Assam Current Affairs – August 22 – 28, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – August 22 - 28, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of August 22 – 28, 2019 )

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August 22, 2019

NRL records highest ever revenue of Rs 18,511 crore
  • The Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has recorded the highest ever revenue from operations of Rs 18,511 crore during the year 2018-19, registering a growth of 16.25 per cent over the previous year. However, the profit after tax for the financial year was marginally lower at Rs 1,968 crore as compared to last year.
  • This was revealed at the 26th annual general meeting of the NRL, which was held at its corporate office in Guwahati on Friday. The meeting was presided over by D Rajkumar, Chairman and Managing Director – Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Chairman, NRL and was attended by Managing Director SK Barua, other members of the NRL Board and shareholders of the company.
  • The company has declared a total dividend of Rs 17 per share for the year 2018-19.
  • The earnings per share (EPS) for the year stood at Rs 27.79, while the net worth of the company at the close of the financial year 2018-19 reached Rs 5,551 crore, signifying strong economic fundamentals.
  • The NRL’s contribution to the Central and State exchequers in the form of taxes, duties and dividends during the year 2018-19 has been Rs 4,159 crore.
  • The NRL recorded highest ever sales volume of 2,978 TMT during the year 2018-19 surpassing the previous high of 2,912 TMT in 2017-18. High speed diesel sales reached an all-time high of 1,949 TMT, while paraffin wax sales was 36 TMT, including export of 8 TMT. By the year-end, 35 countries were included in the list of NRL’s wax export market. 80 TMT gas oil (diesel) was exported to Bangladesh from it’s terminal at Siliguri.
  • In recognition to its outstanding performance in different spheres of activities, NRL was conferred several awards and accolades during the year. They include the ‘Fastest Growing Miniratna of the Year 2018’ recognition by Dalal Street Investment Journal; ‘Governance Now PSU Award’ for Best Miniratna PSU in Strategic Performance; ‘Refinery Performance Improvement Award’ by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and ‘Dun & Bradstreet PSU Award’ for best overall Miniratna.
  • The project also includes simultaneous laying of over 2,000 km of pipeline for transporting imported crude oil from Paradeep port in Odisha to Numaligarh and then to facilitate evacuation of products from Numaligarh to Siliguri in West Bengal, making NRL an active player in the midstream section.
  • The year 2018-19 also marked the beginning of a few strategically important projects for NRL. The ground breaking ceremony for the 130-km Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline, for transporting products from Siliguri Marketing Terminal to Bangladesh, was held in September 2018 in the presence of Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh through video conferencing.
  • Assiduous efforts to establish the first bamboo biomass-based 2G Bio Refinery Plant in the country was brought to realisation with the formation of the joint venture company – ‘Assam Bio-Refinery Pvt Ltd’ – in June 2018.
  • The NRL also took its first steps in the upstream business of exploration and production under Open Acreage Licensing Policy/Discovered Small Field rounds. After due diligence, the company is now in the process of acquiring 20 per cent participatory interest in Namrup Block from M/s Oil India Limited for which farm out agreement has already been signed.
Rajiv Gauba appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary
  • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr Gauba as the Cabinet Secretary with a tenure of two years from 30th of this month.
  • Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba will be the new Cabinet Secretary. Mr Gauba who is a 1982 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre will replace P.K. Sinha.
  • It has also approved the appointment of Mr Gauba as Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat from the date of his assumption of charge till he takes over as Cabinet Secretary. 

