27-28 APRIL 2016

Bckground

• The annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.

• It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.

• The 28 April is also the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers organized worldwide by the trade union movement since 1996. Its purpose is to honour the memory of victims of occupational accidents and diseases by organizing global awareness campaigns on this date.

• In 2003, the ILO became involved in the April 28 campaign upon request from the trade union movement. Therefore, since 2003, the ILO observes the World Day on Safety and Health at Work on April 28 capitalizing on its traditional strengths of tripartism and social dialogue.

Union Cabinet approved Investment

enhancement by BPCL in Bharat Oman

Refineries Limited

28-APR-2016

The Union Cabinet on 27 April 2016 approved to enhance investment by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in Bharat Oman Refineries Limited (BORL).

Now, the investment amount can be enhanced upto a maximum of 3000 crore rupees by way of subscription of convertible warrants giving right to convert it into equity shares to be issued by BORL. 

The infusion of funds by the BPCLs will enable BORL to overcome the implications on account of the erosion of the net worth. 

Besides, it will enhance the availability of petroleum products in the Northern and Central parts of the country, will help in industrial development of Madhya Pradesh and substantial increase in employment and tax earnings in the State. 

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is a public sector undertaking under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. 

Background

BPCL holds a joint venture company with Oman Oil Company Limited (OOCL) named Bharat Oman Refineries Limited (BORL). The BORL commissioned the 6 MMTPA (120 Thousand Barrels Per Day) Refinery at Bina in Madhya Pradesh in June 2011 at a project cost of about 12754 crore rupees.

Currently, the refinery is operating at 100 percent of its installed capacity. The company now proposes to undertake a debottlenecking project at the refinery to further increase the refining capacity from 6 MMTPA to 7.8 MMTPA.

Hence, there is a need for immediate infusion of funds in BORL by the shareholders. Therefore, BPCL Board has decided to infuse funds to the tune of 3000 Crore rupees.

Jayasurya recalled as Sri Lanka's

cricket chief selector

28-APR-2016

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on 27 April 2016 announced appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as chief selector of the Sri Lankan Cricket team.

Jayasuriya is back as the chief selector for the team, after a year when he stepped down from the role. Earlier, he served as the chief selector from January 2013 to March 2015.

Jayasuriya-led committee will succeed the Aravinda de Silva led committee.

The new four member selection panel will take office on 1 May 2016 and will serve for two years and will comprise of former wicketkeeper-batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana, former fast bowler Eric Upashantha and former off spinner Ranjith Madurasinghe.

During Jayasuriya’s previous tenure, Sri Lanka won a World T20 and a Test series in England, both in 2014, before exiting the 2015 World Cup in the quarter-finals.

It was Jayasuriya's committee that formalised Angelo Mathews' ascension to the Test and ODI captaincy. However, the period was also beset by public disagreements between Jayasuriya and senior players, who have now retired.

China successfully launched Kunpeng-

1B Sounding Rocket

28-APR-2016

China on 27 April 2016 successfully launched the Kunpeng-1B sounding rocket from a launch pad in Danzhou City in the southern Chinese Hainan Province. The rocket reached a maximum height of 316 kilometres (196 miles), with the total flight time coming to 10 minutes.

The head of the rocket was equipped with a new altitude control system. New materials of flexible carbon fibre were also used in the rocket to enable easier flight.

This is the first time Kunpeng 1B’s arrow configuration of altitude control system and carbon fibre stretching rod has been used on a sounding rocket in China. It makes the detector more flexible and lightweight.

This sounding rocket is expected to fulfil its mission of taking measurements in the upper atmosphere that will help with research of rocket sounding, high-speed flight and space tourism.

The rocket’s falling ball experiment detection for further study of low latitudes in the ionosphere and in the upper atmosphere has important scientific significance.

About Sounding rockets

A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. 

Sounding rockets are advantageous for the research because of their low cost, short lead time and their ability to conduct research in areas inaccessible to either balloons or satellites. They are also used as test beds for equipment that will be used in more expensive and risky orbital spaceflight missions.
China first launched a Kunpeng-1 Sounding Rocket in April 2013.

