Current Affairs : April 11, 2010

April 16, 2010

Appointments:
Bar Council Chairman: Gopal Subramanium
Solicitor General of India Gopal Subaramanium has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI). Mr Dhanapal Raj, will be Vice Chairman.

Awards:
Dara Shikoh Award – Sheila Dixit:
Dara Shikoh Award is presented by Indo-Iran Society. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit has been selected for the award for her substantial contribution in nurturing the values of peace, harmony and brotherhood.

National Updates:
5 Years of National Rural Health Mission
National Rural Health Mission was launched by Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh on 12 th April, 2005 with objectives to provide effective health care to the rural population Read Here

Jammu & Kashmir: Primitive Tribal Groups
Jammu & Kasmir’s nomadic Muslim community of Gujjars and Bakarwals demands for a Primitive Tribal Groups status and demanded a a separate 8% reservation out of total 10 per cent quota available to all 12 Scheduled Tribe (ST) groups in the state. Tribal Gujjars of J&K; were given ST status in 1991, but they say that the status has failed to uplift them socially and economically.

DRDO : Nirbhay
Nirbhay is the name of a sub-sonic multiple role 1,000-km range cruise missile with 300 Kgs warhead capability being developed by DRDO – Dr V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defense Minister and Chief of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)

TCS: Saakshar Bharat through Computers
In connection with Saakshar Bharat programme , government chooses Tata Consultancy Services to teach illiterates through click and portal. The company comes up with a software which shall teach adults through animation, graphics and by downloading teaching materials from a dedicated site. The online version will be in several regional languages.

Fact Box: India rolled out the flagship adult education programme named Saakshar Bharat in 2009. The focus of this scheme is female literacy and it aims to make 7 crore people including 85% women. By April 2010 the scheme is being implemented in 167 districts of 19 states of the country.

Decoding Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome has been decoded by Indian Scientists of CSIR along with 100 science students from several universities. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is causing agent of Tuberculosis which kills 330000 Indians every year. This achievement paves the way to develop a new low cost Drug.

Maharastra: proposed CISF kind of Force
After the Mumbai attacks of 2008, the state government was suggested by the Central government to consider raising the state’s own industrial security force to share the burden of the Central Industrial Security Force and ensure proper security arrangements for private and public sector industries. In this context the centre has amended the CISF Act 1968, so as to make security services to available to private and joint venture industrial undertakings. In this context, a bill was passed in the state assembly. The state government now says that it is coming up soon with such a force. The state government is initially planning to recruit about 5,000 personnel for the job under the Maharashtra State Special Security Corporation.

Which was the first company to seek CISF protection?
Answer: Infosys
Dantewada Tragedy: E N Rammohan Committee
E N Rammohan Committee has been appointed to probe the recent Naxalite attack in Chhattisgarh which killed 76 police personnel. E N Rammohan is former chief of Border Security Forces. The committee has started the work and E N Rammohan meets Director General of CRPF Vikram Srivastava.
Orissa: E-dispatch
E-dispatch is an Internet-based letter-dispatch system, started by Orissa’s Panchayati raj department in 2007 and now been adopted by 17 of the 35 State departments. This system has won the Nasscom award for social innovation in February 2010.
Every letter sent by the department from its head office in Bhubaneswar to all the block offices and the gram panchayats is scanned, saved in PDF format and sent through the server to a dedicated mailbox called e-space that’s assigned to every official in the department.
The system generates an auto letter number and assigns the address and mode of dispatch for each letter. A computer operator in the department sends every letter to the respective e-space. The moment a letter lands in the mailboxes of the respective BDO or Collector, they get an SMS. The same letters are also sent by fax and post to the collectors and BDOs.
The system is brainchild of Rabindra Nath Dash, commissioner-cum-secretary in Orissa’s Panchayati Raj Department.
Uttar Pradesh: Withdrawal from Umbrella State Support Agreement (Umbrella SSA)
Umbrella State Support Agreement (Umbrella SSA) has to be signed an state to enable the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to utilize the services of the state during highway development in any part a state. The Uttar Pradesh Government withdraws from this Umbrella SSA.
Tamil Nadu: Naam Tamilar
Naam Tamilar is the name of a new political party floated by Sebastian Seeman, a Tamil Film Director and ardent supporter of LTTE. The party’s flag which has been unveiled on 11th April closely resembles that of LTTE’s insignia — barring the twin rifles in the background.
On Nuclear Security Summit
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh reaches Washington to participate in the two-day Nuclear Security Summit. The summit aims to enhance international co-operation to prevent nuclear terrorism which US President Barack Obama has identified as the most immediate and extreme threat to global security. 42 nations and heads of the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency have been invited to participate in this Summit representing diverse set of regions and various levels of nuclear materials, and energy expertise.
US Navy Chief Arrives in India
Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Admiral G Roughead arrives India for a 6 days visit ahead of “Malabar Series” of Exercise between India and US Navies in April end. This is a six day visit aimed to enhance the navy-to-navy interaction.
Iran’s First indigenously built anti-aircraft missile – Mersad
Mersad is the name of Iran’s first indigenously built anti-aircraft missile, which as per reports is more powerful than the US-made Hawk missile. It can destroy modern aircraft at low and medium altitude. It is ready for use.