Current Affairs 21st January 2016

Important Points : 

• Union Cabinet approved amendments in - Power Tariff Policy
• CCEA approved six-laning of NH-2 in - Jharkhand and Bihar
• Infrastructure Status has been granted to Shipyard Industry by - Union Government
• Setting up of over 5000 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects approved by - CCEA
• Planetary Defense Coordination Office formalised to detect and track Near-Earth Objects - NASA 
• Which year is Earth’s warmest year since 1880 by NOAA - 2015 
• New tree frog genus discovered in forests of - North-eastern India
• MoU on cooperation in space exploration signed by - ISRO & Kuwait Institute 
• Second largest black hole in Milky Way discovered by - Japanese astronomers
• Which state has won 2014-2015 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - Uttar Pradesh
• The Z Factor written by Subhash Chandra released by - PM Narendra Modi 
• Who has took the charge as Executive Director of Greenpeace India - Ravi Chellam

Details : 

Union Cabinet approved amendments in Power Tariff Policy

On 20th January 2016, amendments in Power Tariff Policy to ensure 24X7 affordable power for all was approved by the Union Government.

The motive of the amendments is to encourage clean energy, faster rollout of investments and better regulation of discoms. The objectives of Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the focus on 4 Es: Ease of doing business to attract investments and ensure financial viability, Efficiency to ensure affordable tariffs, Environment for a sustainable future and Electricity for all will also be achieved.

CCEA approved six-laning of NH-2 in - Jharkhand and Bihar

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 20th January 2016, development of the six laning of Aurangabad- Bihar/Jharkhand Border- BarwaAdda section on National Highway-2 in Bihar and Jharkhand was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

The project is estimated at a cost of 4918.48 crore rupees including cost of land acquisition and other pre-construction activities. 

Highlights of the Project

• The project will be implemented under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-V. 
• The length of the road will be approx 222 km. 

Infrastructure Status has been granted to Shipyard Industry by - Union Government

On 20th January 2016, Infrastructure Status has been granted to the Shipyard Industry by the Union Government.

With this granting, the shipyards will be able to employ flexible long-term funding at lesser costs.

About shipbuilding industry

Due to its role in energy security, national defence and for developing heavy engineering industry, the shipbuilding industry is a strategically an important industry.

At present, the Indian shipyards engage about 30000 people.

Setting up of over 5000 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects approved by - CCEA

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 20th January 2016, approval for setting up over 5000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects on build, own and operate basis was given by The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).  

Under Batch-IV of Phase-ll of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), the work will be implemented by Solar Power Developers (SPDs) with Viability Gap Funding (VGF). 

Key highlights of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects

• 8300 Million units per year which will serve around 2.5 Million households will be generated by the installation of 5000 MW Solar PV plants.
• As per the guidelines of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Scheme will be implemented by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
• A State Level Agency will be appointed by the State Governments for providing necessary support to facilitate the required approvals and sanctions in a time bound manner to achieve commissioning of the projects within the scheduled timeline.

Planetary Defense Coordination Office formalised to detect and track Near-Earth Objects - NASA 

Among the important Science Current Affairs, On 7th January 2016, Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) was formalized by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its ongoing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs).

Main functions of PDCO

• It will inspect all NASA-funded projects to find and characterize asteroids and comets that pass near the orbit of the Earth around the sun.
• It will also inform about the close passes and warnings of any detected potential threats, based on credible science data.

Do You Know : 

In the year 1998, NASA started discovering the NEOs and since then 13500 NEOs were discovered with 1500 new addition every year. 

Which year is Earth’s warmest year since 1880 by NOAA - 2015 

For the year 2015, the global average temperature over land and ocean surfaces was the highest since modern record keeping began in the year 1880.

On 20th January 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed it after an independent analysis.

Key facts related to global climate patterns in 2015

• In the year 2015, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.62°F (0.90°C) above the 20th century average.
• In the 1880 to 2015 record, this was the highest among all 136 years.
• The global-average sea surface temperature was 1.33°F (0.74°C) during 2015. 

New tree frog genus discovered in forests of - North-eastern India

Among the important Science Current Affairs, On 20th January 2016, Professor Sathyabhama Das Biju, also known as the frogman of India with his team of researchers discovered a new genus of tree hole-breeding frogs in the forests of India's northeast and China.

The genus has been named Frankixalus after Professor Franky Bossuyt of Vrije Universiteit Brussel for his contribution to amphibian research.

Key characteristics of Frankixalus

• The genus has a species first described in 1876 based solely on museum specimens.
• They live and breed in pools of water in holes in the trunks of canopy trees.

MoU on cooperation in space exploration signed by - ISRO & Kuwait Institute 

On 20th January 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes was inked between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR).

Highlights of MoU

• For initiating a few research and application projects, it will allow use of data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites by KISR.
• Training, Building and launching of remote sensing and communication satellites will also be enabled.
• It will boost newer research activities and application possibilities in the field of exploration of outer space; satellite navigation; satellite communication and remote sensing. 

Second largest black hole in Milky Way discovered by - Japanese astronomers

Among the important Science Current Affairs, On 28th December 2015, the second largest black hole in Milky Way was discovered by Japanese astronomers’ team. They mapped high-velocity compact cloud called CO-0.40-0.22 with a mass 100000 times that of the Sun around 200 light years away from the centre of the Milky Way.

On 28th December 2015, the research was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters with the title ‘Signature of an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in the Central Molecular Zone of Our Galaxy’ .

This mysterious cloud was observed with two radio telescopes, the Nobeyama 45m Radio Telescope in Japan and the ASTE Telescope in Chile by a team led by Tomoharu Oka, a professor at Keio University. 

It has an elliptical shape and comprise of an intense region with a shallow velocity gradient and a less intense high-velocity wing. 

Do You Know : 

In Space there is a region where the pulling force of gravity is so strong because matter has been pressed into a tiny space that light is not able to escape and that region is called as Black Hole.

Black holes are invisible because of this reason only that light cannot escape.

Which state has won 2014-2015 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - Uttar Pradesh

Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 20th January 2016, Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy was won by Uttar Pradesh in the final played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

This was the straight ninth win of Uttar Pradesh in the tournament.

About Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

It is a domestic Twenty20 cricket championship which is named after a famous Indian cricketer, Syed Mushtaq Ali organized by Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), among the teams from Ranji Trophy.

The Z Factor written by Subhash Chandra released by - PM Narendra Modi 

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 20th January 2016, a book titled The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time written by Subhash Chandra was released by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is the autobiography of the promoter of Essel/ Zee Group Subhash Chandra.

Subhash Chandra a ‘truly desi’ self-made businessman who came to Delhi at age twenty with seventeen rupees in his pocket now has a net worth of 6.3 billion US dollars and annual group revenues of about 3 billion US dollars.

Who has took the charge as Executive Director of Greenpeace India - Ravi Chellam

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 20th January 2016, Noted environmentalist Ravi Chellam took charge as the Executive Director of Greenpeace India, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO).

He has replaced former Executive Director Samit Aich.

About Ravi Chellam

• He is a wildlife biologist and conservation scientist. 
• Before Greenpeace, he has worked with the United Nations Development Programme and Wildlife Institute of India.