March-10-2015

>> North-East India’s first Kisan Call Centre opens in Agartal,Tripura:

  It was launched by Tripura Chief Minister  Manik Sarkar.

  It is  financed by Tripura govt and will be run by experts of agriculture, fisheries, horticulture and animal     husbandry from a private enterprise

>> Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily was selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2014 for his Kannada poem Ramayana Mahanveshanam.

        About Saraswati Samman Award:

·         Saraswati Samman is an annual award that is given in recognition of outstanding prose or poetry literary works in Indian languages that are listed in Schedule VIII of the constitution of India.

·         This Saraswati Samman is given for the literary works of last 10 years. In 1991, KK Birla Foundation established the award which carries a prize amount of 10 lakh rupees along with citation and a plaque.

>>Maharashtra Govt launched Bhagyashree scheme for girl child:

·         This scheme replaced the sukhanya scheme.

·         As per the scheme, the state government will deposit an amount of Rs  21,200  in bank for a girl child born in a Below the Poverty Line (BPL) family.

·         The Bhagyashree scheme aims at providing one lakh rupee on maturity after the girl completes 18 years of age.

·         The scheme was launched by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Bollywood actress Bhagyashree.  Bollywood actress Bhagyashree is the brand ambassador of the scheme.

The Bhagyashree scheme would be linked to the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme of Union Government.

>> Attorney General is a public authority under the RTI Act, 2005: High Court of Delhi

• ·         Stating that even under common parlance the office of the Attorney General of India has always been understood to mean a “constitutional authority,” the Delhi High Court refused to accept that this office was outside the ambit of the Right to Information Act and further directed it to reconsider the RTI application that it had rejected on these grounds.

• ·         Justice Vibhu Bakhru headed bench of Delhi HC while reversing the decision of the Central Information Commission (CIC) held that the office of Attorney General (AG) is a public authority within the meaning of section 2(h) of the RTI Act. This is because functions performed by the AG under Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of India are in the nature of public functions.

>>India-Nepal Joint exercise Surya Kiran VIII

 India-Nepal Combined Exercise Surya Kiran VIII concluded on 8 March 2015 at Salijhandi in Nepal.

The exercise was carried out under the aegis of Nepalese Army and had started on February 23, 2015.

14-day-long Surya Kiran VIII exercise aimed at

• Creating a greater understanding between Indian Army & Nepalese Army.
• Working together in Jungle Warfare and Counter Terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.
• It also Focused on basics of disaster management in the field of pandemic/ epidemic control and aviation aspects.

>>World’s first round-the-world solar flight Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) has entered Indian airspace and is expected to land in Ahmedabad and Varanasi

·         The Swiss airplane which began its journey from Abu Dhabi to Oman in its first schedule stopover covering 400 kilometres. It took off from Oman in the morning and headed for its second scheduled landing at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad covering 1,465 kilometres in 16 hours.

·         The flying initiative of this experimental solar aircraft is aimed at spreading the message of renewable energy and clean technologies

·         Solar Impulse 2 is not the first solar airplane, but the first to fly across oceans and continents

                   Key features of Solar Impulse 2 aircraft

• It is a Swiss long-range solar-powered aircraft project and claimed to be first aircraft to fly day and night without consuming conventional fuel.
• Solely propelled by the solar energy and emits zero Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
• Structure: Single-seater aircraft made of carbon fibre. It has a 72 metre wingspan and weighs 2,300 kilo grams.
• Solar cells: 17,248 solar cells inbuilt into its wings. These cells supply renewable energy to propel the electric motors of aircraft.
• These solar cells also recharge 4 lithium polymer batteries mounted on aircraft which allows it fly at night.

>> 46th Raising Day of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was observed on  March 10^th 2015.

   About Central Industrial Security Force (CISF):

•   The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a central armed police force under the aegis of Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It was initially established under the Central Industrial Security Force Act, 1968 to protect major PSUs. However, it was converted to an armed force with a larger ambit under an amendment to the Act in 1983.
• Now, CISF provides security to industrial ventures and establishments, VIPs and engages in disaster management amongst others.
• It also has a Fire Wing to response to fire emergencies/accidents. With a force larger than 1,65,000 it is the largest security force in the world.
• The incumbent Director General of CISF is IPS Officer Arvind Ranjan.