ETEN Enlightens -Daily Current Capsules (Prelims Prep. Prominence) 24th August 2018

Science & Technology

CSIR tech to make combat aircraft Tejas 20% lighter

The use of the complete home-grown technology will reduce the number

of parts of the light combat aircraft by 40%, the number of fasteners by

50%, and the time on the assembly line by 30%

WHAT

Technology indigenously developed by a government laboratory for

manufacturing carbon components will make India’s light combat

aircrafts 20% lighter.

Enlighten about the technology

The technology developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research - National Aerospace Laboratory (CSIR-NAL) uses

indigenously developed carbon fibre, which is pre-impregnated with the

organic polymer ‘resin’, to make complex parts like fin, rudder, wing

spars and fairings in a single mould.

For making the composite material, this pre-impregnated carbon fibre is

autoclaved or treated under extreme heat and temperature.

The autoclaving technology has also developed by CSIR-NAL.

The material is then moulded into complex components of the aircraft.

This reduces the number of parts used in the aircraft as well as the

number of fasteners needed to assemble it

The use of the complete home-grown technology will reduce the number

of parts of the light combat aircraft by 40%, the number of fasteners by

50%, and the time on the assembly line by 30%.

The composite technology is critical of the fourth generation fighter

aircraft.

The composite material is sturdier than aluminium, more heat resistant,

the wear and tear is less and corrosion

The laboratory has received an order for 20 sets of parts for the aircrafts

worth more than ~100 crore from the government owned aerospace

company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). CSIR-NAL has now

transferred the technology to manufacturing partner Tata Advanced

Materials Limited (TAML), Bengaluru.

The project began with two technology demonstrator aircrafts and then

five prototype aircrafts.

NITI Aayog NITI Aayog launches 5 Thematic Reports on Sustainable Development

in Indian Himalayan Region

WHAT

Recognizing the uniqueness of the Himalayas and the challenges for

sustainable development, NITI Aayog had set up 5 Working Groups

(WGs) in June 2017 to prepare a roadmap for actions in 5 thematic areas.

The reports discuss the significance, the challenges, the ongoing actions

and a future roadmap.

Earlier in June 2017, the NITI Aayog had set up 5 Working Groups to

prepare a roadmap for actions in 5 thematic areas that are quite significant

for the Himalayas. These areas were:

Inventory and Revival of Springs in Himalayas for Water Security

Sustainable Tourism in Indian Himalayan Region

Transformative Approach to Shifting Cultivation

Strengthening Skill & Entrepreneurship Landscape in Himalayas

Data/Information for Informed Decision Making

These working groups were constituted after the NITI Aayog recognised

that mountains require specific solutions for resilience building that

address socio-economic and environmental challenges in the mountain

setting.

Inventory and Revival of springs in Himalayas for Water Security

Challenges - Nearly 30 percent of springs, crucial to water security of

people, are drying and 50 percent have reported reduced discharge.

Spring Mapping and Revival by using 8 steps protocol be taken up across

Himalayan States in phased manner.

Call for action - Setting up of Mission on Spring Water Management in

Himalayas.

Sustainable Tourism in Indian Himalayan Region

Challenge: Himalayan Tourism is growing annually at 6.8 percent and

has created huge challenge related to solid waste, water, traffic, loss of

bio-cultural diversity etc. With the projected arrival of tourists to more

than double by 2025, urgent actions will be needed to address issues of

waste management and water crisis.

Apply carrying capacity concept to all major tourist destinations;

implement and monitor tourism sector standards and apply performance

based incentives for States.

Call for action: Setting up of a Himalayan Authority for coordinated and

holistic development of entire Himalayan region and launching of

“Himalaya Calling: An Awareness to Action Campaign” as people’s

movement.

Transformative Approach to Shifting Cultivation

Challenge: In the north eastern States, thousands of the households

continue to practice slash and burn (Shifting Cultivation) which needs to

be addressed in view of ecological, food and nutritional security.

Assessment of nature and extent of Shifting Cultivation area, improved

policy coherence, strengthened tenurial security and improved access to

related programs are means to transform shifting cultivation.

Call for action: Setting up of National Mission/Program on Transforming

Shifting Cultivation in North Eastern States.

