First Global Report on Assistive Technology

The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) jointly launched the first Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) on 16 May 2022. 

This report is the culmination of the 71st World Health Assembly resolution in 2018 to prepare a global report on effective access to assistive technology. 

The report assumes significance as 90% of those who need assistive technology do not have access to it globally, and including assistive technology into health systems is critical for progress towards the targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) relating to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

National Data and Analytics Platform launched by NITI Aayog

The National Data & Analytics Platform (NDAP) was launched by NITI Aayog for free public use. By making data accessible, interoperable, interactive, and available on a user-friendly platform, the platform intends to democratise access to public government data. It houses basic datasets from a variety of government departments, organises them, and provides analytics and visualisation capabilities. This public debut comes after the platform’s beta release in August 2021, which gave a small number of users access for testing and feedback.

CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 ROUND UP

CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018

CURRENT AFFAIRS PRACTICE MCQs FOR ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS

1. In which city Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture Minister, laid foundation stone of Pusa Kisan Haat in ICAR- Agricultural Technology Information Centre?
1) New Delhi 
2) Mumbai
3) Kolkata 
4) Chennai

2. Where was the annual India Water Impact Summit 2018 held?
1) New Delhi 
2) Hyderabad
3) Amaravathi 
4) Mangalore

3. Where was the Global Venture Capital Summit-2018 held?
1) Tamil Nadu 
2) Maharashtra
3) Goa 
4) Madhya Pradesh

4. Which pair has become India's Second Inland Water Transport origin destination pair for containerized cargo movement on National Waterway-1?
1) Paradip-Cuttack
2) Kolkata-Patna 
3) Panaji-Kochi
4) Mumbai-Chennai

5. Where was the 1st International Conference on Bears held?
1) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
2) Agra, Uttar Pradesh
3) Darjeeling, West Bengal
4) Nagpur, Maharashtra

6. At which place did Indian Coast Guard conducted the Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution
Response Exercise named 'Clean Sea - 2018' at the sea?
1) Chandipur, Odisha
2) Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
3) Mumbai, Maharashtra
4) Calicut, Kerala

7. In which State/UT the India's first underwater museum will be opened in a decommissioned Indian Naval vessel named INS Cuddalore?
1) Odisha 
2) Maharashtra
3) Puducherry
4) Andhra Pradesh

8. When did UNICEF (United Nations International Children Emergency Fund) celebrate its 71st foundation day?
1) December 9 
2) December 10
3) December 11 
4) December 12


9. Where was the Regional Conference on 'Good Governance - Focus on Aspirational Districts' held?
1) Bengaluru, Karnataka
2) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
3) Pune, Maharashtra
4) Hyderabad, Telangana

10. Where was the first International Conference, on the theme- 'Sustainable Water Management', held?
1) Rohtak, Haryana
2) Dehradun, Uttarakhand
3) Mohali, Punjab
4) Kochi, Kerala

11. Which entity has developed the portal ENSURE- National Livestock Mission-EDEG launched
by Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh?
1) National Informatics Centre
2) NITI Aayog 
3) NABARD
4) IIT, Delhi

12. Where was Nishidhi stone inscription from the 12th century, issued to commemorate Jain ascetics
who perform Sallekhana vratha, found?
1) Pelling, Sikkim
2) Udaipur, Rajasthan
3) Shivamogga, Karnataka
4) Namakkal, Tamil Nadu

13. Where was the third exhibition of the 2nd series of collection titled "Uncrowned Glory - An exhibition of Ethnic Ornaments of Himachal Pradesh" inaugurated?
1) Shimla 
2) Manali
3) New Delhi 
4) Mumbai

14. Which state government has announced the creation of an umbrella university named after
former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee?
1) Gujarat 
2) Uttar Pradesh
3) Himachal Pradesh
4) Karnataka

15. Where was the National conference 'AYUSHCHARYA' on Dinacharya (Daily Regimen) and
Ritucharya (Seasonal Regimen) for public health promotion?
1) Mumbai 
2) Kolkata
3) Puducherry 
4) New Delhi

16. In which field Union Cabinet approved a MoU between India and the USA to focus on Scientific
and Technical Cooperation?
1) Earth Sciences
2) Maritime Defence
3) Genetic Engineering
4) Food Processing and Technology

17. Which Indian city has topped in the list of top 10 fastest growing cities in the world from 2019 to
2035 in India, as per Oxford Economics report?
1) Mumbai, Maharashtra
2) Surat, Gujarat
3) Agra, Uttar Pradesh
4) Bengaluru, Karnataka

18. At which position India stood in the highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting
for 7 % of global emissions in 2017, according to a study by Global Carbon Project?
1) Second 
2) Third
3) Fourth 
4) Fifth