FACTFILE – Cabinet Secretary of India

  • The Cabinet Secretary is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the Government of India.
  • The Cabinet Secretary is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and all civil services under the rules of business of the government.
  • The Cabinet Secretary is the senior-most cadre post of the Indian Administrative Service, ranking eleventh on the Indian order of precedence.
  • The Cabinet Secretary is under the direct charge of the prime minister. Since 2010, the Cabinet Secretary’s term length was extended to a maximum of four years.
Ajay Kumar appointed as Defence Secretary
  • The government has appointed Ajay Kumar as Defence Secretary. Ajay Kumar, is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre and is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Defence Production.
  • He will succeed Sanjay Mitra, upon completion of his term. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointments.
  • Brij Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as Secretary to the Lokpal and Subash Chandra as Secretary of Department of Defence Production. 
MoUs signed to push agri-entrepreneurship in Odisha
  • State-owned Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (APICOL) signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to promote agriculture entrepreneurship and enhance the income of farmers.
  • One MoU was signed with Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), a non-government organisation, to promote entrepreneurial ventures at the grassroots level.
  • The scheme will operate in 40 tribal dominated blocks spread over 12 districts on a pilot basis to promote entrepreneurial ventures at the grassroots level.
  • Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO), farmer interest groups and small and marginal Farmers will be assisted by the Agriculture Entrepreneurs (AE) for increasing the income of farmers through enhanced production and productivity in agriculture and allied sectors.
  • Another MoU was signed between APICOL and CSC e-Governance Services India Limited (CSC-SPV) for successful implementation of the Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyog Yojana (MKUY).
  • CSC-SPV, a central government undertaking, will help in implementation of the Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyog Yojana launched in June last year with the objective to establish more commercial agri-enterprises in the state.
Telangana inks pact with Google to increase local language use in Google tools
  • Google India and the Telangana Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve and get more local language content online using Google’s digital publishing tool, Navlekha.
  • As part of the MoU, Google will work with the state government to help digitise the government”s content in Telugu to make it easier for the common man to get access to all the information and services on government sites in their local languages.
  • Besides, Google will also collaborate with the government to support its digital literacy vision and aid in the overall digitization agenda of the state.
  • Google will also be involved in providing technical mentorship and advisory support to various government departments for successful implementation of multiple digital projects.
Millennium City Marathon partners with MCG to promote water conservation
  • The Millennium City Marathon (MCM) will be partnering with the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to promote water conservation.
  • Milind Soman, who completed the Ironman challenge in 2015 and the ULTRAMAN in Florida in 2017 along with Abhishek Mishra, will join the marathon as the brand ambassador.
  • The fifth edition of the Millennium City Marathon (MCM) to be held on December 1.
  • In a first, the marathon will also have a Kids’ run category. The 5km timed race will be open for children aged 12 years and above.

August 23, 2019

Miyawaki method of afforestation launched at Amingaon
  • Environment, Forest & Wildlife Minister Parimal Suklabaidya inaugurated a Miyawaki method afforestation programme at Amingaon.
  • The innovative plantation method pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, aims at building a forest in a considerably very short period of time, and the method has been adopted under Guwahati Refinery’s Swachhta Pakhwada observance.
  • As part of the initiative, Guwahati Refinery will plant 5,000 saplings of indigenous plants at the site with an aim to build a small forest resonating with Indian Oil’s theme ‘Lungs of Guwahati City’.
e-Visa facilitation centre to be set up in Champhai
  • The Mizoram Government will set up an e-Visa centre in Champhai near the Myanmar border to facilitate issuing of visa online for entry into Myanmar.
  • The proposed e-Visa facilitation centre will be set at the Champhai district deputy commissioner’s office within one or two months from now.

 

PM Modi embarks on 3-nation visit
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three nation tour to France, UAE and Bahrain. The Prime Minister will hold high level meetings with the top leadership of the three countries and will also attend G7 summit in France.
  • In the first leg of his tour, Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Paris where he will hold bilateral meetings with President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
  • On UAE, there would be comprehensive talks with His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Crown Prince and PM would be releasing a stamp to mark Bapu’s 150th Jayanti.
  • In Bahrain there would be interactions with the Indian diaspora andattend the special ceremony marking the re-development of the temple of Lord Shreenathji, among the oldest temples in the Gulf region.
Nepal, India ink MOU on food safety
  • Nepal and India inked an agreement on food safety standards, while India handed over cheques amounting to Rs 3.74 billion for two projects, including reimbursement for post-quake reconstruction, during the Fifth Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting.
  • The Fifth Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting was attended by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
  • The two sides inked a memorandum of understanding on food safety between the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control of Nepal and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
  • The Indian government handed over a cheque of Nepali Rs 2.45 billion towards reimbursement to the Nepal government for post-earthquake housing reconstruction in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts.
  • The Indian government handed over another cheque Nepali Rs 1.29 billion towards strengthening road infrastructure in the Tarai region of Nepal.

