Connect to Current -Daily Current Capsules - 13th April 2019

Factoids
PM Modi To Be Honoured With Russia's Highest Civilian Award

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the award)

What's the NEWS
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get Russia's highest civilian award, 'Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle', for promoting a special and privileged strategic partnership between Russian and India

• This is the second international award the PM received this month. He was awarded Zayed Medal, the United Arab Emirates' highest civilian award, as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.

Know! about Order of St Andrew the Apostle

• The Order of St Andrew the Apostle is both the highest and the oldest state decoration of Russia.

• It was established as the first and highest order of chivalry of the Russian Empire in 1698 but was abolished under the USSR in 1918 before being reinstated as the top Russian order in 1998.

• The honour is awarded to prominent statesmen and public figures, eminent representatives of science, culture, the arts and various industries for exceptional services, for promoting the prosperity, grandeur and glory of Russia.

• It may also be awarded to foreign heads of states for outstanding service to the Russian Federation.

• In 2017, Chinese president Xi Jinping was awarded the Order of St Andrew the Apostle.

• With the Russian award, PM Narendra Modi has now been honoured with around seven top global awards. The Indian Prime Minister has previously been awarded the top honour of the United Arab

Electoral Reforms
SC directs political parties to submit electoral bonds receipts to EC
Relevance IN - Prelims( about electoral bonds)

What's the NEWS
• The Supreme Court on April 12, 2019 directed all political parties to furnish receipts of electoral bonds and details of the identity of donors in a sealed cover to the Election Commission.

• In an interim order, the apex court also directed all political parties to provide details of the amount and bank account of donors by May 30 to the poll panel.

Know! about electoral bonds and the contentious issues related to electoral bonds

• The order was passed on a plea of an NGO, which challenged the validity of the scheme and sought that either the issuance of electoral bonds be stayed or names of donors are made public to ensure transparency in the poll process.

• The government had notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018 on January 2, 2018. As per provisions of the scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India. A person being an individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.

• Only political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and which secured not less than one per cent of votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the state shall be eligible to receive electoral bonds.

• The electoral bonds shall be encashed by an eligible political party only through a bank account with an authorized bank.

• Electoral Bonds was introduced through Finance Act, 2017 by way of amendments to three statutes - Income Tax Act, RBI Act, and Representation of People Act.

• The petition has assailed five major amendments which were brought through Finance Act, 2017 and Finance Act, 2016. The petitioners also challenged the amendments to Section 182 of the Companies Act which earlier provided for a cap on donations made by companies to political parties.

Space Awareness
International Day of Human Space Flight 2019 observed globally
Relevance IN - Prelims( about human space flight day + Falcon rocket)

What's the NEWS
• The International Day of Human Space Flight was observed across the world on April 12, 2019. The day celebrates the anniversary of the first ever human space flight undertaken by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Union citizen then.

• Gagarin carried out Vostok 1 space flight on April 12, 1961, making one orbit around the Earth in over 108 minutes in the Vostok 3KA spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched by Vostok-K launch vehicle. This space flight opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.

Know! more about the proclamation of the Day

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through its resolution on April 7, 2011 proclaimed that International Day of Human Space Flight will be observed annually on 12 April.

• In its proclamation, the general assembly said, "The day will be celebrated at the international level to reaffirm the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples.

• It said that the day will help in ensuring the realisation of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes."

Facts w.r.t India

• 1984: Rakesh Sharma, the former Indian Air Force pilot, became the first person of Indian origin to travel in space. He slew in the space aboard Soyuz t-11, which was launched on April 2, 1984. He flew as part of the Intercosmos programme.

• 1997: Kalpana Chawla, an Indian American astronaut, became the first woman of Indian origin to be in space.

SpaceX launches its first commercial flight with Falcon Heavy

What's the NEWS
• US space flight company SpaceX carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket by placing a Saudi satellite in orbit on April 11, 2019.

• The 13,000-pound Saudi Arabian telecommunication satellite is operated by Arabsat and is expected to provide television, internet and mobile phone service to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

• This was also the first time that all three of the rocket's reusable boosters returned safely to Earth.

Know! more about the Maiden launch of Falcon Heavy rocket

• This launch on the Falcon Heavy rocket came a year after it launched SpaceX founder Elon Musk's red Tesla roadster car into orbit as a test on February 6, 2018.

