GUJARAT

Gujarat govt to wind up graft-ridden GLDC

The government of Gujarat has decided to close down the Gujarat Land Development Corporation (GLDC), which was rocked by the Rs 200 crore ‘check dam scam’ a few months ago.
The government has decided to close down the public sector unit after failing to control the rampant corruption in it. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) also reported massive irregularities in GLDC.

GLDC is a state government undertaking and was formed under the Companies Act in 1978. The objective of the corporation was to undertake soil and water conservation programmes and to execute various state government watershed schemes on project basis. It was also meant to execute special schemes related to run-off water storage, such as desilting of ponds and digging bigger farm ponds to raise the water table and improve agricultural outcomes.

INTERNATIONAL

India-Japan military exercise Dharma Guardian-2018 begins in Mizoram

Armies of India and Japan began their first-ever joint military exercise at Mizoram’s Vairengte.

The focus of the two-week-long exercise ‘Dharma Guardian-2018″ will be to enhance tactical skills against global terrorism and increase interoperability between the two forces.

The Japanese contingent is represented by 32nd Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles.

Pather Panchali’ is only Indian movie to feature in BBC’s 100-best foreign language films

Satyajit Ray’s epic masterpiece ‘Pather Panchali’ has been included by BBC’s 100 best foreign language films but it is the only film from India to feature in the list.

Ray’s film, released in 1955, was placed at number 15 in the list, which has been topped by Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’.

27 of the highest-rated films were in French, followed by 12 in Mandarin, and 11 each in Italian and Japanese.

· Oceans are heating up 60 percent faster : IPCC

Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) said that the world’s oceans have absorbed60% more heat than previously thought over the last quarter of a century leaving Earth more sensitive still to the effects of climate change.
The Scientists also said that the world’s oceans have absorbed 90%of the temperature rise caused by man-made carbon emissions.

The IPCC warned that drastic measures need taking in order to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius by the end of the century but the world produced a record amount of carbon emissions in 2017.

GK bit –IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess climate change based on the latest science.

IPCC reports cover the “scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out original research.

NATIONAL

· India will become 3rd largest aviation market in world by 2020: Government

Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale announced that India is aimed at laying 40 kilometres of highways every day by 2018 and 2019 – a three-time jump from four years ago.
Projects which lift India’s position to 3rd largest aviation market by 2020 are:
Chabahar port being develped in Iran to improve connectivity to the West.
Activities in Bangladesh include inland waterways container ports.
The Kaladan project being implemented in Myanmar.

· AQI of Delhi remains very poor

National Capital Region has been tested with air quality still atvery poor range. The Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research(SAFAR) recorded the Capital’s Air Quality Index at 368, which denotes a very poor range. It also said if it is maintained so, then there are chances that the next three days will see little improvement.
It stated that about 12% of pollution by PM 2.5 (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres) was caused due to stubble burning.

System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR):
SAFAR functions under the planning scheme “Metropolitan Advisories for Cities for Sports, Tourism (Metropolitan Air Quality and Weather Services), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Govt. of India
The SAFAR system is developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, along with ESSO partner institutions namely India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF)
The objective of the project is to increase awareness among the general public regarding the air quality in their cities well in advance so that appropriate mitigation measures and systematic action can be taken up for the betterment of air quality and related health issues.

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