Assam Current Affairs – October 8-14, 2018

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Current Affairs Assam – October  8-14, 2018

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of October 8-14, 2018 )

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October 8

Assam bags Swachh Survekshan Grameen special award Award
  • Assam bagged a special award for its standout performance in the North East region, in the recently-concluded Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 conducted throughout the country by the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen.
  • The award was presented by Uma Bharti, Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation at an event organised on the occasion of Rashtriya Swachhata Divas held at the PravasiBharatiya Kendra, New Delhi on October 2.
  • SwachhSurvekshanGrameen is a survey conducted for rural cleanliness in order to rank all districts and States on the basis of qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
  • The ranking is based on a comprehensive set of cleanliness parameters, survey of public places, citizens’ perception of ‘swachhata’ (cleanliness) and their recommendations for the improvement of the programme, and data from the Swachh Bharat Mission in rural areas.
  • Assam has initiated a number of innovative ideas which have contributed to the mission’s success. Some of the notable milestones of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Assam have been the Cleanest Village Award, Daan Toilet, and Mission Sambhav which covered 33 districts, reaching out to one lakh families, and which initiated the construction of 1,12,748 toilets on a single day, out of which 994 were donated.

FACTFILE – Swachh Sarvekshan Grameen-2018

  • The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) has commissioned “Swachh Sarvekshan Grameen-2018” (SSG, 2018) to develop ranking of all districts of India on the basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation parameters.
  • This ranking will be based on a comprehensive set of parameters including district-level surveys of public places like schools, Anganwadis, PHCs, Haat bazaars, Panchayat and citizen’s perception of Swachhata and their recommendations for improvement of the program and data from the SBM-G IMIS.

Top States & Districts

  • Top 3 States-1) Haryana, 2) Gujarat 3) Maharashtra
  • Top 3 Districts 1) Satara, Maharashtra 2) Rewari, Haryana 3) Pedapalli, Telangana
India-Japan maritime exercise commences at Visakhapatnam
  • The 3rd edition of Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) commenced at Visakhapatnam on 7th October following the arrival of Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) ships Kaga and Inazuma in the Andhra Pradesh port city.
  • The exercise to be held till October 15 aims to “enhance interoperability, improve understanding and imbibe the best practices” followed by the two forces.
  • The Indian Navy is represented by three indigenously designed and built warships and a fleet tanker.
  • The ships are multipurpose stealth frigate INS Satpura, anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kadmatt, missile corvette and fleet tanker INS Shakti.
  • In addition, one submarine, one P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft and a number of integral helicopters will also participate.
  • The Indian ships will operate under the command of Rear Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet.
  • The drill will include a ‘harbour phase’ and a ‘sea phase’ of four days each. The harbour phase of the exercise scheduled from October 7 to October 10, will include professional and social interactions between ships’ crews, sports fixtures and operational planning for the sea phase. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in December 2013 off Chennai coast. The JMSDF is a regular participant in the Malabar series of exercises between Indian and US navies.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 85th anniversary on October 8
  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 85th anniversary on, October 8. The celebrations were marked by a stellar show in the skies by various aircraft at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad.
  • The air display commenced at 8 AM with flag bearing skydivers of famous AKASH GANGA Team dropping out of AN-32 aircraft in their colourful canopies.
  • Indian Air Force was officially established on October 8, 1932 with a mission to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict.

FACTFILE – Indian Air Force

  • The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks fourth amongst the airforces of the world.
  • Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict.
  • It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honored India’s aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal.
  • After India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of Dominion of India.
  • The enactment of the Indian Air Force Act 1932 stipulated out their auxiliary status and enforced the adoption of the Royal Air Force uniforms, badges, brevets and insignia.
Women achievers meet at UN Forum in Bengaluru
  • Over a dozen women achievers from different walks of life participated in a day-long festival at a UN Forum. The event brought together a diverse group of exemplary women from all walks of life on a platform for social media site Facebook and UN Women forum.
  • Created and curated by veteran journalist Barkha Dutta for ‘We The Women’ forum, the fest themed on #openingdoors and #breakingbarriers was marked by dialogues on issues such as the fight for women against the religious orthodoxy whether in ending Triple Talaq or demanding the right to enter Sabarimala.
  • Issues like the battle by Bohri women to end female genital cutting; the new currents and shifts in popular culture and cinema; challenges and struggles of trans-women; life after the end of Section 377 and trials and achievements of women in uniform were also brain-stormed.
  • The festival also honoured men and women who showed excellence in their areas, taking risks, battling the odds and coming their way to success.

October 9

Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited launches Methanol Cooking Stove project
  • The State-run Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APL), Namrup has launched Asia’s first canister-based green and clean fuel pilot project of ‘Methanol Cooking Stove’. The pilot project was launched under the aegis of NITI Aayog and the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Assam.
  • The project was inaugurated by Dr VK Saraswat, member of NITI Aayog and Chairman, Methanol Apex Committee at the Assam Petro Chemicals campus in the presence of Dibrugarh MP RameswarTeli, Deputy Commissioner LayaMadduri and other State Government representatives.
  • Prasanth Guru Srinivas, Core Committee Member, Methanol and Founder Director, Catalytic Think Tank Forum also attended the programme.
  • The safe handling canister-based cooking stoves are from Swedish technology and through a technology transfer a largescale cooking stove manufacturing plant will come up in India in the next 18 months.
  • The cooking medium can directly substitute LPG, kerosene, wood, charcoal and any other fuel for cooking.

