The Odisha government is all set to commission the ambitious Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) that would enable loud sirens go off simultaneously in the event of the occurrence of natural disasters from towers at 122 locations by July 2017.
Odisha is the first State in India to have developed an automatic public address system that can be activated along its entire coast.
The new system will also enable authorities to alert people in smaller pockets, depending on the severity of the disaster.
The EWDS comprises of technologies like Satellite-Based Mobile Data Voice Terminals (SBMDVT), Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), Mass Messaging System (MMS) and Universal Communication Interface (UCI) for inter-operability among different communication technologies.
The project, which is being implemented with assistance from the World Bank, will have towers in 22 blocks under six coastal districts at an estimated cost of Rs 82 crore.
Second Scorpene-class submarine
INS Khanderi, the second of the six Scorpene class submarines, has sailed out from Mumbai harbour for its maiden sea sortie, in a step closer to its induction into the Indian Navy.
The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari has already undergone various trials and is expected to be inducted into the Indian Navy later this year.
Six Scorpene-class submarines are being built under 'Project 75' of the Indian Navy.
The Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian navy.
Under this project, the Indian Navy intends to acquire 6 diesel-electric submarines, which will also feature advanced Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems to enable them to stay submerged for longer duration and substantially increase their operational range.
Global Peace Index 2017
The Institute for Economics and Peace (Australia) published its Global Peace Index for the 11th year running.
Their report found that the world became 0.28% more peaceful over the past year.
Iceland is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria, and Denmark, all of which were ranked highly in the 2016 Global Peace Index.
India has been ranked 137th in the Global Peace Index 2017.
The GPI investigates the extent to which countries are involved in ongoing domestic and international conflicts. It also seeks to evaluate the level of harmony or discord within a nation; ten indicators broadly assess what might be described as a safety and security in society.
SMARTGRAM initiative
The SMARTGRAM initiative of Rashtrapati Bhavan was inaugurated for five villages of Haryana i.e. Tajnagar, Dhaula, Alipur, Harchandpur and Rojka Meo by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on July 2, 2016.
On May 1, 2017, it was approved that the initiative be extended to 100 villages in the vicinity of the initially selected five village of Haryana.
A large number of projects have been undertaken in the initially selected five villages of Haryana under the initiative in the fields of agriculture, skill development, energy, education, etc.,
