KERALA

• KAL to launch e-vehicles for commercial purposes

 

• Electric vehicle (e-vehicle) manufacturing programme of Kerala Automobiles Limited (KAL) has got a fillip with the state government approving KAL’s draft e-vehicle policy last month.
• As part of the policy, the public sector company will roll out e-vehicle with freezer for fish vendors, e-vehicle pantry set for street food vendors and e-ambulance.

 

• KAL is also developing e-autorickshaws as part of modernisation of Coir Machine Corporation.

 

• Apart from this, KAL also plans to manufacture two lakh electric two-wheelers, 50,000 e-autorickshaws, 1,000 e-goods carriers, 3,000 e-buses and 100 e-ferry boats on a pilot basis by 2020.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        World’s largest supercomputer ‘SpiNNaker’ switched on for the first time

 

• The world’s largest neuromorphic supercomputer SpiNNaker (‘Spiking Neural Network Architecture’ machine), which was designed and built to work like ahuman brain, has been switched on for the first time.
• Made up of one million processors, SpiNNaker can complete over 200 million-million actions per second.
• The supercomputer will help scientists better understand how neurological diseases like Parkinson’s impact the brain.

 

NATIONAL

 

·        India’s first nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant completed its first deterrence patrol

 

• The submarine completes India’s nuclear triad —which means that the country now has the capability of firing nuclear weapons from land, air and sea.
• INS Arihant was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2016. Another nuclear submarine — the Argihat — will be commissioned in the next few years.

 

• INS Arihant can fire nuclear weapons from underwater.

 

• Arihant is an important part of India’s no-first-use nuclear policy.

 

• Arihant is part of a top-secret 

 

• It was designed in 1990s and its development project was officially acknowledged in 1998. Its design is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine.

 

·        Indian Coast Guard launches new Offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varaha

 

• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launches new Offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ICGS Varahaat L&T Kattupalli shipyard near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is fourth in the series of 98 M OPVs designed and built indigenously by Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

 

• In March 2015, Union Defence Ministry had awarded contract to L&T for construction of seven OPVs awarded. The first and second ships of this project already have been delivered to ICG and are presently based in Western Coast and Eastern Coast of India and third OPV will be delivered in early 2019. The shipyard will deliver all seven ships by March 2021.

 

·        RBI initiates steps to set up digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture details of all borrowers

 

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has initiated steps to set up wide-based digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers. In this regard, RBI has invited expression of interest (EOI) for developing PSC from companies with turnover of over Rs 100 crore in last three years. Setting up of PCR assumes significance amidst rising bad loans in financial system. The non-performing assets (NPAs) in Indian banking system is about Rs 10 lakh crore.

 

• PCR is digital registry of authenticated granular credit information. It will work as financial information infrastructure providing access to various stakeholders and enrich the existing credit information ecosystem.

 

·        Delhi’s Signature Bridge inaugurated 14 years after conceptualisation

 

• Signature Bridge over the Yamuna river is double the height of Qutub Minar and connects the Wazirabad across the river Yamuna to the inner city.
• It’ll reduce the travel time between north and northeast Delhi from 45 minutes to just 10 minutes, saving the pollution and fuel.
• With features like a 154-metrehigh observation deck and selfie spots, the bridge will also serve as a tourist spot.
• Delhi’s Signature Bridge is the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India which will enable and will offer a panoramic view of the city.

 

·        Nagaland records highest school dropouts in India

 

• As per survey conducted by the World Bank, the student dropout rate in Nagaland’s upper primary (VI-VIII)and the secondary (IX-X) class stood at 7 per cent and 35.1 per cent respectively.
• The student dropout rate in Nagaland’s primary schools, in Grades I-V, stood at 4%, four times abovethe national average of 4.3%, making it the state with highest school dropout rate in the country.
• This data was presented by Community Avenue Network (CAN) Youth of Nagaland Chief Functionary Jenpu Rongmei during the launching programme of “My Scholarship Foundation” at Tourist Lodge in Dimapur.

 

·        E office to be implemented in 35 departments in January

 

• Theconcept of e-office has been implemented in some offices over the past couple of years on a pilot basis. Upon huge success, the concept of e-office is set to take off in around 35 departments simultaneously from January 1. While e-office or less-paper office has made entry at different levels across departments, these offices are not integrated or interconnected at present.
• So far, about 60 government officeshave adopted the less-paper concept, but they are not interconnected, which means the system of working is restricted to those offices. e-office also offers long-term benefits in governance. Being tamper-proof is a big a benefit of E-office. E-office also prevents duplication of documents.