 

CSC signs MOU with Ministry of Panchayat
  • The Common Service Centre SPV (CSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to convert all gram panchayats into digital panchayats.
  • Besides supporting the over 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in data digitisation, the CSC will also ensure speedy delivery of all panchayat-level services.
  • This MoU will also act as a catalyst in promoting Rural BPOs in every gram panchayat.
  • The gram panchayat bhawans will host the CSCs so that all government services and social schemes are made easily available to villagers.
  • The CSC will help all gram panchayats to regularly update all Ministry of Panchayati Raj applications and provide them online services.
  • These CSCs in the panchayat buildings will regularly update data for all schemes and programmes being run by the Central and State governments.
  • The CSC will help all gram panchayats to regularly update all Ministry of Panchayati Raj applications and provide them online services.
  • These CSCs in the panchayat buildings will regularly update data for all schemes and programmes being run by the Central and State governments.
  • The MoU will also ensure that the CSCs will maintain records of all gram panchayats in digital format, besides supporting them in conducting various surveys.
  • The CSCs will also work as digital literacy centres for all elected representatives of gram panchayats.
  • The CSC will also be responsible for overall project management, monitoring and coordination with the ministry, the state government, other ministries and gram panchayats.
  • The CSC is a strategic cornerstone of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), approved by the government in May 2006, as part of its commitment to introduce e-governance on a massive scale. The CSCs would provide high quality and cost-effective video, voice and data content and services, in the areas of e-governance, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services.

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August 24, 2019

Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd bags honours at Bangkok meet
  • Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APL), a state government undertaking located at Namrup and a pioneer petrochemicals company in the entire North East, received two awards during an international seminar on “Indo-Thai Economic Cooperation” held at Bangkok, Thailand.
  • Institute of Economic Studies (IES) conferred two prestigious awards – International Icon Award 2019 to APL managing director Ratul Bordoloi and Gold Medal to APL for its remarkable steps in the field of methanol economy as well as for India’s first green and clean fuel pilot project of methanol cooking stove.

FACTFILE – Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited

  • Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited is a semi-governmental Indian company with major stakes held by Government of Assam, Oil India Limited and Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC).
  • The company was incorporated in 1971 and by 1976 had started production at their small methanol plant located at Namrup along with formaldehyde and a few urea-formaldehyde resins like urea-formaldehyde glue and urea-formaldehyde moulding powder. Post expansion in 1989 and 1998, the company expanded the methanol plant to the capacity of 100TPD (tonnes per day) and formaldehyde plant to 100TPD.
  • The company announced in September 2017 that it would invest ₹1,337 crore (US$190 million) and expand to produce 500TPD methanol and 200TPD formalin and become the largest producer of methanol in India.
  • Natural gas, supplied by Oil India Ltd, is used as feedstock for methanol production. Urea and carbon dioxide are supplied by Namrup Fertilizer Plan.
  • APL marked a new era in the field of alternative cooking fuel and methanol economy as well by launching Asia’s first canister-based and India’s first methanol cooking stove.
  • APL has also introduced methanol as an alternative fuel in tea factories and started a pilot project at the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat.
Delhi Lt. Governor launches safety app for city travelers
  • Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal launched a “QR Code Scheme” called Himmat Plus designed to enhance the safety and security of commuters, particularly of women, travelling in the yellow and black taxis and auto-rickshaws from airports, as well as Railway and Metro stations in the national capital.
  • Around 3,000 auto-rickshaws and taxis are now associated with this initiative.
  • Explaining the objective of the scheme, Railways Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dinesh Kumar Gupta said the purpose of developing this application was to provide quick emergency help to Delhi citizens.
  • The citizens can avail this service just by downloading and registering on the app at no cost. Once users complete the registration, they can avail emergency help with just a click.

