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National Current Affairs
July 2nd Week 2015 Current Affairs
Category : National Current Affairs
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1) Suresh Prabhu Launches Mobile Ticketing App for Suburban Commuters.

  • Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile ticketing app for unreserved tickets that will cover 35 stations between the 123 km long Churchgate-Dhauroad suburban section in Western Railway.
  • Mobile application based paperless ticket system is a part of `Digital India` programme of the Centre and will be available on the Western Railway`s suburban system between Churchgate and Dahanu Road.
  • The ministry also launched two other IT-based initiaves including a SMS destination alert service for premier trains and an e-ticketing portal in Hindi.
About Mobile Ticketing App:
  1. Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems.
  2. The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store or Windows Store by the user.
  3. The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the passenger during the booking process.
  4. After booking the ticket, the passenger will get ticket confirmation screen which will contain limited information about the ticket.
 
2) Army dedicates `Prerna Sthal` at Hussainiwala to nation.
  • The Army dedicated to nation the `Prerna Sthal`, a commemorative monument built to honour the sacrifice of its soldiers.
  • Lt Gen K.J. Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command laid the inaugural wreath and observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the martyrs at the newly constructed `Prerna Sthal`.
About `Prerna Sthal`:
  1. `Prerna Sthal` has seven pillars made of sandstone with copper finish metallic inscription plaques.
  2. The central pillar, relatively larger in size, carries a portrait of Bhagat Singh.
  3. The first of the six smaller ancillary pillars has been scripted with motivational verses to honour Bhagat Singh and the remaining five pillars narrate brief of various battles fought in Hussainiwala, names of martyrs, and details of gallantry awards.
 

3) `Operation Smile` Traces 44 Missing Children in Uttarakhand.

  • Uttarakhand police has traced 44 missing children from various parts of the state as part of `Operation Smile`, out of which 31 children were united with their families.
  • Out of the traced children, 31 were taken back to their families while the remaining 13 have been admitted to children`s home for rehabilitation.
  • The Operation Smile was launched by the Ghaziabad Police in 2014 with an aim to search and restoration of missing children with their families. Under the operation, the police was able to recover 227 missing children within 30 days of launch.
 
 
4) MPEDA launched mobile-based applications to help farmers capture data through mobile.
  • The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), nodal agency for promotion of marine exports from India, has launched two mobile based applications, which would help farmers get prices on shrimp and capture data on aquaculture through mobile.
  • MPEDA is a nodal agency for promotion of marine exports from India under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
These two mobile-based applications are:
  1. Shrimp price Information over SMS by a missed call.
  2. mKRISHI - Mobile App for Aquaculture Operations.
  3. MPEDA has also revamped its website and launched online registration portal for exporters.
  4. About:
Shrimp price Information over SMS by a missed call:
  • Farmers can dial +918590100800 for getting price information on Vannamei shrimp and can call +918590200800 for getting price information on BT shrimp. The prices are obtained from published data of INFOFISH (an Inter governmental organization of FAO).
mKRISHI- Mobile App for Aquaculture Operations:
  • Enable farmers get expert guidance on all operations, besides helping with book keeping and weather information. mKrishi is under pilot in Gujarat and will be extended all over India in the next three months.
 
5) Guidelines for Border Area Development Programme(BADP) released.
  • The main objective of the BADP is to meet the special developmental needs and well being of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the international border and to saturate the border areas with the entire essential infrastructure through convergence of Central/ State/ BADP/ Local schemes and participatory approach.
About:
  • The BADP was started in the year 1986-87 for balanced development of border areas of States bordering Pakistan, namely, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan and subsequently it was extended to all the land borders.
The modified guidelines include important modifications in the BADP guidelines as follows:
  • Coverage of BADP has been extended to cover all the villages which are located within the 0-10 Km of the International Border, irrespective of the border block of 17 States which constitute the International Land Borders.
The list of schemes permissible under BADP has been expanded to include schemes/ activities relating to
  1. Swatchhta Aabhiyan.
  2. Skill Development programmes.
  3. Promotion of sports activities in border areas.
  4. Promotion of Rural Tourism/ Border Tourism.
  5. Protection of heritage sites.
  6. Construction of helipads in remote and inaccessible hilly areas, which do not have road connectivity.
  7. Skill development training to farmers for the use of modern/ scientific technique in farming, Organic farming, and others.
  8. Provision for Third Party Inspection and Quality Control Mechanism under MHA for random inspections of the BADP schemes by independent Monitors (Individual/ Agency) to be designated as National Quality Monitors.
 
