan Carling, Food
company Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which develops plantbased substitutes
for meat and dairy products, and China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival
Programme. Beside this, Cochin International Airport has also been honoured
with the 2018 award for Entrepreneurial Vision for its leadership in the use of
sustainable energy. The awards will be presented during the Champions of the
Earth Gala in New York City, on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly
(UNGA).
104. The Japanese
space agency JAXA has made history by successfully landing two robotic rovers
on the surface of an asteroid Ryugu. The rovers are collectively known as
MINERVA-II1 (MIcro Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid, the second
generation), which were separated from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft on 21st
September 2018 . The space agency reported that the small compact MINERVA-II1
is the world’s first mobile exploration robot to land on the surface of an
asteroid. This is also the first time for autonomous movement and picture
capture on an asteroid surface. Therefore, MINERVA-II1 is the world’s first
man-made object to explore movement on an asteroid surface. Asteroids are
believed to have rich information about the formation of the solar system
billions of years ago. The third rover called MASCOT will be launched from
Hayabusa2 in early October 2018. If successful, MASCOT will be the world’s
first sample return mission to a C-type asteroid.
105. On September 26,
the Supreme Court of India (SCI) declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme
as constitutionally valid for filing of IT returns and allotment of Permanent
Account Number (PAN), but struck down some of its provisions including its
linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions. A 5- judge
constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra held that Aadhaar would
not be mandatory to link with bank accounts and telecom service providers
cannot seek its linking for mobile connections. The CBSE, NEET, UGC cannot make
Aadhaar mandatory and it is not compulsory for school admissions. The bench
struck down the national security exception under the Aadhaar (Targeted
Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act. The
bench also struck down Section 57 of Aadhaar Act permitting private entities to
avail Aadhaar data and ruled that Aadhaar authentication data cannot be stored
for more than six months. It directed the government not to give Aadhaar to
illegal immigrants.
106. The World
Tourism Day (WTD) is observed every year on September 27 to raise awareness
among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social,
cultural, political and economic value. The 2018 theme is “Tourism and the
Digital Transformation”. The 2018 WTD is a unique opportunity to raise
awareness on the potential contribution of digital technologies to sustainable
tourism development, while providing a platform for investment, partnerships
and collaboration towards a more responsible and inclusive tourism sector.
107. India has become
the first and only SAARC country to have a quit-line number on tobacco
products. The Union Health Ministry has already made 85% pictorial health
warning mandatory on both sides of packets containing cigarettes, bidis, and
chewing tobacco. The quit-line number will be printed on all tobacco products
manufactured after September 1, 2018. For smoking and smokeless forms of
tobacco products, the words ‘Tobacco causes cancer’ and ‘Tobacco causes painful
death’ shall appear in white font on a red background and the words ‘Quit today
call — 1800-11-2356’ shall appear in white font on a black background. India is
the 4th country in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to have this
government helpline for those looking at quitting tobacco. At least 46 countries
have quit-line numbers as part of health warning labels on tobacco product
packaging.
108. The Asian
Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $150 million loan to establish India’s
first multi-skills park in Bhopal. As per ADB, the skills gap in Madhya Pradesh
is expected to increase in the next 6 years, with an incremental demand for
skilled workers projected to hit 5.6 million in 2024. This new flagship Global
Skills Park (GSP) is to be equipped with international training facilities to
enhance the quality of Madhya Pradesh’s Technical and Vocational Education and
Training (TVET) system. It will create a more skilled workforce that meets the
labour market needs of the state. The GSP campus, which will serve as the
state’s central hub for other TVET institutes, will have training facilities
focusing on skills for manufacturing, service, and advanced agricultural jobs,
benefitting about 20,000 trainees and trainers.
109. For the first
time, the Kerala government has decided to create the post of ‘firewomen’ in
the Kerala State Fire and Rescue Services in a bid to break gender stereotypes.
The purpose of this novel initiative is to ensure gender equality & to
enhance the participation of women in various sectors.
