1. NASA successfully flight tested Prandtl-d, prototype of first Mars airplane
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it successfully flight tested Prandtl-d aircraft.
Prandtl stands for the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars and it was developed by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Centre.
It is a prototype of the Prandtl-m aircraft, touted as the first airplane to be launched on Mars between 2020 and 2024.Key features of Prandtl-m aircraft
• It would be part of the ballast that would be ejected from the aeroshell that takes the Mars rover to the planet in the 2020s.
• It will be able to fly in the Martian atmosphere and glide down and land besides identifying some of the proposed landing sites for a future astronaut mission.
• It will send back to the Earth very detailed high resolution photographic map images that could tell scientists about the suitability of landing sites.
• It would have a flight time of around 10 minutes and would be gliding for the last 2000 feet to the surface of Mars and have a range of about 20 miles.
• Its wingspan, when it is deployed on the Mars, would measure 24 inches allowing it to fit in a 3U CubeSat. A CubeSat is a miniature satellite used for space research that is usually about four inches in each dimension and a 3U is three of those stacked together.
• In Martian atmosphere, it would weigh less than a pound (2.6 pounds on the earth as Mars gravity is 38 percent of what it is on Earth).
• It will be made of composite material, either fiberglass or carbon fiber in order to make it recover quickly from the unusual conditions of an ejection.
Prandtl-d, a flying wing aircraft with a twist, will undergo further flight tests in 2015 and 2016, results of which will be used in developing the Prandtl-m aircraft.
2. Keltron founding chairman K P P Nambiar passed away
K P P Nambiar, founding Chairman of Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keltron) died due to age-related illnesses. He was 86. Nambiar is survived by wife Umadevi Nambiar, a son and a daughter.
About K P P Nambiar
• A native of Kannur in Kerala, Nambiar was credited with setting up India's first state-run electronics venture Keltron and India's first IT park Technopark.
• He started his career at Bharat Electronics and later worked with Texas Instruments in England and Tata in Mumbai.
• He also served as the chairman of the Indian Telephone Industries from 1986 to 1988.
• He was the president of the World Malayalee Council.
• Nambiar was honoured with Padma Bhushan award in 2006.
3. Indian-American professor R Paul Singh named for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate
R Paul Singh, Indian-American professor has been selected for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate. The award was announced at the annual Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) conference held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon. Singh is known for niche research areas of agricultural sector such as freezing preservation, energy conservation, post-harvest technology and mass transfer in food processing.
4. Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ajay Ratra retired from all forms of Cricket
Former Indian cricketers Hrishikesh Kantikar and Ajay Ratra on 2 July 2015 retired from all forms of cricket.
Kanitkar, a left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, played his last Test match from 2 January to 4 January 2015 against Australia in Sydney. He played his last ODI on 30 January 2000 against Australia in Perth.
Ratra, a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper, played his last Test match from 5 September to 9 September 2002 against England at the Oval. He played his last ODI on 9 July 2002 against England at the Oval.
5. India launched eMigrate system for Foreign Employers
India in June 2015 launched online registration system named eMigrate system (www.emigrate.gov.in) for foreign employers (FEs) who wants to recruit Indian workers, including nurses. Under the system, FEs will have to register in the eMigrate system. The filled registration application will be vetted by the Indian mission. The new system will be implemented in phases.
Features of eMigrate system
• It will allow FEs to raise their demand for Indian workers and seek a permit to recruit directly or select Recruiting Agents (RAs) in online manner.
• Such FEs will have to declare the terms and conditions of employment of each category of the job at the time of applying for the demand registration.
• The declared terms and conditions of employment will act as a specimen contract and will form the part of employment contract at the time of actual recruitment.
