Facts in News

                             Facts in News

‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’

  • 2 “Third Generation Fire and Forget  Class Anti-Tank Guided missiles” have been successfully test fired at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
    • Helina for Army
    • Dhruvastra for Air Force
  • Helina is the helicopter-launched version of the Nag missile system.
  • Dhruvastra is an Indian Air Force variant of Helina.
  • All three anti-tank missile systems have been indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • Key Capabilities in these most advanced Anti-Tank Guided Missiles are
    • All-weather day-and-night capability
    • Can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour.
    • Can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
    • Can hit both static and moving targets.
  • Joint user trials of Helina (the Army version) and Dhruvastra (IAF version) have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform.

‘Go Electric’ Campaign

  • “Go Electric campaign” was launched on 19th Feb 2021 by the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways along with the Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy.
  • The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, has been mandated to
    • Undertake an awareness drive for promoting Public Charging, e-mobility & its ecosystem.
    • Extend technical support to the State Designated Agencies (SDAs) for implementation of the ‘Go Electric’ campaign at the National and State level.
  • Aim:
    • To give a boost to electric mobility and use of electrical appliances across the country.
    • Reduce the import dependence of our country in the coming years.
    • Creation of awareness at PAN-India level.
  • Benefits
    • It will be an essential step towards a cleaner and greener future.
    • Indigenisation of Technology: It is expected to boost the confidence of Electric Vehicle manufacturers.
    • Import Bill Reduction: Fossil fuels have an import bill of ?8 lakh crore.
    • Lesser Fuel Charge: Compared to conventional fuels, electric fuel has low cost, reduced emissions and it is also indigenous.
      • The opportunities and potential of electric cooking in India are huge.
      • Electrification of public transport is not only economical but also eco friendly.
    • Benefits to Farmers: The use of green power from agriculture waste and biomass which can also benefit the farmers across the country can be promoted under ‘Go Campaign’.
  • During the launch, an exhibition was organised by the industry players displaying  the following:
    • Different electric vehicles including e-buses, e-cars, 3-wheelers, and 2-wheelers
    • Available charging options such as Fast Chargers and Slow chargers.
  • Earlier in Feb 2021, Delhi CM launched the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign to promote the use of electric vehicles in the national capital.

Securities Appellate Tribu­nal (SAT)

  • It is a statutory body established under the provisions of Section 15K of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992.
  • It has only one bench which sits at Mumbai.
  • Functions
    • To hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the SEBI or by an adjudicating officer under the Act.
    • To exercise jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on the Tribunal by or under this Act or any other law for the time being in force.

Securities and Exchange Board of India

  • It is a statutory body established in 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the SEBI Act, 1992.
  • Headquarters: Mumbai.
  • Functions
    • To protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.
    • To register and regulate the working of stock brokers, merchant bankers, etc. and such other intermediaries who may be associated with securities markets in any manner.

Indian Sign Language Dictionary

 

  • Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)  under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the 3rd Edition of the Indian Sign Language Dictionary with 10,000 terms.
    • The first edition was launched in March 2018 with 3,000 terms, followed by the second edition in February 2019 that had 6,000 terms.
  • The dictionary included terms of daily use, academic, legal and administrative, medical, technical and agricultural terms.
  • The dictionary also included terms used in different regions, including momos from Dehradun, a bandit from Munger, Bihar, and tug of war from Haryana.
    • Arranged marriage, break-up and live-in relationship also mentioned.
  • The dictionary has been made with the full involvement of the deaf community by ensuring that only deaf experts have provided the signs for the dictionary.

Alaknanda River

  • The Alaknanda rises in the Satopanth glacier and is met at Vishnuprayag by the Dhauli Ganga.
    • The Alaknanda is then met by the Nandakini at Nandaprayag, Pindar at Karnaprayag, Mandakini at Rudraprayag.
  • The Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers unite at Devprayag to form the mainstream known as the Ganga, which cuts southwestward through the Siwalik Range (Outer The Himalayas) .
  • The Alaknanda river is among the best for river rafting in the world due to its high rafting grade.
  • The Alaknanda system drains parts of Chamoli, Tehri, and Pauri districts.
  • There are many operational dams and HE projects in the Alaknanda basin namely  Tapovan, Tharali, Vishnuprayag, Srinagar etc.

Arthiyas

  • Arthiyas are commission agents in mandis.
  • They are often referred to as ‘bichauliya’ or ‘middlemen’, that facilitates the transaction between farmers and the actual buyers, making them more akin to a broker.
    • The buyer can be a private trader, a processor, an exporter, or a government agency like the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
  • They also finance the farmers.
  • The income of an Arhtiya is dependent on the quantity and value of produce routed through him, aligning his interest with that of the farmer.