19. Which country has become the first Latin American Country to join China's Belt and Road
Initiative?
1) Mexico 
2) Costa Rica
3) Panama 
4) Argentina

20. Where was the 12th session of India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) for Economic and Technical Cooperation, held?
1) New Delhi, India
2) Mumbai, India
3) Dubai, UAE
4) Abu Dhabi, UAE

21. Where did External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj co-inaugurate Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum?
1) Bahrain, UAE
2) Abu Dhabi, UAE
3) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4) Doha, Qatar

22. Which country topped in road deaths with 1.51 lakh road deaths in 2016, according to the Global Status Report on Road Safety?
1) USA 
2) India
3) China 
4) South Korea

23. Which country has become the first country to abolish all fares on public transport by 2019?
1) Luxembourg 
2) Monaco
3) Ireland 
4) Japan

24. Where was the world's largest Arabic audio library launched?
1) Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2) Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4) Muscat, Oman

25. With which country India participated in the 10th edition of 'INDRA NAVY', the bilateral started at Vishakhapatnam?
1) Australia 
2) Russia
3) France 
4) USA

26. Where was the Military Literature Festival (MLF) 2018 held?
1) New Delhi 
2) Dehradun
3) Kolkata 
4) Chandigarh

27. Which country has approved a new law allowing foreign bluecollar workers into the country to ease labour shortages from April 2019?
1) Australia 
2) Ethiopia
3) Spain 
4) Japan

28. Which country became the 38th member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body to combat money laundering, terrorist financing etc?
1) Egypt 
2) Pakistan
3) Israel 
4) Afghanistan

29. Where was Vivah Panchami, the wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita, celebrated on 12th
December 2018?
1) Dhaka, Bangladesh
2) Janakpur, Nepal
3) Uttar Pradesh, India
4) Colombo, Sri Lanka

30. With which Indian bank the Central Bank of the UAE made a Currency Swap Agreement and was signed?
1) State Bank of India
2) Reserve Bank of India
3) NABARD 
4) SIDBI

31. With which country India signed an agreement to pay for the crude oil it imports from the country in rupees?
1) Iran 
2) Iraq
3) Qatar 
4) Saudi Arabia

32. Which airlines has become the first Indian Domestic carrier to have 200 aircraft in its fleet?
1) IndiGo 
2) SpiceJet
3) Jet Airways 
4) GoAir

33. Which country became the world's leading exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for the first time?
1) Qatar 
2) USA
3) Iran 
4) Australia

34. Which bank has approved a $400 million loan for a Water Sanitation Project in Andhra Pradesh?
1) Asian Development Bank (ADB)
2) Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB)
3) World Bank 4) SoftBank

35. Where was the 54th SKOCH Summit on the State of Power, Oil and Gas held?
1) Mumbai 
2) Dehradun
3) Raipur 
4) New Delhi

36. By which year India aimed to become a USD 5 trillion economies as per India's 1st Agriculture Export Policy 2018 released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry?
1) 2023 
2) 2025
3) 2031 
4) 2028

37. Which institute won the DSCI Excellence Award 2018, given by Data Security Council of India
(DSCI), for its contributions in Cyber Security education?
1) IIT, Madras 
2) IIT, Kharagpur
3) NIT, Trichy
4) IISc, Bangalore

38. Which country scientists have made nanowire devices from zinc oxide crystals that can inherently process and even store information?
1) American 
2) Indian
3) German 
4) Australian

39. Which country launched its Chang'e-4 moon mission to reach the far side of the moon for the first time?
1) Japan 
2) Singapore
3) South Korea 
4) China

40. What is the name of the threestage nuclear capable surface-tosurface ballistic missile successfully
test fired by India, from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast?
1) Agni-V 
2) Agni-II
3) Vishal-III 
4) Dhanush-IV

41. Which Indian power station created a world record for the longest uninterrupted operation for 941
days, on 10th December 2018?
1) Bokaro Power Station-1, Jharkhand
2) Kaiga Power Station-1, Karnataka
3) Durgapur Power Station-2, West Bengal
4) Barauni Power Station-2, Bihar

42. What is the rank of India in the Climate Change Performance Index released on the sidelines of
COP24 UN Summit in Katowice, Poland, on 10th December 2018?
1) 4 
2) 6 
3) 9 
4) 11

43. Who was appointed as Chief Economic Advisor for a period of 3 years?
1) Ravi Shankar A S
2) Krishnamurthy Subramanian
3) Vijay Thomas
4) Harish Chauhan

44. Who was appointed as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on 11th December
2018?
1) Ravi Handa
2) Shaktikanta Das
3) S Krishnamoorthy
4) Arjun Rishab

45. Which Australian cricketer broke an unwanted 130-year-old record in Australian cricket when he lost his wicket for just 2 runs?
1) Shaun Marsh 
2) Tim Paine
3) David Warner
4) Glen Maxwell

46. Who became the youngest and the fifth Indian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in golf?
1) Shubhankar Sharma
2) Anirban Lahiri 
3) Shiv Kapoor
4) Jeev Milkha Singh

47. Who was appointed as the Managing Director of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)?
1) Wasim Khan 
2) Rashid Khan
3) Abbas Mohammed
4) Hashim Ahmed

48. Which sportsperson was honoured with the Meethoileima (Outstanding Queen) title by Manipur government?
1) Manu Bhaker 
2) Hima Das
3) MC Mary Kom
4) Saina Nehwal

49. Who is the Present Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh
1) Raman Singh
2) Shivraj Singh Chouhan
3) Ajit Jogi
4) Bhupesh Baghel

50. Who is the Present Chief Minister of Rajasthan
1) Vasundhara Raje
2) Hira Lal Devpura
3) Ashok Gehlot
4) Shiv Charan Mathur

ANSWERS:
1) 1 2) 1 3) 3 4) 2 5) 2 6) 2 7) 3 8) 3 9) 2 10) 3
11) 3 12) 3 13) 3 14) 2 15) 4 16) 1 17) 2 18) 3 19) 3 20) 4
21) 2 22) 2 23) 1 24) 2 25) 2 26) 4 27) 4 28) 3 29) 2 30) 2
31) 1 32) 1 33) 4 34) 2 35) 4 36) 2 37) 2 38) 3 39) 4 40) 1
41) 2 42) 4 43) 2 44) 2 45) 1 46) 1 47) 1 48) 3 49) 4 50) 3

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

GST is a unified taxation system which would end multiple taxation across the states and create a level playing field for businesses throughout the country, much like the developed nations. It is a multi-stage destination-based tax which will be collected at every stage, starting from procuring the raw material to selling the final product. The credit of taxes paid at the previous stage(s) will be available for set-off at the next stage of supply. Being destination or a consumption based, the GST will also end multiple taxes levied by Centre and the State Governments like Central Excise, Service Tax, VAT, Central Sales Tax, Octroi, Entry Tax, Luxury Tax and Entertainment Tax etc.  This will lower the overall tax burden on the consumer and will benefit the industry through better cash flows and working capital management. Currently, 17 State and Central levies are being applied on goods as they move from one State to the other.

BENEFITS

Different estimates peg the net advantage to the Gross Domestic Product, up to two percentage points.  The GST regime is also expected to result in better tax compliance, thereby increasing its revenue and narrowing the Budget deficit. All the imported goods will be charged Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) which is equivalent to the Central GST + State GST. This will bring equality with taxation on local products.

Mainly, there will be three types of taxes under the GST regime: Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), State (or Union Territory) Goods and Services Tax (SGST) and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST). Tax levied by the Centre on intra-State supply of goods or services would be called the CGST and that to be levied by the States and Union Territories(UTs) would be called the SGST respectively. The IGST would be levied and collected by the Centre on inter-State supply of goods and services. Four supplementary legislations approving these taxes, namely the Central GST Bill, the Integrated GST Bill, The GST (Compensation to States) Bill, and the Union Territory GST Bill were passed by the Lok Sabha in May this year, making the realisation of 1^st July, 2017 deadline a reality.

All the matters related to the GST are dealt upon by the GST Council headed by the Union Finance Minister while all the State Finance Ministers are its Members. The GST Council also has a provision to adjudicate disputes arising out of its recommendation or implementation thereof.

TAX RATES

The GST Council has fixed four broad tax slabs under the new GST system - 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent. On top of the highest slab, there is a cess on luxury and demerit goods to compensate the States for revenue loss in the first five years of GST implementation. Most of the goods and services have been listed under the four slabs, but a few like gold and rough diamonds have exclusive tax rates. Also, some items have been exempted from taxation. The essential items have been kept in the lowest tax bracket, whereas luxury goods and tobacco products will invite higher tax.

17-YEAR-LONG WAIT

Many countries in the world switched to a unified taxation system very early. France was the first country to do so in 1954 and many others followed, some by implementing GST and others by using a different form of Value Added Tax (VAT). In India, the discussion on GST started in the year 2000, in the NDA Government led by the former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Finally, after 17 years of consensus building, 101^st Constitution Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament in 2016. The States had apprehension of reduction in their revenue and their desire to keep some lucrative goods out of the GST baskets like alcohol, petroleum and real estate among others.

