RAJASTHAN
- Pay ₹30 cr to central board over Luni pollution, NGT asks state
- The National Green Tribunal has directed the state government to deposit ₹30 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) within a month for pollution of Barmer district’s Luni river.
- On January 7, 2019, the NGT had ordered for constitution of a committee to inspect the sites and submit an update report on functioning of effluent treatment plants (ETPS), common effluent treatment plants (CETPS), high rate transpiration system (HRTS) and other facilities at Bithuja, Balotra and Jasol in Barmer district. The committee has submitted a detailed report on February 19.
- The NGT also directed the State Pollution Control Board to ensure that CETPS comply with standards and no waste water be discharged into the river.
INTERNATIONAL
- Google launches ‘Bolo’ app to tutor children to read in Hindi, English
- Tech giant Google unveiled a new app ‘Bolo’ that aims to help children in primary school learn to read in Hindi and English.
- The free app, which is being launched in India first, uses Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology.
- The app features an animated character ‘Diya’, who encourages children to read stories aloud and helps if the child is unable to pronounce a word.
- It also lauds the reader when she completes the reading.
- Toyota and JAXA partners on a planned mission to the moon
- Toyotato join hands with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan’s space agency, on a planned mission to the moon, with the Japanese auto giant expected to develop a lunar rover. It will be the car manufacturer’s first full-fledged entry into space exploration after the company jointly developed a robot sent to the International Space Station.
- Toyota is expected to jointly develop a mobility method to be used on the lunar surface for the mission. So far, onlyRussia, the United States, and China have made the 3,84,000 km journey and landed spacecraft on the moon.
- Last month, Israel launcheda spacecraft that aims to join them. In 2017, Japan revealed plans to put an astronaut on the Moon around 2030. Before humans set foot on the lunar surface again, NASA aims to land an unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2024.
NATIONAL
- 7th March 2019 celebrated as ‘JanaushadhiDiwas’ across India
- Janaushadhi Diwas is being celebrated across the country on 7th March 2019.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi adressed five thousand Janaushadhi stores across the country through video-conferencing on the occasion.
- More than five thousand Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendras, PMBJP, are functional in 652 districts.
- The market share of generic medicines has grown over three-fold from two per cent to seven per cent in the last 3 years.
- The Janaushadhi Kendras are providing quality medicine at the affordable price.
- Govt to roll out 12-edged Rs 20 coin
- The Finance Ministry announced in a gazette notification to roll out Rs 20 coin for the first time in the country.
- The new coin will be shaped like a “dodecagon” – a 12-edged polygon.
- The Rs 20 coin will have some similarities with the Rs 10 coin that is in circulation across the country.
- The new coin will be two-toned and have a diameter of 27 mm, similar to Rs 10 coin.
- The outer ring of Rs 20 coin will be 65 percent copper, 15 percent zinc and 20 per nickel, the inner disc will be 75 percent copper, 20 percent zinc and five percent nickel.
- Bharat Electronics launches SWAGAT- Automatic Fare Collection Gating System
- Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a defence public sector undertaking, presented SWAGAT – the Automatic Fare Collection Gating System.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the system on Monday as part of the inaugural of Phase I of the Ahmedabad Metro.
- Hardeep S Puri launches ‘e-Dharti’ App
- Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri launched e-Dharti app where all the three modules- Conversion, Substitution and Mutation related to properties have been made online.
- The payment system in Land and Development Office, L&DO has also been completely digitized.
- The public can now submit their applications online by visiting the L&DO website.
- Mr Puri also launched e-Dharti GeoPortal, through which the lessee of the property will be able to see the basic details of property along with the map showing its location.
- Defence Ministry announced that permanent commission for women in Indian Army
- TheDefence Ministry announced that permanent commission will be granted for Women in all the 10 branches of Indian Army. The extension of Permanent Commission to Women will provide women with a career in the Army till their retirement. The Short Service Commission entails an opportunity to serve as a Commissioned Officer for 10/14 years. At the end of 10 yrs, 3 options will be provided, either elect for a Permanent Commission or opt out or have the option of 4 years extension.
- The Women Officers will now get a permanent commission in branches such as signals, engineers, army aviation, army air defence, electronics, and mechanical engineers, army service corps, army ordnance corps, and intelligence. The Defence Ministry had earlier approved permanent commission for women in all branches of Air Force including fighter pilots.
- Kerala’s Marayur jaggery gets GI tag
- Marayur organic jaggery produced at Marayur in the hilly district of Idukki in Kerala has bagged Geographical Indication tag.
- Marayur jaggery is known especially for its organic and traditional production using the sugar cane cultivated in the region.
- It does not contain any chemicals and is high in iron and calcium.
- The sugar cane plantations are spread over several acres at Marayur.
- The Centre granted the GI tag considering various aspects of its manufacturing and the peculiarities of the region.