• Falcon Heavy carried a red Tesla Roadster car belonging to Tesla founder Musk into space. The car was outfitted with a mannequin dressed in a spacesuit, a high-data storage unit containing Isaac Asimov's science fiction book series, the Foundation Trilogy, and a plaque bearing the names of 6000 SpaceX employees.

Know! about Falcon Heavy

• With a total of 27 Merlin engines, Falcon Heavy rocket is capable of generating more than 5 million pounds (2.3 million kg) of thrust at liftoff, which is equal to about eighteen 747 aircraft or more than a dozen jetliners.

• The rocket can lift a total weight of 64 tons into the orbit, which is just the double of the lift capacity of the operational vehicle 'Delta IV Heavy', that too at a far lower cost of about USD 90 million per launch, in comparison to USD 350 million for Delta IV Heavy.

• The 230-foot-tall rocket weighs more than 3.1 million pounds and is made up of three reusable boosters based on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

• Three boosters make up the first stage of Falcon Heavy. The side boosters are connected to the centre of the core at its base and at the vehicle's interstage.

• It was initially designed with an aim to restore the possibility of sending humans to the Moon or Mars, but now Falcon Heavy is being considered mainly as a potential equipment carrier for deep space destinations.

Environment Conservation
Namami Gange gets global recognition at world summit
The Global Water Awards are presented at the Global Water Summit, the major business conference for the water industry worldwide.
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NMCG) + Mains ( GS III environment conservation)

What's the NEWS

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was awarded the distinction of "Public Water Agency of the Year" by Global Water Intelligence at the Global Water Summit in London

• The Global Water Awards are presented at the Global Water Summit, the major business conference for the water industry worldwide.

Know! more about the award
• The awards recognise excellence across the international water industry and reward those initiatives in the water, waste water, and desalination sectors, which bring remarkable improvements in the lives of people, according to NMCG, which is under the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

• An integrated mission for Ganga rejuvenation, the Namami Gange programme has a comprehensive multi-sector intervention with multi-stakeholder involvement and adopts a basin-based approach.

Know! all about Namami Gange programme and its achievements

• The Namami Gange programme is an integrated mission for Ganga rejuvenation. It has a comprehensive multi-sectoral intervention with multi-stakeholder involvement and adopts a basin based approach which includes Ganga and its tributaries.

• The Namami Gange Mission aims at providing comprehensive and sustainable solutions for major pollution hot spots along the stretch of 97 towns and 4,465 villages on the Ganga stem.

• This mission is not only constructing new infrastructures but also rehabilitating the old and dilapidated Sewage Treatment Plant (STPs) as well as ensuring Operation and Maintenance (O & M) of all assets hence created.

• In Namami Gange programme, a total of 289 projects have so far been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 28,377 crore out of which 87 projects have been completed.

• The 10 cities including Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Kolkata which contribute more than 64 per cent of the pollution in Ganga have been comprehensively covered in all aspects under the Mission. Kanpur has been the hotspot of major pollution on the Ganga stem.

Prelims Practise Questions

Consider the following statements

1. The International Day of Human Space Flight was observed across the world to celebrates the anniversary of the first ever human space flight undertaken by Yuri Gagarin, a citizen of United Nation

2. Gagarin carried out Vostok 1 space flight on April 12, 1961, making one orbit around the Earth in over 108 minutes in the Vostok 3KA spacecraft.

3. Rakesh Sharma, the former Indian Air Force pilot, became the first person of Indian origin to travel in space.

Find the correct statement from the option given below
a. 2 and 3
b. 1 and 3
c. 1 2 and 3
d. None

Consider the following statement about Order of St Andrew the Apostle

1. The Order of St Andrew the Apostle is both the highest and the oldest state decoration of Russia.

2. It was established as the first and highest order of chivalry of the Russian Empire in 1698 but was abolished under the USSR in 1918 before being reinstated as the top Russian order in 1998.

3. It may also be awarded to foreign heads of states for outstanding service to the Russian Federation.

4. In 2017, Chinese president Xi Jinping was awarded the Order of St Andrew the Apostle.

Find the correct statements from the option given below

a. 1 3 and 4
b. 3 and 4
c. All
d. 1 and 2

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