IMPACT ON CONSUMERS

From agarbattis (incense sticks) to luxury cars - all these goods will be taxed under different slabs. Movie tickets costing less than Rs 100 have been kept in the 18% GST slab while those over Rs 100 will attract 28% tax under GST. Tobacco products have been kept under a higher tax bracket. Industries such as textiles and, gems and jewellery are subject to a GST rate of 5%

The Government has shown its strong determination and stuck to implementing the GST with effect from 1^st July, 2017. The road ahead would require a lot of resolve by the implementing agencies like the Goods and Services Network, states and the industry.    To sail through initial hiccups and successfully steer the ship of the economy, the Government needs to show the same determination and courage. A bold initiative like GST taken for the welfare of the country must lead to a grand success.

Multiple-planet solar system discovered

Planetary scientists have discovered what they claim is an unusual multiple-planet solar system containing a ‘super-Earth’ and two Neptune-sized planets orbiting in resonance with each other. A team led by Bill Cochran of The University of Texas at Austin, used NASA’s Kepler spacecraft to discover the multi -planet system.

The planets have been designated b, c, and d. All three planets orbit much closer to Kepler-18 , a star similar to the sun , say the scientists.

Planet b weighs in at about 6.9 times the mass of Earth, and is twice Earth’s size and considered a super-Earth with a 3.5-day period; planet c has a mass of about 17 Earths, is about 5.5 times Earth’s size and orbits Kepler-18 in 7.6 days. Planet d weighs in at 16 Earths, at 7 times Earth’s size, and has a 14.9-day orbit.

Asia’s largest solar farm commissioned

Moser Baer energy Limited (MBCEL) has successfully commissioned the 30 MW solar farm at Gunthawada, District Banaskantha, Gujarat. It is the largest solar energy farm of Asia, built on 305 acres of land, using 2,36,000 thin film modules. The project will generate 52 million KWh energy per year, and will help save about 50,000 tonnes of carbon emission annually.

sushil kumar wins Rs. 5 crore jackpot on Kaun Banega Crorepati 5

KBC 5 has  got its first contestant to win ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 5′. Sushil kumar from Bihar who is a computer operator and a tutor has won the jackpot amount of Rs 5 crore. Sushil Kumar earns Rs 6000 per month .the episode will be telecated on 2 November.Five months back, he got married.

 Sushil made wise moves while answering the questions. His deftness and presence of mind saw him cross all the hurdles until he got stuck at the thirteenth question, which was about the colonial power that withdrew its involvement from the Nicobar Island in 1968.

Sushil was doubtful about the answer so he made use of two of his lifelines – Phone a Friend and Double Dip – and came up with the answer that won him the dream amount. As a youngster, Sushil wanted to take the civil services exams. He wanted to come to Delhi and prepare for the exams. However, he could not do so as he was unable to afford the expensive coaching classes in the Capital. Now, after having won the bounty, Sushil plans to enroll himself at a prominent coaching institute in Delhi and start preparing for his dream job.

World Championships, 2011

The IAAF World Championships were held in Daegu, South Korea.

The United States led the team tally with 12 gold and 25 medals in all. Russia was next with nine gold and 19 total, followed by Kenya with seven gold and 17 in all. Jamaica took home nine medals—four of those gold—while Germany and Great Britain & Northern Ireland each won seven medals apiece.

Several multiple medallist emerged from the championships, with Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, who took top honors in the 5000 and 10,000m, the lone double champion.

Allyson Felix notched four medal finishes, a pair of golds in the Relays and individual silver (400m) and bronze (200m). Her compatriot Carmelita Jeter collected three, gold in the 100m, the 4x100m Relay, and silver in the 200m.

Jamaica's Yohan Blake won the world championships 100m final after red hot favourite and defending champion Usain Bolt sensationally false started. Bolt, running in lane five, went early, stunning a hugely expectant crowd in Daegu, who looked on shocked as the distraught superstar ripped off his shirt and held his head in disbelief before leaving the track.

Carmelita Jeter of the United States held off a strong field to claim gold in the women's 100m. Jeter, who won bronze at the last two world championships, was locked with defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica right through until the line.

American Brittney Reese successfully defended her world long jump title with her first and only legitimate jump of 6.82 metres. Reese was the first woman to successfully defend the world title since compatriot Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1991 and her victory gave the United States their first medal of the championships.

In all, athletes from 41 countries took home medals.

The 2013 edition of the championships will be held in Moscow, Russia.

Switch from coal to natural gas no boon to climate

Relying more on natural gas than on coal would not significantly slow down the effects of climate change, even though direct carbon dioxide emissions would be less, a new study has found.

Burning coal emits far more climate-warming carbon dioxide than natural gas does, but it also releases lots of sulfates and other particles that block incoming sunlight and help cool the Earth.