NITI Aayog launched urban

management programme for capacity

building of states and urban local

bodies

28-APR-2016

NITI Aayog chaired by Vice Chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya launched the Urban Management Programme on 27 April 2016 in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The state participation was at the level of Secretaries of Urban Development, Municipal Commissioners and other senior officials of State Government and parastatal bodies. About 150 participants were present in the event.

An overview of the Urban Management

Programme

• The Programme is designed by NITI Aayog, Temasek Foundation and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) under the platform of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between NITI Aayog and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE).

• It was to tap the expertise of Singapore in urban sector to build capacities in State Governments and ULBs to design efficient solutions to urban problems.

• As a part of NITI Aayog’s mandate to promote cooperative federalism, NITI is reaching out to the States to resolve their issues pending with different Ministries.

• It is emphasized on improving governance particularly of the census towns whose number has significantly increased between census 2001 and 2011.

• The vision of urban transformation is achieved successfully only with the well built municipal cadre and provide stability of tenure to officials in municipalities.

Blood on my Hands: Confessions of

Staged Encounters by Kishalay

Bhattacharjee

28-APR-2016

Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters: Kishalay Bhatacharjee

The book titled Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounter authored by Kishlay Bhattacharjee was in news in the last week of April 2016.

The book came into news as Biju Janata Dal leader Tathagata Satpathy on 26 April 2016 demanded revocation of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the north-eastern region. He stated that the book, which is on India’s north-eastern region, serves as an eye-opener.

The book contains the author’s conversations with an anonymous army officer. It  narrates the staged encounters in India's northeast and explains how awards and citations are linked to a body count.

The book mentions that the officers need a definite number of points to get a citation and earn their ranks and awards. Under this pressure, the army units bid to purchase a person to be killed from the mafia.

Blood on my Hands also contains an essay by Bhattacharjee and a postscript that analyses the hidden policy of extra-judicial killings and how it threatens India's democracy.

Chinese human rights activist Harry

Wu died

28-APR-2016

Harry Wu, campaigner for human rights in China, passed away on 26 April 2016 in Honduras. He was 79.

Wu, the son of a wealthy Roman Catholic family from Shanghai, was arrested in 1960 when he was only 23 years old. He was given a life sentence in a forced labour prison camp after he criticised the Soviet Union, then an ally of China.

About Harry Wu

• Wu studied at the Geology Institute in Beijing where he earned a degree.

• In 1956, the Communist Party began a campaign encouraging citizens, particularly students and intellectuals, to express their true views of the Party and the state of society. The movement was known as theHundred Flowers Campaign.

• Wu eventually voiced some sentiments, by disagreeing with the Soviet's armed crackdown of Hungary, and the practice of labelling people into different categories.

• By the Fall of 1956, 19-year-old Wu was subsequently singled out at his university.

• For the next few years, he was continuously criticized in Party meetings and closely monitored until his arrest in 1960. He was charged with being a counterrevolutionary rightist, and was sent to the laogai (China’s system of forced-labour prison camps).

• He was released from his life sentence in 1979 at the age of 42, as a result of political changes following the death of Mao Zedong.

• He left China for the United States in 1985, after having received a chance invitation from the University of California at Berkeley to be a visiting scholar.

• In November 2008, he opened the Laogai Museum in Washington, D.C., calling it the first ever United States museum to directly address human rights in China.

ISRO’s seventh navigational satellite

IRNSS 1G launched

28-APR-2016

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 April 2016 launched India’s seventh navigation satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS 1G) into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO) on-board PSLV-C33.

The satellite was launched from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, which is situated 90 kms from Chennai.

With this launch, India successfully joined the elite group of countries that have their own navigation system technology to cater to the mammoth navigational needs.

As in the previous six launches of IRNSS satellites, PSLV-C33 used ‘XL’ version of PSLV equipped with six strap-ons, each carrying 12 tons of propellant.

IRNSS-1G

IRNSS-1G is the seventh navigation satellite of the seven satellites constituting the IRNSS space segment. Its predecessors, IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F were launched by PSLV-C22, PSLV-C24, PSLV-C26, PSLV-C27, PSLV-C31 and PSLV-C32 in July 2013, April 2014, October 2014, March 2015, January 2016 and March 2016 respectively.

