Swavlamban 2023: 2nd edition of Indian Navy’s NIIO Seminar held in New Delhi
Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence(MoD), launched Swavlamban 2023 (Swavlamban 2.0), the 2nd edition of the Indian Navy’s Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar, in New Delhi, Delhi. The 2-day seminar was held from 4th to 5th October 2023.During the seminar 5th Positive Indigenisation List (5th PIL) of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), MoD comprising 98 itemswas released.defence minister launched the 76 challenges for the industry under the 10th Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC 10) and DISC 10 PRIME of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX).He also launched the Indian Navy’s updated Indigenisation Roadmap‘Swavlamban 2.0’
About Ministry of Defence
Union Minister – Rajnath Singh (Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS) – Ajay Bhatt (Constituency – Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
India-UAE Sign MoU in 7 Areas, with Emphasis on Space Technology, Renewable Energy, and AI
- United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 11th India-UAE high-level joint task force on investments in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United ArabEmirates (UAE).
- India and the UAE have signed an MoU in seven areas such as supply chain resilience, renewable energy and energy efficiency, health and life sciences, space systems, AI, Industry 4.0 and advanced technologies, as well as standardisation and metrology.
- These MoUs align with the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which aims to strengthen the UAE’s role as a trade and logistics hub.
- NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and Al Etihad Payments (AEP) entered into an agreement to implement a Domestic Card Scheme (DCS) in the UAE. This partnership is set to revolutionize e-commerce, digital payments, and financial inclusion in the UAE, leveraging India’s expertise in secure payment systems and its widely acclaimed RuPay card network.
- NIPL: a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
- AEP: an indirect subsidiary of the Central Bank of UAE (CBUAE)
North America’s First Gandhi Museum Opens in Houston
- Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston(EGMH), North America’s first Gandhi Museum opened in Houston, Texas, United States of America (USA).
- The ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Museum was held on 2nd October on the occasion of the 154th birth anniversary of Gandhi While the museum officially opened to the public on 15th August 2023.
- Dr Rajmohan Gandhi(grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), Isaac Newton Farris Jr(nephew of Martin Luther King), and Consulate General of India(CGI) Houston D Manjunath were the special guests amongst several at the event.
- The architecture of the 13,000-square-foot museum is inspired by Gandhi’s twentyfour-spoke Chakra spinning wheel and the statue of Gandhi placed in front of the museum.
- The semi-circular museum’s outside walls depict notable peace activists such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Betty Williams.
- The exhibits are interactive and interesting, portraying the tale of Gandhi’s life in three parts: “His Journey,” “Our Journey,” and “My Journey.”
Iran’s Narges Mohammadi awarded Nobel Peace Prize 2023
- Nobel Peace Prize 2023 was awarded to 51-year-old Narges Mohammadi from Iran “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”
- With this win, she became the 2nd Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize after Shirin Ebadi (also the first Muslim woman) who won the award in 2003.
- Notably, Narges Mohammadi is currently serving a 10-year, 9-month jail sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran on various charges, including spreading propaganda against the state.
About Iran:
Capital– Tehran
Currency– Iranian Rial
President– Ebrahim Raisi
RBI Appoints Muneesh Kapur as New Executive Director
- RBI has appointed Muneesh Kapur as Executive Director (ED) with effect from October 3, 2023.
- As executive director, Muneesh Kapur will monitor the Department of Economic and Policy Research.
- Prior to his appointment as ED, he was serving as Adviser-in-Charge of Monetary Policy Department and secretary to the Monetary Policy Committee(MPC).
- He also served as an adviser to the executive director of the International Monetary Fund(IMF) during 2012-15.
Amazon Launched First Test Satellites for Project Kuiper Satellite System
Amazon.com, Inc.(AMZN.O) has launched the first two prototype satellites KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2to low Earth orbit (LEO) at the height of 500 kilometers (311 miles) as part of “Protoflight” mission of Project Kuiper.
The satellite was launched by United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States of America (USA).