Using more natural gas for fuel could also produce leaks of methane, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, study author Tom Wigley said in a statement.

A global, partial shift from coal to natural gas would speed up global warming slightly through at least 2050, even with no methane leaks from natural gas operations. If there were substantial methane leaks, the acceleration of climate change would continue through as late as 2140, according to Wigley's computer simulations.

2011 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE T20 QUESTIONS

In which country 2011 CLT20 tournament was held?
India

In which cities 2011 CLT20 matches were played?
Bangalore,Hyderabad and Chennai

Which 3 Indian teams qualified for the main tournament?
Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings

Which Indian team was knocked out in the Robin Round format of 2011 CLt20?
Kolkata Knight Riders

Who is leading Mumbai Indian team in CLT20 2011?
Harbhajan Singh

Which team were the defending champions?
Chennai Super Kings

Which team had scored the fastest hundred in 2011 CLT20 tournament?
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

In how many overs RCB team scored the fastest hundred of the tournament?
8.4 overs

Which cricketer holds the record for most runs scored in a CLT20 tournament?
David Warner

Which cricketer had hit six on the last ball of the match to make team RCB qualify for 2011 CLT20 semifinal?
Arun Kartik

In which city the first semi final of 2011 CLT20 was played?
Bengaluru

Which two teams played the first semifinal of 2011 CLT20 at Bangalore?
RCB and New South Wales

Which team won the first semifinal played at Bengaluru to qualify for 2011 CLT20 final?
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Which cricketer had hit 11 sixes in the first semifinal match against RCB?
David Warner

Who was awarded Man of the Match in first semifinal match played between RCB and NSW?
Virat Kohli for his knock of 84 runs in just 49 balls

In which city was CLT20 second semifinal played?
Chennai

Which two teams played the second semifinal match of CLT20 2011?
Mumbai Indians and Somerset

Which team won the second semifinal match played at Chennai?
Mumbai Indians

Who was awarded the Man of the match in the second semifinal of 2011 CLT20?
Lasith Malinga for claiming 4 wickets

Which two Indian teams played the 2011 CLT20 final match?
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

On which date was 2011 CLT20 final match played?
9th October,2011

In which city was the CLT20 2011 final match held?
Chennai

Who won the CLT20 2011 title?
Mumbai Indians


Who was awarded man of the match in CLT20 2011 finals?
Habhajan Singh


Who was awarded man of the series in CLT20 2011?
Malinga

CAG of India Appointed External Auditor OF IAEA and WIPO

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has been appointed as the external auditor of two major UN organizations - the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva. Both these organizations have traditionally been the stronghold of the developed world and it is for the first time that a Supreme Audit Institution from outside Europe has been appointed to these prestigious positions. These appointments were made in the face of competition from other developed countries like United Kingdom, Spain and Norway.

These appointments for organizations such as IAEA and WIPO, which are specialized agencies, is a recognition of the professional capabilities of the CAG`s auditing talent pool. The international community has acknowledged that public auditors of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department have high professional competence. In particular, their knowledge, expertise and domain experience in conducting performance audits has been highly acclaimed. It is in recognition of such expertise that in the face of competition from Auditors` General of developed countries such as UK and Norway, the CAG of India has been preferred. The tenure of these audits could extend up to six years.

The CAG of India is on the Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations and its Agencies. He is the chair of the Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Services Committee of the International Organization of the Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the global body of Auditors` General which has a membership of 184. He also chairs the INTOSAI Working Group on IT Audit. The CAG of India is also on the Governing Board of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) and is poised to take over as its Chairman for a term of three years from March 2012.

The institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is recognized as one of the most professionally accomplished Supreme Audit Institutions in the world. The CAG occupies a pre-eminent position in the international community of public auditors and is a prominent member of INTOSAI. The recognition of the capabilities of the CAG of India has in the past manifested in his appointment on the Board of Auditors of the United Nations and as external auditor to a number of other major UN agencies like Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) etc.

National Green Tribunal

National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a judicial body constituted to try all matters related to environmental issues. The Tribunal is headed by Justice L.S. Panta. The first sitting of NGT was held on July 4, 2011.

State-Wise Minor Ports

Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan informed the Lok Sabha today in a written reply to a question that as per the records available with the Ministry of Shipping, state-wise break-up of Non – Major Ports (Minor Ports) are as follows:

 

                     Gujarat                -    41                       Lakshadweep       -      10

                     Maharashtra        -    48                       A & N Islands      -     23

                     Karnataka            -    10                       Tamilnadu            -      15

                     Andhra Pradesh   -    12                      Goa                      -       5

                     Orissa                  -    13                      Daman & Diu        -       2

                     Kerala                  -    17                       Pondicherry          -        2

                     West Bengal        -      1

The Minister further stated that the Union Government is responsible for development of 12 Major Ports wherein loading and unloading of cargo from large ships is done.   

