The Central Excise Day (CED) is celebrated on which date in India ?

 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched its 3136 kg GSAT-19 communication satellite with its brand new and heaviest – Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III D-1 (GSLV-Mk III D-1) satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on June 5, 2017. The satellite GSAT-19 has an intended life span of 10 years and is developed to improve telecommunication and broadcasting areas. The GSLV-Mk III is popularly known as “fat boy” and is developed for 15 years at a cost of around Rs 300 crore. The rocket is capable of carrying payloads of up to 4,000 kg into the GTO and 10,000 kg into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The GSLV-Mk III is a three stage rocket. Its first stage is made of two strap on motors filled with solid fuel. The second stage uses the liquid fuel and the third is the cryogenic upper stage “C25”, which is powered by the highly complex indigenous cryogenic engine “CE20”. The number 20 denotes the 20-ton thrust it generates for the rocket to reach the intended height with the heavy mass on board.

India’s first smartcard-based Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) initiative has launched in Mysuru, Karnataka on June 4, 2017. The cost of the project, partly funded by World Bank’s Global Environmental Facility, for the next six years is Rs 20.5 crore, covering the maintenance of the docking stations and bicycles. About 450 bicycles will be available for public use in the city. To rent a bicycle, the citizens of Mysuru or tourists need to register themselves either online or by visiting one of the six registration centres situated close to tourism centres and obtain a smart card after paying Rs. 350, including a refundable deposit of Rs. 250. Though the use of the bicycle is free for the first one hour, the users will have to pay a nominal fee of Rs. 5 for two hours, Rs. 10 for three hours and so on.

The world's fastest elevator that can operate at a record speed of 1,260 meters per minute is set to be installed in a skyscraper complex in China. The elevator has various safety features including brake equipment that uses materials with high heat resistance. Apart from this, the elevator can absorb vibration during the high-speed operation to make the ride comfortable.

The Telangana government started the distribution of kits for new borns and mothers across the State with Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao gave them at the Government Maternity Hospital. Six women, who gave birth to children recently, received them.

Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer has become the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the ITTF Umpires and Referees Committee (URC). His term will be for two years and is extendable. Iyer is the only assigned competition manager of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in India. Beside this, Ganeshan has also been recommended as the Technical Commissioner from the Asian Continent to ITTF and his term will be for a period of four years. He is also the chairman of the South Asian Federation technical committee and a member of the Technical Committee of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF).

India has been ranked 37th out of 103 nations in the 2017 global Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI), according to a new report by the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative. The OPHI is an economic research centre at the Oxford University, led by Professor Sabina Alkire. The 2017 global MPI has covered 76% of the world’s population, living in 103 countries. The index measures the nature and intensity of poverty, based on the profile of overlapping deprivations each poor person experiences. It aggregates these into meaningful indexes that can be used to inform targeting and resource allocation and to design policies that tackle the interlinked dimensions of poverty together.

The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed a new technology to manufacture cheaper, quicker and pollution-free bio-fuel. The ‘soil-to-soil’ manufacturing technology developed at the P K Sinha Centre for bio-energy at IIT-KGP is in the process of being patented. The technique will ensure relatively quicker production of bio-fuel and the process is completely green. The green leafy part of corn and sugarcane plants, the waste part of paddy straw, bamboo, banana plant, pineapple and cotton plants, kans grass (kassh phool), castor plant and even non-edible weeds that grow in dry and waste land and a mix of all has been used by IIT-KGP to produce bio fuel. The project is funded by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has recently launched a web portal ‘Mahaswayam’ for job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs and training institutes. At ‘Mahaswayam’, job seekers will be able to register themselves, search as well as apply for jobs, inquire for training, get information on self-employment and get details of job fairs. Besides, training institutes can also register, get details on participation in the state skill development programme, get training fee receipts, and can also receive training fee through ECS. Apart from this, entrepreneurs can also post job vacancy advertisements at the portal.