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  • Current Affairs 19th April 2018

    Updated : 19-Apr-2018

    Current Affairs 19th April 2018 - Important Points

    • NASA launched CHESS mission to study matter between stars on - 7th April 2018
    • 1st meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges held in New Delhi for - POSHAN Abhiyaan
    • Over 95 percent of world's population breathing unhealthy air reported in -  State of Global Air Report 2018
    • Study in India programme to attract foreign students launched by - Government
    • India forms committee to reform higher defence planning on - 18th April 2018
    • Nasscom, TechUK launched - UK-India Tech Alliance 

    Current Affairs 19th April 2018 - Details

    NASA launched CHESS mission to study matter between stars on - 7th April 2018

    The NASA effectively released Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph- CHESS 4 from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, on April 17th , 2018.
    The mission released on a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Black Brant IX sounding rocket will study the interstellar medium, the material among stars.
    The interplanetary space between distant stars is not empty. It comprises vast clouds of neutral molecules and charged plasma interstellar medium, which may, grow into fresh stars and even planets.
    The Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph mission would chiefly emphasis on these floating interstellar translucent gas clouds, which deliver the important building blocks for the stars and planets. The clouds are known to have very little densities and the only medium to observe them is to calculate how a cloud is affected by a star and its related outpouring of stellar material moving through it.
    Key Highlights

    • The CHESS-4 instrument was established by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
    • The mission will observe the interaction of the stellar wind with the adjacent interstellar medium to observe the excitation of atoms and molecules in the interface area.
    • This would empower the investigators to study the catalysts of galaxy chemistry and the underdone materials for forthcoming generations of stars and planets.
    • The investigation team will also measure the temperature and motions of the clouds along the line of sight.
    • The new version of CHESS also structures an updated instrument, a re-tuned spectrograph, which will deliver about 4-5 times higher spectral resolution than earlier launches.
    • The greater resolution will be ideal for detecting the activated molecules against the background signal produced by the interstellar medium.

    1st meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges held in New Delhi for - POSHAN Abhiyaan

    The 1st meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan was
    organised in New Delhi. It observe participation of NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr.Rajiv Kumar, CEO
    Amitabh Kant and senates of various ministries of Central and State Governments.
    More about National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges

    • Its directive is to deliver policy guidelines to address nations nutritional challenges through synchronized inter-sectoral action.
    • It is also instructed to manage and review conjunction between Ministries and review programmes for nutrition on a three-monthly basis. It will present its report to the Prime Minister every six months.
      More about POSHAN Abhiyaan
    • POSHAN Abhiyaan was initiated by PM Narendra Modi in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan in March 2018.
    • POSHAN represents Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition.
    • It objects to make sure holistic progress and satisfactory nutrition for pregnant females, mothers and children.
    • It aims to decrease level of under-nutrition and other concerned issues by guaranteeing convergence of various nutrition concerned plans.
    • It also marks under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth rate.
    • It will check and review execution of all such plans and uses present structural preparations of line ministries wherever available.

    Over 95 percent of world's population breathing unhealthy air reported in -  State of Global Air Report 2018 

    According to the State of Global Air Report 2018, more than 7 billion people of the world's population are breathing unhealthy-air and reside in areas of unsafe air. The report was published by the Health Effects Institute on April 17th, 2018.
    Highlights of the Report

    • According the report, prolonged contact to air pollution results into an approximated 6.1 million deaths globally in 2016.
    • The exposure to air pollution resulted to heart attacks, strokes and long-lasting lung disease, leading to early deaths.
    • The report also reports about those who are exposed to the burning of solid fuels in their homes for cooking or other purposes. Burning of solid fuels causes the indoor air pollution.
    • In 2016, more than 2.5 billion individuals were exposed to air pollution from solid-fuels including wood and charcoal.

    State of Air Pollution in Asian Countries

    • Maximum of population affected with air pollution, reside in low and middle-income countries in Asia.
    • This joint exposure results into 1 in 4 air pollution deaths in India and approximately 1 in 5 in China.
    • India and China were combinedly accountable for more than 50% of global deaths due to air pollution.
    • Pakistan, Bangladesh and India felt the intense rise in air pollution levels since 2010.

    Study in India programme to attract foreign students launched by - Government

    The Ministry of Human Resources Development in partnership with Ministry of External Affairs has
    sanctioned ‘Study in India’ programme to fascinate foreign students to pursue higher education in India.
    The programme is same to initiative released by Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada. It goals at
    boosting nation’s share of international students and next, progress global reputation and rankings of
    Indian educational institutions.
    Study in India programme

    • Encourage additional foreign students to select India for higher education.
    • Double India’s market share of global education disseminates from less than 1 per cent to 2 per cent.
    • Advance global ranking of Indian educational institutes.
      Features
    • The programme will deliver meritorious foreign students fee waiver and scholarship.
    • It will focus students from thirty nations, primarily in Asia and Africa, including Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Rwanda, among others.
    • Government will propose complete fee waiver to top 25 per cent meritorious candidates, 50 per cent fee waiver to the next 25 per cent candidates and 25 percent waiver to the next 25 per cent foreign student applicants.
    • The proposed fee waiver and scholarship will be finalised by institute concerned grounded on
      predefined structure.
    • The concerned institutes will bear spending on fee waiver grounded on cross- subsidisation funding.
    • The seats for foreign students will not affect number of seats which are kept for Indian students in any educational institute.

    India forms committee to reform higher defence planning on - 18th April 2018

    The Union Government formed a new integrated institutional mechanism, Defence Planning Committee to reform the process of higher defence planning, on April 18th, 2018.
    The committee is believed to drive the nation’s military and national security policy, draft capability development strategies and guide and accelerate defence tools acquisitions.
    Composition of the committee

    • The permanent body would be headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
    • It will encompass the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, 3 service chiefs and the Defence, Expenditure and Foreign Secretaries.
    • The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chief of the Staff Committee will be the member secretary of the committee.
      Functions of the Committee
    • The committee will be needed to undertake external security danger assessment and define national defence and security priorities.
    • It will also have to make draft reports on national military strategy, national security strategy and international defence engagement strategy.
    • It will also have to make a roadmap to build defence production ecosystem and a plan to improve defence exports and priority capability development strategies.
    • It will have to present all its draft information to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
    • Also, 4 sub-committees could be shaped under the Defence Planning Committee across 4 broad areas.
    • The involvement and the terms of reference of the sub-committees will be finalised distinctly.

    Nasscom, TechUK launched - UK-India Tech Alliance 

    The National Association of Software and Services Companies and TechUK initiated fresh UK-India Tech Alliance. The leading technology business bodies of India and United Kingdom signed MoU in this regard during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom.
    The UK-India Tech Alliance

    • The alliance is intended at growing partnership on skills and fresh technologies, supporting policy
      development and cheering innovation and lay groundwork for roadmap which will be cooperatively
      presented in June 2018.
    • It will encourage growth of skills desirable for world where artificial intelligence, machine learning, giant-information analytics and cyber-security have become chief technology growth areas.
    • It will be important partner for government, provided that sounding board and professional advice
      for policy development to make sure that both governments cultivate growth in this sector and beyond.
    • The memorandum of understanding obligates 2 organisations to interchange information and learn
      lessons from FutureSkills initiative launched by National Association of Software and Services
      Companies, discover expansion of FutureSkills platform, work collectively to support people-to- people and business-to- business relations between India and United Kingdom.
    • It sounds for exploring wider partnership to progress digital skills in both nations and reassure Indian firms active in United Kingdom to distribute digital skills training opportions as part of cross-sector Digital Skills Partnership convened by United Kingdom government.