As per Indian Ports Act, 1908,   the responsibility for development and promotion of such ports vests with the respective State Governments, the Minister added.

Capitals, Governors and Chief Ministers of States

States	Capitals	Governors	Chief Ministers
(1) Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad	Mr. E.S.L.Narasimhan	Mr. N.Kiran Kumar Reddy
(2) Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	Gen. (Retd.) J. J. Singh	Mr. Jarbom Gamlin
(3) Assam	Dispur	Mr. J. B. Patnaik	Mr. Tarun Gogoi
(4) Bihar	Patna	Mr. Devanand Konwar	Mr. Nitish Kumar
(5) Chhattisgarh	Raipur	Mr. Shekhar Dutt	Dr. Raman Singh
(6) Goa	Panaji	Mr. K. Sankaranarayan	Mr. Digambar V. Kamat
(7) Gujarat	Gandhinagar	Dr. Kamla Beniwal	Mr. Narendra Modi
(8) Haryana	Chandigarh	Mr. Jagannath Pahadia	Mr. Bhupinder S. Hooda
(9) Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	Ms. Urmila Singh	Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal
(10) Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)	Mr. N. N. Vohra	Mr. Omar Abdullah
(11) Jharkhand	Ranchi	Dr. Syed Ahmed	Mr. Arjun Munda
(12) Karnataka	Bengaluru	Mr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj	Mr. DV Sadananda Gowda
(13) Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	Mr. M. O. H. Farook	Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan
(14) Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	Mr. Ram Naresh Yadav	Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan
(15) Maharashtra	Mumbai	Mr. K. Sankaranarayan	Mr. Prithviraj Chavan
(16) Manipur	Imphal	Mr. Gurbachan Jagat	Mr.Okram Ibobi Singh
(17) Meghalaya	Shillong	Mr. R. S. Mooshahary	Mr. Mukul A. Sangma
(18) Mizoram	Aizawl	Mr. Vakkom Purushothaman	Mr.Lalthanhawla
(19) Nagaland	Kohima	Mr. Nikhil Kumar	Mr. Neiphiu Rio
(20) Orissa	Bhubaneswar	Mr. M. C. Bhandare	Mr. Naveen Patnaik
(21) Punjab	Chandigarh	Mr. Shivraj V. Patil	Mr. Parkash Singh Badal
(22) Rajasthan	Jaipur	Mr. Shivraj V. Patil (Acting)	Mr. Ashok Gehlot
(23) Sikkim	Gangtok	Mr. Balmiki Prasad Singh	Mr. Pawan Chamling
(24) Tamil Nadu	Chennai	Mr. K Rosaiah	Ms. Jayalalithaa
(25) Tripura	Agartala	Mr. D. Y. Patil	Mr. Manik Sarkar
(26) Uttarakhand	Dehradun	Ms. Margaret Alva	Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal
(27) Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	Mr. B. L. Joshi	Ms. Mayawati
(28) West Bengal	Kolkata	Mr. M. K. Narayanan	Ms. Mamata Banerjee

Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture in India

Inland fisheries resources of India are noted as much for their heterogeneity in composition as for their rich production potential. India is bestowed with vast and varied inland fisheries resources comprising rivers and canals, reservoirs, ponds and tanks, floodplain lakes and wetlands and brackish-waters. Besides, substantial area amenable for coldwater fisheries exists in the medium and higher-altitudes of the Himalayan belt. Inland fisheries including aquaculture have been a vital source of food, nutrition, employment and economic gain for humanity, since ancient times. However, the sector has assumed more significance in recent years, especially in developing countries like India, due to the large contributions to the overall fish production, nutritional security and gainful employment generation.

India is the second largest producer of fish in the world contributing to 5.5 per cent of global fish production. India is also a major producer of fish through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China. The total fish production achieved during 2010-11 (provisional) is at 8.03 million metric tonnes and the contribution of fish from inland sector alone is at 5.07 million metric tonnes which is about 63% of overall fish production. As per the estimates of Central Statistical Organization (CSO), the values of output from fisheries sector at current price during 2009-10 was 67,913 crore which is 4.9 per cent of the total output of Agriculture and allied sectors. It is one of the major contributors to India’s exports. During 2010-11 (Provisional) the volume of fish and fish products exported was 7,52,791 tonnes worth 12,100 crore.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector with an annual growth of around 7 per cent. It has been estimated that by the end of XI Five Year Plan (2011-12) the demand for fish and fish products would be around 9.74 million tons, and this increase has to be mostly met from aquaculture and culture based captured fisheries in reservoirs. Taking into consideration the vast aquatic resources in the country, the target seems achievable.

