1. Reliance Jio launched 4G telecom service
i. Reliance Jio
Infocomm Ltd (RJIL) or Reliance Jio on 27 December 2015 launched 4G telecom
service. The service was launched at the Reliance Corporate Park in Navy Mumbai
to mark the birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of the Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL).
ii. However, at
present, it is limited to 85000 employees and their families of the company,
while the commercial services are expected to begin by April 2016.
iii. It has
three-pronged focus on broadband networks, affordable smart phones and the
availability of rich content and applications. It offers a unique combination
of telecom, high speed data, digital commerce, media and payment services.
iv. It provides data
services with a speed up to 1 gigabyte per second. Under the project, around
2.5 lakh kilometers of fibre optic cables were laid to connect 18000 towns and
around 1 lakh villages across the country.
v. It will offer
broad band services to 10 crore mobile users and 2 crore households. Users will
have the option to switch over to 5G services in future.
2.
AP Government signed MoU with Microsoft India on technology initiatives
i. Government of
Andhra Pradesh on 28 December 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Microsoft India on a range of technology initiatives. The MoU was signed
after a meeting between the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Microsoft’s
CEO Satya Nadella in Hyderabad.
ii. The purpose of
the MoU is to improve use of information and communication technologies, drive
digital inclusion and provide IT-based decentralised citizen services. The
initiatives will help in checking school dropouts, improving agricultural
productivity and providing better citizen services.
iii. By applying
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning and Advanced Visualization method, the company
will provide technical knowledge to the AP Government and support building
three proof-of-concept (PoC) solutions. The three PoC solutions are related to
the fields of education, agriculture and eCitizen services.
iv. The PoC solutions
will be built and deployed to address specific problems within each of the
fields to achieve better outcomes for the State. For data gathering, analysis,
predictive analysis and policy planning, the lab method will used by the
Microsoft India.
v. State
Government’s key IT executives will be trained on Microsoft technologies such
as Cloud, Mobility and appropriate Microsoft Technology stack. The company will
set up a Centre for Excellence (CoE) in Visakhapatnam.
3.
Union Government announced 4 new IT-based initiatives for citizen-centric
health services
i. Union Minister
for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda on 25 December 2015 announced 4 new
Information Technology-based initiatives to provide citizen-centric health
services. The initiatives include three applications, namely, Kilkari, Mobile
Academy and M-Cessation and a dedicated toll free number 1800-11–6666 which
will provide round the clock counselling and treatment support services for TB
patients.
ii. The
initiatives were announced on the occasion of the Good Governance Day which is
being celebrated annually to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
iii. Kilkari is an
audio-based mobile service that delivers weekly audio messages to families
about pregnancy, child birth and child care. Each pregnant woman and infant’s
mother would receive weekly voice messages relevant to the stage of pregnancy
or age of the infant. Those who are registered in Mother and Child Tracking
System (MCTS), a web- enabled name-based system to monitor and ensure delivery
of full spectrum of services to all pregnant women and children, will be
benefitted from the service.
iv. Mobile Academy
is a mobile-based application aimed at providing training services to 9 million
ASHAs. This will aid in enhancing their inter-personal skills. Once registered,
ASHAs can access the 240-minute course via their mobile phones. They can then
complete the standardized course at their convenience. Digital bookmarking
technology enables ASHAs to complete the course at their own pace.
v. M-Cessation
will be an IT-enabled tool to help tobacco users to quit tobacco. Built on a
helpline concept, it will register beneficiaries on the basis of a missed call.
The counselling would be done through a two-way SMS process, the Minister
informed.
4.
