Current Affairs 17th September 2018

Current Affairs 17th September 2018 - Important Points

• Indian Coast Guard commissions indigenously built patrol vessel  by - Vijaya
• World no 1 Airport in 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum category by - Hyderabad International Airport
• Rajasthan’s first lion safari inaugurated at  - Nahargarh Biological Park
• PM Narendra Modi launched Swachhata hi Seva Campaign on - 15th September 2018
• Two UK satellites aboard PSLV-C42 launched by - ISRO
• India’s first underwater robotic drone handed over to NPOL - EyeROV TUNA 
• Government to convert 1.5 lakh primary health centers into wellness centers on- 15th September 2018

 Current Affairs 17th September 2018 - Details

Indian Coast Guard commissions indigenously built patrol vessel  by - Vijaya

Indian Coast Guard has installed developed in India patrol vessel ICGS Vijaya in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is 2nd in the series of 98 meters offshore patrol vessels commissioned by Indian Coast Guard.
More about ICGS Vijaya

• It has been fabricated and constructed indigenously by Larsen & Toubro. It is 98 metres long vessel.
• It can transport single twin engine helicopter and 4 high speed boats, including 2 inflatable boats for boarding.
• It is equipped with advanced technology navigation and advanced technology communication equipment with sensors.
• It is equipped with 30mm gun and will be equipped with 12.7mm gun with fire control system.
• On joining Indian Coast Guard fleet, ICGS Vijaya will be grounded at Paradip, Odisha. It will be operated by 12 officers and 91 men.

Importance

• It will be positioned extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance and other duties as treasured in Coast Guard charter.
• It will also assume search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol actions.
• It will benefit to improve Indian Coast Guard’s operational competence to complete its diverse maritime tasks.
• It will also deliver fillip to maritime protection of Eastern seaboard in general and the maritime states of Odisha and West Bengal. It is also talented of carrying limited pollution response apparatus to contain oil spill in sea.

World no 1 Airport in 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum category by - Hyderabad International Airport

Hyderabad International Airport- Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, was bestowed Airports Council
International Airport Service Quality World Number One airport awarding the 5-15 Million Passengers
Per Annum group. This is for the 2nd consecutive year Hyderabad airport has secured this award. It was
announced World no 1 Airport in this group earlier in 2016. The award was conferred in recognition of
airport’s relentless efforts towards service excellence and customer delight.
More about Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

• It is international airport that aids Hyderabad, capital of Telangana. It is situated in Shamshabad, about 24 kms south of Hyderabad.
• It is functioned by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, a public and private venture.
• It was initiated in March 2008 to substitute Begumpet Airport as primary commercial airport for Hyderabad. It is 6th busiest airport by travellers traffic in India.

Rajasthan’s first lion safari inaugurated at  - Nahargarh Biological Park

Rajasthan’s 1st lion safari was initiated at Nahargarh Biological Park. The park is situated on Delhi-Jaipur National Highway in the Aravalli bases, approximately 12 kms from the pink city Jaipur. It will be ready for visitors from October 2018.
More about Lion safari

• The lion safari plan is situated at biological park, which is spread around 38 hectares.
• The park was initiated by CM Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje in June 2016. Lions in this park were carried from Junagarh, Gujarat under an exchange program. A sum of ten lions will be free in the park in a phased manner.
• The park will assist for breeding lions and also centre of attraction for tourists. It will deliver new territory to lions and also enhance tourism venue to the Pink City Jaipur.
•  Visitors will be able to take on an approximately four kms safari in closed bus. Apart from lion, the park also multitudes wolves, jackals, and hyenas.

PM Narendra Modi launched Swachhata hi Seva Campaign on - 15th September 2018

PM Narendra Modi initiated the mega nationwide fortnight-long campaign- Swachhata hi Seva Campaign 2018, on September 15th, 2018 through video conferencing. In the extravagant launch event, Prime Minister Modi interrelated with a cross-section of people from eighteen locations countrywide including school-children, jawans, spiritual leaders, members of milk and agricultural
cooperatives, media people, local government senates and Swachhagrahis, among others.

