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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