New interactive infographic unveiled
- Pakistan had about 120 atomic weapons, 10 more than India, in its nuclear arsenal last year, according to a new interactive infographic unveiled by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Designed by the Bulletin, founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project, the infographic tracks the number and history of nuclear weapons in the nine nuclear weapon states.
The Nuclear Notebook Interactive Infographic provides a visual representation of the Bulletin's famed Nuclear Notebook, which since 1987 has tracked the number and type of the world's nuclear arsenals.
Having reached a peak of over 65,000 in the late 1980s, the number of nuclear warheads has dropped significantly to a little over 10,000, but more countries now possess them, it shows.
According to the infographic, the United States and Russia both have about 5,000 weapons each.
France has 300, China 250, the United Kingdom 225 and Israel 80. North Korea has only conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
"I don't think people truly understand just how many of these weapons there are in the world," said Rachel Bronson, executive director of the Bulletin.
"The Interactive is a way to see, immediately, who has nuclear weapons and when they got them, and how those numbers relate to each other. It is a startling experience, looking at those comparisons."
The authors of the Nuclear Notebook are Hans M. Kristensen and Robert S. Norris, both with the Federation of American Scientists.
In the most recent edition of the Nuclear Notebook, the authors discuss the Notebook's 28 year history and describe how sometimes host countries learned of foreign nuclear weapons on their soil from the Nuclear Notebook.
Over 28 years of weapons analysis, the Nuclear Notebook column has revealed surprise nuclear activity and spot-on arsenal estimates while becoming a daily resource for scholars, activists and journalists.
"We wanted a way to communicate those numbers visually, because the world we live may be data-driven, it's also visual," said John Mecklin, editor of the Bulletin.
"The new infographic makes this vital information even more accessible."
First indigenous rotavirus vaccine launched
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first indigenously developed and manufactured rotavirus vaccine on 9 March 2015 in New Delhi. Every year, diarrhoea caused by rotavirus results in up to 10 lakh hospitalisations and kills nearly 80,000 children under the age of 5.
The three-dose ROTAVAC vaccine, developed through a collaboration between India and the United States, is expected to help bring about a significant reduction in the 100,000 infant deaths caused by the rotavirus diarrhoea in India.
Mr. Modi hoped the vaccine would inspire higher levels of research, development and manufacturing in India, in not just medical science but also in other advanced areas of science and technology. He highlighted the vaccine as a successful example of collaboration between India and the U.S. in the area of medical research for the benefit of ordinary citizens.
“We have realised a dream by bringing out the first Made in India Molecule. We have also maintained our pledge to offer ROTAVAC for $1 to governments in low-income countries,” said Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, which contributed towards product development and testing. A vaccine innovated in India, developed in India and to be made in India, would be a big boost to the “Make in India” initiative, said Dr. Ella.
The vaccine has been developed under an innovative public-private partnership model. It involved a partnership between the Ministry of Science and Technology, institutions of the U.S. government, various government institutions and NGOs in India, and has been supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a government statement said.
Harry Greenberg, Associate Dean at Stanford University, termed the project a “beautiful example of the great power of team science.”
North-East’s first Kisan Call Centre opens
- Agartala : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has launched Northeast India’s first Kisan Call Centre in Agartala. The Kisan Call Centre will give immediate solution and real time advisory to farmers if they need expert consultation regarding seed procurement, agro-metric, fertilizer, soil health, pesticides usage and marketing of the produces. Apart from that the farmers’ portal will be issuing advisory for farm production under direct supervision of the experts. The Tripura government financed call centre will be run by a private enterprise with experts of agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and animal husbandry from 6 am to 10 pm daily. Farmers from neighbouring states will also be able to take advantage of the Kisan Call Centre.
India poised to be world’s 3rd largest economy
- As India’s investment climate seems to be improving, the moment might not be far away for the country to emerge as the world’s third economy, says Jim O’Neill who is better known for coining the acronym BRIC.
“It is probably too early to say with certainty that India will soon take its place as the world’s third largest economy, behind China and the United States. But, given that India’s investment climate seems to be improving, that moment might not be too far away,” he said in a recent commentary posted on Project Syndicate website.
“By 2017, India could surpass Italy and Brazil to become the world’s seventh largest economy; by 2020, there is a reasonable chance that it will overtake France and the United Kingdom to become the fifth largest,” O’Neill, who was recently in India, said.
