HIMACHAL PRADESH

· State failed to utilise RUSA grants: Report

ð Himachal, which was the first state in the country to implement the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan in 2013, received only Rs 162-crore grant till July 31, 2018, against the proposal of Rs 878.13 crore sent by the government during the 12th Five Year Plan.

ð According to the latest report of the Department of Higher Education, the state failed to perform well under seven out of 18 components for which the grant was released under RUSA. Even the grant of Rs 164 crore approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB) for 2014-16 was not fully utilised, which acted as an impediment in perennial flow of grants.

ð The state has already diluted RUSA and taken a retrograde step to revert to the annual system for undergraduate courses and scrap the semester system under pressure from student organisations.

INTERNATIONAL

· Vostok 2018 the largest exercise held in Russia

Vostok 2018– Russian military practice massive airstrikes and measures against cruise missiles.
As many as 300,000 Russian troops are expected to take part in large-scale military drills as part of “Vostok 2018,”

Curtain raiser: INDO-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018

As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from 16 September to 29 September 2018.

This will be the 14th edition of the joint military exercise hosted alternately by both countries.

The joint exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 will simulate a scenario where both nations will work together in counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment in mountainous terrain under United Nation charter.

NATIONAL

Apsara – U Reactor Becomes Operational at Trombay

“Apsara”, the first research reactor in Asia became operational in Trombay campus of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in August 1956.

After providing more than five decades of dedicated service to the researchers, the reactor was shut down in 2009.

Nearly sixty-two years after Apsara came into existence, a swimming pool type research reactor “Apsara-upgraded”, of higher capacity was born at Trombay on 10^thSeptember 2018.

The reactor, made indigenously, uses plate type dispersion fuel elements made of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU).

By virtue of higher neutron flux, this reactor will increase indigenous production or radio-isotopes for medical application by about fifty percent and would also be extensively used for research in nuclear physics, material science and radiation shielding.

Shri Piyush Goyal launches a web portal “Rail Sahyog”

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched a web portal wherein private and public sector undertakings can contribute their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to develop amenities at railway stations. The companies wanting to contribute can register their requests on the portal — Rail Sahyog — and choose the amenity they want to promote.
The railways has identified five activities in which such contributions will be allowed — toilets in circulating areas, providing free Wi-Fi with kiosks for e-services for citizens at stations, plastic bottle crushing machines, steel benches and dustbins.

· Health Ministry implemented HIV AIDS Act 2017

According to the implemented law, every HIV infected or affected person below the age of 18 has the right to live in a shared household and enjoy its facilities.
The act criminalises any kind of discrimination against people suffering from AIDS in terms of treatment, employment and workplace.
Those violating the act could be jailed for up to two years or fined up to Rs 1 lakh or both.

· SC orders to demolish structures that threatens the Aravallis

The Supreme Court ordered todemolish the structures built illegally by a prominent builder in the protected forests of the Aravallis. The order said that the colonizers have caused irreversible ecological damage to the ancient hills.
A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta ordered to demolish all the structures that were built after August 18, 1992, in the area known as ‘Kant Enclave’ at Anangpur in Faridabad district of Haryana. The Court instructed to raze down the structures by December 31, 2018. The Bench accused the State town and country planning department for supporting the illegalities and completely vitiating the efforts of the forest department as well as the orders of the Supreme Court.

The Aravalli Rangeis the oldest range of fold mountains in India
♦ It was formed when the Indian Plate was separated from the Eurasian Plate by an ocean
♦ It is a range of mountains that runs approximately 692 km in the in a southwest direction
♦ It passes through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

· AAI dropped water aerodrome project in Chilika Lake

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) cancelled the proposed water aerodrome project at Chilika Lake in Odisha. Environmentalists and Chilika Development Authority (CDA) strictly opposed the project planned by AAI as it would have a negative impact on the ecosystem and the surrounding human population at the world’s second largest brackish water lake.
The operation of seaplane and water aerodrome at Chilika might cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem and livelihood of people dependent on it. It will jeopardise the habitat of Chilika’s as nearly one million avian visitorsfrom the Arctic and Eurasian regions.

· Indias first missile tracking ship to undergo sea trial by HSL

Hindustan Shipyard Limited(HSL) is all set to undertake India’s first missile tracking ship for trials. The sea trials would be carried out either by September-end or the first week of October. Once the ship is tested successfully, the vessel will be confidently handed over to the Indian Navy by the year-end.
The ship has the capacity to carry 300-strong crew with hi-tech gadgets and communication equipment, powered by two diesel engines, and a large deck capable of the helicopter landing. It is expected that this would put India in the elite of club of a few countries that have such a sophisticated ocean surveillance ship.
The ship is being built for the National Technical Research Organisation(NTRO), the technical intelligence agency working directly under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Adviser. The keel of the ship was laid on June 30, 2014, and the project costs about ₹750 crore. HSL has successfully completed the basin trials on the ship.

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