Current Affairs 19th March 2015

Current Affairs 19th March 2015 - Important Points

• Which tropical grass has been identified as an eco-friendly food preservative by SASTRA University - Darbha

• China-backed AIIB to be joined by - France, Germany, Italy

• Whom did the Union Government appointed as Chairmen of Allahabad bench, Chennai bench of DRAT - VK Mathur, Girija Shankar

• Tripura Biodiversity Board started a project - link conservation to economic concerns

• Where did the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held - Sendai, Japan

• Which country will host seventh Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2016 - India

• Name the app launched by HDFC Bank to transfer money instantly to any person in India - Chillr

• Which state Government decided to issue UIDAI-like numbers for cows - Haryana

• Name the Air-to-Air missile successfully test fired from ITR Chandipur in Odisha - Astra

Current Affairs 19th March 2015 - Details

Which tropical grass has been identified as an eco-friendly food preservative by SASTRA University - Darbha

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 16th March 2015, The researchers at SASTRA University, Thanjavur identified traditional tropical grass Darbha as an eco-friendly food preservative. The finding evolved from the study conducted on the grass Darbha which was jointly undertaken by the Centre for Advanced Research in Indian System of Medicine (CARISM) and the Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB) of the SASTRA University under the supervision of Dr. P Brindha and Dr. P Meera respectively.

Main findings of the Study

• The researchers have taken five tropical grass including Darbha grass, lemon grass, Bermuda grass and bamboo grass in the Cow’s curd in order to find the fermenting property of Darbha grass.
• Stunning nano-patterns and micro or hierarchical nano structures were represented by Darbha grass during the Electron microscopy, while they were absent in other grasses.
• Only Darbha grass was found to attract enormous number of bacteria into the hierarchical surface features which is responsible for fermentation of curd.
• It could be used as a natural food preservative in place of harmful chemical preservatives.
• Further, the artificial surfaces looks like the hierarchical nano patterns on the surface of darbha grass could find applications in health care where sterile conditions were required.

China-backed AIIB to be joined by - France, Germany, Italy

Among the important International Current Affairs, In third week of March 2015, China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It was in news as it was reported that Italy, Germany and France have agreed to join the AIIB after the United Kingdom (UK) decided to join the bank.

UK was the first Western nation to join the bank disregarding reservations expressed by the United States (US) which raised concerns over its transparency. If these US-led western allied join the bank, the aggregate of the bank’s member states including India will go up to 30.

In 2014, President Xi Jingping started Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a 50 billion dollar international investment bank. The bank was started to provide support to infrastructure projects in Asia. It is supposed that the bank will be formally established by end of 2015.

Whom did the Union Government appointed as Chairmen of Allahabad bench, Chennai bench of DRAT - VK Mathur, Girija Shankar

Among the important appointments, On 17th March 2015, Union Ministry of Finance appointed VK Mathur as the Chairman for the Allahabad and Girija Shankar as the Chairman for the Chennai bench of Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT). Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment. The appointment was done for a period of five years or till they attain the age of 65 years.

About Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT)

• The Government of India in 2000 constituted 33 Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) and 5 Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DARTs) across the country to help financial institutions recover their bad debts quickly and efficiently. The five DRATs are located at Delhi, Allahabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata.
• The DRT imposes provisions of the Recovery of Debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions (RDDBFI) Act, 1993 and also Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interests (SARFAESI) Act, 2002.
• Pleads against orders passed by Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) lie before Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT).
• The Presiding Officer who presided each DRT is generally equivalent to the rank of District and Sessions Judge.

Tripura Biodiversity Board started a project - link conservation to economic concerns

On 17th March 2015, The Tripura Biodiversity Board started a project to link conservation to economic concerns. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest S Talukdar launched the project at the Pragnya Bhavan in Tripura.

The project will associate sustainable utilisation and conservation of bio-resources with the livelihood and economic concerns of the owners through access benefit sharing.

The aim of the project is to strengthen the implementation of the Biological Diversity Rules, 2004 and Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and to create awareness amongst the various stakeholders with respect to the real economic values of bio-resources.

Where did the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held - Sendai, Japan

Among the important International Current Affairs,From 14th to 18th March 2015, The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) was held in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

The conference was organized by the Government of Japan in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), as secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

The third conference on disaster risk reduction was held vide United Nations (UN) resolution passed in December 2013 to hold the Third UN WCDRR at Sendai in Japan. India was represented at the conference by the Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh.

Objectives of the conference

• To complete evaluation and review of the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action.
• To account the experience gained through the regional and national strategies/institutions and plans for disaster risk reduction and their recommendations as well as relevant regional agreements within the implementation of the Hyogo Framework of Action.
• To acquire a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
• To determine modalities of cooperation based on commitments to implement a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
• To identify modalities to periodically review the implementation of a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.

Which country will host seventh Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2016 - India

On 17th March 2015, At the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan, Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh announced that India will host the seventh Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) in 2016.

Also, this will be the first AMCDRR to be hosted by India in the post-2015 framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, although India had hosted the Second AMCDRR in 2007. The conference in 2016 will be held in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

Name the app launched by HDFC Bank to transfer money instantly to any person in India - Chillr

On 17th March 2015, HDFC Bank launched a mobile application Chillr that allows customers to instantly transfer money to any person among the country. Chillr is a first-of-its kind application that is linked directly to customers’ bank accounts and is exclusively for customers of HDFC Bank.

The app was launched in partnership with Kochi-based mobile value added service company MobME.

Key characteristics of the app

• It allows HDFC customers to transact 24 hours a day.
• Ten transactions per day or 5000 rupees per day and 50000 rupees a month is the transaction limit.
• The fund can be transferred to any contact in the phone book once the app is downloaded on the phone.
• The app is safe and can be accessed only with an M-PIN known to the customer alone.
• Customers can download the app from Play or from iStore.

Which state Government decided to issue UIDAI-like numbers for cows - Haryana

In third week of March 2015, State Government of Haryana decided to introduce Special Identification Tags with unique identification numbers for Haryana cows, an indigenous breed found in the state.

These special identification tags and unique identification numbers will be like the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) format. The objective of the scheme is to establish identification of cows, their security and provide them benefits of health schemes.

Features of this initiative

• Every cow will have a 12-digit identification number and an ID card which will be fixed as tags around its neck.
• A booklet will be given to the owners of the cow in which they can fill cows’ data everyday.
• Details of the cows like complexion, age, race, body structure and photographs will be recorded in the database of the scheme of special identification tags.

Name the Air-to-Air missile successfully test fired from ITR Chandipur in Odisha - Astra

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 18th March 2015, Indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile named Astra was successfully test fired at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur in Odisha. It was test-fired aboard a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft.

The present test was a part of the series of tests planned to test the missile’s subsystems like navigation, propulsion and guidance and the smooth separation of the missile from the aircraft.

About the Astra missile

• Astra is a beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is capable of engaging its target at ranges of 37 km or beyond and has a operational range of 60km.
• The all-weather missile was designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It travels at a 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.
• The 3.8 metre long missile is the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles and can be launched from different altitudes.
• It can reach up to 44 km when launched from an altitude of 8 km, 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km and 21 km when fired from sea level.