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Current Affairs 08 February 2020

DRDO Inks technology development deal with Russian Company for Missiles Propulsion Systems

Pune-based DRDO Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) has signed technology development contract with Rosoboronexport, Russia for development of Advanced Pyrotechnic Ignition Systems.
The agreement was signed at the DefExpo2020 in Lucknow.
The agreement will enable advancement in the field of energetic materials and pyrotechnic technology leading to the development of advanced ignition systems.
HEMRL works in the development of spectrum of high energy materials required for missiles, rockets and guns.

Indian Army Major Anoop Mishra Develops world’s first “bulletproof helmet” to stop AK-47 bullet

The Indian Army Major Anoop Mishra has developed a bulletproof helmet, which is claimed to be first such in the world, that can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a distance of 10 meters.
The “ballistic helmet” has been developed under project Abhedya, by the officer, who is part of the Indian Army’s College of Military Engineering, Pune.
In December 2019, Major Anoop Mishra had also developed a bulletproof jacket named ‘Sarvatra’ that could effectively provide full-body protection to troops from lethal sniper rifle bullets.
Besides this, the College of Military Engineering jointly with a private firm has developed India’s first and world’s cheapest gunshot locator.
The locator can locate the exact location of the bullet from distance of 400 meters which will help to locate and neutralise terrorists faster.

MPEDA Proposes Rs 2500 crore Project for Upgrading 25 Fishing Harbours

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has proposed the upgradation and modernisation 25 fishing harbours in the country at an estimated outlay of Rs 2500 crore with the assistance of the Centre.
Under the project, two harbours namely Thoppumpady in Kochi, Kerala and Nizampatnam in Andhra Pradesh would be developed into harbours of international standards in the first phase of the modernisation programme.
The project includes preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for harbour modernisation, the work for which has been entrusted to Ernst and Young.
After getting approval for the DPR a special vehicle vehicle (SPV) will be formed to implement the project.
It is expected that each harbour would require around Rs 100 crore for the upgradation.

Andhra Pradesh CM Inaugurates First Disha Police Station in Rajamahendravaram

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on inaugurated the first ‘Disha Police Station’ in Rajamahendravaram city on 8 February 2020, which will exclusively handle cases of crime against women and children.
In all 18 Disha Police Stations will be set up in all 13 districts of the state, under the Disha Act, enacted by the state government in 2019, to ensure speedy investigation and trial of sexual assault cases.
The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 21.10 crore for the setting up of these police stations.
Each Disha Police station will be headed by a deputy superintendent of police.
Under the Disha law, the state government is also opening 13 special courts (one-stop centre) in each district for expeditious trial of such cases.
Each centre will have 19 staffers and will act as the first point of contact to victims.
This Act prescribes death penalty where rape or gangrape is established.

PFRDA Doubles Minimum Net Worth for Pension Fund Managers to Rs 50 cr

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), the regulator of the National Pension System (NPS), has made certain amendments in the pension guidelines. These are as follows.
Minimum Net Worth: The regulator has doubled the minimum net worth requirement for pension fund managers to Rs 50 crore from the Rs 25 crore stipulated earlier.
Validity of License: Provision has also been made for licenses to have indefinite validity. Earlier, the licenses of pension fund managers was granted for a period of five years. But now, the license will remain valid until cancelled by the regulator.
Equity Acquisition: A pension fund or its sponsor cannot acquire equity stake in another pension fund. Existing pension funds who have such cross holdings can continue with the same but cannot increase them without the permission of the regulator.

WhatsApp gets NPCI nod to expand its UPI services to 10 million users

Facebook-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp has received the approval from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to expand its United Payment Interface (UPI) services to 10 million users.
WhatsApp’s payment feature, named WhatsApp Pay, has developed by the NPCI to run on UPI. It allows users to pay others or do business transactions through their bank accounts.
WhatsApp has been running a pilot UPI services for one million users since the rollout of the project in 2018, and has struggled to get a full-fledged licence since then.

US Astronaut Christina Koch Returns To Earth After Record-Breaking 328-Day Space Mission

Christina Koch, US-astronaut who made record for the longest continuous spaceflight ever undertaken by a female astronaut, returned from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth on 6th February 2020.
Koch was accompanied by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov on the way to Earth.
The three boarded a Soyuz capsule docked at the ISS at around 12:50 AM EST, and had a safe landing at around 4:12 AM EST (3:12 PM local time) in Kazakhstan.
Koch joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2013. She blasted off on March 2019 to ISS.
The 41-year-old Michigan-born engineer, Koch has spent 328 consecutive days in space, which is the highest single spaceflight by a woman.
In December 2019, she beat the previous record for a single spaceflight by a woman of 289 days, set by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson in 2016-17.
In October 2019, Koch also made history to be part of the first-ever all-woman spacewalk along with NASA counterpart Jessica Meir, her classmate from NASA training..

Daily Current Affairs – 08 February 2020