Although, it has long been recognized that fish production from inland waters can play a definite role in mitigating the protein deficiency in India, this resource is not contributing to the nutrition requirement of Indian masses to the extent that it should have been .This has been mainly on account of more emphasis on marine fishery in the past and due to lack of awareness and proper training skills for fishing community.

Recognising the economic, social, nutritional, environmental and aesthetic importance of inland fisheries and aquaculture, the Government through several measures have aspired to introduce buoyancy in the inland fishery sector .Therefore, to draw the economic, social and nutritional benefits from inland fisheries and aquaculture in a sustainable manner, it has been perceived to adopt a judicious combination of implementation and effective regulatory framework, eco-friendly fishing and aquaculture practices with the larger involvement of the fisher communities and fish farmers.

With this objective in mind, the Government recently drafted model guidelines on Inland fisheries and aquaculture, which has been circulated to all State Governments for effective implementation. Through these guidelines, the Government intends to ensure sustainable fish productive to meet the needs of food and nutritional security, generation of gainful employment in rural sector and to improve the socio-economic condition of the target groups.

The Government recognizes the need for availability of quality seed and feed if the growth in inland fish production has to be sustained in the long run. Therefore, the Government circulated guidelines to all the State Governments for establishment of a seed certification and accreditation system in their respective States. These guidelines, inter-alia, provide procedures for accreditation of hatcheries and seed farms, quality benchmarks, seed certification process and the structure of the implementing agency.

It has been observed that inland fishery today is dominated mainly by the freshwater fishery. In order for enhanced production, there is a need for diversification of fish production in other areas like integrated fish farming, cold water fisheries, riverine fisheries, capture fisheries, brackish water fishery etc. The recent measures therefore have targeted Intensive Aquaculture in ponds and tanks through integrated fish farming, carp polyculture, freshwater prawn culture, running water fish culture and development of riverine fisheries. The reservoir fisheries is being promoted through cage culture and pen culture and by setting up fish rearing units on large scale.

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme –“Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture” provide assistance to fish farmers through State Governments, with the objective of developing various components of inland fisheries and aquaculture that include development of freshwater, brackish water, cold water, reservoir fisheries and also to encourage integrated fish farming.

A new mission mode scheme called “National Mission for protein Supplements (NMPS)” was launched very recently with an outlay of Rs 100 crore for undertaking cage and pen culture in reservoirs and for intensive aquaculture in ponds and tanks in 12 identified States with an objective of enhancing the fish production and productivity of reservoirs and ponds and tanks.

All these measures are expected to improve the fisheries and aquaculture sector further and will consolidate the position of India in the Global fish production and aquaculture

Juno leaves for Jupiter

NASA on August 05 launched the billion-dollar solar-powered spacecraft Juno on a five-year journey to Jupiter. The unmanned satellite observatory shot into space aboard a 197-foot-tall (60 metres) Atlas V rocket, blasting off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 12:25 p.m.

“Ignition and lift-off on the Atlas V with Juno on a trek to Jupiter, a planetary piece of the puzzle on the beginning of our solar system,” said a NASA television commentator.

Once it arrives in July 2016, the spacecraft will orbit the poles of the gas giant, which has more than twice the mass of all planets in the solar system combined and is believed to be the first planet that took shape around the Sun.

Named after the wife of the Roman god Jupiter, the $1.1 billion spacecraft is NASA's first mission to the planet since Galileo was launched in 1989. It aims for 30 orbits over a period of one year.

Juno will get closer to Jupiter than any other NASA spacecraft has and will be the first to undertake a polar orbit of the planet, said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator and scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. 

“Juno is set up to learn about that early part of the solar system and learn how Jupiter formed and by measuring the ingredients. We are really looking for the recipe of planet formation.”

The orbiter Galileo entered the planet's orbit in 1995 and plunged into Jupiter in 2003, ending its life.

Other NASA spacecraft — including Voyager 1 and 2, Ulysses and New Horizons — have done flybys of the planet.

Juno will spend the first two years of its mission going around the Sun, then return for a flyby of the Earth, which will give a gravitational boost to accelerate the spacecraft on a three-year path toward Jupiter.

When it gets there, Juno — orbiting around 5,000 km (3,100 miles) above the gas giant — will make use of a series of instruments, some of which were provided by European space agency partners in Italy, Belgium, France and Denmark, to learn about the workings of the planet and what is inside.

Two key experiments will gauge how much water is in Jupiter and whether the planet “has a core of heavy elements at the centre, or whether it is just gas all the way down,” Mr. Bolton said at a press briefing last week.

