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Some lines of current affairs 05 February 2024 news
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) Revolutionizes Coal Mining with “VIHANGAM” Drone Technology
- Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a part of Coal India, is using drone technology in its coal mines through a new web portal called “VIHANGAM.” This portal allows authorized users to see live drone footage from the mines in real-time, thanks to a dedicated internet connection.
- The drone is controlled from a central station, and the entire system can be managed through the online portal from anywhere. Currently, this technology is being tested in the open-pit mines of Talcher Coalfields in Bhubaneswari and Lingraj in Odisha.
- MCL is making strides in digitizing its mining processes by employing drones for tasks like environmental monitoring, measuring volumes, and creating maps of the mines using photographs. Additionally, they have enhanced safety standards by installing a robotic water sprayer in their coal stockyard.
- MCL plays a significant role in India’s coal production, contributing over 20% through mining operations in districts like Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, and Angul in Odisha. The Chairman-cum-Managing Director is O P Singh, and the company was formed in 1992, with its headquarters in Sambalpur, Odisha.
Austrade and Leather Sector Skill Council Join Forces for Skills Development in India’s Leather Industry
Austrade, which is part of the Australian government, has teamed up with the Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) in India. They signed an agreement to work together on education and training programs for the leather industry. The focus is on specific job roles like 3D printing, product design, and automation engineering. The partnership will also emphasize important areas like sustainability and new technologies. LSSC is a non-profit group in India working to ensure there’s a skilled workforce in the leather sector.
Collaboration for Farmer Prosperity: DA&FW and DIL Join Forces to Boost Food Security and Income
- The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department in India, along with the Ministry of Agriculture, has teamed up with the Development Innovation Lab (DIL) at the University of Chicago in New Delhi. Their goal is to use new ideas to help farmers increase their income, deal with climate change, and ensure there’s enough food.
- The Development Innovation Lab, led by Nobel laureate Dr. Michael Kremer, uses economic strategies to create inventions that can help millions of people in less wealthy countries. They will work with the Agriculture Department to find and improve technologies that benefit small farmers in India.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
TCS Earns Prestigious Spot on FORTUNE Magazine’s ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’ List for 2023
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) made it to the “World’s Most Admired Companies” list by FORTUNE Magazine for 2023, which is like a big recognition.
- They check what people in business think about different companies. TCS got chosen based on things like being innovative, caring about society, having good leaders, being competitive globally, managing talent well, and providing quality products/services.
- In the ranking, Apple came first for the 16th year in a row, and Amazon and Microsoft shared the second spot.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Golden Book Awards 2023 Winners Unveiled by Wings Publication
- Wings Publication just revealed the winners of the Golden Book Awards 2023, which is a big deal for Asian authors. The awards recognize outstanding writers for being unique, creative, and making a big impact in the literary world.
- The winners for 2023 were chosen from a group of really talented nominees by a panel of independent judges. The judges included Dr. Kailash Pinjani (President of Indian Authors Association), Dr. Deepak Parbat (Founder of Superfast Author), and Murali Sundaram (Founder of TLC).
About Golden Book Awards:
- The Golden Book Awards honors authors for writing amazing and powerful books that make a difference. It highlights their dedication to excellence and leadership.
- Wings Publication started this award to praise authors and their books for their effort and dedication.
- In India, over 75,000 books were published, and the nominees cover various literary categories like children’s books, nonfiction, poetry, and fiction.
Winners of Golden Book Awards 2023:
- Deepak Chopra: The Seven Spiritual Law Of Success – A practical guide to achieving your dreams
- Ashneer Grover: Doglapan – The Hard Truth about Life and Start-Ups
- Jeff Kinney: Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Diper Overlode
- J.K Rowling: Fantastic Beasts – The Secrets Of Dumbledore
- Gaur Gopal Das: Energize Your Mind – A Monk’s Guide to Mindful Living
- Kamlesh Patel: The Wisdom Bridge – Nine Principles To A Life That Echoes In The Hearts Of Your Loved Ones
- Ruskin Bond: How To Live Your Life
- Namita Thapar: The Dolphin And The Shark: Stories On Entrepreneurship
Science & Technology
NISAR: NASA-ISRO Joint satellite to launch in 2024
- ISRO says a space thing called ‘NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)’ will go up into space from India in early 2024. It will start doing science stuff 90 days after it gets to its planned spot.
