1. ICRISAT unveils
$300 phablet for farmers
i.
Farmers now can have customised tips on their phablet on the kind of
agricultural inputs they might require for their field.
ii. Based
on the specific soil health of their small chunks of lands, scientists at the
International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and
Government of Telangana would send timely messages to the farmers through the
phablet.
iii. The
Hyderabad-headquartered ICRISAT launched the Green Phablet, priced at $300
(about Rs. 18,600), for farmers in Telangana. The institute would maintain
servers to safe keep the information. And even if a user loses his device, he
would be able to get back the information in no time.
iv.
ICRISAT Director-General David Bergvinson signed a tripartite agreement on
Tuesday with the Departments of Agriculture and Information Technology to
collaborate in transforming agriculture using digital technologies.
v.
Addressing a gathering later, Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao said that there
was a need to bring down the cost of the device to Rs. 10,000 to make it
affordable for farmers.
2. Rajasthan might
emulate Maharashtra's 'Jal Yukt Shivar Abhiyan'
i.
Impressed with the progress of Maharashtra's 'Jal Yukt Shivar Abhiyan,'
Rajashtan may also adopt the state's flagship water conservation and Integrated
water management scheme.
ii.
Aiming to learn more about the state's water conservation programme, a delegation
from Rajasthan, comprising a minister and senior bureaucrats are on Maharashtra
tour and will visit a few sites where the project is currently underway.
iii.
"Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan is an ambitious program of Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis and he has toured almost each and every district to visit the
project sites," Pankaja Munde, minister for water conservation said.
iv.
Meanwhile, after successfully involving people in implementing the scheme,
Munde is considering to organise a 'Jalchetana Yatra' across the state from 2nd
October.
3. Inshore patrol
vessel Rani Durgavati joins Indian Coast Guard
i.
Inshore patrol vessel Rani Durgavati was inducted into the Coast Guard here on
Friday at a ceremony where the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern
Naval Command, Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, was the chief guest.
ii.
Vice-Admiral Soni said coastal security had undergone a sea change after 26/11,
and added that all agencies were important partners in preparedness. However,
the Coast Guard was the most important one in coordinating with various
agencies. He described Rani Durgavati as "another arrow in the quiver of
the Coast Guard.”
iii. Rani
Durgavati, the third in a series of five inshore patrol vessels of the Coast
Guard, is named after the legendary Gond Queen who defeated the army of Baz
Bahadur of the Mughal Army.
iv.
Hindustan Shipyard Ltd which had built 174 ships and repaired 2,000 vessels
across the range, including submarines.
4. President Pranab
Mukherjee Inaugurates 'Nakshatra Vatika'
i.
President Pranab Mukherjee today inaugurated a 'Nakshatra Vatika' in the
gardens of Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad, one of the Presidential Retreats.
He took a round of the garden and watered a plant representing 'Surya' or the
Sun God.
ii. He
was accompanied by Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E S L Narasimhan
and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Ali, an official release said.
iii. The
garden will be open to public along with other gardens of the Nilayam in the
first week of January 2016. The layout of 'Nakshatra Vatika' has been developed
in various geometrical combinations corresponding to the Sree Chakra of Vedic
astrology on a 0.91 acre plot.
iv. Each
square is planted with a particular tree or plant variety that represents the
respective planet and is placed as per the astronomical direction. The first
inner circular band is divided in 12 small circles at parts of 30A each
corresponding to the 12 Rashi (zodiac sign). Each has a plant that represents
the particular zodiac sign.
5. India skipper
Mithali Raj completes 5000 runs in women's ODIs
i.
Skipper Mithali Raj scripted a new chapter in the history of Indian women's
cricket as she became the first from the country and overall second to reach
the 5000-run milestone in one-day internationals.
ii. Her
stylish unbeaten knock of 81 in Bengaluru on Monday guided the team to an
eight-wicket victory over New Zealand, thereby leveling the five-match series
2-2.
iii. With
the help of her pivotal innings, India chased down the target of 220 only in
44.2 overs. Before Mithali, only English woman Charlotte Edwards had completed
5000 runs in ODIs.
iv.
Mithali fabulous innings was decorated with 10 well-timed boundaries. However,
Harmanpreet Kaur's fireworks of 32 runs in 25 balls, with the help of four
boundaries and two giant sixes, also entertained the crowd. Harmanpreet ended
the match with a straight six off spinner Leigh Kasperek.
6. IDBI signs
refinance agreement with Mudra Bank
i.
State-run IDBI Bank today said it has signed an agreement with Mudra Bank for
refinancing of loans given to small enterprises.
ii. As
per the agreement, the Bank will offer credit facilities up to Rs 10 lakh to
micro enterprises, at a competitive interest rate under Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana (PMMY) and Mudra will be providing refinance assistance to the bank for
eligible sanctioned loan cases.
iii. The
refinance scheme will be implemented through all the branches of the lender.
iv. Last
week, Bank of Maharashtra had also signed an agreement with Mudra Bank for
refinancing of loans given to new entrepreneurs and small businesses.
7. China nominated
Jin Liqun, former Chinese Finance Minster, for the post of AIIB President
i. Former
Finance Minster of China Jin Liqun was in news as on 6 July 2015 he was
nominated by China to be the first president of the Beijing-backed Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
ii. At
present, Jin (65) is Secretary General of AIIB's interim secretariat. Earlier,
he has held positions at the World Bank and was the first Chinese national to
serve as a vice president at the Japan-controlled Asian Development Bank (ADB).
iii.
Before joining AIIB in 2014, Jin was chairman of China International Capital
Corporation, one of the mainland's largest investment banks. He holds a
master's degree in English Literature from the Beijing Foreign Studies
University and was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in Boston University's economics
graduate programme.
iv. The
nominations for the post of president can be sent by the regional members by 31
July 2015 and the name of the president-designate will be finalised at the 6th
Chief Negotiators' Meeting of the AIIB founding members in August 2015.
8. Renowned Urdu
novelist Abdullah Hussain passed away
i.
Renowned Urdu novelist from Pakistan Abdullah Hussain died on 4 July 2015 in
Lahore after battling with blood cancer. He was 84.He is survived by his wife,
a son and a daughter.
ii. He
authored the bestseller and critically acclaimed novel Udas Naslain, it is
considered as a masterpiece of Urdu literature. His other famous novels are
Baagh, Nadaar Loag and short stories Faraib and Nashaib. Hussain was also
awarded with the Prime Minister's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 for his
work.
iii.
Hussai was born as Mohammad Khan on 14 August 1931 in Gujrat, Punjab Province
of Pakistan. He did his schooling and graduation from Zameendar College of
Pakistan.