6. Union Government launches App to know gram panchayats assets
Union Government has launched mobile App to know gram panchayats assets. It was launched by Union Rural Development and Minister Ch Birender Singh. It was launched on the occasion of Digital India Week in New Delhi. The main purpose of the app is to provide people with the information related to assets of the gram panchayats. Citizens can use this mobile app to capture photographs and geographical coordinates of various public assets in gram panchayats, like schools and hospitals etc.
7. Indian-American teacher Darshan Jain receives US Presidential Award
Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher has been selected for prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He was named for the award by President Barack Obama along with 107 Mathematics and Science teachers across US. All of them were chosen for shaping America’s success through their passion for Math and Science.
8. Punjab CM launches ePMS portal
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday launched the State Portal - ePMS (Electronic Projects Management System) - to fast track infrastructural development.
The project was kicked off to enhance efficiency, bring transparency, boost the investor confidence, revive the investment cycle, eliminate the human interaction and improve the communication between industries to Government (B2G), State to Centre (G2G), and vice versa (G2B).
9. Mahindra Group, Airbus team up for Defence contracts
n a bid to become the first private manufacturer of helicopters in India and get ahead in line to win more contracts from the country's armed forces, Europe's Airbus Group and the Mahindra Group have decided to team up.
Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Group subsidiary, Mahindra Defence are to set up a joint venture company over the next couple of months, and would seek to win orders for the Make in India programme.
India is slated to spend $250 billion over the next decade to upgrade its armed forces. The aim is to meet the country’s military requirements.
Bagging orders for India’s military helicopter tenders would be a paramount activitiy of the joint venture, which also hopes to be a prime contractor for naval utility helicopters, reconnaissance and surveillance, and naval multirole helicopters as well as for the Indian military's helicopter procurement programmes.
10. FIPB approves Kotak Mahindra Bank's proposal to increase FDI to 55%
Kotak Mahindra Bank has got a go-ahead from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for its proposal to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) in the bank to 55 per cent.
The FIPB, which takes up FDI proposals where approval is not automatic, gave a green signal to Kotak Mahindra’s proposal in its meeting on Friday, following approval from the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion. The proposal was deferred four times before.
India's FDI policy allows 100 per cent foreign investment in banks. But Kotak Mahindra’s plan of launching a general insurance venture had made the matter complicated.
The Insurance Amendment Act passed in March 2015, which increased the FDI cap in the sector to 49 per cent, stated that an Indian insurance company must be ‘Indian owned and controlled’.
11. Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of Bangladesh-based poverty alleviation NGO wins World Food Prize 2015
Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh has been named as the winner of the 2015 World Food Prize. He is founder and chairman of Bangladesh-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) BRAC (originally known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) which is world’s largest NGO. Since its formation, BRAC is being credited for helping more than 150 million people out of poverty. It was formed as a temporary relief organization to help people of Bangladesh to recover from the devastating tropical cyclone Bhola in 1972 which had killed about 500,000 people. It also had actively participated and fought in 1971 Indo-Pakistan war for independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
12. Govt releases socio-economic and caste census for better policy-making
The socio-economic and caste census (SECC) 2011 on Friday painted a grim picture of rural India, indicating that one out of three families living in villages is landless and depends on manual labour for livelihood. The SECC 2011, also the first paperless census conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government, said 23.52% rural families have no literate adult above 25 years, suggesting a poor state of education among rural masses.
The census, carried out in 640 districts under the aegis of the rural development ministry, was released jointly by finance minister Arun Jaitley and rural development minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh.
iv. According to the census, there are a total number of 24.39 crore households in the country, of which 17.91 crore live in villages. Of these, 10.69 crore households are considered as deprived.
13. SBI launches initiative to speed up home loan applications
Country's largest lender State Bank of India today launched an initiative
to provide doorstep services and expedite home loans application process. The initiative known as 'Project Tatkal' will help get the loan within 10 days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents, the bank said in a release. The implementation will be done at large centres with sizable home loan business. The bank has also recently introduced an online customer acquisition solution (OCAS) for instant e-approval of home loan applications.