110. The
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is observed
every year on September 26 to provide an opportunity to educate the public –
and their leaders – about the real benefits of eliminating such weapons, and
the social and economic costs of perpetuating them. The day provides an occasion
for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear
disarmament as a high priority.
111. Recently,
Five-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom has been named as the brand
ambassador of Tribes India – an initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs to
promote tribal artefacts. Apart from this, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
launched the “Punch Tantra” collection to promote tribal artefacts. Punch
Tantra is an exclusive collection, which comprises a range of ethic and
traditional tribal handicrafts and handloom products.
112. The Union
government has recently constituted an 8-member Lokpal Search Committee under
the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai,
to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption ombudsman
Lokpal. The committee has former chief of State Bank of India (SBI) Arundhati
Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati chairperson A Surya Prakash and ISRO head S Kiran
Kumar as members.
113. In Madhya
Pradesh, India’s first corn festival is being held in Chhindwara from September
29 to bring together researchers, industrialists, farmers and other
stakeholders from across the country to explore the unrealized potential of the
city in becoming a hub for corn based industries. The 2-days festival is one of
a kind international event. Chhindwara is the largest corn producing district
in Madhya Pradesh with productivity of 5200Kg per hectare. In 2017-2018, the
production is 12 lac ton corn from 2,60,000 hectare – highest in the state.
Chhindwara is very well connected with Nagpur (130 km) and Wardha dry port (175
Km) via national and state highways. Hence, the city is best suited for
developing Corn based industries. Corn (also known as Maize) has become a major
industrial crop owing to its use in plethora of industries. The corn-based
plastic is considered a bioplastic because it is made from plant materials.
114. NITI Aayog has
signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with cloud services provider Oracle to curb
the distribution of fake drugs using new technologies. Apollo Hospitals and
Strides Pharma Sciences will partner in this effort. The partners will pilot a
real drug supply chain using blockchain decentralized ledger and Internet of
Things (IoT) software. The Blockchain technology helps to permanently register
a drug’s record in the manufacturer’s drug supply chain (serial number,
labelling, scanning), leaving no scope for record tampering. At every point of
hand change, it records the drug’s movement – from manufacturer to logistics,
to stockist to hospital, or pharmacy to consumer. In case of a fake drug, the
software will detect irregularity. Additionally, critical information such as
chemical ingredients of the drug or maintenance of temperature control in case
of life saving drugs or vaccines can also be tracked.
115. Commerce
Minister Suresh Prabhu has recently approved the constitution of a High Level
Advisory Group (HLAG) to look into the opportunities and ways to address the
ongoing challenges in the global trade scenario. The HLAG will be headed by
Surjit S. Bhalla, Director of Oxus Research and Investments. The HLAG will
consider ways for boosting India’s share and importance in global merchandise
and services trade, managing pressing bilateral trade relations and
mainstreaming new age policy making. The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the HLAG
are to examine the prevailing international trade dynamics, including the
rising protectionist tendencies, particularly by the major economies,
non-engagement of some countries on outstanding trade negotiation issues and
commitments, including the Doha Development Agenda, and their insistence on
pursuing negotiating mandates, in many cases prematurely and without efforts,
to build consensus and common understanding.
116. No Indian
institution figures in the top 250 of the Times Higher Education’s (THE) world
university rankings 2019. Though, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in
Bengaluru has retained its position as the highest-ranked centre in India. It
was placed between the 251-300 band, while IIT Indore, Bombay and Roorkee with
Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara University from Karnataka make the country’s
top five. Globally, University of Oxford has acquired first position for a
third consecutive year followed by Cambridge and Stanford University. The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology rose one place to number four. In India,
number of Indian institutions in the rankings increased from 42 last year to
49, making it the fifth best-represented nation.
117. The World Rabies
Day (WRD) is observed every year on September 28 to raise awareness about
rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying
disease. The day also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death, the
French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine. The
2018 theme is ” Rabies: Share the message. Save a life! “. Today, safe and
efficacious animal and human vaccines are among the important tools that exist
to eliminate human deaths from rabies while awareness is the key driver for
success of communities to engage in effective rabies prevention.
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