Current Affairs Today 17th January 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 17th January 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed banks and other card-issuing companies to provide a facility to customers to switch on and off their debit or credit cards.
• The state of art- new Tejas Express train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai Central has been flagged off by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Ahmedabad Railway Station today morning.
• The 1st edition of Krishi Manthan– the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of Asia begins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced that this will provide support to state governments to help them set up monitoring centres that will track public service vehicles including buses and cab operators like Ola and Uber.
• The government has notified that it is to mandate hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts with effect from 15 January 2021.
• India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting 2020.
• A multi-venue mega-science exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ has been scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 21 January to 20 March 2020 at the National Science Centre (NSC), New Delhi.
• Raisina Dialogue 2020 was held from 14-16 January 2020.
• The first Session of India-Norway Dialogue on Trade & Investment (DTI) was held in New Delhi on 15-16 January 2020.
• An International Conclave on Globalising Indian Thought from 16-18 January 2020.
• Henley Passport Index 2020 was launched recently by Henley & Partners. India ranked 84th in the index. Japan has the world’s strongest passport.
• To provide doorstep banking services, the South Central Zone of the Indian Railways has signed an MoU with the State Bank of India.
• The Indian Institute of Management, Indore has signed an MoU with the video sharing platform “TikTok“.
• For the implementation of Assam Inland Water Transport Project, the Government of India (GoI), the Government of Assam and the World Bank have signed a $88 million loan agreement.
• Lt Col Yuvraj Malik has been appointed as the Director of the National Book Trust on deputation from the Indian Army.
• A noted chemist Bipul Behari Saha has been elected as a bureau member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
• Indian teenage wrestler Anshu Malik won in the women’s 57kg freestyle event of the season ‘s first major competition, the Ranking Series in Rome.
• The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has partnered with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to produce the Saras engine
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Armoured System Complex at Hazira, Gujarat on 16 January 2020.
• The Indian Army conducted the airborne Exercise Winged Raider in the North-Eastern theatre on 10 January 2020.
• Eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman.
• A senior scientist Sakya Singha Sen from National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) Pune, has been awarded “Merck Young Scientist Award 2019” for doing remarkable research in chemical science.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s communication satellite GSAT-30 onboard the Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) on 17 January 2020 from Kourou launch base, French Guiana.
• Scientists discovered a new species of bone-eating worm during a study to investigate the deep ocean’s ecosystem.

NEWS IN DETAILS

BANKING AND FINANCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

RBI directs issuers to provide a facility to switch on, off cards

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed banks and other card-issuing companies to provide a facility to customers to switch on and off their debit or credit cards.
• The move by RBI aims to enhance the security of digital transactions.
• It assumes significance amid rising instances of cyber fraud.

Extra Shots:

RBI: The Reserve Bank of India is India’s central banking institution, which controls the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee.

• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors: B P Kanungo, M K Jain, N S Vishwanathan, Michael Patra.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

State of Art Tejas express train between Mumbai-Ahmedabad flagged off

• The state of art- new Tejas Express train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai Central has been flagged off by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Ahmedabad Railway Station today.
• The train will have stoppages at Nadiad, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Vapi and Borivali en-route to Mumbai Central.
• The fully air-conditioned Tejas has several modern features such as sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility, comfortable seats, etc.
• This train will have two classes namely- Chair Car and Executive Chair Car.

1st edition of Krishi Manthan begins in Gujarat

• The 1st edition of Krishi Manthan– the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of Asia begins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• This summit is organized by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.
• It is an exclusive platform for industry, academia, and policymakers to share ideas, knowledge, and expertise to create solutions.
• More than 1,500 delegates including students and academicians are participating in the event organized by the Food and Agribusiness Committee of IIMA.

Extra Shots:

Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• State formed on: 1 May 1960
• Literacy Rate: 79.31%
• National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch

Centre to help states to set up vehicle tracking system

• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced that this will provide support to state governments to help them set up monitoring centres that will track public service vehicles including buses and cab operators like Ola and Uber.
• The move aims to ensure the safety of passengers using public transport in the country.

Transport vehicles monitoring centres:

♦ Supreme Court-mandated all public transport vehicles to have vehicle tracking systems and emergency buttons with effect from 1 January 2020.