1. NASA successfully flight tested Prandtl-d, prototype of first Mars airplane
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it successfully flight tested Prandtl-d aircraft.
Prandtl stands for the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars and it was developed by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Centre.
It is a prototype of the Prandtl-m aircraft, touted as the first airplane to be launched on Mars between 2020 and 2024.Key features of Prandtl-m aircraft
• It would be part of the ballast that would be ejected from the aeroshell that takes the Mars rover to the planet in the 2020s.
• It will be able to fly in the Martian atmosphere and glide down and land besides identifying some of the proposed landing sites for a future astronaut mission.
• It will send back to the Earth very detailed high resolution photographic map images that could tell scientists about the suitability of landing sites.
• It would have a flight time of around 10 minutes and would be gliding for the last 2000 feet to the surface of Mars and have a range of about 20 miles.
• Its wingspan, when it is deployed on the Mars, would measure 24 inches allowing it to fit in a 3U CubeSat. A CubeSat is a miniature satellite used for space research that is usually about four inches in each dimension and a 3U is three of those stacked together.
• In Martian atmosphere, it would weigh less than a pound (2.6 pounds on the earth as Mars gravity is 38 percent of what it is on Earth).
• It will be made of composite material, either fiberglass or carbon fiber in order to make it recover quickly from the unusual conditions of an ejection.
Prandtl-d, a flying wing aircraft with a twist, will undergo further flight tests in 2015 and 2016, results of which will be used in developing the Prandtl-m aircraft.
2. Keltron founding chairman K P P Nambiar passed away
K P P Nambiar, founding Chairman of Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keltron) died due to age-related illnesses. He was 86. Nambiar is survived by wife Umadevi Nambiar, a son and a daughter.
About K P P Nambiar
• A native of Kannur in Kerala, Nambiar was credited with setting up India's first state-run electronics venture Keltron and India's first IT park Technopark.
• He started his career at Bharat Electronics and later worked with Texas Instruments in England and Tata in Mumbai.
• He also served as the chairman of the Indian Telephone Industries from 1986 to 1988.
• He was the president of the World Malayalee Council.
• Nambiar was honoured with Padma Bhushan award in 2006.
3. Indian-American professor R Paul Singh named for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate
R Paul Singh, Indian-American professor has been selected for 2015 World Agriculture Prize laureate. The award was announced at the annual Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) conference held at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon. Singh is known for niche research areas of agricultural sector such as freezing preservation, energy conservation, post-harvest technology and mass transfer in food processing.
4. Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ajay Ratra retired from all forms of Cricket
Former Indian cricketers Hrishikesh Kantikar and Ajay Ratra on 2 July 2015 retired from all forms of cricket.
Kanitkar, a left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, played his last Test match from 2 January to 4 January 2015 against Australia in Sydney. He played his last ODI on 30 January 2000 against Australia in Perth.
Ratra, a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper, played his last Test match from 5 September to 9 September 2002 against England at the Oval. He played his last ODI on 9 July 2002 against England at the Oval.
5. India launched eMigrate system for Foreign Employers
India in June 2015 launched online registration system named eMigrate system (www.emigrate.gov.in) for foreign employers (FEs) who wants to recruit Indian workers, including nurses. Under the system, FEs will have to register in the eMigrate system. The filled registration application will be vetted by the Indian mission. The new system will be implemented in phases.
Features of eMigrate system
• It will allow FEs to raise their demand for Indian workers and seek a permit to recruit directly or select Recruiting Agents (RAs) in online manner.
• Such FEs will have to declare the terms and conditions of employment of each category of the job at the time of applying for the demand registration.
• The declared terms and conditions of employment will act as a specimen contract and will form the part of employment contract at the time of actual recruitment.
