HIMACHAL PRADESH

 

• Chill sets in, power generation dips by 70%

 

• Himachal faces a shortage of over 9 lakh units of electricity every day. This month, the power generation dropped by 70 per cent due to the onset of winter.
• The board is now buying electricity from energy exchange to meet the increasing demand of power.

 

• Himachal needs more than 265 lakh units of electricity daily, with the demand hitting 1,300 lakh units in the morning when the consumption is maximum due to winter chill.

 

• The state is producing 125 lakh units daily, gets 76 lakh units from its 12 per cent free share from different power projects and is getting about 82 lakh units from banking from Delhi, UP and Haryana daily.

 

• The worst-hit are the people living in remote parts of Chopal and Dodra Kwar in Shimla, inner and outer Seraj in Kullu, Kinnaur, Kilar and Bharmour in Chamba, where long power cuts are imposed during the peak hours

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

• NASA tests Supersonic Parachute for Mars 2020 mission

 

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully tested supersonic landing parachute that will be deployed in its Mars rover mission set to launch in 2020.
• The mission will rely on a special parachute to slow spacecraft down as it enters Martian atmosphere at over 5.4 kilometers per second.
• It was first of several tests in support of NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission.

 

·         India and Russia join hands to provide visa free entry for flight crew members

• India and Russia have joined their hands and signed a pact for giving visa-free entry to the crew members of chartered and scheduled flights in both the nations.
• The agreement will facilitate visa-free entry, stay and exit of the crew of aircraft of the designated airlines as well as other aircraft companies operating chartered and scheduled flights in the respective territories on a reciprocal basis. This ease has made the relationship between the two nations more concrete.
• The Visa requirements for crew members are administrative entry restrictions imposed by the countries for the pilot or a member of the crew during a transit.
• The crew visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a country for a short duration and perform the predefined duties in the given areas, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country.

 

NATIONAL 

 

• India becomes second largest fish producing country in the world
• 21st November is celebrated as a World of Fisheries Day worldwide every year.

 

• In India, which is the second largest fish producing country, the World Fisheries Day is being celebrated from 21st November, 2014 and it is being celebrated for the fourth consecutive year.

 

• The theme of this year is “2022 ka hai sapnaa…… kisaan ki aay ho duguna – Sankalp se siddhi”. 

 

·        India ranks 51 on IMD Talent Rankings

 

• India ranked 51st among 63 countries on theIMD Talent Rankings in terms of ability to attract, develop and retain talent.
• The annual IMD World Talent Ranking covers 63 countries and assessed methods countries adopted to attract and retain talent.
• Switzerland topped list followed by Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Sweden and Luxembourg in top 10.
• Globally, Europe continues to dominate rankings being most competitive countries. Leading Asian economies in rankings are Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

 

• President inaugurated the 8th Manipur Sangai Festival
• The Honourable President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 8th Manipur Sangai Festival 2017.

 

• The goal of the festival is to double the number of attendees compared to previous festivals held since inception.

 

• The President also inaugurated the North East Development Summit to develop the North East Region.

 

·        India’s first mission to the Sun to be launched in 2019

 

• India’s mission to the Sun will be launched in 2019from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• The main aim of the solar mission is to improve our understanding of dynamical processes of the sun and help resolve some outstanding questions in solar physics.
• The satellite carrying six payloads will be launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on the PSLV- XL launch vehicle. 
• It will be launched into the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system.
• The second edition of India’s moon mission, Chandrayaan IIis scheduled for launch in March 2018.
• The space agency is aiming to double its satellite launches next year from the current eight to nine annually to 20 every year.

 

·        Brahmos Flight test from IAFs Su-30MKI Fighter Aircraft

• Brahmos, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile created history after it was successfully flight-tested first time from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal.
• The successful maiden test firing of BrahmosAir Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from Su-30MKI will significantly bolster the IAF’s air combat operations capability from stand-off ranges.