♦ All the states have made small progress in setting up the monitoring centres.

♦ Hence, the transport ministry is to provide financial support under the Nirbhaya Fund which is managed by the Ministry of Women & child development.

♦ The estimated cost of the project is Rs.463 crore. Out of the total estimated amount, the Centre will bear Rs.332 crore, while the states will share Rs.131 crore.

Government mandates hallmarking of gold jewellery

• The government has notified that it is to mandate hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts with effect from 15 January 2021.
• The jewellers have been given time for the implementation of this notification. Jewellers who violate this will be punished under the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
• The notification state that only registered jewellers will be allowed to sell the hallmarked gold articles through certified sales outlets.
• As per the notifications, the registered jewellers will be allowed to sell jewellery and artefacts only in three grades of gold, 14, 18 and 22 carat, instead of ten grades earlier.
• The mandatory hallmarking is not required for gold that is meant for exports.
• The new rules are not applicable to any article which is intended to be used for dental, medical, veterinary, scientific or industrial purposes

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

India to host the 19th SCO Heads of Govt council meeting 2020

• India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting 2020.
• The meeting is held annually at the Prime Minister’s level and it discusses the SCO’s programme and multilateral economic and trade co-operation.
• All 8 members and 4 observer states and other international dialogue partners will be invited to the meeting.
• SCO member countries are Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazhakstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
• Observer countries are Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus.

Extra Shots:

SCO: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai.

• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Deputy Secretaries General: Sabyr Imandosov; Wang Kaiwen; Aziz Nosirov; Vladimir Potapenko
• Secretary General: Vladimir Norov
• Founded: 26 April 1996
• Official language: Chinese and Russian
• Founders: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

Vigyan Samagam to be held from 21 January to 20 March in New Delhi

• A multi-venue mega-science exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ has been scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 21 January to 20 March 2020 at the National Science Centre (NSC), New Delhi.
• The first-of-its-kind exhibition is being hosted in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Delhi from May 2019 to March 2020.
• The exhibition has been hosted for around two months at each venue.
• It was held in Mumbai from 8 May to 7 July 2019, in Bengaluru from 29 July to 28 September 2019 and in Kolkata from 4 November to 31 December 2019.
• The exhibition is jointly organized by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science & Technology, GoI.

Extra Shots:

DAE: The Department of Atomic Energy is a department directly under the Prime Minister of India with headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. DAE was established in 1954 by a Presidential Order.

• Chairperson: K.N. Vyas
• Founder: Homi J. Bhabha
• Founded: 3 August 1954
• Headquarters location: Mumbai
• Employees: Classified
• Subsidiary: Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology

DST: The Department of Science and Technology is a department within the Ministry of Science and Technology in India.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Founded: May 1971
• Subsidiary: National Innovation Foundation – India

Raisina Dialogue 2020 Highlights

• Raisina Dialogue 2020 was held from 14-16 January 2020.
• The inaugural session of the dialogue was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the dialogue.
• This dialogue is India’s annual global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
• The fifth edition of the Raisina Dialogue was held in New Delhi.
• The Conference was organized by Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
• Aim: The dialogue aims to discover solutions, identify opportunities and provide stability to a century that has witnessed an eventful two decades.
• The Raisina Dialogue 2020 is titled Navigating the Alpha Century.
• The conference included intensive deliberations with over 80 sessions and panel discussions on topics including The India Way: Preparing for a Century of Growth and Contest, Hacking Democracy:

The dialogue covered 5 thematic pillars namely:

1) the nationalist impulses challenging global institutions and collective action

2) the role of technologies in determining political

3) the debate on the global trading architecture, economic and military power

4) the global development agenda

Extra Shots:

Raisina Dialogue: Raisina Dialogue was initiated in 2016. It is a multilateral conference which is organized to address the most challenging issues facing the global community. The dialogue is held every year in Delhi. It discusses cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters. It explores prospects and opportunities for Asian integration and Asia’s integration with the larger world.

First session of India-Norway DIT was held in New Delhi

• The first Session of India-Norway Dialogue on Trade & Investment (DTI) was held in New Delhi on 15-16 January 2020.
• The session was co-chaired by Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Nidhi Mani Tripathi, and Director General, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Mr. Erling Rimestad.

