GK and Current Affairs Updates

While India had lagged far behind developed nations in terms of space tech, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has progressively covered the gap over the last few years. 
•    ISRO, which had successfully launched satellites to activate its regional navigation system and a reusable launch vehicle earlier this year, achieved yet another feat on Thursday as it successfully tested its indigenous cryogenic engine. 
•    While the space agency had successfully tested the engine two years ago, GSLV F05 carrying a payload of 2,211 kg INSAT-3DR weather satellite was the first commercial launch using cryogenic upper stage technology.
•    The breakthrough makes the country the sixth nation apart from the US, Russia, France, Japan and China to possess cryogenic engine technology, which uses liquid hydrogen as a fuel and liquid oxygen as an oxidiser. 
•    While India—which embarked on a cryogenic-adoption path in 1992—had been using Russian engines since 2001, it had also started in-house development. 
•    Though a big achievement in itself, this would also propel ISRO’s plans to launch larger satellites to farther destinations as cryogenic engines are more efficient.
•    It also paves the way for India to launch its second mission to the moon, the Chandrayaan 2.
 

The 28th and the 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit concluded on 8 September 2016 at Vientiane, Laos. 
•    The theme for the 2016 summit was Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community.
•    H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR, was the Chairperson of the summit that was held from 6 September 2016 to 8 September 2016.
•    ASEAN leaders discussed the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and enhancing cooperation with ASEAN’s external partners.
•    They also signed the ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region.
•    Prime Minister Narendra Modi represented India at the ASEAN summit. He addressed the 14th ASEAN-India summit.
•    The Summit is ASEAN's highest policy-making body.
•    The chair of the ASEAN Summit rotates annually in alphabetical order of the English names of Member States.

India along with 10 other member countries of World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) South-East Asian Regional Committee has decided to set up a dedicated fund aimed at building preparedness for health emergencies in the region. 
•    Decision in this regard was taken at the 69th session of WHO Regional Committee Meeting held at Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka. 
•    The joint funding stream will be established under the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF). 
•    The new funding stream will allow these countries to invest in infrastructure and human resources that will enhance preparedness. 
•    The Regional Committee is WHO South-East Asia Region’s highest decision-making body. 
•    It comprises 11 countries – Bangladesh, South Korea, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand and Timor-Leste. 
•    It has also been threatened by a range of emerging diseases, including SARS, MERS CoV, pandemic influenza and Zika virus. 
 

India’s first LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) laboratory will be set up in Aundh in Hingoli district of Maharashtra. 
•    It will be third such laboratory in the world and first outside the United States. 
•    The existing two laboratories are located in Hanford, Washington and in Livingston, Louisiana. 
•    The site at Aundh in Hingoli district has been chosen for carrying out experiments on the ambitious LIGO project that proved existence of gravitational waves. 
•    It was selected based on site researches conducted by scientists from Department of Science and Technology. 
•    The setup of LIGO-India laboratory will involve construction of 8 km-long beam tube at ultra- high vaccum on a levelled terrain. 
•    The Aundh site is suitable flat site for carrying out the experiments as the four kms strips require an unhindered straight and flat site for studying the lasers. 
•    The LIGO-India laboratory will help to bring considerable opportunities in cutting edge technology for Indian industries. 

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched advanced weather satellite, INSAT-3DR on 8 September 2016.
•    The advanced weather satellite was launched with the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F05), from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
•    GSLV-F05, the tenth flight of India's GSLV, carried 2211 kg INSAT-3DR into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). 
•    GSLV is designed to inject 2 - 2.5 ton class of satellites into GTO.
•    After reaching GTO, INSAT-3DR will use its own propulsion system to reach its final geosynchronous orbital home and will be stationed at 74 deg East longitude.
•    INSAT-3DR is an advanced meteorological satellite of India configured with an imaging System and an Atmospheric Sounder.
•    INSAT-3DR is an improved variant of INSAT-3D, the improvements incorporated includes 
•    The satellite has a solar array generating 1700 Watts of power.
•    INSAT-3DR will provide a variety of meteorological services to the country.