Strengthening Skill & Entrepreneurship Landscape in Himalayas

Challenge: Unskilled workforce remains a challenge for the mountains as

well that need high priority to address migration of youths.

Strengthening of skill and entrepreneurship will require focus on

identified priority sectors where mountains have advantage, investment in

trainers, assessors and training centers in industry partnership.

Call for action: Demand driven network of skill and entrepreneurship

development Centers in Himalayan States is required along with

consortium of institutions of high learning for mountain specific research

and technology.

Data/Information for Informed Decision Making

Challenge: Challenges related to data availability, data authenticity,

compatibility, data quality, validation, user charges for Himalayan States

need addressal for informed decision making at different levels of

governance.

Having a Central Data Management Agency for Himalayas to provide

data with high fidelity scenario while addressing data sharing, access,

authenticity and comparability issues will help in addressing data related

issues.

Call for action: Linking with the Hindukush Himalaya Monitoring and

Assessment program (HIMAP) and Setting up of Central Data

Management Agency for Himalayan Database at GB Pant National

Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development.

The call for actions include setting up of a Himalayan Authority for coordinated

and holistic development of entire Himalayan region and launchingof “Himalaya

Calling”: An Awareness to Action Campaign as people’smovement.

Ministry of Women and Child Development Rashtriya Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) - Month Of

September

Celebrating the Poshan Maah will give an early thrust to Poshan

Abhiyan

WHAT

The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India

organized an orientation workshop for various stakeholders participating

in the Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) being celebrated in the

month of September.

Organising Partners

NITI Aayog and officers of partner ministries as well as other

organizations including UN.

The Workshop focused on sensitizing the line Ministries, States/UTs and

District level functionaries and partners on various aspects of Rashtriya

Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) being celebrated during the

month of September across the Country as part of Jan Andolan

under POSHAN Abhiyaan.

The primary objective of the celebration of Poshan Maah is to take the

messages of POSHAN to the grass root level.

The programme- an initiative of WCD Ministry and NITI Aayog is

supported by 18 line Ministries/Departments/Government Organizations.

The programme focuses on 8 themes – Antenatal Care, Optimal

Breastfeeding (Early & Exclusive), Complementary Feeding, Anemia,

Growth Monitoring, Girls-education, diet, right age of Marriage, Hygiene

& Sanitation, Food Fortification.

POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission)

It was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 8thMarch, 2018 from

Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

The programme through use of technology, a targeted approach and

convergence strives to reduce the level of Stunting, Under-nutrition,

Anemia and Low Birth Weight in Children, as also, focus on Adolescent

Girls, Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers, thus holistically

addressing malnutrition.

POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to ensure service delivery and interventions by

use of technology, behavioural change through convergence and lays-

down specific targets to be achieved across different monitoring

parameters over the next few years.

To ensure a holistic approach, all 36 States/UTs and 718 districts will be

covered in a phased manner by the year 2020. The Jan andholan intends

to give prominence to nutrition at the highest level in the country.

Ministry of Tourism

President inaugurates International Buddhist Conclave 2018

6th International Buddhist Conclave on the theme, “Buddha Path – The

Living Heritage”.

WHAT

The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the

“International Buddhist Conclave (IBC), 2018”

Organising Ministry

The 4 days long Conclave has been organized by the Ministry of Tourism

in collaboration with the State Governments of Maharashtra, Bihar and

Uttar Pradesh from 23rd – 26th August, 2018 at New Delhi and Ajanta

(Maharashtra), followed by site visits to Rajgir, Nalanda and Bodhgaya

(Bihar) and Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh).

Enlighten about the conclave

The President also launched the Ministry of Tourism website on

important Buddhist sites - indiathelandofbuddha.in

The Ministerial level delegation from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar

and Sri Lanka are participating in the conclave.

The delegates from 29 countries are participating in the International

Buddhist Conclave: - Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia,

Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Lao

PDR, Malaysia, Mangolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Russia, Singapore,

South Korea, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand,

UK, USA and Vietnam.

The Conclave features presentations by the Ministry of Tourism and State

Governments, Panel discussion between scholars and monks and B2B

meetings between the foreign and Indian tour operators.

The Ministry has also organized an ‘Investors’ Summit’ during the

Conclave to attract investments in developing world class infrastructure

at Buddhist sites.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has been organizing the

International Buddhist Conclave biennially.

