Current Affairs Assam – December 2017 eMagazine
December 13
ASTC signs agreement with Mercedes Benz
Bus commuters in Assam are in for an all new experience soon. The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) signed an agreement with Mercedes Benz for operating around 175 buses manufactured by the German company in the State under a PPP model.
The buses will be operated under a 90:10 profit model to be shared between the company and ASTC.
India’s first Electronic Manufacturing Cluster to be set up in Andhra Pradesh
The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) has announced to launch India’s first Electronic Manufacturing Cluster in Andhra Pradesh.
The cluster will be designed and developed to provide facilities for manufacturing mobiles and allied products.
For this purpose, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Sri VenkateswaraMobiles and Manufacturing Hub Private Limited was set up in 2015.
Bihar Government launches Safe City Surveillance Scheme
With an aim to control crime against women, the Government of Bihar has launched Safe City Surveillance Scheme.
Under the scheme, all the major public places will be monitored under the close circuit television (CCTV) cameras. These cameras will be connected to the control room and monitored by the police round the clock.
December 14
Govt extends deadline on Aadhaar
The union government extended by three months till March 31, 2018 the deadline for mandatory quoting of Aadhaar and PAN for all bank accounts and certain financial transactions.The government had made quoting of the 12-digit biometric identifier Aadhaar mandatory for old and new bank accounts as well as for any financial transaction of Rs 50,000 and above. The previous deadline was December 31, 2017.
The decision to extend the deadline was taken after various representations as well as inputs received from banks.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that it is willing to extend till March 31 the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemes. Last week, the deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar too was extended by three months to March 31, 2018.
FACTFILE – UIDAI
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016.
- The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (termed as Aadhaar) to all the residents of India. The implementation of UID scheme entails generation and assignment of UID to residents; defining mechanisms and processes for interlinking UID with partner databases; operation and management of all stages of UID life cycle; framing policies and procedures for updation mechanism and defining usage and applicability of UID for delivery of various services among others.
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was initially set up by the Government of India in January 2009, as an attached office under aegis of Planning Commission vide its a gazette notification. As per the notification, the UIDAI was given the responsibility to lay down plan and policies to implement UID scheme, to own and operate the UID database and be responsible for its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis.
- The UIDAI data center is located at Industrial Model Township (IMT), Manesar
Point2Remember – CEO of UIDAI is Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey
No tunnel to divert Brahmaputra water: China
China denied any plans to construct a tunnel to divert Brahmaputra river waters amid reports of highly polluted waters from its main stem Siang flowing into India.
In October, China had denied reports of plans to build a 1,000-km-long tunnel to divert Brahmaputra waters to the arid regions of Xinjiang.
The Brahmaputra originates in Tibet where it is called Yarlung Tsangpo and is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh before it enters Assam and flows southwards to the sea through Bangladesh.
India to host 2023 Cricket World Cup
India will host the One Day International Cricket World Cup in 2023.
This will be for the first time India alone would host an ODI World Cup. Earlier it has co-hosted ODI World Cup on three occasions- in 1987, 1996 and 2011.
The 2019 Cricket World Cup (officially ICC Cricket World Cup 2019) is the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales, from 30 May to 14 July 2019.
December 15
Govt yet to approach ISRO for study of Brahmaputra turbidity causes
Neither the Assam government nor the Union government has made any request to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) or its north-eastern wing, the North East Space Application Centre (NESAC), so far to determine, with the help of high resolution satellite imagery, the cause of Siang or Brahmaputra water turning abnormally turbid. In the absence of such a bid on the part of the governments, ISRO and NESAC are facing problems in conducting a study of the situation with the help of satellite imagery, which may even be required to be procured from satellites owned and operated by other countries.
This is despite the fact that for the greater interest of the country, such an initiative is considered essential by conscious circles as the water quality of the Siang and the Brahmaputra is of paramount importance for the people in this part of the country. Leaving the people at the mercy of those who are fond of guess work on such an issue of overriding importance cannot be described as an astute step on the part of the authorities concerned, opined several conscious people.
FACTFILE –ISRO
- It is the space agency of the Government of India
- Headquartered in the city of Bangalore.
- Formed in 1969, ISRO superseded the erstwhile Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) established in 1962 by the efforts of independent India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his close aide and scientist Vikram Sarabhai.
- It is managed by the Department of Space, which reports to the Prime Minister of India.
- ISRO built India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975.
- In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3.
- ISRO subsequently developed two other rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for launching satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits.
- In January 2014, ISRO successfully used an indigenous cryogenic engine in a GSLV-D5 launch of the GSAT-14.
- ISRO sent one lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, on 22 October 2008 one Mars orbiter, Mars Orbiter Mission, which successfully entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014, making India the first nation to succeed on its first attempt, and ISRO the fourth space agency in the world as well as the first space agency in Asia to successfully reach Mars orbit.
- On 15 February 2017, ISRO launched 104 satellites in a single rocket (PSLV-C37) and created a world record.
- ISRO launched its heaviest rocket, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV-Mk III), on 5 June 2017 and placed a communications satellite GSAT-19 in orbit. With this launch, ISRO became capable of launching 4 ton heavy satellites.
Assam’s Birendra Prasad Baishya elected as IOA president
International Hockey Federation (FIH) chief Narinder Batra was elected as president of the Indian Olympic Association for a four-year term by an overwhelming majority in the polls held at its Annual General Meeting here. The 60-year-old Batra secured 142 votes while his rival Anil Khanna got 13 in the two-way contest.
His election to the top post was rendered a formality after Khanna, a former All India Tennis Association president, withdrew from the contest in a surprised move. But there was an election for the president’s post as Khanna sent the withdrawal letter to the IOA-appointed Election Commission after the stipulated deadline of December 3.
Incumbent Secretary General Rajeev Mehta was re-elected for his second term without any contest as he was the lone candidate for the post.
NITI Ayog launches ATL Community Day
National Institute of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog’ Atal Innovation Mission has launched Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) day in New Delhi.
The day aims to provide 25 young mentors to more than 200 students who are not enrolled in the formal education sector.
