URJA MITRA APP

• Context: The Union Ministry of Power has launched URJA MITRA app for Empowering Citizens by real time information sharing on power supply.
• Urja Mitra is an initiative of Ministry of Power, Government of India which provides Outage Management and Notification Platform for dissipating the outage information to power distribution consumers across India through SMS/email/Push Notifications.
• It also provides Pan-India integrated Mobile Application for Android and iOS platforms to enable citizen to access outage information for Distribution Companies.
• Power Consumers can also inform about power outage in their area through mobile app.

NAMMA AUTO

• Context: The EU ambassador showcased the environment friendly, EU funded Electric Rickshaw ‘Namma Auto’ by riding it

About Namma Auto:

• Namma Auto was launched to promote the shift to less Polluting Auto-Rickshaw in Bengaluru and Chennai
• It aims to implement strategies to adopt successful Public auto Transport system.
• The goal is to create an environment where Integrated, Safe, Reliable and Affordable public auto transport services are delivered and contribute to the public of Chennai city and wider road map for driver’s welfare.
• The overall idea of this project is to create awareness on Switching to Electric Public Transport.

SERIOUS FRAUD INVESTIGATION OFFICE

• Context: The government has ordered an SFIO probe into the affairs of the now defunct Jet Airways after finding instances of fund diversion and large-scale irregularities

About SFIO:

• The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is a Statutory Corporate Fraud investigating agency in India under Companies Act, 2013.
• It was established in January 2003 based on the recommendation of Naresh Chandra Committee on Corporate Governance and in backdrop of stock market scams due to failure of non-banking companies resulting in huge financial loss to the public.
• It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
• It is involved in major fraud probes and is the coordinating agency with the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
• It is a Multi-Disciplinary Organization having experts from financial sector, capital market, accountancy, forensic audit, taxation, law, information technology, company law, customs and investigation.
• These experts have been taken from various organizations like banks, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Comptroller and Auditor General and concerned organizations and departments of the Government.

AADHAAR SEVA KENDRA

Context: The UIDAI has operationalized the first ‘Aadhaar Seva Kendra’ in Delhi and Vijayawada, setting in motion an ambitious plan to set up 114 such centers by the year-end.

• These Aadhaar centres, meant to facilitate Enrolment, Updation and Other Activities, will be UIDAI’s own and operate in addition to thousands of centres, currently being run by banks and post offices, and in government premises
• New ASK model entails an Online Appointment Management System to allow people to book a slot as per their convenience.
• These ASK have more capacity, more requests for enrolment and updation thus can be processed on a daily basis compared to other centres.

POLARSTERN

Context: Arctic mission will trap scientists in ice to study climate
In a couple of months, the German Icebreaker Ship RV Polar stern will set out for the Arctic packed with supplies and scientific equipment for a year-long mission.

• They will anchor the ship to a large piece of sea ice and allow the water to freeze around them, effectively trapping themselves in the vast sheet of white that forms over the North Pole each winter.
• They will build temporary winter research camps on the ice, allowing them to perform tests that wouldn’t be possible at other times of the year or by satellite sensing.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

About ICJ:

• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the Principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
• It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.
• The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York.
• Composition: The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
• Functions: The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.
• It has the jurisdiction to settle disputes between countries and examine cases pertaining to violation of human rights according to the tenets of international law.
• It is the judicial arm of the United Nations.

HOG DEER

• The Hog Deer or Pada is an endangered Species in the IUCN Red List and is protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Hog Deer has lost ground in most of its distribution range. Presently, its small and fragmented population is known to be found in Cambodia.
• A Small and isolated population of Under 250 was reported from Cambodia. However, it was widely distributed throughout the Southeast Asian Countries at the beginning of the 20th Century.

STATUE OF UNITY

Context: PM Narendra Modi set to launch 30 projects on Statue of Unity anniversary

• The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• It is located in the state of Gujarat, India.
• It is the World’s Tallest Statue with a height of 182 metres.
• It is located on a river island facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada in Kevadiya colony, 100 kilometres southeast of the city of Vadodara

About sardar Vallabhbhai Patel:

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement.
• He is the First Deputy Prime Minister of India, and responsible for the Integration of hundreds of Princely States into the modern Republic of India.
• He was a Successful Lawyer. He subsequently organized peasants From Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in non-violent civil disobedience against the British Raj, becoming one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat.
• He was appointed as the 49th President of Indian National Congress, organizing the party for elections in 1934 and 1937 while promoting the Quit India Movement.
• His commitment to national integration in the newly independent country was total and uncompromising, earning him the sobriquet “Iron Man of India”.
• He is also remembered as the “Patron Saint of India’s Civil Servants” for having established the modern all-India services system. He is also called the “Unifier of India”
• It was the Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 which earned Vallabhbhai Patel the title of ‘Sardar’ and made him popular throughout the country.

RISAT- 2B

• RISAT-2B is an Indigenously Developed Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Imaging Satellite operating in the X-band.
• The highly agile satellite is capable of operating in different modes including Very High-Resolution RADAR imaging
• In order to increase the number of imaging opportunities, the satellite is placed in an Inclined Orbit.
• As, RISAT-2B is a Radar Imaging satellite, it can be Operated Effectively during day, Night and All-Weather Conditions.
• The Satellite will be used for high resolution spot imaging of locations of interest. Apart from this, data from RISAT-2B will also be utilized for agriculture applications and disaster management support.
• Applications of X-Band SAR imagery include Hydrology, Crops, Forestry, Geosciences and Cryosphere.