Former PM Manmohan Singh takes oath as Rajya Sabha member
  • Former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
  • Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu administered the oath in presence of many senior Congress leaders.
  • Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel attended the oath ceremony held in the chairman’s chamber.
  • The 86-year-old was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan where the Congress has a slim majority in the state Assembly.
Odisha announces Rs 500 crore package for Puri city
  • Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a package of Rs 500 crore to develop Puri as a World Heritage city.
  • The package focused on a range of modernisation plans that include infra development, multi-lane road, bridges, multi level parking, amenities, revival of Musa river, rehabilitation of the affected people in security zone, renovation of lakes and Mathas.
  • As per the announcement, new link road connectivity from Puri bypass from Malatipatpur to Jagganath Ballav Matha will be built at a cost of Rs 190 crore. This 1.5 km iconic link will be connected by a Trumpet Bridge.
  • The Jagganath Ballav Matha will be developed as an attractive pilgrim centre with multi-level car parking, amenities, commercial and meditation space and multi-modal hub at a cost of Rs 180 crore.
  • Musa river will be revived and connected to Mangala river at a cost of Rs 85 crore.Besides, Atharnala will be developed as an iconic pedestrian heritage bridge with the support of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
  • The government has also planned to develop a lake on 28 acres of land at a cost of Rs 35 crore.Many heritage lakes of Puri such as Sweta Ganga, Markanda, Narendra and Indradyumna will be renovated and heritage sites will be preserved.
Russia launches 1st ever floating nuclear power plant
  • Russia has launched the world’s only floating nuclear power plant, built to withstand tsunamis and crashes with icebergs, despite criticism by environmentalists who consider it a time bomb comparable to the Chernobyl nuclear station.
  • The Akademik Lomonosov set sail from the northern White Sea port of Murmansk and was headed for Pevek in the Chukotka region some 4,700 km away.
  • The floating nuclear power station measuring 472 feet in height and 98 feet abeam, and which is being towed by two icebreakers, will call in at its destination port in three weeks and will begin to generate electricity in December.
  • With a combined power of 70 megawatts and 50 gigacalories, the plant has the capacity to provide electricity for a city of almost 100,000 inhabitants.
  • Once it begins operations, the nuclear power plant, which will remain at anchor but attached to port infrastructure on land, will remain active for 40 years.
Government announces major steps to boost MSMEs
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced measures to boost the subdued micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.
  • Sitharaman announced that all pending GST refunds due to MSMEs will be paid within 30 days.
  • All future GST refunds shall be paid within 60 days from the date of application.
  • Public sector banks will issue an improved one-time settlement (OTS) policy based on “check box” approach to benefit MSME borrowers in settling their overdues.
  • The government has also decided to soon shift to a single definition for MSMEs.

August 25, 2019

Imphal Airport to be renamed Bir Tikendrajit International Airport
  • The eighth session of the 11thManipur Legislative Assembly took a major decision to rename the Imphal International Airport as Bir Tikendrajit International Airport. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is also the Leader of the House, moved a resolution and it was supported by Leader of Opposition O Ibobi Singh.
  • The Imphal airport, located about 7 km south of the state capital, is the second largest and second busiest airport in the North East after Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. More than 10 flights operate from Imphal daily.

FACTFILE – Bir Tikendrajit

  • Tikendrajit Singh (29 December 1856 – 13 August 1891) also known as Koireng was a prince of the independent Kingdom of Manipur in present-day northeastern India.
  • He was the commander of the Manipuri army and engineered a palace revolution that led to the events known as the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 or the ‘Manipur Expedition’.
  • Bir Tikendrajit was a prince of the then kingdom of Manipur who was sentenced to death for waging war against the British in 1891.
Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passed away
  • Former Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley passed away on 24th August at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
  • The minister had complained of trouble in breathing, following which he was admitted to the institute.
  • He was being attended by a team of endocrinologist, nephrologist and cardiologist and was kept under observation since then.
  • Jaitley proved to be one of the most important leaders in the Vajpayee and Modi governments. He was the go-to troubleshooter in their cabinets.

 

PM Modi releases Mahatma Gandhi stamps,launches Rupay card in UAE
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi released postage stamps on Mahatma Gandhi to commemorate his 150thbirth anniversary in the presence of Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
  • India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) share values of peace, non-violence and pluralism. The fact that the Gandhi stamp is launched as the UAE celebrates the Year of Tolerance has special significance.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched the RuPay card making the UAE the first country in the Middle East to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment. 
  • Modi launched the RuPay card by making a special purchase which he will offer as ‘prasad’ at the Shreenathji Temple in Bahrain.
  • An MoU to establish a technology interface between the payment platforms in India and UAE was exchanged between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and UAE’s Mercury Payments Services in the presence of the prime minister.

