Current Affairs 2015

PM Narendra Modi launches PRAGATI platform for redressal of grievances

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 launched Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform. PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed at addressing grievances of common man. It also aims at simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important Union government programmes and projects as well as projects flagged by State Governments. It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance and accountability with real-time presence and information exchange among the key stakeholders.

Key features of PRAGATI 

• Designed in-house by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) team with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC). 
• Uniquely bundles three latest technologies including Digital data management, geo-spatial technology and video-conferencing. 
• Three-tier system that brings PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States at one stage. 
• Thus, offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism. 
• Prime Minister can directly discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation. 
• The system will work on strengthen and re-engineer the data bases of Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) along with Project Monitoring Group (PMG) and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Union Government approves 10 FDI proposals worth Rs.2857.83 crore

Union Government has approved 10 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals worth 2857.83 crore rupees. These FDI proposals were approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
Some of proposals approved are 

• Air Works India (Engineering) Private Limited’s proposal to increase foreign equity investment at Rs 40 crore. Ostro Energy’s proposal to invest Rs. 1,400 crore over next four-five years in wind energy assets in India via downstream investment. 
• IPCA Laboratories’ proposal for FII investment up to 35 per cent i.e. Rs 900 crore. Reckitt Benckiser (India) proposal to acquire 24.88 per cent stake in Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare India from its foreign investor. 
• This deal will result in a foreign fund outflow of Rs 750 crore. 
• Syngene International’s proposal to inject 380 crore rupees through 10 per cent foreign equity participation into the company. 
• Ambuja Cements proposal for acquisition of 24 per cent shares in its holding company Holcim (India) for a share swap worth Rs 3,500 crore has been referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

India’s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle operationalised in North Antarctica

India’s first Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe) was successfully operationalised for research in North Antarctica by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). PROVe was operationalised, after it had undergone series of trials in Antarctica in the past two months since its deployment by the NIOT researchers. It has been deployed in Priyadarshini Lake located on the Schirmacher Oasis which is a major source of water for Maitri, India’s second base in the Antarctica.
Key facts of PROVe 

• Indigenously built by NIOT under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. 
• Capable of probing the sea bed under normal temperature and capable of exploring up to 200 meters in inhospitable and tough regions like the ice clad Antarctica. 
• Operated remotely by scientists on board the ship and has inbuilt thrusters allowing it for 360-degree movement. Will help researchers to study and find out details about dissolved oxygen in sea bottom, salinity and the quantity of sunlight hitting the bottom of the sea. 
• The results and outcomes will help researchers in understanding the biological activities taking place inside the sea.

Bangladesh wins Women in Parliaments Award

Bangladesh has won the prestigious Women in Parliaments (WIP) Award for regional leadership in the South and Southeast Asia category for closing the gender gap in politics.   

The award was presented by WIP Global Forum at annual summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On behalf of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Minister of State (MoS) for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam received the award. 

Bangladesh is only country in the world where the Prime Minister, Parliament speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the house, and a major opposition leader are all women. 

In the World Economic Forum report it has been placed among the top 10 countries in the world in reducing gender gap

Union Government launches Twitter Samvad for direct communication between Government and citizens

Union Government has launched a new digital platform ‘Twitter Samvad’ in association with social networking giant Twitter. The digital platform was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 24 March 2015 during his meeting with Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo.

About Twitter Samvad 

• The service aims to boost the nation’s e-governance plans and facilitate direct communication between leaders, government agencies and citizens. 
• Twitter Samvad is based on a digital platform provided by an Indian company ZipDial which was recently acquired by Twitter. 
• Through this platform a set of curated Tweets from the Twitter handled accounts of the government and the leaders will be delivered to mobile-phone users every day across the country as text messages. 
• The service will also play important role during emergencies by helping government agencies to share live updates, even time-sensitive information on law and order or rescue.

As of now, 16 government offices are participating in Twitter Samvad. It includes Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Railways, Bengaluru Police and the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat.

Three Immediate Support Vessels Commissioned in Indian Navy

Three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) were commissioned on 24 March 2015 in Indian Navy at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) base in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. These three ISVs are second batch of the vessels and have joined the 84th ISV Squadron of the Indian Navy located at ENC. With commissioning of these vessels, ENC now has full complement of six ISVs. These ISVs were built under the joint collaboration project between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Navy and the ship builders. They were designed and built by Abu Dhabi Ship Builders (ADSB) and Spain’s Rodman 78

Features of Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) 

• ISV is a lightly armed surface craft. It is capable of operating at high seas as well as in coastal waters. 
• These vessels are armed with Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs). 
• They are also fitted with state-of-the-art radar and navigation equipment. 
• These vessels are capable of carrying out day and night surveillance. 
• They also can be used for rapid insertions and extraction of MARCOS (Marine Commandos) for military intervention.

Artist Bharti Kher awarded with France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters

Indian contemporary artist Bharti Kher was awarded with France’s highest cultural award Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). She was bestowed the prestigious honour for her contribution to contemporary art landscape by French ambassador to India Francois Richier in New Delhi. Bharti Kher’s artworks span several mediums like painting, sculpture and installation. She is renowned for her remarkable experimentation with bindis which is recognised as her signature style. Her 14-feet- high sculptural ‘An Absence Of Assignable Cause’ is among the finest works from the experiment which interprets heart of the blue sperm whale. During her career she had done numerous solo exhibitions of her artworks around the world.

About Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters 

• It is French governments highest cultural award and in French also known as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. 
• The award is bestowed on persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of arts in France and throughout the world.