Current Affairs 2015

President confers Bharat Ratna on Atal Bihari Vajpayee

President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 March 2015 conferred country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister (PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee. President Pranab Mukherjee by departing from protocol presented the Atal Bihari Vajpayee the prestigious award at his home in New Delhi. In December 2014, Union Government had chosen Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with late educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya (posthumously) for the prestigious award.

About Atal Bihari Vajpayee

• Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on 25 December 1924. 
• He is three time Prime Minister of India. For first time he had served as PM for just 13 days in 1996 and second time for 13 months in 1998-1999. 
• In his third term as PM he completed his full five-year term and became first PM from outside the Congress party to serve a full term. Vajpayee was amongst the founder members of erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh which later became known as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 
• He was parliamentarian for over 4 decades and was elected to the Lok Sabha for 9 times, and 2 times to the Rajya Sabha.

Delhi Government launches India’s first E-ration card service

Delhi government has launched First E-ration card service in India. It was launched Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 27 March 2015. In this service, E-ration card will be linked with Aadhaar cards in order to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system. Delhi government has brought the entire ration process online after they had received many complaints of corruption in the process of distribution of ration cards in Delhi.
Key facts

• Anyone having an Aadhaar card can apply online for this service. 
• Even those who are waiting for an Aadhaar card can also apply for a ration card with the Aadhaar card number on the online slip. 
• The print of ration card taken by applicant will be also valid like e-ticket. Those who do not have access to the Internet can apply at the office of their respective MLAs.

Saudi Arabia along with GCC launches military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen

Saudi Arabia along with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and several other countries have started military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The operations were stated after Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had requested to counter radical Houthi movement in the country and to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen. 
The military operation included series of airstrikes which targeted Presidential Palace in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. The countries included in the operation led by Saudi Arabia are Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan along with GCC member countries. GCC members involved are United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. United States also has announced authorised logistical and intelligence support to Saudi Arabia led military operations, but has clearly mentioned that its forces will not participate in operations directly. Indian Government also has issued advisory asking Indian nationals in Yemen to leave the country in view of the continuing fragile situation there.

Background

• The security situation in Yemen deteriorated after the Shia Houthis rebels had seized power by dissolving Yemen’s government and parliament in January 2015. 
• Since then rebels had taken control of key government buildings in capital Sanaa including Presidential Palace. They also had taken control and seized city of Taiz, third largest city of Yemen.

Saudi Arabia along with GCC launches military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen

Saudi Arabia along with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and several other countries have started military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The operations were stated after Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had requested to counter radical Houthi movement in the country and to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen. The military operation included series of airstrikes which targeted Presidential Palace in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. The countries included in the operation led by Saudi Arabia are Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan along with GCC member countries. GCC members involved are United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. United States also has announced authorised logistical and intelligence support to Saudi Arabia led military operations, but has clearly mentioned that its forces will not participate in operations directly. Indian Government also has issued advisory asking Indian nationals in Yemen to leave the country in view of the continuing fragile situation there.

Science and Technology NASA’s Curiosity rover discovers useful Nitrogen on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover for first time has found evidence of nitrogen in the form of nitrate in aeolian deposits and in two mudstone deposits on Mars. It was detected by using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite mounted on Curiosity rover by the team of Scientists. Scientists believe that the detected nitrogen in the form of nitric oxide could be released from the breakdown of nitrates during heating of sediments from Mars. These nitrates are a class of molecules that contain nitrogen in a form used by living organisms. 
Thus this discovery adds evidence to the hypothesis that ancient Mars was habitable for life. However, there is no evidence suggesting that the discovered nitrogen molecules found by the rover was created by life on the red planet. Scientists also believe that the discovered molecules are ancient and might have been deposited from non-biological processes like meteorite impacts and lightning on Mars’ in past. It should be noted that Nitrogen is essential part for all known forms of life as it used in the building basic blocks of larger molecules like DNA and RNA that encode the genetic instructions for life. It is also essential in proteins that is used to build structures like hair and nails in living organisms.