What's the NEWS

• Air-to-Air missile, ASTRA, has been successfully flight tested off the coast of Odisha.

Know! more about the test

• The missile was launched from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials.
• The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of first indigenous air-to-air missile.
• The mission profile was executed in a text book manner. Various Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with target.

Know! about the missile

• The state-of-the-art missile was launched from Sukhoi-30 MKI off the coast of Odisha as part of user trials by the Indian Air Force(IAF).
• The missile is designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
• The Astra missile is a beyond visual range missile. It is capable of engaging different targets at different altitudes.
• The missile has a strike range of 70km.
• The missile has a 15-kg high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead.

Human Resource Development
Waste Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE Summit 2019)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about WAWE summit , Margadarshan and Margadarshak, Model Curriculum and about 360-degree Feedback ) + Mains ( GS II issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health, education )
What's the NEWS

• Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' launches several initiatives of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), It includes Facilitation through Margadarshan and Margadarshak, Model Curriculum for Diploma Courses, Waste Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE Summit 2019) and 360-degree Feedback of Faculty.
• WAWE Summit 2019' is a great initiative because women have skills in their hands and it will further empower and motivate them.
• The WAWE Summit will be held in November-December 2019. It will be jointly organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute of Waste Management (IIWM) at Jaipur.
• Facilitation through Margadarshan and Margadarshak is also a very good initiative in which the topmost institutions will mentor other institutions, so that they can improve their rankings and follow best practices of the mentor institute.
• 360 degree feedback of faculty scheme will increase the quality of education. This scheme will encourage both students and teachers.

Know! more about Facilitation through Margadarshan and Margadarshak
Margadarshan

• Under this scheme, institutions having good accreditation record / highly performing institutions are supposed to mentor relatively newer 10 - 12 potential institutions.
• Best practices in teaching learning process followed in mentor institute are diffused to mentee institutions. These institutions are also provided funding upto Rs. 50 lakhs (Rupees Fifty Lakhs Only) per institution over a period of three years in instalments for carrying out various activities like trainings, workshops, conferences and travel.

Margdarshak

• Under this scheme, mentor teachers or Margdarshaks who are either serving or superannuated but willing and motivated with good knowledge of accreditation and who can devote adequate time to make required visits to these Institutions are identified.
• These Margdarshaks will regularly visit to the mentee institutions, stay on their campus and guide them for their improvement in quality so that institutions are able to get accreditation by NBA.

Know! about 360-degree Feedback

• AICTE 7thPay Regulation defines the process of collecting the 360-degree Feedback Data that will be submitted by the education institutes. It starts by first establishing a data framework that maps Teachers, Students and Subjects/courses to capture the data at source through online mechanism.
• The process begins by self reporting of the Teaching Process and other Contributions to the Society by the teachers themselves.

Know! about Wawe Summit 2019 (Waste Management Accelerators for Aspire Women Entrepreneurs)

• It will be the largest gathering of young women students to promote entrepreneurship in waste management and providing alternatives to single use plastic carry bags.
• Indian Institute of Waste Management (IIWM)&All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will be registering the interested participation and guiding them to connect from "Start Up India to Stand Up India"
• Theme: Make your own bag - empowering women to take up income generation activity and entrepreneurship in waste management through making a business out of this record creating concept.
• This conclave will be part of a series of activities to encourage entrepreneurship amongst young graduates.

Energy Security
63^rd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about IAEA and about the achievements done by India in the field of nuclear energy) + Mains ( GS III energy security + infrastructure development - energy)
What's the NEWS

• The 63^rd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is presently going on at Vienna (September 16 -20, 2019).
• Out of 19 programmes organized at the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership in India in 2018-19, eight were conducted jointly with the IAEA, thus reinforcing India's collaboration with IAEA in capacity building.

Know! the achievements made by India in the field of Nuclear Energy

• India's Kaiga Generating Station (KGS-1) has set a new world record of continuous operation for 962 days on 31 December 2018 while working at 99.3% plant load factor.
• Tarapur Atomic Power Station Units (TAPS 1 &2), connected to grid in April and May 1969, have completed 50 years of safe operation. These are currently the oldest operating power reactors in the world, producing nuclear power at less than 3 cents per unit.
• India has plan for capacity addition in nuclear power generation and presently we have 21 reactors under the stage of construction and planning. This will help in achieving an additional capacity of about 15,000 MWe.
• Apsara-U, an upgraded swimming pool type reactor, operational since September 2018, has been operated at 90% of rated power and demonstrated that it can produce carrier free Cu-64 radioisotope, which has potential for usage in PET scans.
• The U-233 fuelled Kalpakkam Mini Reactor (KAMINI) has continued its successful operation. It is being used for neutron radiography of a large number of pyro-devices from the Indian Space Research Organization, activation analysis, neutron detector testing, etc.

Know! about IAEA

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
• The IAEA was established as an autonomous organisation on 29 July 1957. Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. The IAEA has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
• The IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear power worldwide.
• The programs of the IAEA encourage the development of the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, science and technology, provide international safeguards against misuse of nuclear technology and nuclear materials, and promote nuclear safety (including radiation protection) and nuclear security standards and their implementation.

Health Sector
NCG-Vishwam Cancer Care Connect (NCG-Vishwam 3C)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NCG-Vishwam Cancer Care Connect ) + Mains ( GS II issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health, education )
What's the NEWS

• A global cancer care network, "NCG-Vishwam Cancer Care Connect" (NCG-Vishwam 3C) has been launched
• NCG-Vishwam envisages integration of the hospitals and relevant cancer care institutes in partner countries with the National Cancer Grid (NCG) of India.

Know! all about NCG-Vishwam Cancer Care Connect

• NCG managed by Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), was established in 2012 with the vision of creating uniform standards of cancer care across India and this has grown to a large network of 183 cancer centres, and hospitals.
• By virtue of this, National Cancer Grid (NCG) established and managed by Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), which has 183 participating stake holders from India has been made open to the cancer hospitals and other relevant institutes from foreign countries.
• The objective of the NCG has been removing the disparity in Cancer Care. The NCG Vishwam is expected to play the same role globally.
• Eleven countries expressed interest immediately after the launch. Hospitals from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh conveyed their appreciation through a video message of offering the NCG to foreign countries.
• Cancer Care is an integral part of the responsibilities of the Department of Atomic Energy. The radioisotopes for detection of cancer and treatment are exclusively produced by the Department.
• The Department is also involved in development of newer radiopharmaceuticals. A cobalt teletherapy machine, called Bhabhatron, for cancer treatment, has also been developed by the Department.
• The Tata Memorial Centre (or TMC), which is an integral part of the Department, has been a premier cancer care facility since 1941 and it has struck an excellent balance with trilogy of patient care, education and research.
• NCG-Vishwam envisages integration of the hospitals and relevant cancer care institutes from partner countries with the National Cancer Grid (NCG) of India.
  
  

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