GK and Current Affairs Updates

India’s largest pharmaceutical company Sun Pharma has signed deal with International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) for clinical development Cissampelos pariera (Cipa).
•    It is India’s first vaccine (drug) for the treatment of dengue. 
•    The partnership between Sun Pharma and ICGEB aims to develop` safe, effective and affordable botanical drug Cipa. 
•    Under the deal, Sun Pharma will get access to all the intellectual properties (IP) rights of the drug across 17 countries. 
•    ICGEB will establish assay systems for the development of Cipa for the treatment of dengue infection. 
•    India is dengue-endemic resource-poor country representing 50% of the global population estimated to be at risk of dengue virus. 
•    This will be for the first time a vaccine developed entirely in India for a vector-borne disease that has been advanced for clinical development in the country. 

A new species of a small mammal in the rabbit family has been discovered in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas in Sikkim, a study has claimed, saying it is an important part of the ecosystem.
•    Identified as 'Ochotona sikimaria' -- the new pika species was discovered by the study based on genetic data and skull measurements. 
•    Nishma Dahal, the first author of the paper, started by collecting pika pellets to get its DNA and identify the species. 
•    On comparing the DNA sequences from the pellets with that of all known pika species in the world, she saw that these were quite different.
•    To prove that this is indeed a new species, she had to compare the Sikkim pika to its close relatives. 
•    It took two years for collaborations with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zoological Museum of Moscow and Stanford University to get detailed data on these possible sister species.
 

Initially, the life of the Indian Mars orbiter was estimated to be about six months after insertion into the Martian orbit. 
•    As Mangalyaan completed its two years in Mars orbit, the Indian space agency has released first year of MOM Long-term archive data to public.
•    MOM, which is India’s first interplanetary mission, is orbiting around Mars in an elliptical orbit of about 343 km x 71191 km as on 16th September 2016, says ISRO’s data release statement.
•    MOM is a complex technological mission considering the critical mission operations and stringent requirements on propulsion, communications and other bus systems of the spacecraft.
•    Thus, India created history as the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, and the first country in the world to do so in its first attempt.
 

India and France on 23 September 2016 inked the 7.8-billion Euro deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets. 
•    As per the deal, the aircraft will be equipped with latest missiles and weapon system like Meteor and Scalp.
•    The 7.8 billion Euro deal is crucial for the Indian Air Force and is expected to give India the dominant status in the air. 
•    The deal was signed in New Delhi by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian.
•    The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon is its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 kilometre.
•    During the Kargil war, India had used a BVR having 50 kilometre range. 
•    The delivery of this aircraft will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked.
•    As per reports, the deal comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros than the one struck during the previous UPA government, which was scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
 

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are going to launch Mission Parivar Vikas for improved family planning services in 145 High Focus districts in seven states. 
•    The objective of mission is to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies within a rights-based framework. 
•    These districts are located in the seven high focus states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam. 
•    They are having the highest total fertility rates and constitute 44% of the country’s population. 
•    They also have a substantial impact on maternal and child health indicators. 
•    As about 25 to 30% of maternal deaths and 50% of infant deaths occur in these districts. 
•    The key strategic focus of this initiative will be on improving access to contraceptives through delivering assured services, dovetailing with new promotional schemes.
 

The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ begun in the Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia. 
•    The main focus of this edition of the joint exercise is on Counter-Terrorism Operations in semi mountainous and jungle terrain under United Nations Mandate.
•    To achieve interoperability in joint operations, troops from both sides would acquaint themselves with the respective approach to such operations. 
•    A comprehensive training programme spanning eleven days has been drawn up for the purpose.
•    Brigadier Sukrit Chadah is leading the Indian contingent of 250 soldiers from the Kumaon Regiment while the Russian army is being represented by 250 soldiers from the 59th Motorised Infantry Brigade.
•    Indra series of bilateral exercises is one of the major bilateral defence cooperation initiatives between India and Russia since 2003. 
•    The Indian contingent is scheduled to return to India on termination of the Exercise in the first week of October 2016.
 