FACTFILE – RuPay

  • RuPay is a card scheme, conceived and launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on 26 March 2012.
  • It was created to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system of payments.
  • RuPay facilitates electronic payment at all Indian banks and financial institutions.
  • NPCI maintains ties with Discover Financial, JCB to enable RuPay card scheme to gain international acceptance.
  • In India, 90% of credit card transactions and almost all debit card transactions are domestic; however, the cost per transaction was low with RuPay compared to the foreign card schemes.
  • RuPay cards are accepted in India, Singapore, Bhutan, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain etc.
  • RuPay cards are accepted at 97% of all PoS terminals in India. RuPay has partnered with 39 PoS-acquiring banks in India to accept their cards at PoS terminals located at different merchant locations.
 

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August 26, 2019

Cachar district selected for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao project
  • Cachar District has been selected by the Central Government as one of the project districts in the State for implementation of the flagship scheme ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'(BBBP) to empower the girl child, said Deputy Commissioner Laya Madduri.
  • DC Madduri said, “Empowerment of girl child has been a challenge as well as an opportunity for us here as well across the state and the country overall. Along with Dhemaji, the inclusion of the district as one of the project destinations on a pilot run gives us the scope to bring in certain vital measures towards the cause. A detailed action plan has been prepared which would be implemented soon.”
  • Elaborating further on this, Madduri said that the campaign would kick off within the next fortnight and the execution would be in two simultaneous broad categories. “We would get support from the Unicef for training the human resources to create district-level resource persons to augment gender sensitization. Also, the formation of Gudda-Guddi board and #Silcharkibeti campaign are in the scheme of things, the Deputy Commissioner maintained.”

FACTFILE – Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao

  • Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao is a campaign of the Government of India that aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls in India.
  • The scheme was launched with an initial funding of ₹100 crore (US$14 million).
  • According to census data in India, the child sex ratio (0–6 years) in India was 931 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.
  • A 2012 UNICEF report ranked India 41stamong 195 countries. In the Population Census of 2011 it was revealed that the population ratio of India 2011 is 919 females per 1000 of males. The Sex Ratio 2011 shows a downward trend from the census 2001 data.
Centre launched 85 people-oriented development schemes in Jammu and Kashmir
  • The Centre launched 85 people-oriented development schemes, like PM-KISAN, PM-KISAN-Pension, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Stand-Up India, in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The government aims to achieve 100 per cent coverage of these schemes, which come under 21 ministries, within one month.
  • A slew of insurances schemes, including the Atal Pension Yojana, has also been introduced in the newly carved Union Territory and the government plans to provide electricity to all the J&K households.
  • Governor Satya Pal Malik said, “As we march to a new and bright future, I want every resident of J&K to benefit from the changes that have been made. I want every eligible individual to be covered by the development programmes being implemented by the Government of India all over the country, including J&K.

 

PV Sindhu becomes First Indian to Win BWF World Championships Gold
  • PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win the BWF World Championships, crushing Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in just 38 minutes in a one-sided final.
  • With the win, Sindhu now has a full set of medals at World Championships – two bronze medals, two silver medals and a gold medal.
  • Sindhu’s gold is the second medal that India won at the Worlds this year with Sai Praneeth winning a bronze in men’s singles category.
  • This is Sindhu’s fifth medal at the World Championships, which is the joint highest in women’s singles in the history of the tournament along with Xhang Ning of China, a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
  • Apart from the two silvers, Sindhu won in the last two editions, she had also won the bronze in 2013 and 2014.

