India's first dedicated heliport inaugurated in Delhi
The Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has inaugurated the first ever dedicated heliport at Rohini in Delhi.
The heliport is built by state-owned Pawan Hans Ltd.
The heliport consists of a terminal building and capacity of 150 passengers.
This heliport is expected to reduce congestion at the Delhi Airport, which currently handles about 40-50 helicopter arrivals and departure.
Note:The Heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift platforms.
Prabhu flags off Humsafar express between Sriganganagar and Tiruchirapalli
The union Railways minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off via video conferencing new 'Humsafar Express' between Sriganganagar and Tiruchirapalli in New Delhi.
The new train is fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals.
The minister also flagged off an “Antyodaya Express” between Ernakulam and Howrah.
Note: Antyodaya Express is long-distance, fully unreserved, super-fast train service for the common man to be operated on dense routes.
Sixty-six radio channels sold in 2nd round of FM Phase III auctions
According to Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Sixty-Six radio channels have been provisionally sold in 48 towns in the second round of the FM Phase III auctions and fetched over 200 crore rupees.
No takers have been found for 200 FM channels.
An FM Radio channel in Hyderabad notched the highest 23.4 crore rupees and bid was made by Sun Group company “Kal Radio”.
The second batch of FM Phase-III consisted of 266 channels in 92 cities.
Jitendra Singh inaugurates group exhibition paintings by Jammu artists
The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated a group exhibition of paintings by Jammu artists at Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi.
The various displays put up in the exhibition included abstract paintings with focus on essence of nature, figurative and realistic works representing the magnanimous landscape and paintings with bold palette nice strokes.
Railways unveils new catering policy
The union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has released a new catering policy in New Delhi.
Under the new policy, meals for all mobile units will be picked up from the nominated kitchens, owned operated and managed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
Allotment of minor catering units at all category of stations will be done through open tender.
Now, it has been envisaged that tenure of all static units except kitchen units and food plaza shall be five years only.
Note:
For the first time, allotment of reserved category) at all stations will be done through open tendering system within the similar reserved category.
Thirty-three percent sub-quota for women in allotment of each category of minor catering units at all stations has been provided.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates National workshop on Urban development
Today, the union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated a National workshop on urban development at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi.
Major urban sector reforms and six new initiatives were discussed with States and Union Territories at a National Workshop on Urban Development.
28th February: National Science Day in India
India celebrates National Science Day on 28th February of every year to commemorate the discovery of the Raman effect in 1928 by Indian physicist Sir C.V. Raman.
The basic objective of observation of National science day is to spread the message of the importance of science and its application among the people.
Raman honored with the highest civilian award in India, the Baharat Ratna in 1954.
The theme for the year 2017 is “Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons”.
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was born in the former Madras Province in India presently called as Tamil Nadu, who carried out ground-breaking work in the field of light scattering which earned him the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Raman effect
Raman effect is a change of wavelength exhibited by some of the radiation scattered in a medium.
The effect is specific to the molecules which cause it and so can be used in spectroscopic analysis.
Queen Elizabeth II hosts reception to launch UK-India Year of Culture
Today, Queen Elizabeth II (90-year) hosted a reception at the Buckingham Palace to launch the UK-India Year of Culture 2017.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley representing the Indian government at the historic event.
Queen was joined by her husband, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, grandson Prince William and his wife Kate.
It shows cased the cultural diversity of India in the form of dance.
India is now the third largest investor and second largest job creator in the United Kingdom.
RBI sets up inter-disciplinary standing committee to review cyber threats
The RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has announced setting up of an inter-disciplinary standing committee on cyber security to review the threats inherent in the existing and emerging technology
The 11-member committee will study the adoption of various security standards and protocols, interface with stakeholders and suggest appropriate policy intervention to strengthen cyber security and resilience.
The committee, headed by a RBI Executive Director, can co-opt more experts and also operate through a framework of sub-committees to examine specific issues.
Earlier, the RBI had issued guidelines to banks in June last year mandating cyber-security preparedness to tackle cyber risks.
Former Union Minister P. Shiv Shankar passes away
Former Union Minister and Veteran Congress leader P. Shiv Shankar (88-year) passed away in Hyderabad.
Shiv Shankar was prominent leader from backward classes born in Ranga Reddy district,
He became a Minister in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet holding portfolio of law and Justice.
Later he also held portfolios of external affairs, Commerce, petroleum and Human Resources Development ministries in Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi cabinets.
Gopal Baglay appointed as new spokesperson of MEA
Indian Foreign Service officer Gopal Baglay (1992-batch) has been appointed as the new spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.
He replaced Vikas Swarup, who is headed to Canada as envoy.
Mr Baglay earlier headed the division of the MEA dealing with Pakistan and also served as the Deputy High Commissioner to Islamabad.
Kabir Bedi appointed as brand ambassador of ‘Sightsavers’
Noted film actor Kabir Bedi has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of "Sightsavers".
Kabir Bedi is known in the United Kingdom for his role as villainous henchman Gobinda in 1983 James Bond movie ‘Octopussy'.
Note:
Sightsavers is an international global organization that works with partners in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness, and promote equality for people with visual impairments and other disabilities.
It is based in Haywards Heath in the United Kingdom, with branches in Sweden, Norway, India, Italy, Republic of Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, and the USA.
Andaman’s Radhanagar beach featured in top 10 beaches of World
American travel website “TripAdvisor” has ranked Radhanagar beach on the Havelock Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) among top 10 beaches in the world in February 2017.
The beach has secured the 8th position in the world and top spot in Asia in TripAdvisor's World's Travellers' Choice Award-Winning Beaches.
The Baia do Sancho Fernando de Noronha in Brazil topped the list.
Note:
The website TripAdvisor has honored 343 beaches, including the top 25 in the world.
Winners were determined based on the quantity and quality of traveler reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor, gathered over a 12-month period.