Like all other IRNSS satellites, IRNSS-1G also has a lift-off mass of 1425 kg. The configuration of IRNSS-1G too is the same as IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F.

Payloads

The satellite with a design life span of 12 years has two payloads for navigation and ranging.

• Navigation payload – It will transmit navigation service signals to the users. This payload will be operating in L5-band and S-band. A highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload of the satellite.

• Ranging payload – It consists of a C-band transponder which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite.

Features of IRNSS

• It consists of seven satellites to provide real-time data on the position of objects to aid road, air and maritime traffic apart from providing mapping and tracking services.

• It is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland.

• It would provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Services (SPS), which will be provided to all users, and Restricted Services (RS) that will be provided to authorised users only.

• Out of the seven satellites of the system, three are geostationary and four are non-geostationary.

• By using the IRNSS as a platform, the Government of India is planning to launch its own Global Navigational Satellite Services, GINS (Global Indian Navigation Satellite) system. It is similar to the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the USA.

While many countries in the world have more than 20 satellites in serving the navigational purpose Indian scientists can boast of by achieving the goal by launching the seventh satellite which in a way completes the constellation which was earlier planned.

This constellation will help ISRO to take help from the civilian needs to security or defence needs.

Comment

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi who congratulated ISRO for the launch termed the system as NAVIC (Navigate with Indian Constellation). This launch also made into the selected nations that have their own GPS (Global Positioning System) or navigation system.The other select countries in the league includes

• US Air Force owns Global Positioning System (GPS)

• Russia owns GLONASS

• China owns BeiDou, which is expanding into a global system. It is also operated by its military.

• Europe - GALILEO is a civil global system

Two-time Olympic champion Felix

Sanchez retired

28-APR-2016

Two-time Olympic 400-meter hurdles gold medalist champion Felix Sanchez announced his retirement on 26 April 2016. The announcement means that the 38-year-old will not defend his title at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Sanchez made the announcement in a video press conference in the Dominican Republic.

Sanchez who made his first Olympic team in 2000 won his first gold in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and second at the 2012 Summer Games in London. He also owns two gold medals from the 2001 and 2003 world championships.

His personal best of 47.25 puts him as the eighth best of all-time. Between 2001 and 2004, he won 43 consecutive races and has run 48 races under 48.50.

The hurdler, known as Super Sanchez, made his final global championship appearance with a fifth place finish at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. His final race was a fifth place finish at the NACAC Championships in 2015.

Sanchez born in the United States to the Dominican parents competes in Olympics for the Dominican Republic.

Union Government allowed states to

control stock limits on sugar to check

price rise

28-APR-2016

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 April 2016 approved to bring sugar under the purview of imposing stock holding limits on dealers of sugar by the state governments. It was to check the price rise in sugar.

The Government identified that despite having sufficient sugar stocks with the Sugar Mills, the wholesale and retail prices have shown a rise.

Government felt an immediate need to bring sugar within the purview of stock limits in order to check the inflationary tendencies in sugar and to reduce hoarding by wholesalers and retailers.

The Government has taken stock of the availability of sugar and different factors contributing to rise in market prices of sugar across the country and decided to allow states to put stock holding limits on sugar

The decision empowered State and Central agencies to impose stock limits and regulate supply, distribution, storage and trade of sugar to bring down sugar prices at reasonable level by curbing unscrupulous trading.

Union Cabinet approved MoU between

India and Papua New Guinea on

cooperation in health and medical

science

28-APR-2016

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 April 2016 approved for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Papua New Guinea on cooperation in the fields of Healthcare and Medical Science.

The bilateral MoU will encourage cooperation between the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of India and the Ministry of Health and HIV/AIDS of the Papua New Guinea through joint initiatives in the health sector. It will strengthen bilateral ties between India and Papua New Guinea.

Japan unveiled Tokyo 2020 Olympic

and Paralympics emblems

28-APR-2016

Japan's Olympic organisers on 25 April 2016 unveiled the new official logos of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The emblems,designed by Asao Tokolo, feature an indigo-coloured check in the design.

The Olympic logo features a circular Japanese traditional checkered pattern. Below the design are the words Tokyo 2020 and under them the five interlocking Olympic rings. The design is meant to express a refined elegance and sophistication that exemplifies Japan.