- NISAR is a special space tool made by NASA in the US and ISRO in India.
Launch Phase
The NISAR Observatory is set to launch using a rocket provided by ISRO called GSLV. It’ll take off from India’s Spaceport in Sriharikota. The expected launch date is January 2024.
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)
- NISAR is a special mission by NASA and ISRO that will take pictures of the whole Earth every 12 days. It will give us important information about changes in the environment.
- It will check Earth from different angles every 6 days, and this will happen for 3 years.
- It will tell us about things like ice, plants, sea level, water underground, and natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.
- This mission will use a new radar technology called Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to take pictures in two different frequencies. This will help us see things on Earth more clearly.
- The pictures will have high quality and cover a large area. The radar can also do special things like showing polarized light and measuring distances.
- The mission has special equipment on a structure called the Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS) attached to the spacecraft.
- NASA is responsible for one part of the mission, and ISRO is responsible for another part. They will both use a big antenna to send and receive signals.
- The American part of the project is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
- NISAR will study three main things: plants and the carbon cycle, changes in the Earth’s surface, and how ice and snow are connected to the climate and sea levels.
SPORTS
Launch of Khelo India Winter Games 2023: New Mascot, Theme Song, and Jersey Revealed by Union Minister and Lieutenant Governor
Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, and Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, together unveiled the Mascot, Theme Song, and Jersey for the upcoming Khelo India Winter Games. The event is set to take place from February 10 to 14, 2023, in Gulmarg, Jammu, and Kashmir.
“Mascot: The Snow Leopard depicts the vibrant heritage of the Himalayas.”
Khelo India Winter Games 2023:
- The J&K Sports Council and the Winter Games Association of J&K are in charge of putting together the Khelo India Winter Games, and they get money from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- The games will have 9 different sports, and about 1500 people from all over India will be competing.
- The first time they did Khelo India Winter Games was in 2020, and Jammu & Kashmir, where they held it, won first place in both the first and second editions.
- The main events are snowshoe racing, ice skating, ice hockey, skiing, nordic ski, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, and ice stock, among others.
- About Jammu and Kashmir (J&K):-
- Governor – Manoj Sinha
- Wildlife Sanctuary – Surinsar Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary; Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary
- Festivals – Losar; Matho Nagrang
OBITUARY
Renowned Singer Vani Jairam, Recipient of Padma Bhushan, Passes Away at 78
Renowned singer Vani Jairam, who recently received India’s third-highest civilian award, the “Padma Bhushan” in 2023 for her contributions to the arts, has passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, at the age of 78. She was born in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, and was originally named Kalaivani.
Key Points:
- Vani started singing professionally in the early 1970s and celebrated her 50-year career as a singer.
- She recorded over 10,000 songs for Indian films in 19 languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Gujarati.
- Vani received state awards from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, and Odisha.
- In July 2017, she was honored as the Best Female Singer at the North American Film Awards (NAFA) in New York City.
National Film Awards:
- In 1975, Vani received the Best Female Playback Singer (Tamil) award for her songs in the Tamil film “Apoorva Raagangal.”
- In 1980, she won the Best Female Playback Singer (Telugu) award for her songs in the Telugu film “Sankarabharanam.”
- Her third national award came in 1991 for the song “Anathineeyara Hara” from the Telugu film “Swathi Kiranam.“
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of Human Fraternity: Connecting People through Kindness and Understanding
February 4 is known as the International Day of Human Fraternity, celebrated worldwide by the United Nations (UN). It’s a day dedicated to promoting kindness, understanding between religions, and respect among people to keep everyone connected.
This special day falls in the middle of the International Interfaith Harmony Week, which happens every 1st week of February. In 2023, we’re marking the 3rd International Day of Human Fraternity on February 4.
Here’s a bit of history: The United Nations General Assembly declared February 4 as the International Day of Human Fraternity on December 21, 2020. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) played a big role in making it happen.
The first time this day was celebrated was on February 4, 2021.
