General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2015

Sep 2015

Jan 11, 2018

Mumbai-Delhi 3rd busiest air route in world in 2017

With around 130 flights daily between India’s political capital and the commercial capital, Mumbai-New Delhi was the third busiest air route in the world last year. A total of 47,462 scheduled flights were operated between the two airports in 2017, next only to South Korea’s Seoul Gimpo-Jeju route (64,991flights) and Australia’s Melbourne-Sydney (54,519), according to data released by the UK’s OAG Aviation Worldwide, an air travel intelligence company. The ranking is based on flights operated between two airports and not two cities. Unlike mega cities such as New York and London, Mumbai and Delhi have only one major airport each, so all their air traffic is routed from these two airports.

K Sivan to take over as ISRO chief

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) director, K Sivan, is set to take charge as new chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on January 12, soon after the launch of PSLV-C40. The current ISRO chairman, A S Kiran Kumar, is due to retire on the day. It was on June 1, 2015 that Sivan took charge as director of VSSC, the lead centre of ISRO here. A graduate in aeronautical engineering from IIT Madrasin 1980, Sivan took his ME in aerospace engineering from IISc Bangalore in 1982. Subsequently, he completed his PhD in aerospace engineering from IIT-Bombay in 2006. He joined ISRO in 1982 in PSLV project and has contributed immensely towards end to end mission planning, mission design, mission integration and analysis.

Jan 10, 2018

Modi to showcase ‘New India’ at Davos meet

Narendra Modi is going to showcase ‘New India’ to global chief executives when he meets them in Davos later this month in what will be a first trip by an Indian Prime Minister in over two decades. Modi will kick off his whirlwind visit at a reception on January 22, which will be followed by his address at the plenary a day later and meeting with 120 global CEOs at the business forum. While the two events on January 23 are linked to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort, where CEOs and heads of state and governments converge, the government is also looking at a separate interaction of the PM with industry captains. Modi is leading the largest-ever Indian delegation to Davos, comprising six ministers and over 100 CEOs, which includes FM Arun Jaitley, commerce & industry minister Suresh Prabhu, railway minister Piyush Goyal and oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu and Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis.

Kerala man wins Rs 21 crore lottery at Abu Dhabi airport

When UAE-based business developer Hari Krishnan was told of his 12-million-dirham (Rs 20.7 crore) lottery win at Abu Dhabi international airport’s big ticket draw, he initially thought the calls informing him about the jackpot were prank calls. Fortune smiled on his third attempt at the raffle. He is yet to decide how he would like to utilise the prize money, which he will receive on February 5.

Jan 09, 2018

ISRO set to launch 1st satellite of ’18 on Jan 12

ISRO is gearing up for its first launch this year on January 12 when it will send its latest remote sensing satellite of the Cartosat-2 series along with 31 small satellites into space. 28 are from foreign countries and two are from Isro. Foreign nations sending their micro and nano satellites on this flight include US and Finland.The launch, scheduled from the Sriharikota spaceport, was earlier tentatively marked for January 10. Following the Cartosat launch, ISRO will launch GSLV Mk II and the heaviest GSLV Mk III rocket thereafter, in February and March, respectively. ISRO’s high-profile Chandrayan-II mission is also scheduled for launch in March.

Reference Book on LS Polls, 1952 to 2014, Released

A reference book on the Lok Sabha elections held between 1952 and 2014, with details of all the constituencies in the form of an atlas, has released. The “Election Atlas of India” contains the poll results of all the parliamentary constituencies, from the first general election in 1951-52 till the 2014 polls, which led to the formation of the 16th Lok Sabha. The book contains demographic features of parliamentary constituencies, based on the 2011 census report.

Jan 08, 2018

Lalu Gets 3.5 Years in Jail, Fined Rs10 Lakh

A special CBI court on Saturday sentenced RJD chief Lalu Prasad to three and a half years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs10 lakh on him in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago. The punishment was handed to 69-year-old Lalu by CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh. This is the second time that he has been jailed in the fodder scam.

50% of effluent plants in state fail green norms

Land and water pollution by industrial clusters continues to be rampant as nearly 50 per cent of common effluents treatment plants (CETP) in the state have not been able to meet the green norms. As many as 11 of the 25 CETPs have failed the parameters for biological oxygen demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) levels, as per the last report uploaded on the website of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), which monitors the CETPs. While BOD is the measure of oxygen required for converting organic waste into food and ambient oxygen level for healthy aquatic life, COD is measure of oxygen as per toxic waste. Besides, 12 of them have failed the COD test.

