Daily Current Capsules
02 March 2023

 

HTT-40

What's the NEWS

 

• The Union Cabinet has approved procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 6,828.36 crore. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years.

Know! about HTT-40

• The HTT-40 is a turbo prop aircraft and is designed to have good low speed handling qualities and provide better training effectiveness.
• This fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer has air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot re-fueling, running change over and zero-zero ejection seats.
• The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of IAF for training of newly inducted pilots.
• The HTT-40 contains approx. 56% indigenous content which will progressively increase to over 60% through indigenisation of major components and subsystems.
• The HAL would engage Indian private industry, including MSMEs, in its supply chain.

 

SWAYATT

What's the NEWS

 

• A function was held to commemorate the success of "SWAYATT", an initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through e Transactions on Government eMarketplace (GeM)
• The initiative to promote "Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through e Transactions" (SWAYATT) on GeM was first launched in February 2019.
• The intent of SWAYATT 2019 was to promote inclusiveness of various categories of sellers and service providers on the portal, by taking proactive steps to facilitate their training and registrations of such specific category of manufacturers and sellers, develop women entrepreneurship and encourage participation of MSME sector and Start-ups in public procurement.
• Government e Marketplace (GeM) - GeM is a Section 8 company setup under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for procurement of goods and services by Central Ministries, State Departments, PSEs and Autonomous Bodies.

 

EXERCISE SHINYUU MAITRI

 

What's the NEWS

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri with the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF).
• The exercise is being organised on the side-lines of the Indo-Japan Joint Army Exercise, Dharma Guardian, which is being conducted from 13 February 2023 to 02 March 2023 at Komatsu, Japan.
• The IAF contingent is participating in Exercise Shinyuu Maitri 23 with one C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
• Exercise Shinyuu Maitri 23 will be yet another step in the expanding defence cooperation between the two countries; as well as for the IAF to operate in diverse environments across the globe.
• The exercise is being conducted at a time when the IAF's heavy lift transport aircraft fleet is also taking part in Exercise Desert Flag VIII in UAE and Exercise Cobra Warrior in the UK.

 

 

Cadet Training Ships

 

What's the NEW

• The Union Cabinet has accorded approval to sign a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships, at an overall cost of Rs 3,108.09 crore, under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} category.
• The delivery of ships is scheduled to commence from 2026.
• These ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy.
• The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations.
• The ships can also be deployed for evacuation of people and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
• The ships will be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai.

 

BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC)

 

What's the NEWS

 

• India hosted the first meeting of the Governing Board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC)
• There was active participation from all BIMSTEC countries viz. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand along with BIMSTEC Sectt.
• India's "Neighbourhood first" and "Act East" Policies were highlighted during the meeting.
• As the Host of the BIMSTEC Energy Centre, India made a presentation on establishing the BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) in India.
• It was conveyed to the member countries that the BEC will be housed in the premises of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru.

 

Know! about BIMSTEC

 

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations
• The BIMSTEC member states - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand[8] - are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
• Leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of country names. The permanent secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

 

Greater Panna Landscape Council

What's the NEWS

 

• As part of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), which is game-changer for the socio-economic prosperity of the drought prone Bundelkhand region, a comprehensive Integrated Landscape Management Plan (ILMP) has been prepared for the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) & surrounding areas.
• To ensure systematic and time bound implementation of the Greater Panna Landscape Management plan, the Greater Panna Landscape Council (GPLC) has been constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh with members from all the stakeholders.

 

Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP )

• Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), the first interlinking of rivers project under National Perspective Plan (NPP)
• Under this, the transfer of excess water from the River Ken to the Betwa basin through the use of a concrete canal is proposed.
• The project is aimed at not only providing water security in the Bundelkhand but also ensuring the overall conservation of the region and specially for landscape dependent species such as tiger, vulture and gharial.
• A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Centre and the governments of UP and MP for the project.
• A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) will be set up to implement the project.

 

Know! about Panna National Park

 

• It is a national park located in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh in India.
• It was declared in 1994 as the twenty second Tiger reserve of India and the fifth in Madhya Pradesh

 

VAIBHAV Fellowship scheme

 

What's the NEWS

 

• The Department of Science & Technology launched the VAIBHAV Fellowship scheme for the Indian Diaspora abroad.

 

Know! about the VAIBHAV Fellowship scheme

 

• The fellowship offers Non-Resident Indian (NRI) researchers an opportunity to work for a minimum of one month to a maximum of two months a year with a research institution or an academic institution in India.
• The duration is of three years with the government offering the researchers an amount of up to Rs 37 lakh for the entire period.
• The scheme aims to improve the research ecosystem of India's Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
• This is done through the mobility of faculty/researchers from overseas institutions to India.
• Researchers from institutions featuring in the top 500 QS World University Rankings will be eligible for the fellowship.
• The applicant should be a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and she or he must have obtained Ph.D/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized University.
• The best of Diaspora minds will collaborate with domestic Minds to deliver world-class projects and products.

 

QR-Code based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM)

What's the NEWS

 

• RBI recently announced its plan to launch a pilot project to assess the functioning of QR-code based coin vending machines (QCVM).

 

Know! about QR-Code based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM)

 

• QCVM is a cashless coin dispensation machine that would dispense coins with the requisite amount being debited from the customer's account using United Payments Interface (UPI).
• It will eliminate the need for physical tendering of banknotes and their authentication.
• It will be launched with an aim to promote the distribution of coins and enhance the accessibility to coins.
• Customers will also have the option to withdraw coins in required quantity and denominations in QCVMs.
• The pilot project is planned to be initially rolled out at 19 locations in 12 cities across the country.
• These vending machines are intended to be installed at public places such as railway stations, shopping malls, and marketplaces to enhance ease and accessibility.

 

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