NEWS 10-03-2019. NEWS FOR 11-MAR (MONDAY) March 19 Week 1 · 1) The Govt. has launched a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), which can be used to make payments across public transport anywhere in the country, including Metro, bus and suburban railways, for toll and parking, and for retail like any credit or debit card. · 2) India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase the population of three species of Asian Rhinos namely Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Javan rhino, and Sumatran rhino. The 5 countries have signed the New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 for the conservation and protection of the species. · 3) Bajrang Punia won gold in the freestyle wrestling 65kg category and Pooja Dhanda claimed gold in the 59kg category at the recent Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov Wrestling in Ruse, Bulgaria. · 4) Tata Steel has been recognised as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute for 2019. Ethisphere Institute is a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. · 5) India has successfully test-fired two indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air missiles (QRSAM). The QRSAM missile is an all-weather. All-terrain missile with electronic counter measures against jamming by aircraft radars. It utilises solid-fuel propellant and has a range of 25-30 km. The test has successfully demonstrated the missiles robust control, aerodynamics and structural performance.February 19 Week 4 · 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF), armed with Israeli Precision Guided Munitions (PGM), hit the largest training camp of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Balakot inside Pakistan. Foreign Secretary, Vijay Gokhale confirmed that a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and fidayeen were eliminated in the operation. · Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial adjoining the India Gate in New Delhi. The memorial honours the fallen Indian Armed Forces soldiers after Independence. · For the first time, India would be attending the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Foreign Ministers Meet to be held in Abu Dhabi on March 1st & 2nd. The host UAE has stated that the friendly country, India has been named as the guest of honour in view of its increasing global political stature as well as cultural and historically pluralistic legacy. · Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has awarded French defence company Thales a contract to supply 135, 2.75-inch (70-mm) rocket launchers. These certified, field-proven, competitive rocket launchers are suitable for use on both light and combat helicopters. The order is aimed to boost the tactical capabilities of the Indian armed forces. · Nitin Gadkari, the minister of Water Resources has stated that India would fully utilise its share of unused water from the rivers Ravi, Beas & Sutlej that have been flowing into Pakistan. This action is in line with steps taken by the Government to corner & pressurise Pakistan to act against the perpetrators of terrorism operating from Pakistan and is a retaliatory action after Pulwama attack. On the economic front, India has also placed a 200% tax on imports from Pakistan and has stripped Pakistan of the Most Favoured Nation title. Week 3 · U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to create a Military Space Force. This force will be the sixth branch of the U.S. military, to go along with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines & Coast Guard. · The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) standard certification for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from DRDO. The DRDO’s FOC certification testifies the combat readiness of Tejas. · The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has received clearance from the Ministry of Defence for the production of 114 ‘Dhanush’, long range artillery guns. Dhanush Long Range Artillery Guns are the first ever indigenous 155 mm x 45 calibre long-range towed artillery howitzer gun. The maximum range is 38kms.They are equipped with inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, onboard ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system. The self-propulsion unit on Dhanush allows the gun to negotiate and deploy itself in mountainous terrains with ease. · Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled ‘state-of-the-art’ domestically produced submarine ‘Fateh’, which is capable of firing cruise missiles. · In retaliation to the Pulwama attack, Indian Govt has removed the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) status from Pakistan. It has also imposed 200% of Excise duty on items being imported from Pakistan. It has also decided to snap all sports engagement with the nation. < < Back