India’s largest private sector bank ICICI Bank has successfully deployed ‘Software Robotics’ for power banking operations. 
•    With this, it becomes first bank in the country and among few globally to deploy ‘Software Robotics’. 
•    ICICI Bank has deployed Software Robotics to over 200 business processes across various functions. 
•    The 200 business processes include retail banking operations, agri-business, trade & foreign exchange, treasury and human resources management, among others.
•    It leverages recent advancements in artificial intelligence such as facial and voice recognition, machine learning, natural language processing, and bots among others. 
•    The software robots can perform over 10 lakh (1 million) banking transactions every working day. 
•    The software robots at ICICI Bank are configured to capture and interpret information from systems, recognize patterns and run business processes across multiple applications.
 

Taking the Modi government’s commitment to reach out to all countries worldwide, the Ministry of External Affairs has issued letters to various Ministers “assigning” them dozens of specific countries to engage with, The Hindu has learnt.
•    In a letter, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, “By 2016-end, we will not leave any country where Indian Ministers have not gone.”
•    Ministry had identified 68 countries which had not witnessed Ministerial-level visits from India.
•    Among the first that will see visits by Ministers will be East European countries.
•    Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will be visiting Estonia and Latvia, while Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be going to Hungary and Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu to Bosnia. 
•    In case a Minister has some “personal work” or is interested in visiting certain places in those countries, the same will be included in their schedule.
 

Describing the prolonged Centre-Arvind Kejriwal turf war over who controls Delhi as an “extraordinary matter”, the Supreme Court agreed to lay down the law on whether the Lieutenant Governor (LG) can unilaterally administer the National Capital without being bound by the “aid and advice” of the elected government.
•    Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and N.V. Ramana issued notice to the Union on a batch of seven petitions filed by the Delhi government challenging the Delhi High Court’s August 4 judgment.
•    The HC had upheld the LG’s power not only over the police, land and public order but also in “services”. 
•    The judgment had effectively shrunk the Kejriwal Cabinet’s girth.
•    Mr. Venugopal requested the Bench to refer the appeals to a Constitution Bench. Justice Sikri acknowledged that the point would be decided after a detailed preliminary hearing fixed for November 15.
•    The petitions, if referred to a Constitution Bench, would have to be heard by an 11-judge Bench of the Supreme Court.
•    This is because a nine-judge Bench of the apex court had in 1996 in the NDMC versus State of Punjab case, recognised Delhi as a Union Territory for taxation purposes.
 

A separate stall for Braille books, set up for the first time at Madurai Book Fair by Indian Association for the Blind (IAB), has been witnessing considerable footfall.
•    S. Manjula, a joint secretary at the IAB and the person in-charge of the Braille press run by the association, said many visitors were surprised to see a stall exclusively for Braille books.
•    “Years ago, Braille reading was not very popular among visually challenged children. 
•    Now, there is a considerable demand for Braille-printed books. But many don’t know where to buy them. That is where these stalls help,” she said.
•    Many schools that were visiting the fair had taken down their details for ordering books for their libraries or the visually challenged children.
•    Ms. Manjula said the demand was high for school textbooks. 
•    “Though books are printed and distributed free of cost by the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), they are not easily available. 
•    Apart from textbooks, Braille versions of novels by popular authors such as Jayakanthan, Sujatha, Imaiyam and Azha. 
•    Valliyappa were also on sale.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Vijay Goel has decided to conduct within the Ministry a thorough review of India’s performance in Rio Olympics, 2016. The process has already begun. 
•    The Minister has written individual letters to each of the athletes who participated in the Rio Olympics, 2016, seeking their feedback and suggestions. He has stated that they should feel free to give him their suggestions or feedback anytime either personally or through mail. In his letter, the Minister has stressed the need for more inputs from performers like them so that the pool of world class athletes can be enhanced and sports infrastructure strengthened. 
•    The Ministry has also written to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to submit their feed-back on India’s performance in Rio Olympics, 2016 and steps for improving the performance in future. Such feedback will also be sought from the National Sports Federations (NSFs). Shri Vijay Goel will have detailed meetings with the IOA and the NSFs shortly in this regard. The objective of this exercise is to analyse India’s performance in Rio Olympics and bring about necessary improvements in future. 
•    The Ministry will also take a look at the duties and responsibilities of various members of the Indian contingent for the Rio Olympics with the purpose of making a fair assessment of their role and taking steps for future improvement. 
•    The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports will be visiting some prominent academies and SAI Centres in the country to have a first-hand knowledge of the facilities available for training of our athletes and improvement required. On 17th of this month, he will visit the Gopi Chand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad where he will meet players, coaches and other support persons. He will also visit the SAI Centre at Hyderabad.