India GSLV MkIII-D2 successfully launches GSAT-29

Why in News?

About

• One important feature is India has achieved significant milestone with our heaviest launcher lifting off the heaviest satellite from the Indian soil.
• In coming days, Declaring Chandrayaan-2 and Gaganyaan missions will be launched by this heavy-lifter GSLV MKIII

About GSAT-29 and Importance of GSAT-29

• GSLV MkIII-D2 lifted off from the Second Launch Pad of SDSC SHAR carrying the 3423-kg GSAT-29 satellite.
• GSAT-29 is a multiband, multi-beam communication satellite, intended to serve as test bed for several new and critical technologies.
• Its Ku-band and Ka-band payloads are configured to cater to the communication requirements of users including those from remote areas especially from Jammu & Kashmir and North-Eastern regions of India.
• GSAT-29 launch will help to bridge the digital divide. In future several next generation payload technologies will be demonstrated with help of GSAT-29.

About GSLV Mk III

• GSLV Mk III is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Two massive boosters with solid propellant constitute the first stage, the core with liquid propellant form the second stage and the cryogenic engine completes the final stage.
• It is designed to launch satellites into geostationary orbit and is intended as a launch vehicle for crewed missions under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
• ISRO successfully conducted the first orbital test launch of GSLV-III on 5 June 2017 after several delays.
• An Indian foray into human spaceflight in 2022 with the aim of sending a crewed spacecraft called Gaganyaan to low Earth orbit.The GSLV Mk III will be the launch vehicle for this mission.

Source : pib

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

Some of facts about Pandit Nehru

• Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was a freedom fighter, the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics before and after independence.
• He emerged as an eminent leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi and served India as Prime Minister from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death in 1964.
• He is considered to be the architect of the modern Indian nation-state: a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic.
• A committed nationalist since his teenage years, he became a rising figure in Indian politics during the upheavals of the 1910s. He became the prominent leader of the left-wing factions of the Indian National Congress during the 1920s, and eventually of the entire Congress, with the tacit approval of his mentor, Gandhi.
• As Congress President in 1929, Nehru called for complete independence from the British Raj and instigated the Congress's decisive shift towards the left.
• His idea of a secular nation-state was seemingly validated when the Congress, under his leadership, swept the 1937 provincial elections and formed the government in several provinces.
• He was constitutionalist and contributed a secular, independent constitution with passing of Objectives resolution.
• The Constitution of India was enacted in 1950, after which he embarked on an ambitious program of economic, social and political reforms. Chiefly, he oversaw India's transition from a colony to a republic, while nurturing a plural, multi-party system.
• In foreign policy, he took a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement while projecting India as a regional hegemon in South Asia.

Retracing the Ancient Maritime Trade Routes- Tall Ship Sail-Together

India and Iran Navy flagged off a Tall Ship Sail-together from naval base, Kochi  on 14 Nov 18. The event which was organised by the the Indian Navy as part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations of IONS, was attended by chiefs from navies and delegates from 26 countries participating in the 10th anniversary commemorative activities besides a large gathering of Indian naval personnel.

The Royal Omani Vessel Zinat-al-Bihaaralong with two Indian Naval Sailing Ships Sudharshini, Tarangini, with  one each “Sea Rider” from Sri-Lanka, China, United Kingdom, Australia, Bangladesh and Maldives are participating in this ‘Sail Together’ which is planned over a distance of 1200 nm to Muscat and back.

It seeks to retrace the maritime trade route of yesteryears between the Malabar Coast and the Persian Gulf.

 A grand fly past with nine helicopters and three fixed wing aircraft was undertaken to mark the occasion. The event carries with it the memories of a glorious maritime past and the ancient cultural exchange  that opened long-distance political and economic relations between the great civilizations of India and those in Persia and Arabia.

The route also honours the socio-cultural and maritime history that is shared among populations across the Indian Ocean as a result of this trade.

Kerala’s coastal magnificence has been a legendary maritime hub for traders from across the world dating all the way back to the first century AD. Its majestic shipyards known by the iconic Urus, have been in the midst of intense ship-building and maritime trade over 1500 years.

All North Eastern States commit to declaring ODF by December 2018

What is Open Defecation Free?

ODF is the termination of faecal-oral transmission, defined by

a) no visible faeces found in the environment/village.

b) Every household as well as public/community institutions using safe technology option for disposal of faeces.

GOI has initiated flagship program called Swacch Bharat Abhiyan in oct. 2014 to make ODF by 2019.

More importance of continued focus on behavior change communication and periodic verifications to ensure that the safe sanitation habits and practices developed over the past few years are sustained in the future as well.

Till date, 11 states/UTs namely Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya had been declared ODF.

Non-ODF States committed to declaring themselves as ODF by December 2018.

Assam shared highlights of “Mission Sambhav”, under which more than one lakh pit digging activities were initiated on a single day during the Swachhata Hi Seva fortnight.

Nodal Agency: Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation

WASH in Health Centres

UNICEF in India is working in collaboration with the Health ministry to map WASH compliance in health facilities in the most deprived districts and is making recommendations to address non-compliance.

The WASH section works with state governments to identify where institutions need capacity-building. For example, it is helping reform State Water and Sanitation Missions to become responsive when they are in mission mode.

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission and UNICEF announce Young Champions Awards on occasion of Children’s Day

About Atal Tinkering Labs

• ATL lab would teach students essential 21st-century skills which will help them in developing their professional and personal skills.
• Skilled India is the need of the hour and each step taken this dream should be welcomed and we should work towards it together for a better India.

Objectives:

• The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.
• Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand what, how and why aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
• ATL would contain educational and learn “do it yourself” kits and equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers etc.

About Young Champions Awards

Celebrating innovation on the occasion of the National Children’s Day, The awards were presented to the top six most innovative solutions from across the country, which were shortlisted through the Atal Tinkering Marathon.

On October 2 last year, AIM’s Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) had launched a six month long nationwide challenge called the Atal Tinkering Marathon, across six different thematic areas, namely, clean energy, water resources, waste management, healthcare, smart mobility and agri-technology.

The objective was to encourage students to observe community problems and develop innovative solutions. From over 650 innovations received, Top 30 innovations were identified from 20 different States and Union territories from across India.

These Top 30 teams were awarded with several prizes including a three month-long ATL Student Innovator Program in partnership with industry and start-up incubators, where students were trained on business and entrepreneurship skills.

As part of a long-term partnership, during the Children’s Day Week, from today to the World Children’s Day on 20 November, AIM and UNICEF seek to drive extensive forward and backward linkages within the stakeholders in India, to create a paradigm shift in the student mindset and prepare them to become young innovators and entrepreneurs.