Science and Technology

India's communication satellite GSAT-31 launched successfully from French Guiana

Relevance IN - Prelims( about GSAT 31 ) + Mains (GS III awareness in the field of space)

What's the NEWS

• India's latest communication satellite, GSAT-31 was successfully launched from the Spaceport in French Guiana
• The launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-247 lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana
• With a lift-off mass of 2536 kg, GSAT-31 will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit.

Know! all about GSAT 31

• The satellite will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. GSAT-31 derives its heritage from ISRO's earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series.
• GSAT-31 has a unique configuration of providing flexible frequency segments and flexible coverage. The satellite will provide communication services to Indian mainland and islands
• GSAT-31 will provide DTH Television Services, connectivity to VSATs for ATM, Stock-exchange, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and e-governance applications.
• The satellite will also be used for bulk data transfer for a host of emerging telecommunication applications.

Environment Conservation

Bullet train gets green light via flamingo haven, national park

Relevance IN - Prelims(about bullet train) + GS Mains III ( infrastructure development+ environment conservation)

What's the NEWS

• A committee, chaired by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, has accorded wildlife clearance to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train corridor that encroaches upon a flamingo sanctuary and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, home to leopards, in Mumbai.
• The proposal involves diversion of 3.2756 hectares of forest land from the Thane Creek Flamingo Wildlife Sanctuary and 97.5189 hectares of land close to the boundary of the forest's protected area.
• The project for one of India's first ‘bullet trains' was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad in September, 2017. It is expected to be ready by 2022.

Know! All about Bullet train Project

Social Issues

Ayushman Bharat world's largest health scheme

Relevance IN - Prelims( about PM-JAY) + Mains GS II(issues relating to development in the field of health)

What's the NEWS

• Ayushman Bharat has stabilised as the largest health scheme in the world, benefiting over 10 lakh patients since its launch, and created an atmosphere of positivity
• The ministry of Health and Family inaugurated the newly-constituted National Health Authority (NHA).
• The ministry also launched the Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) mobile app
• The app has been introduced within just four months since the launch of the scheme and is aimed at helping users get easy access to information on the scheme, check eligibility, find hospitals nearby and get assisted help.

Know! all about Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY)

• This is the "world's largest government funded healthcare program" targeting more than 50 crore beneficiaries.
• It will provide acover of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year, for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• PMJAY will providecashless and paperless access to servicesfor the beneficiary at the point of service.
• Ayushman Bharat is a progression towards promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative aspects of Universal Healthcare throughaccess of Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) at the primary level and provision of financial protection for accessing curative care at the secondary and tertiary levels through engagement with both public and private sector.
• It adopts a continuum of care approach, comprising of two inter-related components:Creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centreswhich will bring health care closer to the homes of the people.
• The second component is thePradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (PMJAY) which provides health protection cover to poor and vulnerable families for secondary and tertiary care.
• The Health and Wellness Centres will play a critical role in creating awareness about PMJAY, screening for non-communicable diseases, follow-up of hospitalization cases among others. The features of the scheme are as follows.
  

International Affairs

Russia to develop new missile systems by 2021

What's the NEWS

• Russia's Defence Minister said the country must develop new types of missile systems in the next two years after Washington and ripped up a key arms control treaty.
• The United States has repeatedly accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement and President Donald Trump said Washington was starting a process to withdraw from the treaty in six months.
• In a tit-for-tat move Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was also leaving the treaty and beginning work on new types of weapons that would breach the crucial Cold War-era agreement.
• Russia should develop two new missile systems in the next two years. "During 2019-2020 Russia will develop a land-based version of the seaborne Kalibr system equipped with a long-range cruise missile which showed good results in Syria
• Russia will also create a land-based missile system with a long-range hypersonic missile
• The INF agreement forbids ground-launched, short- and intermediate-range missiles, but not those launched from the air or sea - which Russia already has.

Bilateral Relations

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Brazil on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy

Relevance IN - Prelims( about traditional medicine and homoeopathy) + Mains GS II(issues relating to development in the field of health)

What's the NEWS

• The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Brazil on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy.

Know! the benefits

• The MoU will enhance bilateral cooperation between India and Brazil in the areas of Traditional Systems of Medicine. This will be of immense importance to both countries considering their shared cultural heritage.

Know! the genesis

• India is blessed with well-developed systems of traditional medicine including medicinal plants, which hold tremendous potential in the global health scenario.
• India and Brazil share a very close and multi-fraceted relationship at bilateral level as well as in plurilateral for a such as BRICS, BASIC, G-20, G-4, BSA, and in the larger multilateral bodies such as the UN, WTO, UNESCO and WHO.
• Brazil is one of the most important trading partners of India in the entire Latin America and Carribean region.
• Both India and Brazil are rich in biodiversity with a large range of health practices based on medicinal plants and history of use of traditional medicine. Ayurveda, Yoga and other traditional systems are popular in Brazil.

Food Processing Industries

National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the bill) + Mains GS III (food processing )

What's the NEWS

• The Union Cabinet has approved the introduction of National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019.

Know! the objective of the bill

• The objective of the bill is to confer the status of Institutions of National Importance to National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) at Kundli, Haryana, and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.

Know! the benefits

• The legislation would provide for functional autonomy to the institutes to design and develop courses, undertake research activities and leverage enhanced status in their academic pursuits, so that they become world class institutes.
• The institutes would implement the reservation policy of the Government and would also undertake special outreach activities for the benefits of concerned stakeholders.
• It would enable the institutes to provide world class teaching and research experience by adopting innovative practices.

Social Issues

Darwaza Band-Part Two to Sustain Sanitation Gains

Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen launches national campaign for ODF sustainability

Relevance IN - Prelims(about the campaign) + GS Mains paper II - government policies and interventions)

What's the NEWS

• The Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen launched the 'Darwaza Band -Part 2' campaign which focuses on sustaining the open defecation free status of villages across the country.
• The campaign, produced by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, was launched in Mumbai in the presence of iconic actor Shri Amitabh Bachchan
• The 'Darwaza Band- Part 2' campaign has been supported by the World Bank and is being rolled out countrywide immediately after the launch.

Know! more about the campaign

• The campaign talks about how a toilet must be used by all, always and under all circumstances (har koi, har roz, hamesha).
• Over 50 crore people stopped defecating in the open since the launch of the SBM and with over 5.5 lakh villages having already been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), the national sanitation coverage is now in excess of 98%, compared to 39% in 2014.
• The primary focus of the programme is on behaviour change and promoting sustainable usage of toilets, at both community and village levels.
• The Darwaza Band- Part 2 focuses on ensuring that people's behavior is changed for good and everyone always uses a toilet.
• Three "Darwaza Band Part 2" films were launched by Shri Bachchan. These will be aired across various television channels over the next few weeks in various regional languages. There will also be radio jingles, outdoor publicity and digital campaigns aired under the campaign.

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