DRDO hands over design of Mobile Metallic Ramp to Indian Army

NATIONAL NEWS

DRDO hands over design of Mobile Metallic Ramp to Indian Army

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over to the Army the design of Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) for strategic mobility of armoured and mechanised units as well as formations of the Army.
• Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, handed over the design of MMR to Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Devraj Anbu.
• With load bearing capacity of 70 metric ton (MT), the MMR has been designed and developed by DRDO’s premier research laboratory, Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) on the requirements projected by Army for reducing the Strategic Mobility time of mobilising Armoured Fighting Vehicles.

FACTS

Union Ministry of Defence- Raj Nath Singh

Chairman of DRDO-Dr G Satheesh Reddy

Govt fixes anomaly in retirement age of CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB personnel

• All personnel working in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will now retire at a uniform age of 60 years, a government order.
• The Union home ministry order, accessed by PTI, corrected the anomaly where personnel between the ranks of Constable to Commandant (Senior Superintendent of Police equivalent) in four forces -- Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police force and Sashastra Seema Bal -- superannuated at the age of 57, rather than 60.

Wipro partners with IISc on robotics, 5G

• Wipro announced a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to conduct advanced applied research in autonomous systems, robotics and 5G.
• They have jointly set up the Wipro IISc Research and Innovation Network (WIRIN), a hybrid industry-academia collaboration unit, which will drive idea discovery, research and innovation in technology and product design.

Second double-decker Uday Express to run between Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada

• Railways' second double-decker Uday Express will run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to cater to the busy route in the East Coast Railway zone.
• The first Uday or Utkrisht double-decker Yatri Express was a specially-designed air-conditioned chair car which started service between Coimbatore and Bangalore in June 2018.

Tawlhlohpuan, Mizo Puanchei & Tirur betel vine gets GI tag

• Tawlhlohpuan & Mizo Puanchei from Mizoram, and Tirur betel vine from Kerala has received the Geographical Indication tag.
• Tawlhlohpuan: It is a medium to heavy, compactly woven, good quality fabric from Mizoram.
• Mizo Puanchei: It is a colourful Mizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram and is considered as the most colourful among the Mizo textiles.
• Tirur betel vine: This product from Kerala is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties.

AWARD

IIT-D start-up bags award

• An IIT-Delhi-incubated start-up working on the design and development of inclusive learning resources for visually impaired people won the award for developing a multisensory kit. The device narrates the content in the picture when a visually impaired person touches it.
• Ankita Gulati, founder of TouchVision was awarded the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019.
•  Ms. Gulati, who did her Masters from Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTU), has worked for over last four years at Assistive Technologies Lab, IIT-Delhi to bring this concept to a user-friendly product.

APPOINTMENT

Shavendra Silva appointed Sri Lanka Army commander

• Sri Lankan field commander appointed the new Army Commander, the President's office announced. Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, 55 take charge as incumbent Army chief Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake's service.
• President Maithripala Sirisena's office announced that Lt Gen Shavendra Silva named as the new army commander.
• Silva headed the Army's 58th Division in the final battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in the final stages of the civil war in 2009.
• Silva's name was mentioned in the resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2013.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa's term extended by 3 years

• The term of Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been extended for a period of three years.
• Local media reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved the extension of Bajwa's term.

Former Madhya Pradesh CM Babulal Gaur dies at 89

• Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Babulal Gaur died in Bhopal.
• Babulal Gaur served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005.

SPORTS

BCCI Ombudsman reduces S Sreesanth's life ban to 7 years, can play all forms of cricket from 2020

• BCCI Ombudsman Justice DK Jain has passed an order reducing the life ban imposed on cricketer S Sreesanth to seven years.
• In effect, Sreesanth will be eligible to play all forms of cricket from 13th September 2020.
• The Supreme Court had earlier in the year set aside the life ban imposed by BCCI disciplinary committee for his alleged role in IPL Spot fixing scandal and asked the Board ombudsman to reconsider within three months, the quantum of punishment.

Madhya Pradesh para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia crosses America's Catalina Channel

• Divyang Satendra Singh Lohia from Madhya Pradesh has become the first Asian swimmer to cross the Catalina Channel of America. Satendra holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina channels.

Indian cyclists win historic gold at World Junior Track Championships

• Indian men's team comprising of Esow Alben, Ronaldo Singh and Rojit Singh created history on Thursday as they clinched the Team Sprint gold medal at the World Junior Track Cycling Championships in Frankfurt, Germany.