Way back in 2001, O’Neill, had coined the acronym BRIC — the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China — while mentioning about growth prospects in large emerging markets.
O’Neill, a former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, is now a Honorary Professor of Economics at Manchester University and Chairman of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, among other roles.
He said that a key feature of his research into the BRIC economies over ten years ago was that at some point during this decade, India would start to grow faster than China and continue to do so for dozens of years.
“The reasoning is straightforward. India’s demographics are considerably better than China’s, and the size and growth rate of a country’s workforce is one of the two key factors that drive long-term economic performance the other being productivity.
“Between now and 2030, the growth rate of India’s workforce will add as much to the existing stock of labour as continental Europe’s four largest economies put together,” he said.
According to him, India is less urbanised than China, and it is in the early stages of benefiting from the virtuous forces that normally accompany that process.
However, he cautioned that when it comes to productivity, India has been a laggard.
“Unless it finds a way to improve, the country’s demographic profile could become a burden rather than a benefit,” he added.
Centre-state fund-sharing in 24 schemes to undergo change
- NEW DELHI: The pattern of funds sharing between the Centre and states under 24 centrally-sponsored schemes would be amended to keep their outlays unchanged, government said on Tuesday.
"Government has decided that subsequent to the acceptance of 14th Finance Commission's recommendations in respect of certain schemes, Centre-State funds sharing pattern will have to undergo a change to keep the scheme outlay unchanged," minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha said in Rajya Sabha.
Responding to a supplementary during Question Hour, he said 31 ongoing schemes would continue to get full support from the Centre while eight others would be delniked.
However, the fund-sharing pattern in 24 other central schemes would undergo changes, resulting in the Centre's contribution coming down from the existing 75 per cent in these schemes.
As per the finance commission's recommendations, the states' share would now on be 42 per cent of the entire kitty as compared to 32 per cent previously.
With higher devolution of funds, the enriched states would also have the power to adopt flexibility in relation to the schemes, Sinha said.
Government had earlier said the states were free to continue or change these schemes and programmes as per their discretion and requirement.
Replying to a question, the Minister said the government has also accepted the Commission's recommendation for grants to the tune of Rs 2 lakh crore to panchayats and Rs 87,143 crore to municipalities during the 2015-2020 period.
50-50 chance of El Nino this year
- NEW DELHI: Early indications do not look too good for the monsoon this year, with the US and Australian meteorological agencies predicting 50-50 chances this summer of an El Nino, the unusual weather pattern that often weakens rains in India.
The US agency announced in its monthly update that an El Nino had formed over the Pacific Ocean in February and that there was a 50 to 60% chance it would continue through the summer — when the southwest monsoon hits India.
The Australian meteorological bureau put the chances of El Nino this year at 50%. Both agencies said El Nino conditions had developed over the last month.
On the brighter side, El Nino predictions made in March often suffer from low credibility because of what experts call the 'spring barrier'. Experts also said an El Nino this year, if it sustains into summer, would be a weak event.
"The US agency uses a weather model that's fairly popular. However, many other models do not see an El Nino during the summer although they say the Pacific is likely to remain warm," said D Sivananda Pai of India Meteorological Department, who is the agency's lead monsoon forecaster.
Pai said the picture would be clearer in the next two months. "Whether an El Nino forms or not, what's important for the monsoon is how other weather patterns react to the warming of the Pacific," he told TOI.
El Nino is a periodic warming of ocean waters in the east and central equatorial Pacific which leads to changes in wind patterns and impacts weather in large parts of the globe. An El Nino is generally associated with weak summer monsoons in India.
The March update of the Climate Prediction Center, part of the US national weather agency, said, "Compared to last month, several more models indicate that El Nino would continue throughout 2015."
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology, meanwhile, sent out an El Nino 'watch' alert, which is two notches below a full blown El Nino event. "This is due to a combination of warmer-than-average temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and models showing that further warming is likely in coming months. El Nino watch indicates about a 50% chance of El Nino forming in 2015," the update stated.
An evolving El Nino disrupted the first half of the monsoon last year before suddenly subsiding, which led to rains in India picking up in August. The season ended with an 11% rain deficit, affecting the kharif output in the country.
Normal monsoons are crucial to agriculture in the country. This year's rains are seen to be all the more important in the context of the economy slowly picking up.
