Current Affairs 22nd February 2018

Current Affairs 22nd February 2018 - Important Points

• Light Transport Aircraft SARAS completes the second test-flight on- 21st February 2018
• International Mother Language Day 2018 observed globally on - 21st February 2018
• Top 20 educational institutes of eminence to be selected by -  N Gopalaswami Committee
• Northeast’s first regional Centre for Agriculture with Israeli collaboration to come up in - March 2018
• Creation of National Urban Housing Fund approved by - The Union Cabinet 
• BS-VI grade fuel to be available from - 1st April 2018

Current Affairs 22nd February 2018 - Details

Light Transport Aircraft SARAS completes the second test-flight on- 21st February 2018

Made in India’s light-weight transport aircraft SARAS was fruitfully test flown for a 2nd time on February 21st, 2018. The flight took off from HAL’s airport Bengaluru for a text already book flight.
The aircraft test was headed by Wing Commander U.P. Singh, Group Captain R.V. Panicker and Group Captain K.P. Bhat of Indian Air Force- Aircraft and System Testing Establishment. 

This was the 2nd of the 20 test flights designed for SARAS PT1N, prior freezing the production varient. The 1st fruitful test was done on January 24th, 2018. 
Highlights of the SARAS Aircraft

• The outline and development of the aircraft has been completed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories.
• The manufacturing model outline of the aircraft is supposed to be ready by June-July 2018.
  National Aerospace Laboratories has united various outline alterations and upgradations on the aircraft consisting 2x1200 ship engines and 104 inches diameter propeller collects to cater to 2nd portion climb gradient needs.
• The aircraft also represents upgraded flight control system, main wheel, rudder area and brakes to provide to 7100 kg AUV, Made in India stall warning system, and many more.

International Mother Language Day 2018 observed globally on - 21st February 2018

The International Mother Language Day 2018 was celebrated around the world on February 21st, 2018 with an objective to encourage linguistic and traditional diversity and multilingualism.
Languages are the most authoritative instruments of conserving and developing the touchable and immaterial heritage. 

This Day encourages the dissemination of mother tongues to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education with an objective to advance fuller awareness of linguistic and traditional societies throughout the world.
Theme of International Mother Language Day 2018

• The subject of 2018 International Mother Language Day is “Linguistic diversity and multilingualism count for sustainable development.” 
• It needs the perfection over mother tongue to stand-in sustainable development.
• Native languages communicate cultures, values and old-style information, thus play dynamic role in promoting sustainable prospects.
• The International Mother Language Day also holds target six of Goal four of the Sustainable Development Goals that explains  and Ensure that all younger generation and a significant number of adults, including both males and females, attain literacy and numeracy.

Top 20 educational institutes of eminence to be selected by -  N Gopalaswami Committee

Government has formed Empowered Expert Committee to choose 20 Institutions of Eminence from 104 institutions (public or private) that have applied for the position.
The committee will be led by previous Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami. Its other associates are Professor Tarun Khanna, Director South Asia Institute at Harvard University, Renu Khator, President University of Houston and former director of IIM Lucknow, Pritam Singh.
Institutions of Eminence

• The plan of Institutions of Eminence was presented by UGC.
• It focuses to aid 20 higher education including ten public and ten private institutions from nation break into leading 500 global positions in ten years, and then ultimately break into top 100 over time.
• These chosen institutions are planned to have greater autonomy in comparison to other higher education institutions.
• They will be independent to finalise their fee for domestic and foreign students and have supple course duration and structure.
• They will be excused from approvals of government or University Grant Commission for academic
  associations with foreign institutions, excluding institutions in MEA and MHA’s list of harmful nations.
• Once finalised, the target for Institutions of Eminence will be to break into top 100 pocket in one
  internationally alleged ranking outline in ten years.
• The selected 10 government organizations will also get Rupees 1,000 crores to everyone from Human Resources Development Ministry to attain world-class status.
• There will be no financial help to the private organizations.

Northeast’s first regional Centre for Agriculture with Israeli collaboration to come up in - March 2018

Northeast India’s 1st regional Centre for Agriculture with coordination of Israel will be initiated in
Mizoram in March 2018. It will be 1st od its kind centre in North East area of India being formed with
Israeli association. There are 22 similar operational centres formed around India with help of Israel consisting in states of Gujrat, MP, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. The 1st centre was formed in 2008 in Haryana. 

Centre for Agriculture This centre will be completely for processing of citrus fruits and will supply to the complete north-east. It has been formed with three-way Association of Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of Mizoram and Government of Israel. Israel will deliver expert knowledge and professional assistance to the centre.
Importance

• It will advantage the farmers of the north-eastern region for long time and will also boost the farmers from other areas.
• It will work as model of learning for other nations in Indian sub-continent.

Creation of National Urban Housing Fund approved by - The Union Cabinet 

The Union Cabinet has passed formation of Rupees 60,000 crores National Urban Housing Fund to
finance Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) which focuses to construct 1.2 crore reasonable houses in
urban areas by 2022.
National Urban Housing Fund

• National Urban Housing Fund will be kept under guidance of Building Materials and Technology
  Promotion Council.
• It will be elevated from non-budgetary bases and will knock into present government
  units including Housing and Urban Development Corp.
• National Urban Housing Fund will enable raising mandatory finances in coming 4 years and plug any
  budgetary shortcomings.
• It will smoothly tolerate and building of houses to report gap in Urban Sector developments by regulating flow of Central Assistance under various verticals including Beneficiary Linked Construction, Affordable Housing in Partnership, In-Situ Slum Redevelopment and Credit Linked
  Subsidy Scheme.
  Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council
• Building Material and Technology Promotion Council is an independent organization under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• It is answerable to undertake development, research and large-scale new building material techniques.

BS-VI grade fuel to be available from - 1st April 2018

The Union Government on February 21st, 2018 passed the information to the Supreme Court that it has advanced the convenience of the BS-VI grade fuel by 2 years. Now, the BS-VI grade fuel will be present in Delhi-NCR from April 1st, 2018. Previous, the BS-VI grade fuel was believed to be available from April 1st, 2020. 

The news was given the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry to a Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Madan B.Lokur. Initially, BS-VI fuel was to available in the market in 2020 but now it will be available from 2018 and in the first chance, Delhi- NCR will initiate getting it from April 1st, 2018. 

Reasons leading for the advance availability of the BS-VI grade fuel

• The Ministry provided this information in an affidavit as it was told to file by the apex court on the past hearing of the matter on February 5th, 2018.
• The court had asked the Ministry to announce its position on the summary of BS-VI fuel after amicus curiae Aparajita Singh described the attention of the court to a November 15th, 2017 press release saying that BS-VI grade automobile fuels will be presented in Delhi from April 1st, 2018.
• The press note also inform that even Public Sector Oil Marketing Organizations have been asked to study the possibility of introduction of BS-VI automobile fuels in the Delhi-NCR from April 1st, 2019.
• After covering NCR, the government aims to make BS-VI grade fuel in the rest of the nation.
• Need for BS-VI The Union Government finalised to switch to BS-VI grade fuel straight from BS-IV bouncing BS-V, after Environment Pollution Control Authority in its April 2017 statement informed the top court that only BS-VI emission values complaint vehicles should be permitted to be sold from April 1st, 2020.