The logos used traditional Japanese colours and patterns to represent the intercultural themes of the games. The logos incorporate the message of unity in diversity, and the idea that the Games seek to promote diversity as a platform to connect the world.

Controversy related to Olympic

emblems

• The initial design for the official emblems of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled on 24 July 2015. The logo resembled a stylized T, a red circle in the top-right corner represented a beating heart, the flag of Japan, and an inclusive world in which everyone accepts each other, and a black column in the centre represented diversity.

• However, shortly after the unveiling, Belgian graphics designer Olivier Debie accused the organizing committee of plagiarizing a logo that he had designed for the Théâtre de Liège. Debie’s design, aside from the circle, consisted of nearly identical shapes.

• The emblem's designer, Kenjiro Sano, defended the design, stating that he had never seen the Liège logo. However, Sano was found to have had a history of plagiarism.

• On 1 September 2015, following an emergency meeting of Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG), Governor of Tokyo Yoichi Masuzoe announced that they had decided to scrap Sano's two logos.

• On 24 November 2015, an Emblems Selection Committee was established to organize an open call for design proposals.

• On 8 April 2016, a new shortlist of four pairs of designs for the Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled by the Emblems Selection Committee.

About 2020 Summer Olympics

• The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event.

• The games are planned to be held from 24 July 2020 to 9 August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

• Tokyo was announced as the host city at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 7 September 2013.

• Tokyo previously hosted the 1964 Summer Olympic Games, and in 2020 will become the fifth city to host the Summer Olympic Games more than once.

• The city will also be hosting the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Maharashtra Government rose jail

term up to 5 yrs for chain snatchers

28-APR-2016

The Maharashtra government on 27 April 2016 decided to increase the punishment for chain snatching up to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of 25000 rupees.

The state Cabinet cleared the amendments to relevant sections of Indian Penal Code sections 379, 397-A (1)(2) and section 379-B along with the CrPC Act-1973, thus increasing the punishment up to five years rigorous imprisonment and 25000 rupees fine, in case of grievous injury to the victim.

The new additional section of 379-A(1) will define chain snatching as a crime and the convict will be sentenced under section 379-A(2), which provides minimum of 2 years and maximum of 5 years rigorous imprisonment.

While, the IPC section 379-B will award rigorous imprisonment of minimum three years and maximum five years and of 25000 rupees, in case of causing grievous injury to the victim or snatching the chain by issuing threat with a weapon.

In a statement, the state government noted that there has been a rise in incidents of chain snatching with a view to earn easy money. The statement also said that the hearing of such cases will be conducted in the court of First Class Judicial Magistrate.

J&K Cabinet approved 5% interest subsidy for flood-hit traders

28-APR-2016

Jammu and Kashmir government on 27 April 2016 approved five percent interest subvention to flood-hit traders with effect from 1 April 2016. The decision will bring a major relief to September 2014 flood hit traders and business units.

The interest subsidy will have a cap of five lakh rupees per unit for a period of four years, that is, up to 31 December 2020.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu.

To ensure proper implementation of the interest subvention assistance scheme, the Cabinet also ordered constitution of a high-level Coordination Committee. The panel will be headed by Chief Secretary and comprising representatives of Relief Rehabilitation department, Finance department, and Planning and Development department.

Besides, the Cabinet also sanctioned the second tranche of assistance proposed to be given to small traders and business establishments who have been given start-up incentive with turnover up to 10 lakh rupees.

Kerala cartoonist V T Thomas passed away

Kerala cartoonist V T Thomas, popularly known as Toms, passed away on 27 April 2016 following a brief illness at in Kottayam, Kerela. He was 86. He is survived by his wife Thresyakutty and children Boban, Molly, Rani, Peter, Bose, Princy.

Toms created the legendary cartoon characters Boban and Molly (Bobanum Moliyum).Kerala cartoonist V T Thomas, popularly known as Toms, passed away on 27 April 2016 following a brief illness at in Kottayam, Kerela. He was 86. He is survived by his wife Thresyakutty and children Boban, Molly, Rani, Peter, Bose, Princy.
Toms created the legendary cartoon characters Boban and Molly (Bobanum Moliyum).