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                             Facts in News

‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’

  • 2 “Third Generation Fire and Forget  Class Anti-Tank Guided missiles” have been successfully test fired at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
    • Helina for Army
    • Dhruvastra for Air Force
  • Helina is the helicopter-launched version of the Nag missile system.
  • Dhruvastra is an Indian Air Force variant of Helina.
  • All three anti-tank missile systems have been indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • Key Capabilities in these most advanced Anti-Tank Guided Missiles are
    • All-weather day-and-night capability
    • Can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour.
    • Can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
    • Can hit both static and moving targets.
  • Joint user trials of Helina (the Army version) and Dhruvastra (IAF version) have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform.

‘Go Electric’ Campaign

  • “Go Electric campaign” was launched on 19th Feb 2021 by the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways along with the Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy.
  • The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, has been mandated to
    • Undertake an awareness drive for promoting Public Charging, e-mobility & its ecosystem.
    • Extend technical support to the State Designated Agencies (SDAs) for implementation of the ‘Go Electric’ campaign at the National and State level.
  • Aim:
    • To give a boost to electric mobility and use of electrical appliances across the country.
    • Reduce the import dependence of our country in the coming years.
    • Creation of awareness at PAN-India level.
  • Benefits
    • It will be an essential step towards a cleaner and greener future.
    • Indigenisation of Technology: It is expected to boost the confidence of Electric Vehicle manufacturers.
    • Import Bill Reduction: Fossil fuels have an import bill of ?8 lakh crore.
    • Lesser Fuel Charge: Compared to conventional fuels, electric fuel has low cost, reduced emissions and it is also indigenous.
      • The opportunities and potential of electric cooking in India are huge.
      • Electrification of public transport is not only economical but also eco friendly.
    • Benefits to Farmers: The use of green power from agriculture waste and biomass which can also benefit the farmers across the country can be promoted under ‘Go Campaign’.
  • During the launch, an exhibition was organised by the industry players displaying  the following:
    • Different electric vehicles including e-buses, e-cars, 3-wheelers, and 2-wheelers
    • Available charging options such as Fast Chargers and Slow chargers.
  • Earlier in Feb 2021, Delhi CM launched the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign to promote the use of electric vehicles in the national capital.

Securities Appellate Tribu­nal (SAT)

  • It is a statutory body established under the provisions of Section 15K of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992.
  • It has only one bench which sits at Mumbai.
  • Functions
    • To hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the SEBI or by an adjudicating officer under the Act.
    • To exercise jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on the Tribunal by or under this Act or any other law for the time being in force.

Securities and Exchange Board of India

  • It is a statutory body established in 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the SEBI Act, 1992.
  • Headquarters: Mumbai.
  • Functions
    • To protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.
    • To register and regulate the working of stock brokers, merchant bankers, etc. and such other intermediaries who may be associated with securities markets in any manner.

Indian Sign Language Dictionary

 

  • Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)  under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the 3rd Edition of the Indian Sign Language Dictionary with 10,000 terms.
    • The first edition was launched in March 2018 with 3,000 terms, followed by the second edition in February 2019 that had 6,000 terms.
  • The dictionary included terms of daily use, academic, legal and administrative, medical, technical and agricultural terms.
  • The dictionary also included terms used in different regions, including momos from Dehradun, a bandit from Munger, Bihar, and tug of war from Haryana.
    • Arranged marriage, break-up and live-in relationship also mentioned.
  • The dictionary has been made with the full involvement of the deaf community by ensuring that only deaf experts have provided the signs for the dictionary.

Alaknanda River

  • The Alaknanda rises in the Satopanth glacier and is met at Vishnuprayag by the Dhauli Ganga.
    • The Alaknanda is then met by the Nandakini at Nandaprayag, Pindar at Karnaprayag, Mandakini at Rudraprayag.
  • The Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers unite at Devprayag to form the mainstream known as the Ganga, which cuts southwestward through the Siwalik Range (Outer The Himalayas) .
  • The Alaknanda river is among the best for river rafting in the world due to its high rafting grade.
  • The Alaknanda system drains parts of Chamoli, Tehri, and Pauri districts.
  • There are many operational dams and HE projects in the Alaknanda basin namely  Tapovan, Tharali, Vishnuprayag, Srinagar etc.

Arthiyas

  • Arthiyas are commission agents in mandis.
  • They are often referred to as ‘bichauliya’ or ‘middlemen’, that facilitates the transaction between farmers and the actual buyers, making them more akin to a broker.
    • The buyer can be a private trader, a processor, an exporter, or a government agency like the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
  • They also finance the farmers.
  • The income of an Arhtiya is dependent on the quantity and value of produce routed through him, aligning his interest with that of the farmer.