Indian Air Force on 23 September 2016 successfully fired the recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile on a maneuvering target from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft.
•    A Defence Ministry release said in New Delhi that the missile achieved a direct hit on a target which was much smaller than an actual aircraft and flying at a low altitude.
•    The release said, with the success of this mission by 'Tigers', the first squadron of the force, IAF has become one of the few air forces in the world with the capability of such beyond visual range air-to-air missile.
•    The Mirage 2000 is a single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by France's Dassault Aviation. 
•    It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter based on the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air).
•    The upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter jets are fitted with the Thales RDY 2 radar, a helmet-mounted display, new avionics, and the ability to fire new weapons including the MICA missile.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday decided to further relax in norms for REITs and InvITs in a bid to make these instruments more attractive for raising capital.
•    Sebi had notified the REIT and InvIT Regulations in 2014, allowing setting up and listing of such Trusts, which are very popular in some advanced markets.
•    No single Trust has been set up as yet as investors wanted further measures, including tax breaks, to make these instruments more attractive.
•    Sebi has granted approval to three companies - IRB Infrastructure, GMR and MEP Infrastructure - to launch InvITs.
•    While the government provided for certain tax benefits in the Budget this year, Sebi board has now decided to amend REITs and InvIT regulations.
•    It allowed REITs and InvIT to invest in two-level (special purpose vehicle) structure through holding company.

The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, under the BRICS framework, is hosting a five day event where a group of about 50 young scientists/ researchers from BRICS countries are meeting in Bengaluru from 26-30th September, 2016. It would be organized and coordinated by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. 
•    This BRICS Young Scientists Conclave assumes importance as it is taking place during India’s chairmanship of BRICS in 2016 under a focal theme of ‘Building, Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions’. The event shall be inaugurated by Prof K. Kasturirangan, former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 
•    The BRICS Young Scientist Forum (BRICS-YSF), under which the BRICS Young Scientists Conclave is being organised, was initiated at the 2nd BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting at Brasilia in March, 2015. The respective Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministries of BRICS countries are the lead coordinating organisations for this Forum on co-investment and co-ownership principles.
•    The Conclave aims at building a BRICS Innovation Corps – who individually or collectively have specialized capability to work on their novel scientific ideas and technological solutions which transform and accelerate change through better quality of life and higher incomes for citizen of this region. It will pave way for creation of strong generation of S&T leadership that can accelerate change collectively.
•    Some of the lead speakers in the Conclave, among others from India and abroad, include Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST, Dr. K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Ayog, and Dr. Baldev Raj, Director, NIAS.  Besides, the above the Conclave is hosting more than 20 distinguished persons from BRICS nations with extraordinary achievements through scientific research, innovation and techno-entrepreneurship.

The Ministry of Culture is observing a Swachhta Pakhwada from 16th to 30th September, 2016 to spread awareness about the need and importance of cleanliness in all the domains. M/o of Culture and its various organisations have made all possible efforts for an efficient observance of the Swachhta Pakhwada. During the period Ministry has taken up various initiatives including the use of 100% e-office mechanism, setting up of permanent mechanism for cleanliness in all organisations, three Akademies to ensure activities in Music, Dance and Drama to spread awareness about Swachhta, the upcoming Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav scheduled in October to have Swachhta theme and also weeding out of files in all organisations and headquarters to be completed in this fortnight.
•    To step forward towards creating mindset of all officials and staff of the Ministry and its organisations, a special one day ‘Swachhta Conference’ was organised today at the National Museum, New Delhi. The Swachhta Conference was chaired by the Secretary (Culture), Shri Narendra Kumar Sinha.  A presentation based on initiatives taken by ASI to implement Swachh Bharat Swachh Smarak initiative was also presented during the conference. While delivering the key address at the conference he said that “Our Sanskriti(Culture) and Swachhta(Cleanliness) are very much connected to each other.  As we follow the route of devotional activities through personal cleanliness, the same we follow for the surrounding environments. Instead of making “Swachhta” an objective of a fortnight, we should rather make it a daily habit and a yearlong activity”. The conference was attended by senior officials of the Ministry and other organisations.  
•    Various autonomous, attached and subordinated organisations under the Ministry of Culture are also undertaking a number of activities related to the Swachhta Pakhwada. Cleanliness drives are regularly being organised by these organisations in and around their respective organisations’ premises.
•    These organisations have already made significant contributions to mark the fortnight by administering Swachh Bharat Pledge to the officers and the staff, cleaning the Museums’ premises, organising Nukkad Natak(Street Play) with a theme of Swachh Bharat,  holding various lectures and seminars with an objective of dissemination of  the message of Swachh Bharat, organising a Cleaning Campaign at the Ganga Ghat, in Allahabad, development of selective areas in the organisation’s premises into vegetable garden by Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad  and other such initiatives as on today.
•    Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya, Bhopal under the activities of ‘Swachha Bharat’ Fortnight organized a special lecture on ‘Solid Waste Management’ and on ‘Benefit to Health due to Swachha Bharat Abhiyan’. Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC’c) are also playing a key role in dissemination of messages on sanitation and hygiene through cultural performances. Also, National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and their regional and district science centres are creating scientific temper about sanitation and public cleanliness.