6. Union Government launches App to know gram panchayats assets
Union Government has launched mobile App to know gram panchayats assets. It was launched by Union Rural Development and Minister Ch Birender Singh. It was launched on the occasion of Digital India Week in New Delhi. The main purpose of the app is to provide people with the information related to assets of the gram panchayats. Citizens can use this mobile app to capture photographs and geographical coordinates of various public assets in gram panchayats, like schools and hospitals etc.
7. Indian-American teacher Darshan Jain receives US Presidential Award
Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher has been selected for prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He was named for the award by President Barack Obama along with 107 Mathematics and Science teachers across US. All of them were chosen for shaping America’s success through their passion for Math and Science.
8. Punjab CM launches ePMS portal
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday launched the State Portal - ePMS (Electronic Projects Management System) - to fast track infrastructural development.
The project was kicked off to enhance efficiency, bring transparency, boost the investor confidence, revive the investment cycle, eliminate the human interaction and improve the communication between industries to Government (B2G), State to Centre (G2G), and vice versa (G2B).
9. Mahindra Group, Airbus team up for Defence contracts
n a bid to become the first private manufacturer of helicopters in India and get ahead in line to win more contracts from the country's armed forces, Europe's Airbus Group and the Mahindra Group have decided to team up.
Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Group subsidiary, Mahindra Defence are to set up a joint venture company over the next couple of months, and would seek to win orders for the Make in India programme.
India is slated to spend $250 billion over the next decade to upgrade its armed forces. The aim is to meet the country’s military requirements.
Bagging orders for India’s military helicopter tenders would be a paramount activitiy of the joint venture, which also hopes to be a prime contractor for naval utility helicopters, reconnaissance and surveillance, and naval multirole helicopters as well as for the Indian military's helicopter procurement programmes.
10. FIPB approves Kotak Mahindra Bank's proposal to increase FDI to 55%
Kotak Mahindra Bank has got a go-ahead from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for its proposal to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) in the bank to 55 per cent.
The FIPB, which takes up FDI proposals where approval is not automatic, gave a green signal to Kotak Mahindra’s proposal in its meeting on Friday, following approval from the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion. The proposal was deferred four times before.
India's FDI policy allows 100 per cent foreign investment in banks. But Kotak Mahindra’s plan of launching a general insurance venture had made the matter complicated.
The Insurance Amendment Act passed in March 2015, which increased the FDI cap in the sector to 49 per cent, stated that an Indian insurance company must be ‘Indian owned and controlled’.
11. Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of Bangladesh-based poverty alleviation NGO wins World Food Prize 2015
Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh has been named as the winner of the 2015 World Food Prize. He is founder and chairman of Bangladesh-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) BRAC (originally known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) which is world’s largest NGO. Since its formation, BRAC is being credited for helping more than 150 million people out of poverty. It was formed as a temporary relief organization to help people of Bangladesh to recover from the devastating tropical cyclone Bhola in 1972 which had killed about 500,000 people. It also had actively participated and fought in 1971 Indo-Pakistan war for independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
12. Govt releases socio-economic and caste census for better policy-making
The socio-economic and caste census (SECC) 2011 on Friday painted a grim picture of rural India, indicating that one out of three families living in villages is landless and depends on manual labour for livelihood. The SECC 2011, also the first paperless census conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government, said 23.52% rural families have no literate adult above 25 years, suggesting a poor state of education among rural masses.
The census, carried out in 640 districts under the aegis of the rural development ministry, was released jointly by finance minister Arun Jaitley and rural development minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh.
iv. According to the census, there are a total number of 24.39 crore households in the country, of which 17.91 crore live in villages. Of these, 10.69 crore households are considered as deprived.
13. SBI launches initiative to speed up home loan applications
Country's largest lender State Bank of India today launched an initiative
to provide doorstep services and expedite home loans application process. The initiative known as 'Project Tatkal' will help get the loan within 10 days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents, the bank said in a release. The implementation will be done at large centres with sizable home loan business. The bank has also recently introduced an online customer acquisition solution (OCAS) for instant e-approval of home loan applications.
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