Former CJ of Karnataka & Kerala High Courts Justice VS Malimath died
i. Former Chief
Justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts Justice V S Malimath died on 22
December 2015 at Manipal hospital in Bengaluru. He was 86-years old and
survived by wife Prema Devi V Malimath, a son and four daughters.
ii. He was born on
12 June 12 1929, secured first rank in LL.B. and had a post Graduate Diploma in
Public International Law from University of London in 1952. He commenced
practicing in the High Court of Bombay in 1952 and later shifted to Bengaluru
in late 1956.
iii. He was
appointed as a Judge in the Karnataka High Court in March 1970. Subsequently,
he was appointed as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court in 1984.
iv. Post
retirement, he was appointed as Chairman of the Central Administrative Tribunal
(CAT). He served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He
headed the Committee on Reform of Criminal Justice System in India. He was the
United Nations Representative to monitor human rights enforcement in Nigeria
and Sri Lanka.
v. He served as an
International Observer to oversee the Referendum in Sri Lanka. In June 2015, he
was appointed as the Chairman of the Karnataka Border Protection Force by the
Karnataka government.
5.
Indigenously developed Air-to-Air missile Astra successfully test fired
i. Indigenously
developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was on 25
December 2015 successfully test fired. The test was conducted by the Indian Air
Force off the coast of Odisha near the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore.
ii. In addition to
this air trial, the missile underwent successful ground based trials in early
December 2015 near Pune. The tests were aimed at validating the ECCM
(electronic counter-counter measure) features of the missile to overcome any
jamming.
iii. After
carrying out some more trials, including air launch trial with a warhead, the
missile is expected to be inducted into the Air Force in 2016. Astra is India’s
first beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is capable of
engaging its target at ranges of 37 km or beyond. It has operational range of
60km. The all-weather missile has been indigeniously designed and developed by
the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
iv. It is a
state-of-the-art missile in the sense that it travels at supersonic speed (4780
km/h), possesses Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP) with active radar terminal
guidance, uses smokeless propulsion system to evade enemy radars and has the
capacity to engage in multi-target scenario.
v. It can reach up
to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km, 44 km when launched from an
altitude of eight km and 21 km when fired from sea level. Apart from
integrating the missile with Su-30, the missile will be mounted on other
fighter aircrafts including Tejas (Light Combat Aircraft), Mirage-2000 and
MIG-29.
6.
‘Make in India Week’ to start from Feb 13
i. Taking a cue
from the biennial investor congregation - Vibrant Gujarat Summit - held every
alternate year in Gujarat the Central Government is organising “Make in India
Week” in Mumbai during February 13-18, 2016.
ii. The week-long
event, being organised by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP), Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, will have investors meet for
the manufacturing sector under Make in India.
iii. Following the
ambitious initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage
investments in the manufacturing sector in the country, the government will
conduct the 'Make in India Week' on the lines of three-day Vibrant Gujarat
Summit. The event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on February
13.
iv. The meet will
also discuss issues related to SMEs and start-ups. "We have interacted
with entrepreneurs and they have raised valid issues faced by them. These
include infrastructure, tax related issues, and demand to reduce compliance
burden for small industries. They have given suggestions on how to resolve
these issues," said Amitabh Kant, secretary, DIPP during a road-show for
the event in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
v. He stated that
the 'Make in India' initiative is aimed at increasing the share of
manufacturing sector in the GDP from the current 15-16 per cent to 25 per cent
by 2022. "This is a flagship event for forging global engagement with
Indian industry in the form of partnerships and investments."
7.
Karan Adani new CEO of APSEZ
i. Karan Adani,
son of Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, has been appointed as the CEO of
Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ) with effect from January 1, 2016. He will take over
the top job from outgoing CEO Sudipta Bhattacharya, who is moving to the US as
the CEO for North America, APSEZ said in a regulatory filing.
ii. The Board has
accepted the “resignation of Bhattacharya as the CEO of APSEZ with effect from
December 31, 2015”, it added. It also approved the “appointment of Karan,
Executive Director (non—board position) as CEO of the company with effect from
January 1, 2016,” the filing said.
iii. Karan, who
looks after strategic development of Adani ports across India, has been
involved in managing various port operations for the firm since 2009. “He aims
to build the Group’s identity around an integrated logistics business model,
backed by his sound understanding of new processes, systems and macro—economic
issues”, the filing said.
iv. He is an
economics graduate from Purdue University, the USA. Bhattacharya, in his new
role, will be responsible for driving the significant emerging opportunities
between India and the US, it said. Shares of APSEZ were up 1.10 per cent to Rs.
