CURRENT AFFAIRS 08-08-2020

SUBMARINE OPTICAL FIBRE CABLE (OFC)

What is in news?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and dedicate to the Nation the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) of nearly 2300 KM length connecting Chennai and Port Blair on 10th August, 2020.

About:

• The submarine cable will also connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat.

• This connectivity will enable delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, at par with other parts of India.

• The foundation stone for this project was laid by the Prime Minister in 2018 at Port Blair.

• The submarine OFC link will deliver bandwidth of 2 x 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands.

• The project is funded by the Government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications.

• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) executed this project while Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) are the Technical Consultants.

RASHTRIYA SWACHHATA KENDRA (RSK)

What is in news?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shall inaugurate Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra, an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission, on 8th August, 2020.

About:

• A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra (RSK) was first announced by the Prime Minister in 2017, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha.

• The RSK has been established at the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti at Rajghat in New Delhi.

• RSK will impart information, awareness and education on the successful journey of world's largest behaviour change campaign, the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Swachh Bharat Mission?

• The Swachh Bharat Mission has transformed rural sanitation in India and has changed the behaviours of over 55 crore people from open defecation to using a toilet.

• The mission is now in its second phase, aiming to take India’s villages from Open Defecation Free (ODF) to ODF Plus, with a strong focus on sustaining ODF status and ensuring solid and liquid waste management for all.

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED (DIAL)

What is in news?

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has developed a first-of-its-kind portal where India-bound international arriving flyers can fill the mandatory self-declaration form and also apply online for exemption from mandatory institution quarantine process.

About:

• The GMR Group led, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) is a consortium; comprising of GMR Group, Airports Authority of India and Fraport.

• The consortium has a mandate to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Delhi Airport for 30 years with an option to extend it by another 30 years.

• The Airport has been adjudged as the best airport by size and region (over 40 MPPA in Asia Pacific) by Airports Council International (ACI) in the Airport Service Quality Program for 2019.

• DIAL completed the modernization of Delhi’s IGI Airport including the commissioning of Terminal 3 (T3) - India’s largest building post-independence, in a record time of 37 months.

ONLINE EXIT EXAMINATION SYSTEM FOR SEAFARERS

What is in news?

Union Minister for Shipping launched Online Exit Examination for the seafarers.

About:

• Seafarers, who are getting training in different Maritime Training Institutes under Directorate General of Shipping, can now appear in the exam from their homes.

• India is the only country in the world, which has started Online Exit Examination for Seafarers.

PRADEEP KUMAR JOSHI

What is in news?

Pradeep Kumar Joshi, presently Member, Union Public Service Commission, took the oath of office and secrecy as Chairman, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

About:

• He joined the Commission as Member in 2015. Prior to joining the Commission, he held the post of Chairman, Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission and Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission.

• He also served as Director, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC):

• Function: UPSC is India's central recruiting agency. It is responsible for appointments to and examinations for All India services and group A & group B of Central services.

• Formed in: 1926.

• HQ: Delhi.

• Appointment of Chairman: As per Article 316, the Chairman and other members of UPSC shall be appointed by the President.

• A member of a UPSC shall hold office for a term of six years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

• As per Article 319, a person who holds office as Chairman shall, on the expiration of his term of office, be ineligible for re-appointment to that office.

GIRISH CHANDRA MURMU

What is in news?

Former Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Girish Chandra Murmu will be the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of the country. Mr Murmu will succeed Rajiv Mehrishi.

About:

• The CAG is also known as the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI).

• Article 148 of constitution deals with appointment and removal of CAG.

• CAG is appointed by the President of India following a recommendation by the Prime Minister.

• He/she holds the office till the age of 65 years or at the expiry of 6 years’ term, whichever is earlier.

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION MODULE FOR PM SVANIDHI SCHEME

What is in news?

Union Urban Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched Letter of Recommendation module for PM SVANidhi Scheme.

About:

• The module is designed to give access to street vendors who do not have Identity Card and Certificate of Vending and are not in the surveyed list for availing benefits under the scheme.

• The module provides for an end to end, digitally enabled process wherein an eligible vendor can request for a Letter of Recommendation from the Urban Local Body and on receipt of the same he can apply for loan under PM SVANidhi.

• The vendors possessing Letter of Recommendation shall be issued Certificate of Vending or ID Card within a period of 30 days. This provision will help in extending reach of the Scheme to the people who were hitherto unable to avail these benefits.

• PM SVANidhi was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on June 01, 2020, for providing affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.

K. V. KAMATH COMMITTEE

What is in news?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of veteran banker K.V. Kamath to make recommendations on norms for the resolution of COVID-19 related stressed loans.

About:

• The committee will submit its recommendations on the financial parameters to the RBI, which in turn, will notify the same along with modifications, if any, in 30 days.

• The other members of the committee include Diwakar Gupta, T.N. Manoharan, Ashvin Parekh, and Sunil Mehta, CEO of Indian Banks’ Association, as the member-secretary.

• The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) will function as the secretariat to the committee and the committee will be fully empowered to consult or invite any person it deems fit.

LEOPARD POACHING

What is in news?

A recent study by TRAFFIC India on the seizure and mortality of ‘common leopards’ (Panthera pardus fusca) revealed that of the total of 747 leopard deaths between 2015-2019 in India, 596 were linked to illegal wildlife trade and activities related to poaching.

About:

• TRAFFIC is a leading wildlife trade monitoring network across the world.

• The paper titled ‘‘SPOTTED’ in Illegal Wildlife Trade: A Peek into Ongoing Poaching and Illegal Trade of Leopards in India’ also said that the highest numbers of poaching incidents were reported from the States of Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.

• During the period 2015 to 2019, there were more than 140 cases of seizures of leopard body parts in Uttarakhand, and about 19 incidents where the deaths of these cats could be directly linked to poaching.

• Among all the derivatives found in illegal wildlife trade, skin remained the most in-demand product, accounting for 69% of all seizures, while derivatives like claws, teeth and bones were also traded.