6) CBI constituted 40 members team to probe multi-crore Vyapam scam.
  • Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI constituted a special team of 40 officers, which will begin its investigations into the multi-crore Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh.
  • The team which has officers from different branches of the agency headed by a Joint Director level officer will reach Bhopal to take over the investigations.
  • "In compliance to the orders of the Honourable Supreme Court of India, CBI has constituted a team to take over the investigation of all Vyapam related cases.
  • Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu transferred the probe of all cases related to Vyapam scam to the CBI. It also asked the agency to file its report before it on 24 July 2015.
About Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal(Vyapam)/ Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB):
  1. Vyapam scam is an admission and recruitment scam involving politicians, senior officials and businessmen in Madhya Pradesh.
  2. The scam involved a collusion of undeserving candidates, who bribed politicians and MPPEB officials through middlemen, to get high ranks in these entrance tests.
 
7) Work launched on Internet gateway.
  • Union Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad laid the foundation stone for an international gateway for Internet services.
  • The gateway is coming up under an agreement signed between Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dhaka.
  • Internet connectivity from the Cox Bazaar Cable Landing Station in southeast Bangladesh will provide up to 40-GB bandwidth in the northeastern States.

8) Civil Aviation Minister Launches GAGAN System.

  • Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, formally launched the GAGAN system (GPS AIDED GEO AUGMENTED NAVIGATION).
  • GAGAN is a joint effort of Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
  • GAGAN will support more direct air routes, reduce fuel consumption and improve safety.
About GAGAN:
  1. GAGAN is the first SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) in the world certified for Approach with Vertical Guidance operating in the Equatorial Ionospheric region and the third SBAS to have achieved this feat, after WAAS of USA and EGNOS of Europe.
  2. GAGAN is a joint effort of Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). GAGAN provides benefits to agriculture, all modes of transportation and public services such a defence services, security agencies and disaster recovery management by aiding in search and rescue to locate the disaster zone accurately.
 
9) Skill Development Ministry in pact with Health Ministry.
  • Skill Development Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have signed an agreement to address the need for skilled manpower in the health sector.
  • The MoU will help significantly to increase the present capacities in areas of health sector to a minimum of one lakh trainees. Thus it will leverage the existing infrastructure of public and private sector healthcare institutions by providing training against various short term job roles.
  • It will also play important role innovative technology with the help of skilled workforce to focus on National Healthcare Policy 2015 for quality, affordability healthcare services in the country.
 
10) Patnitop Tunnel, India’s longest road tunnel, set to open in 2016.
  • Patnitop Tunnel is Located on Jammu-Sri Nagar National Highwary (NH1A) in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The Patnitop Tunnel or Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is touted as India’s longest road tunnel.
  • It’s objective is to make the NH1A all weather friendly by avoiding frequent disruptions to traffic that occur due to snowfall and avalanche in winter at Patnitop.
  • The 9.2 km tunnel, which is part of the ambitious 286 km-long four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, will reduce the distance between two cities - Jammu and Srinagar - by around 30 km.
 
11) Kumbh Mela begins in Nashik-Trimbakeshwar.
  • The mega event, held once every 12 years when the Sun and Jupiter come together in Leo zodiac sign in the month of Magha as per the Hindu calendar.
  • Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela began on 14 July 2015. The year-long festival will end 11 August 2016.
  • The festival, known as largest peaceful gathering in the world, began with the traditional ceremony of hoisting of flags and thousands of people taking a holy dip in Kushawart and Ramkund in Godavari River in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.
About Kumbh Mela:
  1. The event is held once in 12 years on the banks of Godavari River in Nashik Trimbakeshwar.
  2. The inaugural was followed by thousands marching to the Godavari River for the first holy bath of Kumbh Mela 2015.
  3. 75,000 - 100,000 pilgrims are expected to attend the bath at mela daily.
  4. The Nashik Kumbh is expected to generate an estimated revenue of more than Rs. 10,000 crore - and jobs for nearly half a million people
  5. Trimbakeshwar is one of the sites of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
  6. According to Hindu legend, the mythological importance of Kumbh revolves around the churning of the oceans (Samudra Manthan) by the gods and demons to obtain the invaluable jewels (ratna) and nectar (amrit).
 
12) IT department launched OTP to e-file Income Tax.
  • Income Tax (I-T) department launched its one-time password (OTP)-based e-filing verification system for taxpayers.
  • The facility can be accessed using Internet banking, Aadhaar number, ATM and email.
  • This OTP will help in ending the practice of sending paper acknowledgement, called ITR-V, through post to the I-T Central Processing Centre (CPC) based in Bengaluru.
  • According to rules notified in this regard by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), any taxpayer whose income is Rs. 5 lakh or below per annum and has no refund claims can straightaway generate the electronic verification code (EVC) for e-filing and validating his/her income tax return (ITR) through registered mobile number and e-mail id with the department.