Highlights:

♦ The Session was preceded by an industry interaction with the representatives from the Indian industry on 15 January 2020. The discussions included various areas of mutual interest like the blue economy, shipping & maritime, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), renewable energy, fisheries, and MSME.

♦ Both the countries exchanged views on the available investment opportunities

♦ Presentations were made by the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) and Invest India.

♦ The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) highlighted various policy initiatives of the Government for promoting investment in the country.

Extra Shots:

Norway (Capital/Currency): Oslo/ Norwegian krone

• Prime Minister: Erna Solberg

IIM Kozhikode to hosts an International Conclave on Globalising Indian Thought

• An International Conclave on Globalising Indian Thought from 16-18 January 2020.
• It is organized by the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode), Kerala.
• It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing.
• The conclave will witness representations from renowned academicians, public figures and the presentation of more than 100 world-class research papers.
• It is expected that the keynote, plenary talks, panel discussions and paper presentations about Globalizing Indian Thought (GIT) will open ways for a deeper understanding of the concept and will advance the meaningful probe into its nuances.

Extra Shots:

IIM Kozhikode: The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode is an autonomous business school located in Calicut, Kerala. The institute, set up in 1996 by the Government of India in collaboration with the State Government of Kerala, is one of the 20 Indian Institutes of Management. It was the fifth IIM to be established.

• Director: Debashis Chatterjee
• Architect: Joseph Allen Stein

RANKS AND INDICES

Japan topped the 2020 Henley Passport Index

• Henley Passport Index 2020 was launched recently by Henley & Partners.
• India ranked 84th in the index. Japan has the world’s strongest passport.
• The index was based on the data collected from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Top 5 ranking countries:

♦ Japan ranked first

♦ Singapore ranked second

♦ Germany and South Korea shared third

♦ Finland and Italy shared fourth

♦ Denmark, Luxembourg and Spain fifth position

Extra Shots:

The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index and was modified and renamed in January 2018.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Indian Railways’ SCR zone signs MoU with SBI to provide doorstep banking

• To provide doorstep banking services, the South Central Zone of the Indian Railways has signed an MoU with the State Bank of India.
• According to the MoU, the doorstep banking facility will be provided at 585 Railway Stations of the South Central Zone.
• The “doorstep banking” facility will enable direct pickup of earnings from the railway stations and will save the complex activity of cash movement through cash safes by trains.
• The signed MoU will led to the introduction of door step banking which will increase the pace of financial transactions.
• The facility will also digitize the remittance of cash earnings of the railways.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) will collect the traffic earnings and make the process hassle free.
• The collected amount would be transferred to the Government account, thus avoiding any delay in the process.

Extra Shots:

Indian Railways is India’s national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with a route length of 67,368-kilometre and total track length of 121,407-kilometre as of March 2017.

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founded: 16 April 1853, India

SBI: The State Bank of India is an Indian multinational, public sector banking and financial services statutory body. It is a government corporation statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is ranked as 236th in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s biggest corporations of 2019.

• Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
• Headquarters: Mumbai

IIM-Indore signs MoU with TikTok for short video modules

• The Indian Institute of Management, Indore has signed an MoU with the video sharing platform “TikTok“.
• The MoU will facilitate the production of short video modules for students and trained professionals.
• TikTok will prepare the short video modules covering various subjects like strategy, negotiation, communication, marketing.
• The videos prepared by TikTok would be implemented by the Indian Institute of Management, Indore in its various courses.

Extra Shots:

IIM Indore: The Indian Institute of Management Indore is an autonomous public business school located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh in India. Instituted in 1996, IIM Indore is the sixth addition to the Indian Institute of Management family of management schools.

• Director: Himanshu Rai

TikTok is a video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming. It is used to create short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos. The app was launched in 2017 for iOS and Android for markets outside of China.

