Category: National

National

World AIDS Day 2019: Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community

HT News

Since 1988, the 1st December is celebrated as World AIDS day. Objective behind celebrating AIDS is to spread awareness about the deadly disease. Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome is an infection spread by Human Immunodeficiency virus that attacks the immune system and damages it permanently.

How is World AIDS Day celebrated?

Different organizations across the globe try to reach out to as many people as possible to educate them about HIV and AIDS. They use different forums to reach out to the last person in the society. It is taken as an opportunity to fight against HIV. The celebration motivates the people affected by HIV to continue their fight until the last breath.

How is world fighting with HIV?

The fight against HIV is fought on different platforms and at different levels. For example, the medical science has found effective treatment for AIDS. Also, the people are educated to prevent discrimination of the AIDS patients. The HIV+ people are proper medical and emotional care to keep their spirits up. But a lot needs to be done before it is too late.

Quick facts about HIV/AIDS

• In 2018, the number of HIV+ people were 37.9 million
• 79% of the patients are receiving testing
• 62% of them have received treatment
• 53% AIDS patients have achieved suppression of HIV with reduced risk of spreading infection

This year the theme for the World Aids Day 2019 is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community”. The world community will take a pledge to remove the HIV virus from the world.

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National News & Politics

What Does 4.5% GDP Say About The Country’s Economy?

HT News

The latest data released by National Statistical Office (NSO) revealed startling details about the country’s GDP. The economy grew at its slowest pace in 26 quarters in the July-September period of the current fiscal.

Highlights of the NSO data

• GDP grew by 4.5% in the September quarter
• It is slower than 5% in the previous quarter
• The manufacturer contracted 1% in September quarter
• Eight core sectors that account for 40% of index of industrial production contracted 5.8% in October

The data shows that the GDP remained slower despite the 4.3% expansion in the January-March quarter of 2012-13.The decline in manufacturing sector is the first in the nine quarters. It highlights lack of demand in the economy. The factory out with the core sector also contracted.

The eight-core sectors coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity witnessed the sharpest slide that shows that the weakness in economy has continued in the third-quarter too.

Political slugfest over economic slowdown

Former PM Manmohan Singh said that 4.5% GDP was unacceptable. But the chief economic adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian countered that the fundamentals of the economy continued to be strong. Economists also expect the economy to see some growth but they predict the economy to remain around 5.5-5.6% in 2019-20 fiscal year. But it is much lower than the 7% growth estimated earlier this year.

Former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg terms the current GDP like a recession than a slowdown for a country that has grown in excess of 7.5% per annum for 20 years.

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National Technology

ISRO Successfully Sends CARTOSAT-3 With 13 Commercial Satellites From US In The Space

HT News

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the advanced earth observation and mapping satellite CARTOSAT-3 along with 13 other commercial nano-satellites from the US at 9:28 AM on Wednesday.

CARTOSAT-3

This satellite is the ninth in series of ISRO and this 1,625 kg satellite is expected to fulfil the demand for llarge scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover. It is also expected to help in military purposes.

13 commercial satellites

These satellites are sent according to the commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space. It is a set of 13 nano-satellites including FLOCK-4P that are 12 in numbers. Their mission objective is observation of the earth. One satellite named MESHBED is sent with the objective to be used as a communication testbed.

What did ISRO say about this launch?

The premier space research organization said that this launch would be 74th launch mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. ISRO specified that the mission life of CARTOSAT-3 will be for five-years.

It is to be noted that the launch of CARTOSAT-3 with 13 commercial satellites would be the first big launch after Chandrayaan-2 mission that was ISRO’s most ambitious project to soft land on the moon.

The Chandrayaan-2 failed to land on the moon stopping India from entering into the group of countries that had successfully landed their satellites on the moon. But today’s launch proves that the ISRO is determined to take bold steps towards space research.

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National News & Politics

What is Fit India Grading System For Schools?

HT News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rolled out Fit India School grading system for schools across the country. Divided into three categories, the grading system ranks schools according to their contribution in fitness program.

What is Fit India School grading system?

It is a fitness system developed to check participation of educational institutions in popularizing fitness among students, teachers and other staff members. Also, the schools would have to invest in developing infrastructure for supporting fitness programs.