261.35 apiece in the afternoon trade at the BSE.
8.
China amended One Couple, One Child Policy
i. China’s
National People's Congress Standing Committee, country’s top law making body,
on 27 December 2015 gave its approval to amending One Couple, One Child Policy.
The amended policy, which will come into force on 1 January 2016, will lift the
restrictions on couples from having only one child.
ii. The amended
policy is aimed at balancing the country's population structure by allowing all
couples to have two children. The amendment came after the Communist Party of
China (CPC) Central Committee on 29 October 2015 issued a communiqué in this
regard.
iii. The overhaul
of the policy is in continuation of gradual relaxation of the policy in recent
years. In 2013, couples were allowed to have a second child if either parent
was an only child.
iv. As per an
estimate, China has 140 million women of child-bearing age who have already
raised a child. After the new law is adopted, about 90 million of them are
expected to have a second child.
v. Further, the
policy will mean total population with a peak around 1.45 billion in 2029 and
is expected to result over 30 million more people in the labor force by 2050.
9.
CRI Pumps bags export quality excellence award
i. Pump
manufacturing major CRI Pumps has bagged 'Export Quality Excellence' award for
the 11th time in a row.
ii. The Joint
Managing Director of CRI Pumps, G Selvaraj, received the EEPC award given in
recognition of the company's high quality and innovative pumping solutions from
the Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala, at an award ceremony held in
Bengaluru last week.
iii. The company
has, according to a release, retained its position of being the largest
exporter of pumping equipment among Indian pump exporters. The company's has
emerged as a turnkey solution provider across segments, including residential,
industrial, agricultural, mining, and water treatment.
10.
Wicked Ride launches utility bike rental service
i. Wicked Ride, a
start-up founded in 2014 by Vivekananda H.R., Anil G and Varun Agni, has
launched its brand ‘Apna Ride’ for utility bike rentals, targeted primarily at
budget conscious bike enthusiasts.
ii. The service
would be initially available at Bengaluru, Mysore and Jaipur and bookings can
be done through www.apnaride.com.
iii. While Wicked
Ride would focus on renting high-end luxury bikes like Harley-Davidson,
Triumph, Ducati and Royal Enfield, ‘Apna Ride’ would focus on utility
motorcycles, electric bikes and scooters.
iv. “After
successfully establishing Wicked Ride as a leader and pioneer in the luxury
bike rental segment, we wanted to enter the utility bike rental segment and
that’s how ‘Apna Ride’ was born,” said said Vivekananda H R, Co-founder, Wicked
Ride.
11.
Shiva Keshavan clinched silver at Asian Luge Championship
i. Shiva Keshavan
on 27 December 2015 grabbed a silver medal in the 18th edition of the Asian
Luge Championship held in Nagano, Japan. The first place was claimed by
defending champion Hidenari Kanayama of Japan. On the other hand, South Korea's
Kim Dong-hyeon grabbed the third place.
ii. Born on 25
August 1981, Keshavan is the posterboy of Indian winter sports. He is a five
time Olympian and the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the
Winter Olympic Games. He set a new Asian speed record at 134.3 km/h after
beating the previous record of 131.9 km/h.
iii. In Asia Cup
2011, he grabbed the gold medal. In 2012, he set a new Asian track record at
49.590 seconds. He was offered to represent Italy in 2002, but refused.
iv. He holds the
world record for youngest ever Olympian. He studied humanities and political
science at the University of Florence and obtained a Master's degree in
International relations from the University of Florence.
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