UTTAR PRADESH
- GAIL Commissions India’s Second-Largest Rooftop Solar Plant in Uttar Pradesh
- State-owned gas utility GAIL India Limited commissioned the country’s second-largest rooftop solar power plant in Uttar Pradesh.
- The firm has installed a 76 MWp (Mega Watt peak)solar plant at its petrochemical complex at Pata in Uttar Pradesh.
- The plant over the roofs of warehouses covers a total area of 65,000 square meters.
INTERNATIONAL
· Six Countries to enter UN Security Council
- Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru, Poland and the Netherlands formally joined the ranks of the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to make a difference.
- The UN Security Council has 15 members, including five with permanent seats who have the power to veto resolutions – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
- The six countries who left the UN Security Council recently are Egypt, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
- India and Myanmar Land Border Crossing Agreement approved
- The Union Cabinet approved the Agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing.
- The Agreement will facilitate regulation and harmonization of already existing free movement rights for people of both countries.
- It will also facilitate movement of people on the basis of valid passports and visas which will enhance economic and social interaction between the two countries.
- The Agreement is an enabling arrangement for movement of people across India-Myanmar border.
NATIONAL
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and ‘Transport for London’
- The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and ‘Transport for London’, a statutory body established under the Greater London Authority Act, 1999 (UK) to improve Public Transport in India.
- The MoU will help to improve the overall public transport system in the country, improve passenger services and promote the use of high capacity buses in India.
- It will go a long way in strengthening ties and promoting bilateral relations between India and United Kingdom.
- Government approves Rs 6,809-crore Zojila Pass tunnel project in J&K
- The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of Asia’s longest bi-directional Zojila Pass tunnel at an estimated cost of Rs 6,089 crore, which will reduce the travel time between Srinagar and Leh to 15 minutes from the current 3.5 hours.
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its go-ahead to the 14.2-km long tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh, which remains cut-off from the rest of India during winters due to heavy snowfall.
- Indian Railways to install GPS devices on 2,700 electric locomotives
- In a bid to provide real time train information, the government plans to install GPS devices on over 2,700 electric locomotives by December 2018, Parliament was told.
- “Railway Ministry in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is implementing Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS) which involves tracking of train by placing GPS/GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation System) based devices on locomotives,” Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
- “In Phase one, the RTIS project will cover about 2,700 electric locomotives in which the GPS device will be installed.
- This phase is planned to be completed by December 2018,” he said.
- India Cancels $500 Million Deal For Israeli Anti-Tank Missiles
- India has cancelled a $ 500 million deal to buy 1,600 Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, the state-owned defence contractor Rafael Advanced Defence Systems announced.
- Spike is a man-portable “fire and forget’ missile that can hit moving targets such as a tank.
- India had opted for the Israel’s Spike over the Javelin missiles offered by Washington in 2014.
· Central Government Contours of Electoral Bonds Scheme
- The Centre unveiled the contours of the ‘Electoral Bonds’ scheme, which seeks to ensure the flow of clean money to political parties, without revealing the donors’ names.
- As per the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the electoral bonds will be a bearer instrument in the nature of a Promissory Note and an interest-free banking instrument.
- A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India will be eligible to purchase the bond from specified branches of the State Bank of India.
- The bonds can be purchased for any value in multiples of Rs1,000; Rs10,000; Rs1 lakh; Rs10 lakh; and Rs1 crore.
- The bonds will not carry the name of the payee and will be valid only for 15 days during which it can be used to make a donation only to certain political parties.
· Rajinder Khanna appointed as Deputy National Security Adviser
- Rajinder Khanna was appointed the deputy National Security Adviser (NSA).
- He was the former chief of the country’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
- He headed the RAW for a fixed two-year period. Mr Khanna is at present officer on special duty (Neighbourhood Studies) in the National Security Council Secretariat.
· Scientists discover four new balsam species in Arunachal Pradesh
- Scientists have discovered four new balsam species from various locations in Eastern Himalayasin the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
- They are Impatiens haridasanii, Impatiens pseudocitrina, Impatiens nilalohitae and Impatiens roingensis.
- It was discovered in Pongchan. The species is characterized by small yellow flowers and hairy leaves.
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