Grades of Fit India School

• The Fit India Schools

• Fit India School (3 Stars)

• Fit India School (5 Stars)

The level of ranking would be determined from the efforts, schools make for inculcating fitness in students and teachers. Also, the availability of fitness equipment would be a factor in grading.

How could schools participate in the fitness grading system?

Schools need to visit Fit India portal to declare themselves fit. They would be given ratings according to the set procedure. The portal would give Fit India three star and five-star rating to schools. The participating schools would be allowed to use Fit India flag and logo.

What did PM Modi say during launch of Fit India School?

Narendra Modi launched the Fit India School grading system in his popular radio program Mann Ki Baat on Sunday. He invited all schools across the length and breadth of the country to participate in the grading system to declare their fitness.

He appealed to all schools to enroll in the Fit India ranking system and make it a mass movement to bring awareness about what the country must strive for.

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National News & Politics

Essar Steel, Adani, GAIL, HPCL buy Bul of Reliance gas- Skip fertilizer companies

HT News

Industry sources said that Essar Steel, Adani group and State-owned GAIL recently have brought a large part of natural gas from the Reliance Industry at the inductive price of $5.04- 5.16 per unit.

On November 15, the Essar Steel select 2.25 million normal cubic meters per day or some half volume in a day-long in the Auction.

The GSPC (Gujarat State Petroleum Corp) choose 1.2 mmscmd where the GAIL and Adani Group, Mahanagar Gas Ltd picked up mmscmd each. The HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd choose 0.33 mmscmd and remain 0.10 mmscmd went to GNFC/GSFC. The partner BP PlC of Reliance of UK and they Had a search for the bids from Potential users for the 5 mmscmd of the Natural gas and they planned to generate from the R-Cluster Field in KG-D6 block from mid-2020.

New Delhi News on Reliance Limited

The bidder was said to recite the supply interval and the volume gas required. The meaning of Dated Brent is the mean of Brent published for three calendar Months straight away preceding the applicable contract month in which gas supply should be made.

8.4 percent of Dated Brent price reliance had to set a floor. On 15 November the Auction bidders recite between 8.4 and 8.6 percent slope of the corner of 5 mmscmd supply available. This gives a price of between $ 5.04 per million British terminal unit and 5.16 per mm Btu rate and the Brent price of oil is $ 60 per barrel.

For the usage in West India, the volumes are mostly planned especially in Gujarat where the gas provides through a single pipeline called the East-West pipeline. The … Read the rest

National

Delhi Is Expected To Get Its First Anti-Smog Tower By Next Winter?

HT News

Delhi will get an anti-smog tower on the lines of China by next winter. The Supreme Court advised the state and center to check feasibility of setting anti-smog towers to clean capital of pollution. Now the Delhi government come up with a plan to set one.

How is Delhi’s first anti-smog tower planned?

IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay are working on a 20-25 meters tower with 30×30 feet dimensions. The University of Minnesota that also helped China in installing an anti-smog tower recently is assisting India in making its first air purifier.

Highlights of the Delhi tower

• 20-25 meters height

• 30×30 dimensions

• Cleaning capacity of 1 sq km

• Multiple filters to release fresh air in every direction

• The filters will be made at different heights

What people associated with the project have to say about the upcoming anti-smog tower?

It would be a pilot project and the location to install the first tower is yet to be finalized said Harsha Kota assistant professor in the civil engineering department at IIT-Delhi. Kota further revealed that the Delhi tower would be different from its counterpart in China.

While the Chinese tower releases fresh air only from top, the Delhi tower will release fresh air from all directions and at different heights. He maintained that the tower would clean air within 1 sq km area and it would work locally. Professor Mukesh Kharesaid that the structure would be permanent and it would consume 1 MW of power hence would require connectivity to grid.

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National

Delhi Emerges As The Most Polluted City In Skymet’s Finding

HT News

Delhi becomes the most polluted city in the world with its Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 527 mark. A private weather forecasting agency Skymet studied that AQI of Delhi and its neighboring areas before making this declaration. The report also mentions Kolkata and Mumbai as the fifth and ninth most polluted cities with AQIs of 161 and 153 respectively.