Now, a quick note about the United Nations:
- Secretary-General: António Guterres
- Headquarters: New York, USA
- Established: 1945
World Cancer Day 2023 – February 4
World Cancer Day is an event started by a big international cancer organization called the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). They began it on February 4, 2000, during a meeting in Paris. During this meeting, a document called the “Charter of Paris Against Cancer” was signed, officially declaring World Cancer Day to be observed every February 4. This document emphasized a worldwide commitment to improving the access and quality of care for cancer patients.
The UICC, led by CEO Cary Adams and based in Geneva, Switzerland, has been around since 1933.
Every year on February 4, people around the world observe World Cancer Day to raise awareness about cancer and promote its identification, prevention, and treatment. The theme for the campaign from 2022 to 2024 is “Close the care gap.” In 2023, the theme is “Close the care gap: Uniting our voices and taking action,” encouraging people to come together and work collaboratively against cancer.
STATE NEWS
Goa CM Pramod Sawant Launches Premium Heli-Tourism Service in Panaji
On February 3, 2023, the Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant, started a fancy helicopter ride service in Panaji called Heli-Tourism. This is the first of its kind and is a partnership between the government’s tourism development corporation and a private company called Soaring Aerospace. The helicopter rides take off from the Dauji-Ella helipad in Old Goa, Panaji, which was built as part of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme by the Ministry of Tourism.
Heli-Tourism Service:
The Heli-Tourism Service gives short 10-minute rides to tourists for Rs.8,000 each. They also offer private flights, rides to and from the airport, and personalized helicopter trips to places like Hampi, Kolhapur, and Shirdi.
Key Points:
- Goa is working on making it easy for businesses and offering top-notch services to attract tourists. The government is looking into public-private partnerships to achieve this.
- The Tourism Department has introduced a helpline to assist tourists. The helpline, run by a call center, will give details about upcoming events, venues, costs, and more.
- The government has developed the second Zuari bridge, Mopa Airport, and a future conference center to improve tourism infrastructure.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme:
The Indian government, through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, started the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-2015. This program aims to enhance tourism by developing specific themed tourist circuits.
The goal is to boost tourism in India by promoting and tapping into its potential.
Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to state governments and Union Territory administrations for building infrastructure in these tourist circuits.
Now, about Goa:
- Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant
- Governor: Sreedharan Pillai
- Port: Mormugao Port
- Bird Sanctuary: Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
Punjab Cabinet Approves New Industrial and Electric Vehicle Policies
The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, gave the green light to two new policies: the “Industrial and Business Development Policy (IBDP)-2022” and the “Punjab Electric Vehicle Policy (PEVP)-2022.” They approved these policies before an upcoming investors’ summit on February 23-24, 2023, in Mohali, Punjab.
Punjab Electric Vehicle Policy_(PEVP)- 2022
- The PEVP-2022 is made to cut down on pollution caused by car exhaust in the state.
- The goal is to decrease pollution from cars, improve infrastructure, boost manufacturing, research and development, create jobs, and make Punjab a top choice for making electric vehicles (EVs), parts, and batteries.
- In the vehicle scrapping policy, the Punjab government has already given rewards to people who switch to electric cars.
Industrial and Business Development Policy. (IBDP)-2022
The IBDP-2022 policy offers various incentives for sectors like infrastructure, power, and MSMEs, aiming to promote balanced economic growth, job creation, and overall state development.
Effective from October 17, 2022, the IBDP-2022 will be in effect for 5 years, succeeding the previous policy. Punjab plans to establish 20 rural clusters and 15 industrial parks to cater to general and industry-specific needs.
Additionally, Punjab Government will implement RAMP, a World Bank-supported initiative, for MSMEs.
In another approval, the Punjab cabinet sanctioned public mining sites to ensure affordable access to sand and gravel. Initially, 18 sites will be established in 7 districts, with CM Bhagwant Mann inaugurating one on February 5, 2023. Punjab aims to have 50 such sites operational by March 2023.
Key details about Punjab:
- Chief Minister: Bhagwant Mann
- Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
- Wildlife Sanctuaries: Bir Moti Bagh WLS, Bir Bhunerheri WLS
- Zoological Park: Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park; Tiger safari zoo