FACTFILE – Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited

  • APL was conceived for productive utilization of natural gas, which was being flared up in the Upper Assam oil fields.
  • It also aims to meet the requirement of increasing national demand for Methanol and Formalin.
  • Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited has been manufacturing methanol since the last 30 years and is in the process of upgrading its 100 TPD methanol plant to 600 TPD by December 2019.
  • The company was set up by the State Government of Assam with joint participation of Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (AIDC) and the public.
  • Incorporated in 1971, the company was a pioneer in the field as it was the first to manufacture petrochemicals in India using natural gas as feedstock. Commercial production began in 1976.
  • To augment its capacities to meet increasing demand for its products, a bigger Methanol plant with 100TPD capacity was commissioned in 1989 with technology supplied by ICI, UK and a 100 TPD Formaldehyde Plant in 1998 with technology from Derivados Forestales of Nederland.
  • This is the first company in the North Eastern region to have a public issue, it is listed in The Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd and The Guwahati Stock Exchange.
Dibrugarh Railway Workshop becomes fully solar powered
  • The Dibrugarh workshop has become the first Railway workshop of the northeastern region to run fully on solar power.
  • A one megawatt (MW) peak solar power plant was commissioned in the workshop after which it become fully independent of any form of conventional energy.
  • So far, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has already installed 2.3 MW of solar energy across various Railway stations, office buildings and even level crossing gates.
  • Last year, Guwahati Railway Station was made fully solar powered by commissioning a 700 kilowatt peak solar plant with financial support provided by the Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR).
  • The plant at Dibrugarh workshop, set up at a cost of Rs 8 crore, consists of as many as 3,000 solar panels, all of which have been fixed on the roof of the workshop without consuming any additional space.
  • The total electricity saving on account of the solar plant will be Rs 2.7 lakh per month.
India, Tajikistan to cooperate on connectivity, counter-terror
  • India and Tajikistan agreed to work together to boost connectivity and join hands in the fight against terror as they signed eight pacts in various sectors after a meeting between Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon on 8th
  • India and Tajikistan can promote the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and other connectivity initiatives such as the development of Chabahar port and the Ashgabat Agreement for smooth transport of goods.
  • India, Iran and Afghanistan are jointly developing the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran which will be a key link in the INSTC.
  • Earlier this year, India joined the Ashgabat Agreement which seeks to establish an international transport and transit corridor between Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
  • Kovind and Rahmon emphasised the strong support to development of the International North-South Transport Corridor which will considerably reduce time and cost of transport of merchandise among India, Central Asia, Caucasus and CIS countries

FACTFILE – International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)

  • The INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes to move freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
  • The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road.
  • The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali, etc.
  • This will also synchronize with the Ashgabat agreement, a Multimodal transport agreement signed by India, Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
Coal India, NLCIL Ltd sign MoU for stepping up solar power generation
  • Coal India Limited (CIL) and NLC India Limited (NLCIL), formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited, on 8th October signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for formation of a joint venture (JV) company for solar power generation of 3,000 MW and thermal power projects of 2,000 MW capacity.
  • CIL is tasked to become a net zero energy company by Ministry of Coal, a move which entails the company to generate 3,000 MW of solar power.
  • The MoU, also extends for 2,000MW of thermal power generation across CIL’s subsidiaries. Solar power projects will be set up in the identified barren and reclaimed free land of the coal miner and also across the country where land is available, requiring around 15,000 acres.
  • The estimated cost for CIL’s solar power generation is pegged at Rs 12,000 crore.
  • The JV company to come up on equal equity participation of 50:50 has a time line of 15 months for completion of solar power projects and 60-month period for TPPs.
  • The projects will be financed through debt equity ratio of 70:30 as per the CERC norms. A concept paper has been initiated by both the companies to get clearance from their respective boards.
  • The miner’s Director (Technical) Binay Dayal signed the MoU on behalf of CIL while N.N. Maheswar Rao, Director, Technical (Projects & Planning) inked the pact on behalf of NLCIL in the presence of miner’s Chairman Anil Kumar Jha, and Rakesh Kumar Chairman, NLCIL.
China launches new Remote Sensing Satellites
  • Two remote sensing satellites that will be used for electromagnetic environment surveys were successfully launched on 9th October from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.
  • The satellites, both belonging to the Yaogan-32 family, were launched by a Long March-2C rocket with an upper stage on its top, at 10.43 a.m.
  • The satellites have entered the planned orbits. This was the first flight of the upper stage named Yuanzheng-1S, or Expedition-1S.
  • It cooperated well with the Long March-2C rocket and much improved the carrying capacity of the rocket, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
  • This launch was the 286th mission of the Long March rocket series.

FACTFILE – Long March rocket series

  • A Long March rocket or Changzheng rocket in Chinese pinyin is any rocket in a family of expendable launch systems operated by the People’s Republic of China.
  • Development and design falls under the auspices of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
  • The rockets are named after the Long March of Chinese communist history.
  • China used the Long March 1 rocket to launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, into Low Earth orbit on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth nation to achieve independent launch capability.
  • The Long March 1 was quickly replaced by the Long March 2 family of launchers.
  • The Shenzhou spacecraft and Chang’e lunar orbiters are also launched on the Long March rocket.
  • The maximum payload for LEO is 12,000 kilograms (CZ-3B), the maximum payload for GTO is 5,500 kg.
  • The next generation rocket – Long March 5 variants will offer more payload in the future.
  • The new generation of Long March rocket family, Long March 5, and its derivations Long March 6, Long March 7 will use LOX and kerosene as core stage and liquid booster propellant, with LOX and LH2 in upper stages.
  • Long March 11 is a solid-fuel rocket.

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