Current Affairs 27th April 2017

Current Affairs 27th April 2017 - Important Points

• Puducherry farmers to get - free power
•  MSEFC Portal and MyMSME Mobile App launched by - Union Government
• UAE's first solar-powered gas station opens in - Dubai
• Iceball' Planet discovered through - Microlensing

Current Affairs 27th April 2017 - Details

Puducherry farmers to get - free power

The government of Pondicherry announced on 27th April 2017 that the farmers in the Union Territory will be getting free power supply from this month for pump sets used for irrigation purpose. The same was confirmed by the Agriculture Department through a notification wherein it stated that the introduction of free power supply was in line with the assurance given by the Agriculture Minister during the previous fiscal year’s budget session (2016- 2017).

Important Highlights

• The Ministers council had approved the proposal for the free supply of electricity to small and other classes of farmers in the Union Territory.
• While around 960 farmers fall in the small farmer category that would get benefit from the scheme, almost 5911 farmers come under the others category.
• The move is expected to ease some of the problems of Puducherry’s farmers. On 25th April 2017, the DMK (an alliance partner of ruling Congress in Puducherry) had called for a bandh to highlight the farmers’ woes and seek immediate redressal of their grievances.
• The bandh was supported by A Namassivayam, the PWD Minister and PCC leader of Puducherry, who appealed to all sections of workers, business community, traders, fleet operators and others to extend their support to the cause.

 MSEFC Portal and MyMSME Mobile App launched by - Union Government

Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu launched Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (MSEFC) portal and MyMSME Mobile App on 27th April 2017. Both of these portals were launched as a part of Digital India Initiative from the perspective of the MSME Sector in the country.

Key Highlights

• Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (MSEFC) portal will facilitate implementation of delayed payment provisions of the MSMED Act 2006 and also help in monitoring delayed payment cases. 
• With the access to this platform, micro and small enterprises will be able to file their delayed payment related grievances online itself. 
• The grievance filed will be communicated through email and SMS to the parties involved in the matter. 
• MSMEs can also lodge grievances related to Ministry of MSME through this app. 

UAE's first solar-powered gas station opens in - Dubai

The Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) opened United Arab Emirates’ first solar-powered gas station on 26th April 2017. The ENOC states that the country’s first solar-powered gas station signifies country’s increased focus on maintaining the highest standards of sustainability and clean energy. The station goes in line with the great strides made by the Emirate of Dubai to turn itself into a hub for renewable energy as part of the Dubai 2020 Vision. 

The Vision plans make emirate the smartest and the most sustainable in the world.

Important highlights

• The service station is on Dubai’s main Sheikh Zayed Road thoroughfare.
• It is covered with solar panels that can generate up to 120 kwh.
• It generates about 30 percent more energy than the station needs. The excess power is directed back into the city's electric grid.
• The new development fits within the pioneering initiatives launched by ENOC nationwide over the past period in alignment with the government plans to.
• The services station is planned to reduce Carbon dioxide emissions by 195 million metric tonnes annually.
• It will also hold and use a number of energy consumption reduction techniques.

Iceball' Planet discovered through - Microlensing

NASA scientists have discovered a new planet- OGLE-2016-BLG-1195lb- that has the same mass as Earth and orbits from the same distance as Earth orbits the sun. The findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The discovery adds to the scientist’s  understanding of the types of planetary systems existing beyond Earth.

Interesting Highlights

• This newly discovered planet is nearly 13,000 light-years away and orbits a small star.
• According to scientists the planet is too cold to sustain life as its star is so faint.
• The planet, referred as ‘iceball’ due to its probable cold state, is the lowest-mass planet ever found through microlensing.
• It would help scientists to figure out the distribution of planets in Milky Way.
• The planet is located in the disk of Milky Way galaxy, on its fringe like two planets detected previously through microlensing by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
• This discovery is made through the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), which is operated by both the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and Spitzer.