Key Points:
- Project Kuiper satellite system is a network of satellites in LEO. The Kuiper System will operate ataltitudes between 590 and 630 kilometers (roughly 367 to 391 miles).
- The project aims to provide fast and affordable internet to more than 10 million of underserved communities around the world.
- To make it feasible, Amazon planned to launch 3,236 satellites that make up a satellite constellation to LEO
- To reduce the overlap of the satellites, each one of them will operate within 9 kilometers of their assigned altitude.
- To launch the satellite Amazon has signed contracts with three commercial space companies namely Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance.
- To launch the satellite Amazon has signed contracts with three commercial space companies namely Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance.
- The half of the planned satellites must be operational by 2026, and all of them must be operational by 2029.
- This project is competing with SpaceX’s Starlink project.
About Amazon.com, Inc.:
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Andy Jassy
Headquarters – Seattle, Washington, United States of America(USA)
Established in – 1994
KCP Delivers Integrated AirDrop Test – Crew Module Structure to ISRO for Gaganyaan Mission
- The Chennai-based KCP Heavy Engineering (KCP HE) hands over the first Integrated Air Drop Test-Crew Module (IADT-CM) structure to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the purpose of assessing technology readiness for the Gaganyaan spacecraft
- ISRO designed the IADT-CM structure, which was built in Thiruvotriyur, Chennai, by KCP-Heavy Engineering Unit for heavy casting, machining, and fabrication.
- This was the first IADT-CM out of two orders by ISRO to KCP while the second IADT-CM is set to be delivered by March 2024.
- The IADT-CM weighs 3,120 kg, has a diameter of 3.1 metres, and a height of 2.6 metres.
- It accommodates major subsystems like parachute systems, pyros, avionics, and buoyance augmentation systems.
- The IADT-CM system will be tested using an Indian Air Force helicopter at an altitude of 3.6 to 4 kilometres to assess the performance of the deceleration system (parachute and pyro’s).
World Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day 2023- October 8
World Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day (H2FC Day) is annually observed on October 8 to recognise theimportance of the chemical element, Hydrogen, and its role in the transition towards a cleaner and more equitable energy future.
The day aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of hydrogen as a clean and sustainable energy source, along with the versatile technology of fuel cell
Key Points:
- In June 2015, the Senate of the United States of America (USA) designated the 8th October of every year as ‘‘National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day’’.The idea of the observance was initiated by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA), the trade association for the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry in the USA.
- The first H2FC Day was observed on 8th October 2015
Indian Air Force(IAF) Day 2023 – October 08
Indian Air Force(IAF) Day is annually observed across India on October 8 to commemorate the establishment of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1932.8th October 2023 marks the celebration of the 91st Anniversary of the Indian Air Force.The Indian Air Force is also known as Bharatiya Vayu Sena
- The Air Force Day parade (a showcase of the IAF’s personnel and equipment) and Air Display(display of aerial acrobatics and aerobatics) are two of the most important events.
- A woman officer, Group Captain Shaliza Dhamia (a helicopter pilot), led the Indian Air Force Day parade for the first time ever
- As part of the events, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari unveiled the new IAF Ensign.
- The legendary Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG)-21 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) took its final air display flight on IAF day 2023.
About Indian Air Force (IAF):
Chief of the Air Staff – VR Chaudhari
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 1932
Motto – Touching the sky with Glory
World Post Day 2023 – October 9
United Nations (UN) World Post Day is annually observed across the globe on 9 October to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland.The day aims to bring awareness about the role of the postal sector in everyday lives of people andbusinesses, as well as its contribution to global social and economic development.The theme of World Post Day 2023 observed on 9th October 2023 is “Together for trust: Collaborating for a safe and connected future”.
Key Points:
- In 1969, the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan adopted the resolution C 11/1969 and recommended that the 9th of October (the anniversary of the founding of the UPU) each year be observed as UPU Day.
- UPU Day” has been renamed ‘World Post Day’ by resolution C 32/1984 at the Hamburg Congress in Germany
- The first World Post Day was celebrated in 1969