TELANGANA

• Maharashtra villages seek merger with Telangana
• Leaders of five Nanded assembly seats — Nalgaon, Bhokar, Degloor, Kinwat and Hathgaon — bordering Telangana urged KCR that schemes such as Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima be implemented there too. Apart from Nanded, leaders are also asking for TRS tickets from Bhiwandi, Sholapur and Rajara, which has sizeable numbers from Telangana.
• Two years ago, 40 villages in Dharmabad taluk passed a resolution demanding merger with Telangana. Soon, the Maharashtra government declared a Rs 40 crore grant to the villages.
• After the merger of Hyderabad with the Indian Union following police action on September 17, 1948, a Hyderabad state with parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka came into existence on January 26, 1950. However, after the Centre decided to create states on linguistic lines in 1956, Marathi-speaking areas were merged with Maharashtra, while Kannada-speaking areas went to Karnataka.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

·         New York Becomes Second US State To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

 

ð  New York became the second US state to ban flavored e-cigarettes. following several vaping-linked deaths that have raised fears about a product long promoted as less harmful than smoking.

ð  The health council passed emergency legislation proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo outlawing flavored vaping products amid an outbreak of severe pulmonary disease that has killed seven people and sickened hundreds.
The ban comes into force with immediate effect. Michigan became the first state to declare a ban earlier this month, but that law has yet to be implemented.

ð  The ban does not prohibit menthol or tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.E-cigarettes have been available in the US since 2006 used as an aid to quit smoking traditional tobacco products like cigarettes.Their use among adolescents skyrocketed in recent years.

 

ð  Vitamin E is a commonly used nutritional supplement but is dangerous when inhaled.San Francisco, the home of market leader Juul Labs, became the first American city to ban e-cigarettes in June last year.

NATIONAL

·         India to generate 175 GW of clean energy by 2022

• Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan the country was on course to generate 175 GW of clean energy by 2022.
• The energy 175 GW of clean energy production in the country, out of which 100 GW would be through solar and rest through other sources.
• The country has set a target of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases between 33 percent and 35 percent to combat climate change and global warming.
• The Ayushman Bharat holds the Health portfolio around 50 lakh people have availed themselves of benefits under it over the past year, and the government has spent Rs 7,500 crore.
• This synergy would help achieve the Prime Minister’s vision of making the country among top scientific nations by 2030

·         Bharat Electronics Limited to deliver more Akash missiles to Indian Air Force

• State-run Bharat Electronics Ltdsigned a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi. The main aim is to deliver its surface-to-air Akash missile systems to seven more squadrons of the Indian Air Force. They are at a cost of Rs 5,357 crore over the next three years. The contract with specialist infrastructure, the systems will be commissioned in three years at seven Air Force bases across the country.
• The contract with specialist infrastructure, the systems will be commissioned in three years at seven Air Force bases across the country.
• The company supplied the medium-range missile defence system to six Air Force squadrons in 2015-16 against an earlier order by the MoD.
• The missiles are designed and developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics.

 

• Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system .

 

• ISRO and DRDO ink MoUs to provide technologies for human-centric systems for Human Space Mission

 

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined hands with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the development of human-centric systems for the Human Space Mission to demonstrate its human space flight capabilities.

 

• The technological capabilities existing in DRDO laboratories for defence applications will be customised to meet the requirements of the human space mission of ISRO.

 

• ISRO aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability before the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022.

 

• Air-to-Air Missile Astra successfully flight tested from Su-30 MKI

 

• India’s indigenously designed air-to-air missile Astra was successfully test-fired from the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha.

 

• The beyond-visual-range missile was launched from Sukhoi-30 MKI as a part of user trials.

 

• Various radars, electro-optical tracking system and sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with the target.

 

• Astra has been designed by the DRDO, the premier research and development organisation of the armed forces in the country.

 

• The Astra is capable of engaging targets of different ranges and altitudes including long-range as well as short-range targets.

 

• Trilateral Exercise “SITMEX” Commences at Port Blair

 

• A maiden trilateral exercise SITMEX, involving Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Royal Thailand Navy (RTN) and Indian Navy (IN) started at Port Blair.

 

• The exercise aims to bolster the maritime inter-relationships among Singapore Thailand and India, and contribute significantly to enhance the overall maritime security in the region.

 

• This would also strengthen the mutual confidence amongst three navies in terms of interoperability and development of a common understanding of procedures.

 

• Indo-Thailand Joint Exercise ‘Maitree’ in Umroi

 

• Opening Ceremony of Indo-Thailand Joint Exercise Maitree was conducted at Joint Training Node, Umroi.

 

• Indian Army and Royal Thailand Army contingents put up a brilliant march past demonstration &  weapons and equipment were displayed for the RTA Contingent.

 

• The exercise will culminate with a 48 hours joint exercise which will showcase the planning and execution of joint skills of soldiers while conducting any counter-terrorism operation.