NEWS 03-04-2019. NEWS FOR 5-APR (FRIDAY) March 19 WEEK 3 & 4 · 1) Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally inducted 4 Chinook heavy-lift utility helicopters made in the US. The other 11 will join by Mar 2020. It will give the IAF quantum leap in terms of ability to transport men & material to difficult locations. · 2) Under project ‘Mission-Shakti’, India successfully test fired an anti-satellite (A-SAT) missile by shooting down a live satellite in the Low Earth Orbit. India has joined the elite 3other countries U.S., Russia and China to have the A-SAT technology. · 3) 4 indigenous Dhanush Howitzer guns were inducted in the Indian Army. Dhanush Long Range Artillery Guns are the first ever indigenously developed 155 mm x 45 caliber long-range artillery guns. · 4) Pakistan Govt has approved a proposal to establish a corridor which would allow Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharda Peeth in the region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). · 5) India has banned the Yasin Malik-led Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) as an unlawful association, under the provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). JKLF was posing threat to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. · 6) Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary of India smashed the qualification world record and won the 10m air pistol mixed team gold in the 12th Asian Airgun Championship in Taipei. Week 2 · 1) The indigenously developed Pinaka Guided Weapons System was successfully test fired at Pokhran. The successful trial gives a boost to the artillery capability of the Indian Army. The Pinaka Mark II has an increased range of 70-80km as opposed to the earlier 30-40km. · 2) India and Russia have signed an agreement for the leasing of Chakra III, an Akula Class nuclear-powered attack submarine for the Indian Navy for a period of 10 years. The Chakra III will be delivered to the Indian Navy by 2025. The addition of a nuclear-powered submarine is an attempt to bolster the naval prowess of the country as a counter to attempts being made by China to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region. · 3) The Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change has amended the Hazardous & Other Wastes Rules, 2016 to completely ban the import of solid plastic waste. The ban is in line with the principles of sustainable development and aims at discouraging the use of single-use plastics and in its place encourages the recycling of plastic waste to reduce the ecological burden overall. < < Back