The Daily Brief – 9th December 2019

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has set up five Space Technology Cells (STCs) at premier institutions – the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) in Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)in Bengaluru. ISRO has also initiated a Joint Research Programme with the Savitribai Phule Pune University. The move aims to carry out research activities in the areas of space technology and applications. ISRO desires development of high end technology in collaboration with the IITs in the areas of Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications.

The Oxford Dictionary has declared ‘climate emergency’ as the “word of the year” for 2019. The use of the term “climate emergency” increased by a hundredfold since 2018, according to the data collected in the Oxford Corpus. “Word of the Year” citation is intended to highlight a word or expression shown through usage evidence to reflect the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the passing year, and have a lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.

The Union Home Ministry has sanctioned an amount of 100 crore rupees from the Nirbhaya Fund for setting up and strengthening of Women Help Desks in the police stations across the country. The officials of the Women Help Desk would be trained to be sensitive towards women.

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will be effective for five years, with the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 5^th December, 2019 to cooperate, collaborate and pursue industrial application oriented research programmes and its commercialization in large scale. The indigenously developed technologies by the CSIR will be commercialized and implemented jointly by BHEL & CSIR in the country, to make the Government of India initiative “Make in India” successful.

Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the first food park of Central India, the Avantee Mega Food Park, in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. Spread over 51 acres, it has been constructed at a cost of about 150 crore rupees. The Food Park aims to establish a direct linkage from farm to processing and then to consumer markets. It will be connected through a network of collection centres and primary processing centres.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the creation and launch of the Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) to create an additional source of funding for the Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), Central Public Financial Institutions (CPFIs) and other government organizations. The Bharat Bond ETF would be the first corporate Bond ETF in the country.

The Union Ministry of Defence has authorized the Indian Coast Guard under the Coast Guard Act, 1978, to board, search and seize any suspicious vessel and arrest people for offences within the maritime zone of India extending up to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The permission also includes seizing of any artificial island or any floating or moored object or any underwater object including any maritime property involved or suspected to be used in the commission of any offence.