Startup Academia Alliance Programme
- Startup India under Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently launched the Startup Academia Alliance programme.
- It is a unique mentorship opportunity between academic scholars and startups working in similar domains.
- It aims to reduce the gap between scientific research and its industrial applications in order to increase the efficacy and impact of these technologies.
- The first phase of the programme was launched in partnership with Regional Centre for Biotechnology and TERI.
Exercise Maitree
- It is a joint military exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army.
- It will emphasize in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario under UN mandate.
- It is going to be held in Thailand this year.
Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme
- The scheme is initiated by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- It is launched with an intent to enhance India’s competitiveness in knowledge intensive sectors.
- Its objective is to enhance the number of PhDs in Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES) sectors in the country.
- The salient features of the scheme are
- It provides 25% more fellowship amount than most of the other PhD Schemes.
- Part-time PhD candidates get one time incentive on completion of the PhD.
- Scheme also supports 200 Young Faculty Research Fellowships in the areas of ESDM and IT/ITES with the objective to retain and attract bright young faculty members in these sectors.
National Commission for Backward Classes
- The 123rd constitutional amendment bill to provide consitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes secured parliament's approval.
- The Present NCBC is a statutory body, created in 1993.
- It's power is limited only to recommend to the government inclusion or exclusion of a community in the central list of OBCs.
- Also, the power to hear complaints of the OBCs and protect their interests remained with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
- After this amendment, NCBC will be able to enforce the safeguards provided to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) and solve their grievances.
- The bill gives the proposed Commission the power to inquire into complaints of deprivation of rights and safeguards.
- It gives it the powers of a civil court trying a suit and allows it to summon anyone, require documents to be produced, and receive evidence on affidavit.
- It will be required to present annual reports to the President on working of the safeguards for backward classes.
- These reports will be tabled in Parliament, and in the state legislative assemblies of the concerned states.
Hypersonic Aircraft
- China has successfully tested its first wave rider hypersonic aircraft "Xingkong-2 or Stary Sky-2" that can carry nuclear warheads.
- It has the capability to penetrate any current generation anti-missile defence systems.
- Its range is 30 kms in altitude and it travels at Mach 5-5.6.
Biggest land survey exercise
- The State government of Maharashtra, along with the Survey of India, had initiated a project, which will survey about 1.20 lakh hectares using drones.
- If the current method "Electronic Total Stations (ETS) " are used, it will take 30 years to survey such a big area.
- ETS is a field instrument for surveying of land, which establishes maps and boundaries for landowners.
- Survey of India will procure the drones, survey the lands, process the images and then hand over the data to the Settlement Commissioner office of Maharashtra.
Source: PIB, The Hindu, BusinessLine
