Assam Current Affairs – May 2018
( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the month of May 2018 )
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May 11
Sixth US-India aviation summit held in Mumbai, Maharastra
Sixth US-India aviation summit held in Mumbai, Maharastra . The summit was formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu.
It was hosted in collaboration with the U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program and the Government of India, US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
The Summit promoted a high-level dialogue on bilateral aviation issues and will provide a forum to identify solutions that support the rapid growth of India’s aviation sector.
The Summit would assist Indian civil aviation agencies and aviation industry representatives to identify advanced US technologies and practices that can support their expansion and modernization efforts.
It also included sessions on India’s projected aviation growth in next five years, aviation security, aviation and runway safety, regional connectivity etc.
May 11 observed as National Technology day
Every year National Technology day is observed in India on 11 May to commemorate the anniversary of Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998. This year the National Technology Day is marked as “Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth”.
The Hon’ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has felicitated National Technology award to the scientist for their contributions to science & technology at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Background of National Technology day
On 11May 1998, India successfully test-fired nuclear missile Shakti-I at the Pokhran Test Range of Indian Army in Rajasthan. The operation was administered by late president and aerospace engineer Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Overall, five nuclear tests were conducted with the detonation of two fission bombs and one fusion bomb on May 11 and two additional fission bombs on May 13.
The first, indigenous aircraft “Hansa-3” was test flown from Bangalore on this day and India also performed successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day.
Considering the technological advancements,11th May was chosen to be celebrated as National Technology Day every year. Technology Day is celebrated as a symbol of quest for scientific inquiry, technological creativity and the translation of that quest in the integration of Science, Society and Industry.
Bangladesh’s first communication satellite to be launched by SpaceX ‘Falcon 9 ‘
SpaceX launched its newest and most powerful Falcon 9 rocket, known as the Block 5, carrying the first high-orbit communications satellite for Bangladesh. The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Key Facts
(i) The satellite was built by Thales Alenia Space of Cannes, France
(ii) It is named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Bangladesh.
(iii) It will provide broadband connectivity to rural areas in Bangladesh.
(iv) It will also provide video and communications coverage over Bangladesh and its territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
India Ranks 6th in the Business Optimism Index
India was ranked 6th on Global Optimism Index released as part of Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) in the first quarter of 2018. The report was prepared based on the results of a survey of 2,500 businesses in 37 economies.
India had topped the chart for four years. The business sentiment in India has been the weakest since 2014 in the first quarter, the advisory firm said the confidence has been shaken since the third quarter of 2017 with weakening currency and a surge in oil prices.
Indian businesses have been citing regulations and red tape, availability of skilled workforce, lack of ICT infrastructure and shortage of finance as the biggest growth constraints.
The top five nations in the report are Austria, Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the US.
May 12
May 12 is celebrated as International Nurses Day (IND)
Every year International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated all around the world on 12th of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has chosen the theme “Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right” for IND 2018.
Background of International Nurses Day
(i) In 1953 International Nurse Day was proposed by Dorothy Sutherland, (an from U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare) and was first proclaim by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was first celebrated by ICN in the year1965.
(ii) The day is celebrated on 12 May as this is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
(iii) Florence Nightingale’s, was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.
(iv) She gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of “The Lady with the Lamp” making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.
Indian Tea Industry Records Highest Ever Production, Export in FY18
According to tea board of India Indian tea industry recorded the highest ever production of 1,325.05 million kg as well as export of 256.57 million kg during financial year 2017-18.
FACTFILE: India’s Tea Production
(i) The total tea production was 1325.05 million kgs, an increase of 74.56 million kgs as compared to 2016-17.
(ii) Similarly, the total quantity of tea exported during the financial year 2017-18 stood at 256.57 million kgs, while the foreign exchange realized from exports of Indian tea was $ 785.92 million.
(iii) The growth in exports was majorly driven by the following countries: Egypt (increased by 7.49 million kgs), Iran (increased by 6.95 million kgs), Pakistan (increased by 4.96 million kgs), China (increased by 2.91 million kgs) and Russia (increased by 2.89 million kgs).
(iv) In rupee terms, the total value of the exports was pegged at Rs 5,064.88 crore during 2017-18.
(v) The earlier record for the highest quantity of tea exports was during 1976-77 when the total quantity exported was 242.42 million kg.
World second oldest rock discovered in Odisha
Scientists have discovered world’s second oldest grain of magnetic zircon ( a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes ) from champuna from Singhbhum rock sample in Odisha’s Kendujhar district.
Geologists from the University of Calcutta and Curtin University, Malaysia, along with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing discovered it .
Key Facts
(i) The rock is an estimated 4, 240 million years old, making it world’s second oldest rock ever to be discovered. It is oldest magnetic zircon on earth.
(ii) The analyses confirmed the presence of two zircon grains that were 4,240 million and 4,030 million years old. The only instance of zircon older than this discovery was the one found in Jack Hill, Western Australia, which was 4,400 million years old and is the oldest known rock sample.
(iii) This rock sample recovered nearly eight years ago from Champua in Odisha’s Kendujhar district has put India at the forefront of geological research in the world.
Walmart buys Flipkart in World’s biggest E-Commerce Deal
US retail giant Walmart to buy 77% stake in India’s largest e-commerce startup Flipkart for $16 billion. This acquisition will be the largest e-commerce deal in the world, till date.
The deal that will pitch the world’s largest retailer in direct competition with its U.S. rival Amazon.com in a battle for dominance of India’s online marketplace.
It will also be the biggest ever acquisition in India by a foreign firm surpassing the about $13 billion Vodafone spent in 2007 for buying Hutchison’s Indian business.
Control of Flipkart will provide the Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart access to Flipkart’s network of 1 lakh sellers who retail 80 million products across 80 categories – from mobile phones to apparel and books – to 54 million active customers.
FACTFILE – Flipkart
- Flipkart Pvt Ltd. is an Indian electronic commerce company based in Bengaluru, India.
- Founded by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal in 2007, the company initially focused on book sales, before expanding into other product categories such as consumer electronics, fashion, and lifestyle products.
- The service competes primarily with Amazon’s Indian subsidiary, and the domestic rival Snapdeal.
- As of 2017, Flipkart held a 39.5% market share of India’s e-commerce industry.
- Flipkart is significantly dominant in the sale of apparel (a position that was bolstered by its acquisitions of Myntra and Jabong.com), and was described as being “neck and neck” with Amazon in the sale of electronics and mobile phones.
- Flipkart also owns PhonePe, a mobile payments service based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
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