• Developed by: ByteDance
• Operating system: iOS, Android, Fire OS
• Available in: 40 languages

GoI & World Bank signs loan agreement for Assam Inland Water Transport Project

• For the implementation of Assam Inland Water Transport Project, the Government of India (GoI), the Government of Assam and the World Bank have signed a $88 million loan agreement.
• The loan agreement seeks to modernize the Assam’s passenger ferry sector by improving the infrastructure and its services.
• The government ferries are operated by the Assam Shipping Company (ASC) while the terminals and terminal services are provided by the Assam Ports Company (APC) in the state of Assam.
• The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will provide the loan amount of $88 million for the modernization of Assam Inland Water Transport Project.
• The loan has a final maturity of 14.5 years with a grace period of 5 years.

Extra Shots:

World Bank: The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of poorer countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Development Association.

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)
• Parent organization: World Bank Group
• Founded: 1944
• Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White

Assam:

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
• Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
• National Park: Dibru-Saikhowa NP, Kaziranga NP, Manas NP, Nameri NP, Rajiv Gandhi Orang NP

APPOINTMENT

National Book Trust appointed Lt Col Yuvraj Malik as director

• Lt Col Yuvraj Malik has been appointed as the Director of the National Book Trust on deputation from the Indian Army.
• He will replace Sahitya Akademi-awardee writer Rita Chowdhury.
• He has served with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Raj Bhawan in Jammu & Kashmir, United Nation Missions in Africa and several operational areas.
• National Book Trust came under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Extra Shots:

National Book Trust is an Indian publishing house, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. NBT now functions under aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India India’s first Prime Minister Pt.

• Publication: NBT Newsletter
• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Parent organisation: Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India
• President: Govind prasad sharma
• Location: New Delhi, India
• Founded: 1 August 1957

Bipul Behari Saha elected as a bureau member of IUPAC

• A noted chemist Bipul Behari Saha has been elected as a bureau member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
• He will serve for a period of 2020-23. Currently, he is serving as the Director-R&D, L.R. Research Laboratories Pvt Ltd, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NACL Industries Limited, Hyderabad.
• Saha is only the second Indian to be elected for this prestigious position in over a century. Previously, CNR Rao, former Director of the Indian Institute of Science and Bharat Ratna, held the position in 1979.

Extra Shots:

IUPAC: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations that represents chemists in individual countries. It is a member of the International Science Council.

• Headquarters: Research Triangle Park Headquarters, North Carolina, United States
• Founded: 1919
• President: Zhou Qifeng (China)
• Motto: Advancing Chemistry Worldwide

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Anshu Malik won silver in 2020 Rome Ranking Series

• Indian teenage wrestler Anshu Malik won in the women’s 57kg freestyle event of the season ‘s first major competition, the Ranking Series in Rome.
• She lost to Nigeria’s Odunayo Adekuoroye for the score 10-0.
• Rome Ranking Series 2020 was announced by the United World Wrestling.
• The event is being held from 15-18 January 2020.

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

CSIR partners with DRDO to produce the Saras engine

• The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has partnered with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to produce the Saras engine.

Collaboration:

♦ CSIR will take up the project jointly designing and developing an aero-engine which is a highly complex task.

♦ All major systems of the Saras engine, except the power plants, are indigenous.

♦ The prototype version of the Saras is being developed by the CSIR’s National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL).

♦ The engine is powered by two Canadian Pratt and Whitney PT6A turboprop engines.

♦ These are mounted on the rear of the fuselage instead of the wings and face rearwards.

♦ A 14-passenger Saras plane which is currently undergoing flight trials will also have the capability to taxi in reverse. This special feature is not very common in aircraft.

♦ Taxiing in reverse requires the jet blast from the engines to be directed forwards.

♦ Before approving the design, the NAL will conduct 20 test flights of the Saras.

♦ The engine will be produced by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Extra Shots:

DRDO: The Defence Research and Development Organisation is an agency of the Government of India, charged with the military’s research and development, headquartered in New Delhi, India.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Founded: 1958
• Motto: बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम्; “Strength’s Origin is in Science” (Sanskrit)
• Minister responsible: Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
• Agency executive: Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, DRDO;
• Subsidiary: Gas Turbine Research Establishment

Rajnath Singh flagged off 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun from Larsen and Turbo Armoured System Complex in Gujarat

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Armoured System Complex at Hazira, Gujarat on 16 January 2020.
• The participation of the private sector in defence manufacturing is toward fulfilling the government’s commitment to make India an arms manufacturing hub and net defence exporter.