FACTFILE – The BWF World Championships

  • The BWF World Championships, also known as the World Badminton Championships is a badminton tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF).
  • The tournament offers the most ranking points, together with Summer Olympic Games.
  • The winners will be crowned as the “World Champions” and awarded gold medals. However, it does not offer any prize money.
 PM Modi conferred with top Bahraini award
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in recognition of New Delhi”s strong friendship with the Gulf nation and his efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.
  • Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Bahrain.
  • Modi and the Bahraini King reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations.
  • Three MoUs were also inked, in the field of space, culture, the International Solar Alliance and RuPay card.
  • The three MoUs were on: Statement of Intent on collaboration between Indian Space Research Organisation and National Space Science Agency in the area of Space Technology,Statement of Intent on collaboration of the Kingdom of Bahrain with International Solar Alliance (ISA),Cultural Exchange Programme between India and Bahrain.
  • The Prime Minister also spent time at the Shreenathji Krishna temple in Manama, which is being renovated. Modi also interacted with the Indian community at the temple.

August 27, 2019

IIT Guwahati, RD Grow ink MoU on water purification technology
  • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India Pvt Ltd on technology transfer for chemical-free treatment technique of drinking water.
  • The agreement was signed recently at the institute’s North Guwahati campus between Dr TG Sitharam, Director of IIT Guwahati, and Rajeev Saikia, Managing Director of RD Grow Green India Pvt Ltd.
  • “Drinking water contamination is a major problem in most of the States, including Assam. This ‘chemical free’ treatment technique might be useful to the citizens in the rural and urban areas. I appreciate the initiative made by the team from IIT Guwahati that has resulted in one of the successful incubations of a company, RD Grow Green India Pvt Ltd, within IIT Guwahati, which has taken up the challenge to supply contaminant-free drinking water in Assam using the technology,” said Dr Sitharam.
  • The technology is based on the ‘Apparatus and Method for Removal of Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic and Microorganisms from Contaminated Drinking Water’ developed by Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait of the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati. The technology is patented by Prof Purkait under the Indian patent ‘Number: 286481’.
  • Explaining the technology, Prof Purkait said, “In electro coagulation process, an applied potential generates the coagulant species in situ as the sacrificial metal anode (aluminium or iron) dissolves, while hydrogen is simultaneously evolved at the cathode. Coagulant species aggregate the suspended particles or precipitate and adsorb dissolved contaminants.”
  • Tiny bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen that are formed during electrolysis of water collide with air bubbles which compel the pollutant particles to float.

FACTFILE – Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

  • IIT Guwahati is a public institution established by the Government of India, located in Guwahati, in the state of Assam in India.
  • It is the sixth Indian Institute of Technology established in India.
  • IIT Guwahati is officially recognised as an Institute of National Importance by the government of India.
  • The history of IIT Guwahati traces its roots to the 1985 Assam Accord signed between the All Assam Students Union and the Government of India, which mentions the general improvement in education facilities in Assam and specifically the setting up of an IIT.
  • IIT Guwahati was established in 1994 by an act of parliament and its academic programme commenced in 1995.
Sapta Shakti Natural Park opened in Jaipur
  • Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson, GOC-in-C, Sapta Shakti Command, inaugurated the Sapta Shakti Nature Park.
  • On the occasion, an information booklet containing details of plants, migratory birds and evolution & execution of the project was also released by Mareena Mathson, Regional President, Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA).
  • In April the General Mathson noticed a natural wet land near the Dravyavati Sewage Treatment plant teeming with birds including few migratory birds.
  • The idea of developing it into a nature’s park was conceived. Harsh Vardhan, famous ornithologist of Rajasthan, too contributed his expertise and supervised the plan.
  • After three months, there are over 1,500 trees, two ponds, panoramic view point for sunrise and sunset and about 30 different varieties of birds, which form the Nature Park.
  • Besides serving as a source of oxygen, it has attracted large number of migratory birds as well. A complete eco-system has been created.

Punjab launches plantation drive to mark 550th Prakash Parva
  • Punjab has begun a plantation drive of flower trees in Sultanpur Lodhi to mark the 550th Prakash Parva of Guru Nanak Dev in November.
  • Under this project 550 saplings of ”gulmohar” and ”amaltas” will be planted, out of which nearly 300 have already been planted, in the historic Gurudwara Sri Ber Sahib and the banks of the holy Bein river, besides flower beds for providing a picturesque view to millions of devotees likely to converge there.
  • Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda said 1,100 MGNREGA workers have been involved to undertake the plantation of four lakh flowering plants all along the Bein river facing Gurdwara Sri Ber Sahib.
  • Apart from this, flowers of celosia, cristata, French marigold lemon, French marigold, orange Celosia plumosa, gomphrena purple and cosmos bippinatus varieties will be planted in the flower beds spread over nearly four acres on the outskirts of Bassowal village.
  • It has also been decided to write 550 on an elevated soil platform by planting marigold flowers in commemoration of this sacred occasion. All the flowers being planted would blossom during the last week of October till January.

