1. HAZARAS
Taliban militants in Afghanistan have vandalised and blown up a statue of Shiite militia leader Abdul Ali Mazari in the province of Bamiyan, the unofficial capital of the Hazara ethnic group. Mazari, widely known as a champion of the Hazaras, was executed by the Taliban in 1995.
About:
- The Hazaras are an ethnic and religious minority group largely found in the rugged and mountainous central Afghan region of Hazarajat.
- The Hazaras are one of Afghanistan’s largest ethnic minorities, accounting for about 10-12 per cent of the country’s 38-million strong population.
- They are targetted by the Taliban because they are primarily Shia Muslims, as opposed to most Afghans who follow the Sunni branch of Islam. Their distinct Asiatic features and use of a Persian dialect called Hazaragi also sets them apart from the rest of the country.
History
- They are believed to be descendants of the founder of the Mongol empire, Genghis Khan, and his army that overran the entire region during the 13th century.
- Around 1773, the mountainous region of Hazarajat in modern-day central Afghanistan was annexed and made a part of the territories of the Afghan Empire under Pashtun ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani.
- The Sunni Muslim majority under the Pashtun ruler resulted in marginilisation of the Shiite Hazara community, to the extent that in the 18th and 19th century, they were forced to leave fertile lowlands in central Afghanistan and make the arid mountainous landscape their new home.
Source : Indian Express
2. e-VEHICLE FRIENDLY HIGHWAY
Union Minister of Heavy Industries Inaugurates Solar Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station at Karnal Lake Resort, Karnal
About:
- With this, the Delhi-Chandigarh Highway has become the first e-vehicle friendly highway in the country, with a network of Solar-based Electric Vehicle Charging stations (SEVCs) set up by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) under the FAME-1 [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) & Electric Vehicles in India] scheme of the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
- The EV charging station at Karnal lake resort, is strategically located at the midpoint of Delhi-Chandigarh highway, and is equipped to cater to all types of E- cars plying currently in the country.
- The establishment of similar EV chargers at regular intervals of 25-30 kms on the highway will allay range-anxiety among Electric Vehicle users and bolster their confidence for inter-city travel.
Source : PIB
3. ADVANCED CHAFF TECHNOLOGY
Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) against hostile radar threats.
About:
- Defence Laboratory Jodhpur, a DRDO laboratory developed the advanced Chaff material and chaff cartridge-118/I in collaboration with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), a Pune based laboratory of DRDO, meeting qualitative requirements of IAF.
- The Indian Air Force has started the process of induction of this technology after completion of successful user trials.
Important Info :
Do you know?
- In today’s electronic warfare, survivability of fighter aircraft is of prime concern because of advancement in modern radar threats.
- To ensure survivability of aircraft, Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS) is used which provides passive jamming against Infra-Red and radar threats.
- Chaff is a critical defence technology used to protect fighter aircraft from hostile radar threats.
- The importance of this technology lies in the fact that very less quantity of chaff material deployed in the air acts as decoy to deflect enemy’s missiles for ensuring safety of the fighter aircraft.
Source : PIB
4. DEFENCE INDIA STARTUP CHALLENGE 5.0
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) 5.0 under Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) on August 19, 2021.
About:
- Thirty five Problem Statements – 13 from the Services and 22 from Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) – were unveiled under DISC 5.0.
- These are in areas such as Situational awareness, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Aircraft-trainer, Non-lethal devices, 5G network, Under-water domain awareness, Drone SWARMS and Data Capturing.
- iDEX will support five times more start-ups over the next five years as the aim is to accelerate progress, reduce costs and complete procurement in a time bound manner.
- The launch of DISC 5.0 by iDEX-DIO comes three years after the launch of DISC 1.0.
- The iDEX initiative was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in April 2018 to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation & technology development in defence and aerospace sectors.
Source : PIB
5. MT MANIRANG
As a part of commemorative activities for 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav', Indian Air Force had flagged off an All Women Tri-Services Mountaineering Team on 01 Aug 21 from Air Force Station, New Delhi.
About:
- The team successfully summited Mt Manirang (21,625 ft) on 15 August 2021.
- Mt Manirang is one of the highest peaks of Himachal Pradesh, nestled at the border of Kinnaur & Spiti districts.
- Close to the peak is the Manirang pass, which was one of the early trade routes between Spiti and Kinnaur, before the motorable road was built.
Source : PIB
6. RE-IMAGINING URBAN RIVERS
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) had organised ‘Re-Imagining Urban Rivers’, a national level thesis competition in September 2020, under a joint project that the two organizations are implementing to promulgate river- sensitive development in our cities.