Eye on ’19 polls, govt may woo the middle class with tax sops

Ahead of what may be its final full budget before next year’s general elections, the government is looking to offer fresh benefits to middle class taxpayers, who are seen as a key constituency of the BJP. While discussions on a possible package have begun, a section in the government wants to ensure that the vocal segment is rewarded although the fiscal costs will be weighed. Among the options being talked about are an increase in the exemption limit, a return of standard deduction in some form as well as additional benefits for health insurance and even bank fixed deposits, which have become less attractive after the recent surge in stock markets, coupled with sops for investment in mutual funds.

Green court bans vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi

On the day TOI highlighted the worsening state of Delhi's air, the National Green Tribunal cited the report and issued a slew of directions to immediately address the problem. Among the 14 measures ordered by the green court on Wednesday was a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles older than 15 years a move that's likely to take an estimated 10lakh vehicles off the road. It also barred burning of waste in the open besides placing restrictions on parking and ordering stricter vigil on overloaded trucks entering the city.

St Xavier’s kicks off 150th anniversary with star alumni

One of the city’s oldest institutions with a roll call of illustrious alumni, St Xavier’s High School, Fort, will step into its 150th year in June 2018. As part of its sesquicentennial jubilee celebrations, the school, on Saturday, announced a series of initiatives in sports as well as events for the differently-abled. Also revisiting the school were notable alumni like former chief minister Ashok Chavan, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, neurosurgeon Dr Keki Turel, ENT surgeon Dr Milind Kirtane and chairman of Percept Limited Harindra Singh. To commemorate 150 years, the school will host an inter-school cricket tournament named after its star alumnus, Sunil Gavaskar. It will also host football and badminton tournaments during the year. The school is planning sporting and non-sporting events for all students from schools across Mumbai.

Delhi’s IGIA handled 6 crore flyers in ’17, a record in S Asia

The Capital’s IGI Airport has become south Asia’s first airport to handle over 6 crore passengers in a year. IGIA achieved this feat in 2017 much ahead of several other big hubs in Asia, despite facing a severe infrastructure crunch given surge in demand for air travel in India. In 2016, 14 airports globally handled more than 6 crore passengers, out of which only four were in Asia — Beijing Capital, Tokyo Henada, Hong Kong International and Shanghai Pudong, all in north Asia. Other five other Asian airports reached 6 crore annual passengers for the first time in 2017. Asia now accounts for nine of the 20 airports that handled at least 6 crore passengers in 2017. Outside of Asia, Denver International was the only additional airport to cross this mark last year.

Massive Fire At Mumbai's Cinevista Studio Brought Under Control

A massive fire that broke out at Cinevista studio in east central Mumbai this evening has been brought under control. Eight fire engines and six water tankers had been rushed to the studio, located in Kanjurmarg. At the time of the incident, two TV serials were being shot at the studio - Bepanaah and Haasil. All actors and crew members exited the studio and are reported to be safe. The fire department says it received a call at 8:07 pm and the fire engines reached the spot at 8:25 pm. The blaze, according to preliminary reports, started at a generator in the studio. It was reported to be a level 3 fire, which calls for immediate evacuation and access only to fire fighters.

Jan 06, 2018

Weeklong airspace restrictions to affect thousands of fliers

Many fliers into and out of Delhi will be influenced with almost 100 flights a day being cancelled through a week between January 18 and (Republic Day) January 26. Beginning January 19 each year, airspace above Delhi will be shut for 60-90 minutes for rehearsals for the air flypast that is a general characteristic of the Republic day parade. Previously, flights scheduled in this window used to make rescheduled, but this year, the airport operator says that it will be unable to reschedule the flights by providing alternative slots. According to people familiar with the matter, this year’s notice from the Airport Authority of India to the airlines (the so-called Notice to Airmen) says that the airspace over Delhi will be closed between 10.35 am and 12.15 pm, and between January 18 and 26

Dodgy ads, faulty products may lead to jail, hefty finesDodgy ads, faulty products may lead to ja...

A new consumer protection bill tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday seeks to enforce acrimonious provisions to assure consumers by acclimating online sales, providing for higher manufacturer liabilities, even restricting tall claims , including some fabricated through celebrity brand endorsers.The Customer Protection Bill 2018 seeks a complete check in customer rights, especially in areas of e-commerce, direct-to-consumer affairs and advertisements. It additionally lays the arena for the conception of a new regulator, a central customer protection authority. When passed, the law will alter the ancient Customer Protection Act 1986, and administer not only to physical articles but also services.

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