Tamil Nadu government launches Education TV channel
  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said the state government”s 24-hour Education TV channel will broadcast not only programmes that are related to studies but also about skill development as well as suggestions to parents.
  • Palaniswami said a sum of Rs 1.35 crore was spent on procuring modern cameras, drones and technical equipment for the channel.
  • The channel will have experts on different subjects clearing doubts and on tests to take to prepare for competitive exams, among others.

Tiktok, IIMC join hands to train budding media professionals
  • TikTok announced its partnership with Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) to train budding media professionals on the existing industry-wide challenges arising from the evolving social media landscape in India.
  • Under this partnership, TikTok and IIMC would organise a series of workshops with the students and professors of IIMC across its six regional campuses starting on August 26.
  • The workshops would feature a curriculum that incorporates insights and learnings shared by thought leaders from new media, internet-based companies and the educational institutional community.

FACTFILE – Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

  • Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is a public business school located in Joka, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
  • It was the first Indian Institute of Management to be established.
  • IIM Calcutta is the first and only triple accredited management school from India (and one amongst 86 such business schools globally.
  • It offers a two-year full-time MBA, Fellow Program in Management (equivalent to PhD), and Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Management (equivalent to executive MBA).

August 2019 – Monthly PDF | Monthly Quiz eBook

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August 28, 2019

IIT Guwahati, private firm find solution to Assam’s contaminated water
  • The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India Private Ltd, which has made it possible to treat contaminated ground water without using any chemical.
  • Drinking water contamination is a major problem in most states, including Assam. This chemical-free treatment technique might be useful to citizens both in rural and urban areas.
  • The technology is based on the principle Apparatus and Method for Removal of Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic and Micro-organisms from Contaminated Drinking Water.
  • RD Grow Green India is an incubating company at the Technology Incubation Centre in IIT Guwahati and is working on this project for the treatment of contaminated drinking water and industrial effluents.
  • At least 24 districts in Assam currently face the problem of either arsenic or flouride contamination of ground water.
  • In the past announced many schemes to remove arsenic and fluoride contamination but none of them have proved effective.
Microsoft to train Govt techies in India
  • Microsoft India announced the “Digital Governance Tech Tour” programme to skill government IT officials in new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and intelligent cloud computing,
  • Microsoft will organise a series of physical and virtual workshops to train 5,000 government IT personnel over a period of 12 months.
  • The programme was inaugurated during the “Digital Governance Tech Summit 2019” by Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog and Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
  • The “Digital Governance Tech Tour” will be open to technocrats and IT professionals across the entire government ecosystem, including employees of public sector undertakings, government partners as well as solutions/systems integrators.
  • Participants will learn a range of skills, including being able to move, transform and analyze data, design and deployment skills for end-to-end solutions, and monitoring and troubleshooting in the cloud, including a deep dive into the fundamentals of Azure Cloud.

Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, India’s first woman DGP passes away
  • Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, who created history as India’s first women Director General of Police (DGP), has died here after a brief illness.
  • The second woman IPS in the country after Kiran Bedi, Bhattacharya was a 1973 batch officer and created a record when she became the DGP, Uttarakhand in 2004 – the first female police officer in India to attain the position.
  • A native of Amritsar, Bhattacharya was keenly interested in joining the police force and went all out to achieve her ambition.
  • During her tenure as DGP of Uttarakhand, she supported the downtrodden, combated bias against women and implemented the policy of female home guards manning traffic.
  • During her 33-year-long police career, she was awarded the President’s Police Medal in 1997, served with the CISF and represented India at an InterPol meet in Mexico in 2004.

August 2019 – Monthly PDF | Monthly Quiz eBook

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