The 2018 campaign follows the accomplishment of the 2017 campaign and will conclude with the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention from September 29th to October 2nd, 2018, which also symbolise the initiation of the 150 birth year celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.
Key Objective

• The “Swachhata hi Seva” Campaign goals at quickening the impetus of Swachh Bharat in the run-up to its fourth anniversary, lay down the foundation of sustainability, strengthen the concept of “Sanitation as everyone’s business” and begin Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth year festivities with a countrywide campaign.
• The initiative goals to produce greater public contribution towards Swachhta.
• The crucial aim of the campaign is to mobilise people and strengthen the public movement for hygiene to subsidize to Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a Clean India.

Two UK satellites aboard PSLV-C42 launched by - ISRO

The ISRO on September 16th, 2018 effectively released its PSLV- C42 carrying 2 earth observation satellites for the UK. The launch vehicle- Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle- C42 took-off at 10.08 PM IST from the 1st launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, AP.
Key Highlights

• The 44.4 m launch vehicle assessing 230.4 tons supported 2 earth observing satellites- NovaSAR and S1-4 of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, United Kingdom. There was no Indian satellite on the flight.
• The satellites were placed into sun synchronous orbit, 583 kilometres from the Earth, just above 17 minutes after the take-off from the first launch pad.
• The 33 hours countdown for the release started at 1.08 PM on September 15th, 2018.
• The mission was a commercial plan between the British company and the commercial wing of Indian Space Research Organisation Antrix Corporation Limited.
• The whole flight up to the release of the satellites was calculated to take place within 17.5 minutes.
  With the effective launch of the 2 British satellites, the sum number of foreign satellites released by India goes up to 239.
• The release marks PSLV-C42's first completely commercial trip of the year, breaking a 5 months long period, for the ISRO.
• Additional commercial projects are predictable for nano satellites, are anticipated in the future. Currently, there is an order of Rs. 980 crores for this fiscal and next fiscal.
• Antrix has so far inked more than 280 foreign customer satellites for a fee, among which, most are small experimental spacecraft.
• Indian Space Research Organisation did not make any launch after April 12th, after it put replacement navigation satellite IRNSS-1I to space on PSLV-C41.

India’s first underwater robotic drone handed over to NPOL - EyeROV TUNA

India’s 1st underwater robotic drone EyeROV TUNA was passed to Naval Physical and Oceanographic
Laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation. This underwater drone will be utilised
by Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory for research and development actions which in turn
would result in commercial produce for defence activities.

More about EyeROV TUNA

• EyeROV TUNA has been fabricated and developed in India by Kochi-based start-up IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd. It is smart micro- Remotely Operated Vehicle. Its design is equivalent with global standard and has operational abilities to work in harsh and mission-critical underwater environment.
• It is intended to do visual inspection and surveys of underwater structures about to the depth of 100m.
• It can be controlled by laptop or joystick. It is equipped with camera that assists to give live HD video recording of the submarine environment.
• It is also fitted to perform variety of activities, including inspection of ship hulls, undersea cables
  moorings, fish farms, dams, port structure and bridge foundations and also in different submerged
  research operations.
• Its marketable usage will eliminate necessity for costlier and riskier manual inspection by divers.
  More about IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd
• IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd is supported by Kerala Start-Up Mission, oil and gas organisation BPCL and Department of Science and Technology. It has been started by Johns T Mathai, an IIT-Delhi alumnus and Kannappa Palaniappan P from IIT-Madras.
• The firm also has mentors and consultants who were previously with Defence Research and Development Organisation, Indian Navy and marine industry.
• It is now hatched at Maker Village, Kochi, which is an enterprise of Union Government and Kerala
  Government.

Government to convert 1.5 lakh primary health centers into wellness centers on- 15th September 2018

Union Health Minister J.P.Nadda on  15th September  2018 informed that 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centres and sub-centres will be transformed into wellness centres by 2022.  Talking at a function in Hyderabad, the Minister informed that the centre's flagship Ayushman Bharat - NHPM will be released on September 23rd, 2018. The wellness centres will simplify screening of every individual aged 30 or more for BP, diabetes, TB, breast cancer and leprosy among others. 
Key Highlights

• The Government has finalised to transform all 150,000 sub-centres and PHCs into wellness centres.
• In 2017, the government had transformed 4,000 sub-centres. Present year, the government devices to transform 50,000 centres.
• In the forthcoming years, the government projects to transform 30,000 sub-centres into wellness centres in 2019 and 40,000 centres in 2020.
• Further, while speaking during the launch of Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign, he informed that the CGHs are also launching such fortnight plans and senior officers from the Health Ministry will visit the CGHs to be part of these efforts.