Scientists also hope to learn more about Jupiter's magnetic fields and its Great Red Spot, a storm that has been raging for more than 300 years.

“One of the fundamental questions is how deep are the roots to that red spot? How does it maintain itself for so long?" said Mr. Bolton.

Juno is carrying a few toys as part of a campaign to raise awareness among young people about math and science.

Three 1.5 inch figurines made by LEGO toys are on board — a likeness of the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who discovered four of Jupiter's moons, the Roman god Jupiter, and his wife Juno.

Back in 2003, when plans for Juno were being crafted, NASA briefly considered using some sort of nuclear fuel to power the spacecraft, but engineers decided it would be quicker and less risky to go with solar.

Juno is part of a series of new planetary science missions, to be followed by GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory), which is headed to the moon in September, and the Mars Science Laboratory set to take off in November

National Rural Livelihoods Mission

Odisha has become the first state in the country to launch National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in its bid to bring down rural poverty by promoting diversified and gainful self-employment to the rural poor. NRLM will replace the Swarnajayanti Gram Swrojgar Yojana (SGSY) aimed at poverty reduction. The main weaknesses of the SGSY were uneven spread in the formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), high attrition rate in the SHGs, lack of adequate access to banking facilities, lack of capacity building and training and inadequate risk mitigation. NRLM would provide greater focus and momentum for poverty reduction to achieve the various Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

In the first phase, NRLM has been launched in 38 backward poverty stricken blocks of 10 districts where the World Bank-funded Targeted Rural Initiatives for Poverty Termination and Infrastructure (TRIPTI) is being implemented. Though objectives of NRLM and TRIPTI are almost same, the former is now restructured to target the poorest of the poor who have been uncovered yet. In the second phase of the project, Schedule Areas, including four blocks from 11 districts covered under Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project (WORLP), JEEVIKA and The Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood Programme (OTELP) and five Left Wing Extremists- affected districts such as Gajapati, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Deogarh will be covered. By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, all 30 districts would have come under NRLM. The programme is expected to adopt a multipronged strategy to reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities. This programme is designed in a way to be implemented by a dedicated support structure starting from bottom to top. Cluster-level forum and gram panchayat level forum will be constituted and through them, various activities for livelihood generation will be created, so that wastage of funds can be stopped and maximum dividend of the project is made available to the needy section of the society

First Indian record of supernova found in Kashmir

With the help of a mural at the mosque of Madani in Srinagar, researchers claim to have found the “first firm record” of a supernova event, which occurred in the Indian subcontinent centuries ago.

Researchers from the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the University of Kashmir said the mural, depicted on a door arch in the mosque, shows the supernova as a dragon-head on the tail of the Sagittarius constellation.

Although the original mural is now lost, some descriptions about it are available and a reproduction exists with the Department of Central Asian Studies’ museum in University of Kashmir, the journal Astronomische Nachrichten (Astronomical Notes) published from Germany said.

“Now, for the first time, we have found an Indian record of a supernova event,” Prof. Mayank Vahia of TIFR, co-author of the study and principal investigator of the research project ‘Archaeoastronomy in Indian Context’ said.

“Many researchers had extensively searched Sanskrit literature for years and when no record was found, it was generally assumed that no records would ever be found. We looked at the non-literary sources and that proved to be decisive,” he said.

“I was always puzzled why the Sagittarius in this mural had a dragon-head on its tail. We had information about the mural including its rough period, but did not understand its meaning,” Prof. Aijaz Bandey from Kashmir University said.

“Archaeoastronomy project brought the astronomers and us together. The discovery again underscores multidisciplinary nature of modern research,” he added. For centuries, astronomers from different countries have noted such supernovae appearing in the sky from time to time.

While Chinese were the most meticulous record-keepers, records have also been found in Japan, Korea, Arab world, Europe and amongst native Americans.

The supernova of 1572 AD was systematically observed by famous astronomer Tycho Brahe and the one in 1604 AD was studied by another legendary astronomer Johannes Kepler. These records span from 185 AD to 1604 AD, overlapping with the golden era of Indian astronomy.

“Thus, it was enigmatic that no Indian record of a supernova had been found till date,” Vahia said.

Explaining the mural, Dr. Aniket Sule of HBCSE, lead author of the study said, “This picture of Sagittarius is pretty much like other contemporary depictions in Mughal India, except for the dragon-head.”

“In the year 1604, a supernova exploded in the exact region, where that dragon-head is. Moreover, three other bright objects, namely Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were in close vicinity of the supernova when it exploded. Together they would have looked, as if, the tail of the Sagittarius was suddenly breathing fire,” he said.