Skymet weather forecast report

The report terms the weather in the NCR as “hazardous”. If further states that the situation is prevailing for the past nine days and that it has been the longest spell since the AQI-record keeping started.

AQI record of different areas of NCR:

• Lodhi Road area (AQI of 660)

• Faridabad (AQI of 708)

• Moti Nagar (AQI of 650)

• Paschim Vihar (AQI of 629)

What is the condition of air quality in Delhi and NCR?

Air quality in Delhi and surrounding areas of the capital has been deteriorating since the Diwali weekend. Today the city is reeling under a thick layer of dangerous smog. The AamAadmi Party (AAP) has blamed stubble burning in neighboring Haryana and Punjab for the deteriorating air quality of Delhi.

The Supreme Court reprimanded the Delhi Government and also questioned the efficacy of the Odd-Even scheme of automobile rationing in Delhi.

Measures taken to control the AQI of Delhi

Environment Pollution (Control & Prevention) Authority (EPCA) ordered closure of schools and industries not running on clean fuel for two days to keep a tab over the worsening AQI of Delhi and NCR. Skymet has also listed neighboring Pakistan, Nepal, China and Vietnam as countries facing severe air quality.

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Devotional National

SC Refers Sabarimala Temple All-Women Entry To A Larger Seven-Judge Bench

HT News

Supreme Court decided that the decision to review to end ban on women between 10 and 50 entering Sabarimala Temple in Kerala should be taken-up by a larger seven-judge bench. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi related the question of women of all ages entering into Sabarimala Temple to issue of Muslim and Parsi women and female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

What was Sabarimala Temple ban?

The apex court with a majority of 4:1 ended the centuries-old ban on women of mensural age – 10-50 – from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine last year. The SC called the religious practice of prohibiting women from 10-50 years of age as “illegal and unconstitutional”. It upheld the constitutional right of evert individual to practice their faith.

What is present status of Sabarimala Temple ban?

The court didn’t put hold on its earlier order hence there’s no ban on women of all ages entering Sabarimala Temple. The matter is only referred to a larger bench for decision.

What is the status of Sabarimala Temple ban?

Two women tried to enter the temple but were vehemently opposed by the society and political parties. It is what made people request the apex court to reconsider its decision.

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Hot News National News & Politics

SC Gives Clean Chit To Rs. 58,000 Crore Rafael Deal

HT News

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of buying 36 fully-loaded Rafael fighter jets from France while rejecting the petitions seeking review of the Rafael order. The apex court gave clean chit to the government in Rafael deal in its November 14 order.

What was the Rafael deal?

NDA government bought Rafael jets from France through a Rs. 58,000 crore inter-government deal. But the opposition parties alleged irregularities in the deal. Supreme Court was hearing the review of Rafael deal but the court found nothing concrete in the allegations and set aside the review petition for an investigation into alleged irregularities.

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National News & Politics Today's Special

Google Celebrates Children’s Day With A Doodle By A Seven-Year Old Student From India

HT News

Today’s Google Doodle on Children’s Day is drawn by the winner of the 2019 competition in India. She’s Divyanshi Singhal, a student in Gurgaon. Her design “Walking Trees” was taken as message for protecting the next generation from deforestation.

What was the 2019 competition?

For 10 years, Google has been inviting school student to draw a Doodle for Google India homepage. For 2019, it gave the theme “when I grow up I hope…’. Divyanshi Singhal predicted the right message Google wants to give by making “Walking Trees”.

Why is Children’s Day celebrated on 14th November?

14th November is the birthday of Jawahar Lal Nehru. He was the first Prime Minister and architect of the modern India. Born on 14th November 1889, Jawahar Lal Nehru was fondly called Chacha Nehru for his love for children. Children’s Day is also known as Bal Diwas and it is celebrated across the length and breadth of the country.

Earlier Children’s Day was celebrated on November 20 to coincide the celebration with Universal Children’s Day by the United Nations. And it continued until the death of Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1964. After the death of Nehru, Indian Parliament unanimously decided to celebrate the birthday Chacha Nehru as Bal Diwas.

Children’s Day celebrations in India

Bal Diwas is celebrated with much zeal in India. Cultural programs are organized in schools; civil society groups host programs for society and children are allowed to enjoy the day in schools. Also, IITF starts its international trade fair on this day.

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