Thursday 31 December 2020
GK Update of thirty first December 2020 protecting the next information headlines: Akash Missile System, Pollinator park, SAHAYAK-NG, GAVI, TiHAN, Eminent Engineer Award.
National News
1. Cabinet approves export of indigenously-developed Akash Missile System
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has authorised the proposal to export indigenously-developed Akash Missile System.
- The Cabinet has additionally authorised to arrange of a committee for sooner approvals of exports. The export model of Akash shall be totally different from System at the moment deployed with Indian Armed Forces.
- Akash is a short-range Surface to Air Missile with a variety of 25 Kms to guard weak areas and weak factors from air assaults. It was inducted in IAF in 2014 and within the Indian Army in 2015.
State News
2. India’s first pollinator park opens in Uttarakhand
- The nation’s first pollinator park with over 40 species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and bugs has been developed over 4 acres at Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
- The goal behind growing the park is to preserve varied pollinator species, create consciousness amongst folks on the whole in regards to the significance of conservation of those species and to advertise additional analysis on varied features of pollination, together with a risk to habitat and affect of air pollution on pollinators.
- There are at current 40 species of pollinators on the park, together with widespread jezebel, widespread emigrant, purple pierrot, widespread sailor, plain tiger, the widespread leopard, the widespread moron, widespread grass yellow, widespread blue bottle, widespread four-ring, peacock pansy, the painted girl, pioneer white, yellow-orange tip and lime butterfly.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat.
- Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya.
Defence News
3. Navy, DRDO conduct a maiden trial of air-dropped container ‘SAHAYAK-NG’
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) together with the Indian Navy performed the profitable maiden check trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD plane (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa.
- The trial was performed by the Indian Navy to reinforce its operational logistics capabilities and supply essential engineering shops to ships which are deployed greater than 2000 kilometres from the coast.
- SAHAYAK-NG is a sophisticated model of SAHAYAK Mk I.
- The newly developed GPS aided air dropped container is having the aptitude to hold a payload that weighs as much as 50 kilograms and might be dropped from heavy plane.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- DRDO Chairman: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.
- DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi.
- DRDO Established: 1958.
Appointments News
4. Harsh Vardhan nominated to the Board of ‘GAVI’, The Vaccine Alliance
- Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has been nominated because the board member of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).
- The seat is at the moment held by Myint Htwe of Myanmar. Dr Vardhan will symbolize the South East Area Regional Office (SEARO)/ Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) constituency on the GAVI Board.
- Dr Vardhan will assume the cost with impact from January 1, 2021, and serve until December 31, 2023.
- The vaccine alliance GAVI is a world organisation, that gives a discussion board for balanced strategic decision-making, innovation and companion collaboration.
- It was created to enhance entry to new and underused vaccines for quite a few vaccine-preventable ailments for youngsters who reside on the earth’s poorest nations.
- The GAVI board is chargeable for the strategic course and policy-making oversees the operations of the Vaccine Alliance and displays programme implementation.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- GAVI Headquarters location: Geneva, Switzerland.
- GAVI Founded: January 2000.
Science and Technology News
5. India’s 1st Testbed TiHAN launched at IIT Hyderabad
- Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has just about laid the inspiration stone of “TiHAN-IIT Hyderabad”, India’s first Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial) at IIT Hyderabad.
- The Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Systems (TiHAN) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles at IIT Hyderabad.
- The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has sanctioned Rs. 135 crores to IIT Hyderabad beneath the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to arrange a Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Director of IIT-Hyderabad: Budaraju Srinivasa Murty.
Awards News
6. V.K. Yadav chairman of railway board conferred with Eminent Engineer Award
- The chairman & CEO of Railway Board, Vinod Kumar Yadav has been conferred with the distinguished “Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2020’.
- This award is given by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for his excellent contribution in the direction of modernization and reforms over Indian Railways.
- Every yr Institution of Engineering and Technology, Delhi Local Network celebrates Engineers’ Day on the fifteenth of September to commemorate the beginning anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya.
- On this event, apart from technical actions, the Institution additionally presents the Eminent Engineer’s Award to distinguished Engineering personalities for his or her excellent companies within the subject of Engineering and expertise.
7. Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice 2020
- Harmony Foundation hosted the Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice. The Awards in its sixteenth yr is the one award endorsed by Sister Prema, the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, the group began by Mother Teresa.
- The theme for this yr’s awards was, ‘Celebrating Compassion In Times Of Covid ‘.
- Dr Anthony Fauci (USA) is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA. He and his job drive had been among the many first ones to appreciate the seriousness of this pandemic.
- Father Fabio Stevenazzi (Milan, Italy), determined to return to medical apply with the intention to assist these contaminated with COVID 19 has thrust him to be the modern-day instance of St Charles Borromeo who in 1576 in the course of the Great Plague that hit town of Milan and lower the inhabitants by half, stayed behind to nurse the sick and renovate hospitals.
- Dr Pradeep Kumar (Chennai) took it upon himself to provide a befitting burial to his colleague with the assistance of two ward boys, at a cemetery within the metropolis in the midst of the evening.
- IPS Sanjay Pandey (DG Home Guards, Maharashtra) went past the decision of obligation as a police officer to open the primary reduction camp within the Mumbai metropolis suburbs for migrant employees whose livelihood had been disrupted by the lockdown to comprise the pandemic.
- Vikas Khanna (Manhattan, USA) coronary heart nonetheless strikes to serve the lonely and underprivileged right here in India.
- KK Shailaja (Minister of Health, Kerala), her extraordinary efforts and pro-activeness in coping with the pandemic by following consultants and scientific recommendation helped numerous Keralites survive the terrors of this pandemic, serving for instance for governments of different states nations to observe.
8. Pt Satish Vyas conferred Tansen Samman on the World Music Festival
- In Madhya Pradesh, 96th Tansen Music Festival started in Gwalior with strict COVID-19 pointers in place. In the inaugural ceremony famend santoor participant, Pandit Satish Vyas was conferred upon the distinguished Tansen Samman.
- Bhopal-based establishment Abhinav Kala Parishad was honoured with Raja Mansingh Tomar award. The competition pays tribute to Tansen, one in all 9 gems in Akbar’s courtroom.
Obituaries News
9. Veteran broadcaster Indira Joseph Venniyoor passes away
- Veteran broadcaster, Indira Joseph Venniyoor handed away. She was a famend broadcaster, All India Radio veteran & first English information announcer of Travancore Radio when its English service started in 1949.
- She was the spouse of well-known literary scholar & artwork critic the late E.M.J. Venniyoor.
Miscellaneous News
10. Indian Railways’ new Vistadome coach efficiently completes 180 kmph pace trial
- Indian Railways efficiently accomplished the 180 km per hour pace trial of its new design Vistadome vacationer coaches.
- These Vistadome coaches will make practice journeys memorable for the passengers, in addition to give an additional enhance to tourism.
- The luxurious vacationer’s coaches have been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
- The European-style coaches are made with see-through glass rooftops and huge home windows for the indulgent sightseeing expertise.
- Currently, 13 Vistadome coaches are being operated on choose routes together with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway line, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Kalka-Shimla Railway, Kangra Valley Railway, Matheran Hill Railway, between Dadar in Mumbai and Madgoan in Araku Valley in addition to within the Kashmir Valley.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Indian Railway Founded: 16 April 1853.
- Indian Railway Headquarters: New Delhi.
- Union Minister of Indian Railways: Piyush Goyal.
11. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates India’s highest meteorological centre at Leh
- Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the meteorological centre (MC) of the India Meteorological Department at Leh in Ladakh by way of video conferencing.
- The centre would offer localised climate forecasts within the area, which might end in strengthening the weather-related early warning system for the area.
- The meteorological centre at Leh is the second MC positioned within the Himalayas. The first such facility is predicated in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
- The facility is positioned at a peak of 3,500 metres, which makes it the best meteorological centre in India.
- This new MC will present short-range (three days,) medium-range (12 days) and long-range (one month) forecast for Leh and Kargil districts of the Union Territory.
Important takeaways for all aggressive exams:
- Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh: Radha Krishna Mathur.