UTTARAKHAND

 

• Now, an app for rainwater harvest queries

 

• People interested in installing rainwater harvesting plants in their homes would soon be able to do so with a smart phone app. The Uttar Pradesh groundwater department will soon launch an Android-based mobile application which will enable people to easily install rainwater harvesting plants.
• The app will also help people to find out if the area in which they are living is witnessing a depletion of groundwater table.

 

• The application will not only provide assistance in setting up a rainwater harvesting plants but will also provide information about groundwater and related queries.

 

• With the application, a user will be able to find out which water harvesting technique would be best for setting up a plant at their rooftop and calculate how much water can be harvested.

 

• The application will also provide region-wise data about groundwater levels.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

• Nobel prize in physics awarded for discovery of gravitational waves

 

• Three American physicists have won the Nobel prize in physics for the first observations of gravitational waves.

 

• Rainer Weiss has been awarded one half of the 9m Swedish kronor (£825,000) prize, announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.

 

• Kip Thorne and Barry Barish will share the other half of the prize.

 

• All three scientists have played leading roles in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or Ligo, experiment, which in 2015 made the first historic observation of gravitational waves.

 

 

 

NATIONAL 

 

·       First US Crude Oil Shipment Arrives in Paradip

 

• The first United States crude oil cargo of 1(point)6 million barrels bought by Indian Oil Corporation from the US reached Paradip Port, Odisha.
• Indian Oilbecame the first Indian public sector refiner to source US crude has placed a cumulative order 3.9 million barrel from the US.
• They will process the crude at its East-Coast base refineries, located at Paradip, Haldia, Barauni and Bongaigaon.

·       National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launches new website and PMIS Mobile App

 

• The Chairman of National Highways Authority of India Shri Deepak Kumar launched a world-class, new multilingual website of the organization.
• He also launched a Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS) Moblie App that will facilitate close, in-house monitoring of NHAI projects on a mobile phone.
• The system is now digitally monitoring them through a state-of-the-art Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS) which has been developed in-house along with The Boston Consulting Group.

·       Karnataka launches ‘Mathru Purna’ scheme for pregnant women

 

• Karnataka Chief Minister Mr.Siddaramaiah launched ‘Mathru Poorna’ scheme,for the nutritional wellness of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas, at Vidhan Soudha, in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The ‘Mathru Purna’ scheme, aims at providing pregnant and lactating poor women in rural areas with one nutritious meal daily, for 25 days in a month.
• A full meal of rice, dal with vegetables or sambar, one boiled egg, and 200ml of milk, will be given to pregnant women, through anganwadis.
• It benefits around 12 lakh women.The food will be provided for 15 months, from the start of pregnancy to six months after delivery.

 

·       Indian Railways announced No service charge on train e-tickets till March 2018

 

• The Union Government waived service charges in November last year after demonetization to encourage digital modes of booking.
• The facility had been extended from June 30 and then to September 30.
• The Railway Board directedIndian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) that the benefits be extended till March next year.
• The Service charges on booking train tickets online through IRCTC ranges from Rs 20 to 40 per ticket.

 

·       Union Government launches SECURE Himalaya Project

• The Union Government launched SECURE Himalaya, a six-year project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity and land.
• The Himalayan ecosystem spread over four states namely Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
• The system was launched by Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

• Ministry of Health adjudged best for ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’, receives award

 

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been adjudged as the best department for its contribution during Swachhta Pakhwada, an inter-Ministry initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

 

• The Health Ministry observed the Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st February, 2017 to 15th February, 2017.

 

• The award was presented to the Ministry on 2nd October, 2017, the third anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission. Shri C K Mishra, Secretary (HFW) received the award on behalf of the Ministry.