Curiosity to resume use of robotic arm
- NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity is expected to resume movements of its robotic arm this week while analysis of what appears to be an intermittent short circuit in the drill continues.
A fluctuation in current on February 27 triggered a fault-protection response that immediately halted action by the rover during the mission’s 911th Martian day, or sol.
Since then, the rover team has avoided driving Curiosity or moving the rover’s arm, while engineers have focused on diagnostic tests, NASA said.
Science observations with instruments on the rover’s mast have continued, along with environmental monitoring by its weather station.
“Diagnostic testing has been productive in narrowing the possible sources of the transient short circuit,” said Curiosity Project Manager Jim Erickson of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
“The most likely cause is an intermittent short in the percussion mechanism of the drill. After further analysis to confirm that diagnosis, we will be analysing how to adjust for that in future drilling,” said Erickson.
The sample-collection drill on Curiosity’s robotic arm uses both rotation and hammering, or percussion, to penetrate into Martian rocks and collect pulverised rock material for delivery to analytical instruments inside the rover.
The short on Sol 911 occurred while the rover was transferring rock-powder sample from the grooves of the drill into a mechanism that sieves and portions the powder.
The percussion action was in use, to shake the powder loose from the drill.
Engineers received results on March 5 from a test on Curiosity that similarly used the drill’s percussion action.
During the third out of 180 up-and-down repeats of the action, an apparent short circuit occurred for less than one one-hundredth of a second, researchers said.
Though small and fleeting, it would have been enough to trigger the fault protection that was active on Sol 911 under the parameters that were in place then.
The rover team plans further testing to characterise the intermittent short before the arm is moved from its present position, in case the short does not appear when the orientation is different.
After those tests, the team expects to finish processing the sample powder that the arm currently holds and then to deliver portions of the sample to onboard laboratory instruments. Next, Curiosity will resume climbing Mount Sharp.
Mega Food Parks in India
- A total 42 Mega Food Parks (MFPs) have been sanctioned by the Government for setting-up in the country. Out of these, 21 Mega Food Parks have been accorded final approval and are at various stages of implementation, while 4 Mega Food Parks are progressing towards meeting the conditions for final approval.
The Scheme of Mega Food Parks is aimed at providing modern infrastructure facilities along the value chain from farm gate to the market with strong backward and forward linkages. It is expected to facilitate the efforts to increase the level of processing of agricultural and horticultural produce, with particular focus on perishables, in the country and thereby to check the wastage. The Scheme has a cluster based approach based on a hub and spokes model. It includes creation of infrastructure for primary processing and storage near the farm in the form of Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) and Collection Centres (CCs) and common facilities and enabling infrastructure at Central Processing Centre (CPC). The PPCs are meant for functioning as a link between the producers and processors for supply of raw material to the Central Processing Centres. CPC has need based core processing facilities and basic enabling infrastructure to be used by the food processing units setup at the CPC. The minimum area required for a CPC is 50 acres. The scheme is demand-driven and would facilitate food processing units to meet environmental, safety and social standards.
Mega Food Park project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate registered under the Companies Act. State Government/State Government entities/Cooperatives applying for setting up a project under the scheme are not required (w.e.f 10.02.2014) to form a separate SPV. Implementation period of a Mega Food Park project is 30 months. The financial assistance for Mega Food Park is provided in the form of grant-in-aid @ 50% of eligible project cost in general areas and @ 75% of eligible project cost in NE Region and difficult areas (Hilly States and ITDP areas) subject to maximum of Rs. 50 crore per project. It is expected that on an average, each project will have around 30-35 food processing units with a collective investment of Rs 250 crores that would eventually lead to an annual turnover of about Rs 450-500 crores and creation of direct and indirect employment to the extent of about 30,000 persons.
It has been experienced during implementation of the Scheme of Mega Food Parks that the major challenges being faced by the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) in implementation of the Mega Food Park projects, include acquiring contiguous land of 50 acres or more in the name of SPV, obtaining term loan from the Banks, difficulties in obtaining various statutory clearances from the State Government Departments/Agencies, timely contribution of equity by the promoters, lack of cohesiveness amongst the promoters etc. Ministry has made various amendments in the scheme and its guidelines from time to time to address these challenges to improve the pace of implementation of MFPs.
