GK and Current Affairs Updates

After the successful Mars Orbitor mission, ISRO proposed Venus Orbiter Mission. Under this mission, orbiter will study the atmosphere of venus.
Importance of the mission:
Till date, Russia, US and European Space Agency have successfully sent missions to Venus. Japan also got success in this mission with the insertion of 'Akatsuki' into the venus orbit. Thus,success in this technology will enshrine our caliber in the world.
About Venus:
- It is the second planet from the Sun.
- It is the second brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.
- Venus is the second largest terrestrial planet and is sometimes referred to as the Earth’s sister planet due the their similar size and mass.
- The surface of the planet is obscured by an opaque layer of clouds made up of sulfuric acid.
- A day on Venus lasts longer than a year of earth.
- It rotates counter-clockwise.
- Atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times greater than the Earth.
- It is the hottest planet in our solar system.

On 52^nd Anniversary of Sashastra Seema Bal, parade took place at 25^th Bn, SSB, Ghitorni on 24^th Decemeber, 2015. Union Home Minister inspected the Parade and presented the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Indian Police Medal for Meritorious service to the awardees of SSB.
About Sashastra Seema Bal
- It is a Border Guarding Force (BGF) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- It was set up in early 1963 in the wake of the Indo-China conflict to inculcate feelings of national belonging in the border population and develop their capabilities for resistance through a continuous process of motivation, training, development, welfare programmes and activities in the then NEFA, North Assam, North Bengal, hills of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh.
- Role Sashastra Seema Bal 
1.To promote sense of security among the people living in the border area.
2.To prevent trans-border crimes and unauthorized entries into or exit from the territory of India.
3.To prevent smuggling and other illegal activities.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Ministry of Railways and Coal India Limited.
Details of MoU:
1. It ensures procurement of 2000 wagons (33 rakes) in the first outgo. 
2. This MoU resulted the Railways and Coal India Ltd to enter into a strategic partnership which would ensure adequate wagon availability for meeting the transportation needs of coal produced by Coal India Ltd.
3. Procured wagons will lead to additional loading of 8-10 tons per wagon as compared to the conventional wagons of Indian Railways. 
Significance of MoU:
The MoU will benefit the economy as a whole and the Railways, the coal sector and power sector in particular.As it will ramp up coal loading for Indian Railways amid a shortfall in freight traffic and helping CIL meet production targets.

Syed Kirmani is the winner of the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Board for Control for Cricket in India.
About Syed Kirmani
- Popularly known as 'Kiri', Syed Kirmani is generally regarded as the finest wicket keeper to play for India.
- Kirmani made his debut against New Zealand and in the second test equalled the world record of six victims in an innings.
- Kirmani was awarded the Padma Sri in 1982 for his contribution to Indian cricket. 
The previous winners of the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award are:
1994 -Lala Amarnath
1995 -Syed Mushtaq Ali
1996 -Capt. Vijay Hazare
1997 -K.N. Prabhu
1998 -P. R. Umrigar
1999 -Col. Hemachandra Adhikari
2000 -Subhash Gupte
2001 -Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
2002 -Bhausaheb Nimbalkar
2003 -Chandrakant Borde
2004 -B.S. Bedi, B. Chandrasekhar, EAS Prasanna, S. Venkataraghvan
2007 -Nariman Contractor

Emission norms for thermal power plants made stricter by Government 
- Aim: to minimise the pollution
- Objectives:
1. To reduce the emission of PM10, sulphur dioxide and Oxide of nitrogen, which will in turn help in bringing about an improvement in the Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) in and around thermal power plants.  
2. Employment of the technology for the control of the proposed limit of Sulfur Dioxide - SO2 & Nitrogen Oxide - NOx will to reduce the mercury emission.
3. To limit the use of water in thermal power plant that will lead to water conservation plus reduction in energy requirement for drawl of water. 
- Norms are based on the recommendation of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Government of India has adopted the strategy of developing integrated industrial/economic corridors in partnership with State Governments for boosting industrial development. 
The details of five industrial/economic corridors are as follows:
1. Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC):
- Vision: To create strong economic base with globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance foreign investments and attain sustainable development. 
- Influenced areas:
parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

2. Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC)
- Background: This corridor is the result of the Summit Meeting held between India and Japan in December 2011.The two Prime Ministers stressed the importance of infrastructure development in the areas between Chennai and Bengaluru. Various SME's of Japan has taken interest in developing this corridor.
- Current situation:
Master Planning of the following   three industrial nodes has been completed:-
1.Ponneri ( Tamil Nadu)
2.Tumkur ( Karnataka)
3.Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
4.Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC):
Developers: UK and India

4. Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC):
- Areas under this corridor-  Anantapur, Chittoor and Nellore districts and Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) between Visakhapatnam and Kakinada.
- Developers: Asian Development Bank and State Government.
- The following two nodes for master planning have been identified:
1.Visakhapatnam ( Andhra Pradesh)
2.Srikalahasti-Yerpedu ( Andhra Pradesh)

Two Mobile Apps were launched for Farmers by the Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister.
- Those apps are:
1. Crop Insurance
2. AgriMarket Mobile

About Crop Insurance: 
It will benefit farmers in the following ways:
1. Help farmers to find out complete details about insurance cover available in their area.
2. Help farmers to calculate the insurance premium for notified crops.
3. Help farmers in getting information about coverage amount and loan amount in case of a loaned farmer.
4. It can also be used to get details of normal sum insured, extended sum insured, premium details and subsidy information of any notified crop in any notified area.

About Agrimarket Mobile:
- Aim: to keep farmers abreast with crop prices around them.
- It can be used by the farmers to get the market prices of crops in the mandi within 50 km radius of the device and other mandis in the country.

Aim of launching these apps:
to make available all relevant and timely information to the farmers and other stake holders so as to create a conducive environment for raising farm productivity and income to global levels. 

- Aim: expediting work so as to strengthen the food regulatory mechanism in the country.
- There is also a plan to increase laborateries in the country, as to ensure atleast 1 lab in each district. These labs will ensure better food testing.
About FSSAI(Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)
- established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
- Aim: to lay down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
- Functions:
1. Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate system of enforcing various standards thus notified.
2. Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies engaged in certification of food safety management system for food businesses.
Laying down procedure and guidelines for accreditation of laboratories and notification of the accredited laboratories.
3. To provide scientific advice and technical support to Central Government and State Governments in the matters of framing the policy and rules in areas which have a direct or indirect bearing of food safety and nutrition .
4. Collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various, contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system.
5. Creating an information network across the country so that the public, consumers, Panchayats etc receive rapid, reliable and objective information about food safety and issues of concern.
6. Provide training programmes for persons who are involved or intend to get involved in food businesses.
7. Contribute to the development of international technical standards for food, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards.
8. Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards.

President Barack Obama is going to honor Dr. Rakesh K. Jain with National Medal of science for his research on tumors.He is an Indian-American professor at Harvard Medical School and director of tumor biology laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. The medal will be presented to him at a White House ceremony early next year.
National Medal of Science
- The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation.
- It is awarded annually.
- It is given to individuals those who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering. 

Under Central Sector Scheme of International Cooperation (IC), The Ministry of AYUSH undertakes measures for global promotion and popularization of AYUSH systems of Medicine including Yoga.
Those measures are:
1.The Ministry deputes Yoga experts to participate in fairs/ workshops organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Commerce, etc.
2.Indian Missions abroad for Yoga demonstration and lectures organized by the above ministeries.
3.in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) deputed Yoga teachers to Indian Missions for a period of 7 days by revising IC Scheme to train Yoga enthusiasts for their participation in the Mass Yoga Demonstration organized by various Indian Missions abroad .
4.deputes Yoga teachers to Indian Missions for imparting training to local students and teachers.
5.provides publicity material including videos, documentaries, coffee table books, instructional manuals on the different aspects of yoga and yogic practices to Indian Missions for display and distribution. 

The ICCR has recently signed an MoU with Yunnan Minzu University, China for establishment of Yoga College named “India-China College of Yoga”. The part support for this initiative has been provided by the Ministry of AYUSH.