International Day of Disabled Persons is observed annually by the United Nations General Assembly from 1992.
It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities and to increase awareness of their situation in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
The theme for 2018 is ‘Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’.
This year’s theme focuses on empowering persons with disabilities for an inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Persons with disabilities, as both beneficiaries and agents of change, can fast track the process towards inclusive and sustainable development and promote resilient society for all, including in the context of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action, and urban development.
Train 18
Train 18 is India's first indigenously built engine-less train that has breached the 180 kmph speed threshold during a test run in the Kota-Sawai Madhopur section, becoming the country's fastest train.
The approximate cost of the train is Rs.100 crore and it is expected to go up to a maximum speed of 200kmph.
Some of the top features and facilities in this train are –
Aerodynamically designed driver cabins at both ends for quicker turn-around at destinations
Alternate coaches are motorised to ensure even distribution of power and faster acceleration or deceleration
Regenerative braking system to save power
GPS-based passenger information system
Modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems
Disabled-friendly toilets
Emergency talk-back units to contact train crew
CCTVs in all coaches for safe and secure travel
The Draft River Basin Management Bill, 2018
The Draft River Basin Management Bill by the Ministry of Water Resources, proposes optimum development of inter-State rivers by facilitating inter-State coordination ensuring scientific planning of land and water resources.
It aims to ensure comprehensive and balanced development of both catchment and command areas by taking basin/sub-basin as unit with unified perspectives of water in all its forms (including soil moisture, ground and surface water).
The draft Bill has proposed to establish 13 River Basin Authorities for various river basins of the country which would result in optimum integrated development and management of inter-State River waters.
Digital Sky Platform
The DGCA announced the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) to enable safe flying of Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) popularly referred to as drones in India.
It specified the obligations of operators, remote pilots/ users and manufacturers/ OEM for safe operations of RPAS and co-operative use of airspace.
It also announced Digital Sky Platform, a first of its kind that implements 'no permission, no take-off’ (NPNT) – a novel system of software based self-enforcement to minimize deviations from the CAR.
The Digital Sky Platform will register and monitor the drones, pilots, and operators for online permission before the take-off.
This platform is built to evolve with the needs of the rapidly changing industry with Digital Sky Service Providers (DSPs) by extending the functionality of the platform through Application Program Interfaces (APIs).
Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for Nagaland
The Union Home Minister launched Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for the State of Nagaland at Kohima.
Nagaland is the first amongst the North-Eastern States and the second State in India to launch Pan-India single emergency number ‘112’ under ERSS.
Under this project, one Emergency Response Centre (ERC) has been established in Kohima along with 3 District Command Centers (DCCs), namely Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung.
The Emergency Response Centre is capable of receiving emergency calls through voice call to 112, email, panic buttons activated calls and 112 India mobile App.
State of Nagaland has integrated ERSS with Tourist Police and Highway patrol and will expand to interior districts subsequently.
As a special feature, to ensure safety of women, a unique ‘SHOUT’ feature exclusively for women has been introduced in 112 India mobile App.
This feature allows victims to seek immediate assistance from registered volunteers in the vicinity apart from contacting Emergency Response Centre.
