06.04.19 APSC (Assam) Current Affairs

ASSAM

Usable groundwater rapidly depleting in north, east India: Study

India’s northern and eastern states saw a rapid decline in usable ground water between 2005 and 2013, raising an impending risk of severe droughts, food crisis, and drinking water scarcity for millions of people, researchers have found.

Groundwater-level data was used from 3,907 in situ monitoring wells across the country and the total UGWS was estimated between 2005 and 2013.
The estimate shows rapid depletion of UGWS in Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.

In these areas, increases in agricultural food productions have resulted at the cost of non-renewable loss in groundwater volume at an alarming rate, the researchers wrote in the study published in the journal Advances in Water Resources.
On the other hand, southern and western Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chattisgarh show replenishing usable groundwater storage trends.

The estimates show rapid depletion of usable groundwater storage during 2005-2013 in most of northern parts, losing 8.5 cubic kilometre per year (km3/year) of total groundwater, and eastern parts which lost 5 km3/year of total groundwater.

India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. It uses an estimated 230 km of groundwater per year – over a quarter of the global total.

About 85 per cent of rural drinking water needs and 65 per cent of irrigation needs and 50 per cent of urban drinking water and industrial needs are fulfilled from the ground water.

A northeastern state like Assam, which was regarded always as water-affluent, has lost two per cent of its usable groundwater resource, and is at the brink of suffering drought and famine in impending years.

Assam and some parts of eastern India seems to be losing the usable groundwater storage at the highest rate, within the study period, the researchers found.

Subsequently, many of these states are now intermittently getting affected by the “groundwater drought” in recent summers.

INTERNATIONAL

BSE, India INX become first Indian exchanges to sign MoU with Moscow Exchange

BSE and India International Exchange (India INX) have signed a memorandum of understanding with Moscow Exchange (MOEX).

The MoU has been signed to connect investor community and companies in both countries besides allowing a capital formation platform.

BSE and India INX are the first Indian exchanges to enter into the MoU with Moscow exchange.

The exchange companies have agreed to the secondment of senior personnel to enhance understanding of activities in each other’s market.

Japan space probe drops explosive on an asteroid to make a crater

Japan’s space agency JAXA,has said its Hayabusa2 spacecraft released an explosive onto an asteroid.

The explosive was used to make a crater on its surface and collect underground samples to find possible clues to the origin of the solar system.

Hayabusa2 successfully touched down on a tiny flat surface on the boulder-rich asteroid in February 2019.

NATIONAL

Praful Patel becomes 1st Indian to be elected as member of FIFA Executive Council

Praful Patel is the current president of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
He got 38 out of 46 votes.
His membership in the council will be for four years, from 2019 to 2023.
Patel was accompanied by AIFF general secretary Kushal Das and senior vice-president Subrata Datta.
FIFA Council member election was held during the 29th Asian Football Confederations (AFC) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Small tea growers to get app based training

The Indian tea industryin association with Solidaridad, a global sustainability organisation, has launched an app that will act as a digital training tool for these growers while helping establish traceability for the segment, promoting quality and safe-farm practices. The small tea growers’ share in India’s total tea crop is hovering at about 50%.
Digital traceability has already been established for 2,500 such growers inAssam, West Bengal and the southern States. This will now be gradually extended to 70,000 small tea growers by 2019.
Trinitea is an initiative by Indian Tea Association and Solidaridad for small tea growers. It has proposed a Rs.8 crore investment till 2021, in these efforts.

Dhanush Artillery Gun inducted into Indian Army
Dhanush, the first indigenous long-range artillery gun has been inducted into the Indian Army.

The 155 mm calibre artillery gun was manufactured by the Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory.

After the induction of M-777 ultra-light howitzers in November 2018, the country’s first indigenously designed and developed Dhanush gun has been inducted in the Indian army.

This is expected to add more firepower to the armed forces.

Dhanush Gun system can be employed in all types of terrain and is one of the new generations towed artillery gun system better-upgraded features over the existing Bofors.

DRDO says that all low earth satellites are in reach of ASAT missile

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said that the anti-satellite (ASAT) test, Mission Shakti, conducted in the month of March is a “deterrence capability” and the missile can cover all satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
LEO was chosen based on simulations with the primary objective being to minimise debris. It was intentionally done at 280 km altitude so that debris decay fast It also said that the guidance and control algorithm has been developed to do interception at 1,000 km above the earth.The test covered all LEO satellites, including those for military use.
DRDO also reported that NASA is continuing its cooperation with India,including in the manned mission to space.

National Handloom Week observed from 7th April to 14th April

It is a celebration of the country’s 5,000-year old tradition of hand weaving cloths.
On this occasion, a book named ‘The Indian textile Sourcebook’ authored by Avalon Fotheringham and published by Thames and Hudson will be launched on 9th April.
In 2018, the National Handloom Week was observed during December month.
The National Handloom Dayis observed on 7th August every year across India. It was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905.
The First National handloom day was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 7, 2015 in Chennai.

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