The earlier International Buddhist Conclaves were organized in New

Delhi and Bodhgaya (February 2004), Nalanda and Bodhgaya (February

2010), Varanasi and Bodhgaya (September 2012), Bodhgaya and

Varanasi (September 2014) and in Sarnath/Varanasi and Bodhgaya

(October 2016).

The “ASEAN” was the Guest of Honor during IBC, 2016 and Japan is the

‘Partner Country for IBC-2018.

Economy/Banking India Banking Conclave (IBC) 2018

WHAT

India Banking Conclave (IBC) 2018 was held in New Delhi from 23-24, 2018

Organising agency

It was organised by Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) along with

its knowledge partner and government Think Tank, NITI Aayog.

Objective

The conclave was aimed at making India’s banking sector more adaptable to

face multiple future challenges in the coming years.

Enlighten about India Banking Conclave (IBC) 2018

IBC 2018 focused engaging corporates, law and policy makers of country,

academicians and professionals on common platform to make all stakeholders

share their views on all impending issues including bad debts and non-

performing assets (NPAs) that have been accumulated in unbiased manner.

IBC 2018 aimed to serve as effective platform for varied stakeholders

connected to India’s banking and financial sectors.

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

CEPR is network of over 1100 researchers who are based mainly in universities

throughout Europe and collaborate in research and its dissemination.

It was founded in 1983and is based in London, United Kingdom.

It aims to enhance quality of economic policy-making within Europe and

beyond by fostering high quality, policy-relevant economic research and

disseminating it to decisionmakers in public and private sectors. It is funded by

a registered, European charity founded in 1983 by Richard Portes, FBA, CBE.

Art and Culture International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)

WHAT

ICOMOS launched Kerala Heritage Rescue Initiative to assess damage to rich

cultural and built heritage sites in flood-devastated Kerala.

ICOMOS is global monument conservation body.

Kerala Heritage Rescue Initiative

The initiative aims at setting up platform for emergency response to cultural

heritage damaged by the floods in Kerala.

ICOMOS will assess damage and risks to rich tangible, intangible, movable and

immovable heritage that has been adversely affected by foods, including

monuments, historic buildings, museum collections and artefacts of important

significance.

It will also create heritage response team and train its members to undertake

damage assessment and emergency measures.

ICOMOS has also approached International Centre for Study of the

Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) to partner in post-

disaster work.

ICCROM based in Rome (Italy) is inter-governmental organisation dedicated to

preservation of cultural heritage worldwide through training, information,

research, cooperation and advocacy programmes.

The Central Government has declared this calamity of ‘severe nature’.

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction calls for cultural heritage and its

protection to help in building resilience and enhance ability of the affected

population to participate in its own recovery.

Enlighten about ICOMOS

It is global monument conservation body (nongovernment organisation)

dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology and scientific

techniques for conservation of architectural and archaeological heritage across

the world.

It is also advisory body to UNESCO for cultural heritage, in particular for

implementation of World Heritage Convention.

It was founded in 1965 in Warsaw (Poland) as a result of the Venice Charter of

1964. It is headquartered in Paris, France

Report India to grow at 7.5% in 2018, 2019: Moody’s

WHAT

The Indian economy is expected to grow by about 7.5% in 2018 and 2019

as it is largely resilient to external pressures like those from higher oil

prices, Moody’s Investors Service said.

Global Macro Outlook for 2018-19

The run-up in energy prices over the last few months will raise headline

inflation temporarily but the growth story remains intact as it is supported

by strong urban and rural demand and improved industrial activity.

Enlighten about the report

Growth prospects for many of the G-20 economies remain solid, but there

are indications that the synchronous acceleration of growth heading into

2018 is now giving way to diverging trends.

The near-term global outlook for most advanced economies is broadly

resilient, in contrast to the weakening of some developing economies in

the face of emerging headwinds from rising U.S. trade protectionism,

tightening external liquidity conditions and elevated oil prices

Moody’s put G-20 growth at 3.3% in 2018 and 3.1% in 2019.

The advanced economies will grow 2.3% in 2018 and 2% in 2019.

Moody expect the Indian economy to grow around 7.5% in 2018 and

2019

Sources – The Hindu , PIB , Indian Express