About:
- This is a first of its kind initiative to engage young minds to research and envisage solutions for urban river issues.
- The purpose of this sponsored thesis competition is to tap into the intellect and creativity of students to arrive at innovative solutions for re-imagining the outlook and management of rivers that flow through cities and their associated features.
- The competition had three themes - Re-imagining water bodies and/or wetlands, developing eco-friendly riverfront projects and Promoting River tourism.
- Students from leading institutes across the country presented their thesis in the grand finale of the competition on 19th Aug 2021 at Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Important Info :
- Second edition of the Sponsored Thesis Project Competition was launched recently.
- This year’s themes will be ‘Reducing River pollution’, ‘Rejuvenating water bodies’, ‘Creating a vibrant river zone’, ‘Generating river-related economy’ and ‘Engaging citizens in river management activities.’
Source : PIB
7. ELECTRONIC MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT OF ROAD SAFETY
Ministry of Road transport and Highways has issued notification regarding Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety.
About:
- The rules specify the detailed provisions for placement of electronic enforcement devices (speed camera, closed-circuit television camera, speed gun, body wearable camera, dashboard camera, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), weigh in machine (WIM) and any such technology).
- State Governments shall ensure that electronic enforcement devices are placed at high-risk and high-density corridors on National Highways and State Highways, and at critical junctions at least in major cities with more than one million population and also including the 132 cities as specified in the rules.
- Footage from an electronic enforcement device having electronic stamp for location, date and time, can be used to issue challan for various offences.
Source : PIB
8. MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH
A nine-foot-tall bronze equestrian statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, was vandalised in Lahore Fort.
About:
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) seized Lahore in 1799 after he was invited to rule the city by its Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh elite.
- Lahore, once among the biggest and most developed of the cities of Punjab, was in a shambles at the time — the dying Mughal Empire was no longer able to extend it patronage and protection, it was battered by repeated assaults from bands of Afghan raiders, and weakened by infighting among some Sikh groups.
- Residents of Lahore complained of being forced to pay exorbitant taxes.
- Ranjit Singh brought peace and security to Lahore and revived its economic and cultural glory. He proclaimed himself maharaja of the Punjab in 1801, and proceeded to rule with religious tolerance for communities other than Sikhs.
- He carried out repairs to the Lahore fort — which was built by Emperor Akbar at the site of an older mud-brick structure and was subsequently beautified and expanded by Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb — and built a wall around it, and used a part of the fort as his residential quarters.
- As the founder of a mighty empire that sprawled over a large part of northwestern India, the Maharaja is identified by many with the identity of Punjab.
Source : Indian Express
9. SHANKAR DAYAL SHARMA
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, paid floral tributes to Shankar Dayal Sharma, former President of India, on his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan (August 19, 2021).
About:
- Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918 – 1999) was a member of Indian National Congress (INC).
- Chief Minister: He served as the Chief Minister (1952–1956) of Bhopal State.
- Union Cabinet Minister: He served as the Cabinet Minister (1956–1967), holding the portfolios of Education, Law, Public Works, Industry and Commerce, National Resources and Separate Revenue. He again served as the Union Minister for Communications from 1974 to 1977.
- Governor: He was appointed the governor of Andhra Pradesh in 1984. After elections in Punjab, in the wake of the Longowal-Rajiv accord between the prime minister and the Akali Dal president, Sharma was made the governor of Punjab in 1985.
- Vice President: He then became the eighth vice-president of India and ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha, serving from 1987 – 1992.
- President: He was the ninth President of India, serving from 1992 to 1997.
Source : PIB
10. DRAFT ELECTRICITY (LATE PAYMENT SURCHARGE) AMENDMENT RULES, 2021
The Ministry of Power has proposed to amend rules for facilitating electricity producers to sell power to a third party, which it said can pare fixed costs and cut retail tariff for end consumers.
About:
- The ministry circulated the draft Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge) Amendment Rules, 2021, seeking comments for the same.
- The power generating companies are being given an option to sell power to third parties and recover costs. To this extent, the fixed cost burden of the distribution licensee shall be reduced, the ministry stated.
- If a distribution licensee has any payment, including late payment surcharge, outstanding after the expiry of seven months from the due date as prescribed in the PPA (power purchase agreement), the generating company may sell power to any consumer or any other licensee or power exchanges, for the period of such default.
- The claim would be retained on payment of fixed charges or capacity charges from the distribution licensee, after giving a notice of at least 15 days to the distribution licensee.
- The claim, if any, shall be reconciled on an annual basis and shall be limited to only under-recovery of the fixed charges or capacity charges.
Source : The Hindu