51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun:

♦ 51st K9 VAJRA-T gun weighs 50 tonnes

♦ It can fire 47kg bombs at 43 kilometre distant targets

♦ It can also turn around at zero radius.

♦ In 2017, L&T won the Rs.4,500 crore contract from the Ministry of Defence to supply 100 units of K9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre tracked self-propelled gun systems to the Indian Army.

♦ The K9 Vajra contract involves the delivery of 100 such systems in 42 months. This is the largest contract awarded to a private company by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Indian Army conducted the Exercise Winged Raider

• The Indian Army conducted the airborne Exercise Winged Raider in the North-Eastern theatre on 10 January 2020.
• It is the Army’s biggest airborne exercise.
• It comprises of more than 500 special forces troops.
• It was conducted from 6-10 January.
• The exercise included Special Forces personnel parachuting from C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF), besides Dhruv helicopters during the day and night.
• Exercise Winged Raider demonstrated the operational readiness of the Air Warriors and Paratroopers to undertake airborne missions
• The exercise was telecasted live to all field formation headquarters in the theatre.
• The exercises focused on the frontier with China.
• Capacity building exercises including building roads to forward areas, habitats, storage for ammunition and moving some of the advanced weapons systems to the eastern side were held during the exercise.
• The exercise by the army rebalanced its deployments and resources on the western and northern fronts.

Extra Shots:

Indian Army: The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and it is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff, who is a four-star general.

• Motto: “Service Before Self”
• Founded: 1 April 1895, India
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Size: 1,237,117 active personnel; 960,000 reserve personnel; 209 manned aircraft
• Role: Ground warfare

AWARDS

Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi to be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman

• Eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman.
• He has been selected for this prestigious literary award for his short stories collection- Chequebook.
• This short stories collection talks about the agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the society.
• Saraswati Samman carries a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.
• Mr Mohi has authored 25 books of poetry, stories and translations.
• He has also received Sahitya Akademi Award.

Indian scientist Sakya Singha Sen awarded “Merck Young Scientist Award 2019

• A senior scientist Sakya Singha Sen from National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) Pune, has been awarded “Merck Young Scientist Award 2019” for doing remarkable research in chemical science.
• Sen and his research team specializes in main group chemistry and involves in the synthesis of compounds with main group element and their catalytic application.
• All the catalysts currently used mostly belong to precious metals platinum, palladium, iridium etc.
• These are very expensive and their abundance in the earth is very less.
• This award is instituted by Merck, a science and technology company operating worldwide.
• Merck Young Scientist Award is given to researchers with less than ten years of experience with expertise in solving some of the toughest problems in chemical sciences.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO launched GSAT-30 on 17 January from French Guiana

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s communication satellite GSAT-30 onboard the Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) on 17 January 2020 from Kourou launch base, French Guiana.

GSAT-30:

♦ GSAT-30 weighs around 3,357kg

♦ The communication satellite aims to serve as a replacement to INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage

♦ The satellite is expected to provide coverage in Ku-band that covers Indian mainland and islands

♦ It has extended coverage in C-band that covers Gulf countries, a large number of Asian countries and Australia.

♦ The life span of the GSAT is 15 years

Extra Shots:

ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India and has its headquarters in the city of Bengaluru. Its vision is to “harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research & planetary exploration”.

• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan
• Subsidiary: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

A new species of bone-eating worm has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

• Scientists discovered a new species of bone-eating worm during a study to investigate the deep ocean’s ecosystem.
• The bone-eating worm is yet to be named. It is the first of its kind found in the Gulf of Mexico.

Discovery:

♦ For the study, the scientists dropped alligator carcasses into the Gulf of Mexico. The species crawled on the corpse of an alligator on the ocean floor and completely consumed its soft tissue within 51 days.

♦ The bone-eating worm belongs to the Osedax family, a genus of deep-sea bone worms.

♦ The new species is native to the Gulf of Mexico.

♦ It has also been discovered that the clade to which the new species belongs is widely distributed from California to Japan to Antarctica

♦ Currently, there is no obvious biogeographic pattern to its discovery in the Gulf of Mexico.

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