16 July 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Read the daily PIB update and stay up-to-date on current affairs for the UPSC exam

CIC bilingual Mobile app launched

• The Central Information Commission (CIC) has launched a newly updated version of mobile app in Hindi also, – “CIC App”, which is available in Google Play Store and Apple store with the following features:

1. Applicant can submit his/her 2nd Appeal(s)/ Complaint(s) / link paper(s) in both the languages i.e. in Hindi and English
2. The appellant can search and trace dak, 2nd Appeal/Complaint in both the languages.
3. Real time status is available in both the languages (Hindi & English)
4. Appellant can download copy of Hearing notice, Facilitation memo & decision.

Inauguration of the MAHAGENCO Pipe Conveyor System -An Initiative by WCL & MAHAGENCO

• The Union Minister of Railways, Finance, Corporate Affairs and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurated the MAHAGENCO Pipe Conveyor System for coal transportation from cluster of mines of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL).
• The first Pipe Conveyor project of 6.3 Km length is a dedicated system for Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station of MAHAGENCO by taking coal from Bhatadi OC mine, Chandrapur Area and feeding to MGR at Padmapur.
• The second project of approx. 20 Km length will have five feeding Open Cast Mines of Nagpur Area of WCL, namely Gondegaon, Kamptee, Inder, Bhanegaon and Singhori dedicated to Khaparkheda and Koradi Power Plants of Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd. (MSPGCL).
• This project is being carried out in two phases. On completion of this project, road transportation of coal will be stopped and 100 per cent coal production from these mines of WCL will be transported through Koradi & Khaperkheda Coal pipe conveyor.

Effects:

• The pipe conveyor system is a step in the direction of developing a modern, efficient and eco-friendly mode of coal transportation from mines of WCL to the Pit head Power stations of MAHAGENCO, Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd. (MSPGCL) has taken up the installation of Pipe Conveyor System through WCL acquired land.
• This dedicated coal transportation system will be first of its kind in Coal India Limited (CIL).
• It will go a long way in mitigating environmental impact of Road Transport by eliminating dispersed coal dust & vehicular emissions.
• It will also help in avoiding coal pilferage and facilitate assured quality & quantity of supply of coal to power plants at lower transport costs.

Successful Test Firing of Brahmos to Validate Service Life Extension

• BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired at 1017 hrs today, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Balasore, Odisha.
• The test-firing conducted from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher was part of service life extension programme for Indian Army under extreme weather condition.
• The precision strike missile followed the designated trajectory and the key components functioned perfectly.
• BrahMos has proved again all-weather capability flying in sea-state 7 with waves as high as 9 meters. BrahMos is a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia.
• BrahMos missile has established itself as a major force multiplier in modern-day complex battlefields with its impeccable land-attack, anti-ship capabilities with multi-role and multi-platform abilities.

Sagarmala Initiative

• The Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Shipbuilding (CEMS), a well-funded startup in skill development for maritime and shipbuilding sector has announced that its hi-tech labs at Visakhapatnam are ready for starting orientation programmes for trainees.
• It will provide industry-relevant employable skills to students in the port and maritime sector. This initiative will further boost Make in India and Skill India efforts in the maritime sector.

Registration of all child care institutions and linking to CARA within the next one month.

• The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has directed state governments to ensure that all the child care institutions should be registered and linked to CARA within the next one month.
• Taking cognizance of the recent cases of illegal adoptions carried out by Missionaries of Charity in Jharkhand, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has instructed the states to get child care homes run by Missionaries of Charity all over the country inspected immediately.
• The mandatory registration of CCIs and linking to Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has been provided in Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 which came into force more than two years ago but some orphanages had challenged the validity of this clause.
• Since then, approximately 2300 child care institutions have been linked to CARA and about 4000 are still pending for linkage.
• Minister has also expressed displeasure that even the 2300 institutions that have been linked to CARA, the children available in these institutions have still not been brought into on the adoption system.

To ace UPSC current affairs section, read more PIB articles here.

Also See: