Current Affairs April 7, 2010

FactBox: Some Brands Deepika Padukone has been associated with :

Liril, Dabur Lal powder, Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, Jewels of India retail jewellery show, Maybelline (cosmetic company) , BSNL

• Social Change Agent Award : Patni Computer Systems Ltd.
• Most Significant contributor to the BPO Industry : Wipro Technologies
• Use of Technology for Operational Excellence Award : eClerx Services Ltd.
• Award for Operational Excellence & Quality : Patni Computer Systems Ltd., Wipro Technologies
• BPO Innovation of the year : Quatrro BPO Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
• BPO Organisation of the year : Patni Computer Systems Ltd, Infosys BPO

National Updates:
Kerala: CERT-Kerala
In Lines of CERT-In the Kerala Government constitutes CERT-Kerala with the support of the Central Government to function as a nodal agency for the Cyber safety in the state and Central government institutions. N Krishan is the Director of CERT Kerala.

Green Gas Corridor
Green Gas Corridor is a proposed 500 kms CNG route between Lucknow & New Delhi. The route passes via Sitapur, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly and Moradabad. This project is given Central Government’s nod. This is being set up by GAIL (Gas Authority of India Ltd) and with this the vehicle owners of CNG would be able to get at least one gas station within 150 km on both highways.

Fact Box: CNG:
Compressed Natural Gas is made by compressing natural gas (main component Methane) which is stored and distributed in hard containers, at a normal pressure of 200–248 bar . It is used as substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel. It produces lesser emissions of pollutants like carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons(UHC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM), as compared to petrol & diesel. It does not contain any lead or benzene content and thus lead fouling of spark plugs is eliminated. New Delhi has the World’s Largest Fleet of CNG Buses operated by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). In Delhi and Ahmadabad, CNG is mandated for the public transport system.

On Tamil Nadu Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was abolished in 1986 by the AIADMK Regime headed by the late M G Ramachandran (MGR). The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Abolition) Bill, 1986 was passed by both houses of the Parliament and received the assent of the president on 30 August 1986. The Act came into force on 1 November 1986 and the council was abolished.

Fact Box : Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was previously named as Madras Legislative Council. It was the Upper House of the bicameral legislature of Madras Presidency. It was established by the first Indian Council Act of 1861. It was renamed as Tamil Nadu Legislative Council in 1961.

Memorable Points: India’s States with Bicameral Legislature Current 6 states
in India have bicameral legislatures: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh

On April 7, 2010, the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi informs the State Assembly that a resolution would very soon be adopted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to revive the Tamilnadu State Legislative Council.

Andhra Pradesh: INFO-AGE Government
INFO-AGE is a new concept of Andhra Pradesh State Government. The government seeks to leverage Information technology to achieve an INFO-AGE government. Its goal is to transform the state into a knowledge society and make available the benefits of ICT to all citizens, especially those in rural areas and living in poverty.

INFO-AGE Government is an abbreviation of Inclusive, Networked, Fast, Open, Accountable, Globally benchmarked and Efficient Government.

SMART Government: similar concept was devised by Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu which was called SMART administration, abbreviated form of Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent administration.

Business & Economy:
Low Carbon Jobs in an Interconnected World
Low Carbon Jobs in an Interconnected World is the title of a report released by Global Climate Network. It says that implementation of the Indian government’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) could create an additional 10.5 million direct jobs in wind, solar and bio-fuel energy production.

As India is already a world leader in wind technology, ambitious global expansion of wind power could see 288,500 Indian jobs created if Indian firms were able to command 10 per cent of the global market. Read Summary Here

USL becomes world’s No 2 spirit co
United Breweries is India’s largest producer of beer with a market share of around 48% by volume. With sales volume of 100 million cases for the fiscal ended March 31, 2010, it has become world’s second largest spirit company by volumes.

SEBI : Technical Advisory Committee
India’s market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India creates a Technical Advisory Committee to recommend measures for changes and improvements in market structure in view of the technological changes. This committee will be headed by Professor S Sadagopan.

The committee will also make recommendations to frame appropriate policies arising out of technological advancements in areas like wireless trading, algorithmic trading and smart order routing,.
Science & Technology:
On Glonass:
Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions too within a few meters. Glonass is a radio-based satellite navigation system. It was developed by the former Soviet Union and now operated for the Russian government by the Russian Space Forces.

Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says that his country will send seven new Glonass satellites into orbit in 2010. Currently out of total 23 satellites , 21 are functioning perfectly. With seven more satellites , a total of 27-28 fully functional satellites will be there for the navigation system.

Note: The predecessor program of Glonass was “Tsiklon”

Caves on Moon:
Chandrayaan-1 has discovered large caves on the lunar surface that can act as human shelter on moon. The tunnel, which has been discovered near the lunar equator, is an empty volcanic tube, measuring about two km in length and 360 metres in width. Indian Space Research Organization’s Space Applications Centre based in Ahmadabad announces that terrain mapping camera, an Indian instrument on the lunar mission, has found “new types of rocks” and hollow tunnels. These tubes were formed after the flow of lava from volcanoes.

Note: the similar kind of cave was discovered previously by Japanese spacecraft “Kaguya”

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Month: Current Affairs - April, 2010

Category: Government Schemes Current Affairs