KERALA
- Kerala to make tourist destinations waste-free
- Contributing to the initiative to make Kerala ‘totally green’, the Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission is initiating a waste-free project to reduce use of plastics and introduce green certification for tourism destinations.
- Being rolled out as part of it environmental responsibility, one of the basic components of RT, the Clean Kerala Initiative (CKI) will initially be introduced in nine key destinations with the support of the Kerala Travel Mart Foundation, local bodies, and others.
- With the Working Group on Tourism clearing the project, the government has given the administrative sanction for ₹70 lakh for the 2019-20 financial year.
- The RT Mission also played a key role in replacing plastic straws with ones made of coconut fronds or bamboo in Thekkady and introducing glass bottles at resorts in Kumarakom and Thekkady.
- Proper waste management, organic farming, rainwater harvesting, use of renewable energy, reduction of plastic use, promoting local procurement in hotels and resorts, local employment, and creation of livelihood opportunities will be part of the project.
INTERNATIONAL
- France will impose green tax on plane tickets from 2020
- French government is to impose a tax of up to €18 on plane tickets for all flights from airports in France to fund less-polluting transportation projects,
- The move which will take effect from 2020
- A tax of €1.5 imposed on economy-class tickets on internal flights within Europe.
- The highest tariff applied to business-class travellers flying outside the bloc.
- A tax of €1.5 imposed on economy-class tickets on internal flights within Europe.
The highest tariff applied to business-class travellers flying outside the bloc,
The new measure is expected to bring in €182 million a year which will be invested in greener transport infrastructures - A similar tax was introduced in Sweden in April 2018, which imposed an added charge of up to €40 on every ticket in a bid to lessen the impact of air travel on the climate.
- NASA awarded Imaging Xray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) mission to SpaceX
- NASAhas awarded a contract to SpaceX to launch NASA’s Imaging Xray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) mission, a groundbreaking astrophysics mission. The mission aims to uncover the mysteries behind black holes and neutron stars.
- The cost estimated for the mission is $50.3 million. The mission plans to launchthree space telescopes. These telescopes will be capable of analyzing the polarization of cosmic X-rays. The IXPE mission is expected to be launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in April 2021.
- The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) will get information regarding thepolarization state of light from astrophysical sources. This will provide insight into the X-ray production in objects such as neutron stars and pulsar wind nebulae, as well as stellar and supermassive black holes.
NATIONAL
- ICSI launches UDIN to improve corporate governance
- Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) rolled out an initiative in the form of a Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN)
- The main aim is to pursue a heightened sense of self-governance and strengthen the practicing side of company secretaries.
- UDIN will provide ease of maintaining a register of attestation and certification services.
- The ICSI functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- Cabinet approves bill to merge 13 labour laws into single code
- The Union Cabinet approved the Occupational, Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, also known as the OSH Code, that seeks to merge 13 central labour laws into a single code which would apply on all establishments employing 10 or more workers.
- The OSH Code is the second majorlabourreformapprovedby the government. It cleared the Wage Code last week that contained “provisions of minimum wages and payment of wages to cover employees in both the organised and unorganised sectors”, unlike the current Minimum Wages Act and the Payment of Wages Act that apply only to employees engaged in certain kinds of jobs.
- The OSH code will cover 400 million workers in the organised and the unorganised sectors and encompass provisions from around 13 labour laws, including the Factories Act, the Mines Act,
- The Dock Workers Act, the Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees Act, and the Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers Act.
- IAF to get Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM)
- TheIndian Air Force (IAF)plans to adopt Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), a new European visual range air to air missile, across its fighter fleet.
The first firing is expected by the end of 2019. This first firing would be the first over the wing launched missile in the IAF inventory. All missiles are fired from under the wing.IAF aims to expand its Su-30 fleet with a proposal to build 40 more jets under license at HAL’s Nashik facility. The Indian government has formally requested Russia to extend the production license.
- The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) of MBDA, European Arms manufacturers company, has been approved for fitting onJaguar jets is currently undergoing integration. ASRAAM is used as a Within Visual Range (WVR) air dominance missile with a range of over 25km.
- For IAF, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had built about 145 Jaguars for the IAF, of which around 120 are in service, and 80 jets will continue till 2025-30. A plan to get a new more powerful engine has been long delayed.
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