NATIONAL NEWS

Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia Inaugurated the UDAN Flight Service

Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia virtually inaugurated a UDAN flight connecting Dehradun and Pithoragarh from New Delhi. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami also joined the event from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

The flight connecting the two cities is to be operated by “Fly Big” under the RCS UDAN Scheme.

Pithoragarh Airport has been developed under the UDAN-RCS scheme, with a cost of Rs 6.68 Crore into a 2B VFR Airport.

The RCS flight between Dehradun and Pithoragarh was awarded under UDAN 4.2.

Fly Big will be operating a 19-seater Twinotter DHC6-400 aircraft for ferrying the passengers.

BHU is Creating North India's First Human DNA Bank

North India's first human DNA bank is being set up at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

The Automated DNA Extractor Machine has been installed in the Gnyaneshwar Lab of the Zoology Department of BHU on January 30 2024.

These machines are completely indigenous to Make in India. It has been made in such a way that the minimum plastic is used in it, so that there is no harm to the environment.

With this machine, DNA can be extracted from any biological material, like blood, saliva, hair or tissue.

With its help, DNA can be separated from about 32 samples at one time in 30 minutes.

A three-day conference on Personalised Medicine was organised by the Department of Zoology of BHU and Adnet Society, Hyderabad, in March 2023.     

Shri Nitin Gadkari Has Inaugurated Nine Highways in Madhya Pradesh

Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 9 National Highway projects costing Rs 2,367 crore and total length of 225 km in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Among the projects inaugurated, a 1.5 km long bridge has been constructed on Jamni river on Tikamgarh-Jhansi road at a cost of Rs 43 crore.

This will make it easier to reach Orchha, the tourist destination of Rajaram's temple.

Construction of a road with 2-lane paved shoulder from Chandia Ghat to Katni Bypass will bring a qualitative change in connectivity to the coal mines of Katni.

This will benefit the coal mining industry.

Widening of Bamitha-Khajuraho road will strengthen tourism in Khajuraho. Besides, the social and economic condition of this area will also improve.

Odisha Cabinet Approves New Scheme LABHA For Tribals

Odisha Cabinet approved a new scheme for the development of the tribals of Odisha-LABHA (Laghu bana jatya drabya kraya).

LABHA Yojana is a 100% state-funded MSP for MFP scheme (minimum support price for minor forest produce).

The minimum support price will be determined every year by the state government.

Under the scheme, a primary collector (tribal) will be able to sell the minor forest produce at Minimum Support Price collected at the procurement centres by TDCCOL.

Since 99% of primary collectors are tribals and majority of them are women, LABHA Yojana will integrate the efforts with the Mission Shakti’is Women SHGs.

These procurement centres will be managed by SHGs /any other notified agencies.

Upon collection, the amount will be transferred as DBT to the beneficiary account and the SHG /any other agency will recieve Commission (2%) as well.

The procurement automation system will capture the total collection of MFP and the details of the primary collector and the procurement point.

For further sale, TDCCOL will do e- tendering and explore value addition and processing units.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Qatar and US Sign Deal to Supply LNG to Bangladesh

QatarEnergy and US-based Excelerate Energy signed an agreement on Monday to supply 1 million metric tonnes per year (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh for 15 years from January 2026.

The deal is the latest in a series state-owned QatarEnergy has with European and Asian partners tied to its massive North Field expansion project, which is expected to lift Qatar's LNG production to 126 mtpa by 2027 from 77 mtpa now.

Qatar, among the world's top LNG exporters, is already the largest supplier of LNG to Bangladesh.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

TI Corruption Perception Index 2023

Transparency International (TI) released the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023 on January 30, 2024.

India slipped 8 places to 93rd in CPI, as India's rank in 2022 was 85th.

This index has been prepared on the basis of the perceptions of experts and business people.

According to this, 180 countries and territories are ranked, taking into account the perceived levels of public sector corruption.

A scale of 0 to 100 is used for this ranking. Where 0 indicates extremely corrupt and 100 indicates very honest.

According to this report, Denmark is the first place where corruption is most prevalent, whereas countries like New Zealand (3) and Singapore (5) have higher scores and less corruption.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Republic Day Parade of 2024

The tableau of the Ministry of Culture has secured the first prize at the Republic Day Parade 2024.

The tableau, a stunning blend of tradition and innovation, captivated audience s with its masterful use of the anamorphic technique alongside a rich display of Bharat's cultural heritage - often hailed as the mother of democracy.

The Ministry added that this victory is not just recognition of the creativity but a testament to the richness of Bharat's cultural legacy.

Odisha was awarded the Best Tableau Award during the 75th Republic Day Parade 2024.

On this occasion, Odisha had showcased women's empowerment as well as the rich handicrafts and handloom sector of the state in its tableau.

Gujarat's tableau showcasing Dhordo tourist village, has won the first position in the popular choice category.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Anil Kumar Lohati Appointed as New TRAI chairman

Former Railway Board chief Anil Kumar Lahoti has been appointed Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Before this, the tenure of former TRAI Chairman PD Vaghela had ended. After PD Vaghela, this post was vacant for about 4 months.

Lahoti will serve as Chairman of TRAI for the next three years from the date of assuming charge.

TRAI's objective is to create a clean and transparent environment so that there can be fair and healthy competition among companies.

TRAI's mission is to create and improve favorable conditions for the development of telecommunications in the country.

Four Full-Time Members Appointed to 16th Finance Commission

The Government of India has appointed four members to the 16th Finance Commission, which will have tenure of five years.

A.N. Jha, former expenditure secretary and member of the 15th Finance Commission

Annie George Mathew, special secretary of the department of expenditure

The State Bank of India's Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic advisor

Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, Executive Director of Artha Global.

The Sixteenth Finance Commission is headed by Arvind Panagariya, who was earlier vice chairperson of NITI Aayog.

The commission will define the distribution of the Centre’s tax revenue to states for the next five years, starting in FY2027.

The Finance Commission's report must be submitted by October 31, 2025 and cover a five-year period from April 1, 2026.

 

DEFENCE

SARVATRA: A Multispan Mobile Bridging System

SARVATRA, a Multispan Mobile Bridging System designed and developed by Armament and Combat Engineering Systems (ACE) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Ministry of Defence.

SARVATRA assists the Army in constructing bridges over flowing water, ensuring robust connectivity between two areas during natural disasters.

The truck-mounted bridge is composed of five aluminum alloy scissor bridges that are mounted on a separate moving platform.

Each scissor bridge spans approximately 15 metres and together, they can tackle bridge-related obstacles up to a distance of 75 metres.

This moving bridge is a one-step solution for multiple challenges faced by the Indian Defence Force and can be developed within 100 minutes.

The moving bridge has proven its effectiveness by ensuring connectivity during several natural calamities, such as earthquakes, floods and others.

Each scissor is mounted on Tatra 815 trucks, developed by the Czech company Tatra and is operationalised using a microprocessor-based control system.

The bridges can be launched and recovered from both ends and their height can be adjusted from 2.5 meters to 6 metres with the help of telescopic legs.

The adjustable legs of SARVATRA help in reducing the visibility of the bridge.