Question for quiz
- 1. Consider the following sentences in context of “National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme” (NERPAP).1. This Programme launched by the Election Commission of India.2. It Objective is to bring a totally error free and authenticated electoral roll.3. During the programme, data of electors will be linked with Aadhar data of UIDAI for the purpose of authentication.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) 2 and 3(b) 1 and 2(c) 1 and 3(d) 1, 2 and 32.Consider the following sentences about ‘Act East’ Policy.1. This ‘Act East’ policy of the Government endeavours to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations in North-East Asia.2. The Government has announced setting-up of manufacturing hubs in CMLV countries, namely, Combodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) Only 1(b) Only 2(c) 1 and 2(d) None of the above3. Consider the following sentences in context of Visa on Arrival Facility (VOA).1. It was introduced on January 1, 2010.2. It was initially trialed for citizens of five countries. Now, the Citizens of 43 countries can avail this facility.3. It shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) 1 and 2(b) 1 and 3(c) 2 and 3(d) 1, 2 and 34. Consider the following sentences regarding Atal Pension Yojana.1. It is open to all bank account holders who are not members of any statutory social security scheme.2. The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.3. The existing subscribers of Swavalamban Scheme would be automatically migrated to APY, unless they opt out.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) 1 and 2(b) 2 and 3(c) 1 and 3(d) 1, 2 and 35. Consider the following sentences in context of International Women day which was celebrated on 8 March 2015.1. In 1914, International Women’s Day was held on March 8 in Germany to press the demand that women be given the right to vote and to hold public office.2. In 1977, the United Nations proclaimed March 8 as UN Day for women’s rights and world Peace.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) Only 1(b) Only 2(c) 1 and 2(d) None of the above1. Consider the following sentences in context of “National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme” (NERPAP).1. This Programme launched by the Election Commission of India.2. It Objective is to bring a totally error free and authenticated electoral roll.3. During the programme, data of electors will be linked with Aadhar data of UIDAI for the purpose of authentication.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) 2 and 3(b) 1 and 2(c) 1 and 3(d) 1, 2 and 32.Consider the following sentences about ‘Act East’ Policy.1. This ‘Act East’ policy of the Government endeavours to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations in North-East Asia.2. The Government has announced setting-up of manufacturing hubs in CMLV countries, namely, Combodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) Only 1(b) Only 2(c) 1 and 2(d) None of the above3. Consider the following sentences in context of Visa on Arrival Facility (VOA).1. It was introduced on January 1, 2010.2. It was initially trialed for citizens of five countries. Now, the Citizens of 43 countries can avail this facility.3. It shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) 1 and 2(b) 1 and 3(c) 2 and 3(d) 1, 2 and 34. Consider the following sentences regarding Atal Pension Yojana.1. It is open to all bank account holders who are not members of any statutory social security scheme.2. The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.3. The existing subscribers of Swavalamban Scheme would be automatically migrated to APY, unless they opt out.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) 1 and 2(b) 2 and 3(c) 1 and 3(d) 1, 2 and 35. Consider the following sentences in context of International Women day which was celebrated on 8 March 2015.1. In 1914, International Women’s Day was held on March 8 in Germany to press the demand that women be given the right to vote and to hold public office.2. In 1977, the United Nations proclaimed March 8 as UN Day for women’s rights and world Peace.Which of the above sentence(s) is/are true?(a) Only 1(b) Only 2(c) 1 and 2(d) None of the above
- 1. First women editor of english newspaper was
(a) Dina Vakil
(b) Mrs Chandra Mukhi Bose
(c) Ms Leila Seth
(d) Reita Faria2. First Indian to swim across the English channel was
(a) Mihir Sen
(b) Bulla Sah
(c) R.K. Sen
(d) None
3. The first women chief Minister of a state was
(a) Vijay Lakshmi Pandit
(b) Mrs. Sarojini Naidu
(c) Mrs. Sucheta Kripalni
(d) Mrs. Shano Devi
4. The first women speakar of Lok Sabha was
(a) Mrs. Shano Devi
(b) Vijay Lakshmi Pandit
(c) Annie Besant
(d) Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur
5. Petra is renowned for its rock cut architecture. It is included in the new seven wonders of the world, List petra is located in
(a) Peru
(b) Mexico
(c) Jordon
(d) BrazilAnswers:1. a2. a3. c4. a5. c
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