WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Swarnim Vijay Varsh Mashaal or victory flame arrived at Dahung in Arunachal Pradesh.

About:

• Victory flame was moved throughout the country to the 50 years of victory over Pakistan during 1971 Indo-Pak War.
• It was received at Sessa, Arunachal Pradesh with full military honours.
• During escort of the victory flame to Dahung, cavalcade was ushered by locals with enthusiasm and deep sense of gratitude towards the gallant soldiers who fought and lost their lives during the 1971 War.
• In the coming days, it will tour Rupa, Bomdi La and Tawang and will remain with the Ball of Fire Division till September 23, 2021 to participate in several events that has been planned to commemorate the 50 years of war with Pakistan as well as liberation of Bangladesh.

About Swarnim Vijay Mashaal

The ‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’ or the ‘victory flame’ symbolises India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 Swarnim Vijay Varsh. This flame was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16, 2020 from the National War Memorial in New Delhi. At the National War Memorial, four victory flames were lit from the eternal flame and are being carried throughout the cities and villages in India. It also moved through the villages of Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) awardees of 1971 war.

1971 India-Pakistani War

It was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan. The war was fought from December 3, 1971 till December 16, 1971, resulting into the fall of Dacca (Dhaka). It lasted for just 13 days and is the shortest wars in history.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The British government has announced to introduce legislation in 2021, under which all the newly built homes and offices will require to feature electric vehicle chargers in England.

About:

• Under the legislation, all new homes and offices will be required to feature smart charging devices which can automatically charge vehicles during off-peak periods.
• According to it, new office blocks will require to install a charging point for every five parking spaces.
• This law will make England the first country in the world, that require all new homes to have EV chargers.
• The legislation is part of the movement that seeks to rapidly boost the number of chargers in England ahead of UK’s 2030 ban of new fossil-fuel vehicles.
• Home and office EV charger proposal is expected to start in 2022.

Significance of the legislation

This legislation will help in boosting confidence and help those who transition from gas cars in overcoming the range anxiety because many homes in England do not have off-street parking or garages.

Background

The government originally announced to mandate that all new homes have a charge point with the parking space in 2019.

UK’s 2030 ban of new fossil-fuel vehicles

United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had recently announced to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles from 2030, nothing the future of personal mobility on electric vehicles. The ban on gasoline vehicles had initially been proposed for 2040. But it has been brought forward by ten years under the ten-point plan of UK of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Hybrid vehicles would be phased out by 2035.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Battle of Saragarhi is considered one of the finest last stands in the military history of the world.
• Saragarhi was the communication tower between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. The two forts in the rugged North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), now in Pakistan, were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh but renamed by the British.
  • Saragarhi helped to link up the two important forts which housed a large number of British troops in the rugged terrain of NWFP.
• Twenty-one soldiers were pitted against over 8,000 Afridi and Orakzai tribals but they managed to hold the fort for seven hours on September 12th, 1897.
  • Though Saragarhi was usually manned by a platoon of 40 soldiers, on that fateful day, it was being held by only 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment (now 4th Sikh in Indian Army) and a non-combatant called Daad, a Pashtun who did odd jobs for the troops.
• Though heavily outnumbered, the soldiers of 36th Sikhs, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, fought till their last breath, killing 200 tribals and injuring 600.
• In 2017, the Punjab government decided to observe Saragarhi Day on 12th September as a holiday.
• Even today the Khyber Scouts regiment of the Pakistani army mounts a guard and salutes the Saragarhi memorial close to Fort Lockhart.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura has been appointed chairman of the National Commission for Minorities. He hails from Punjab and has authored several books on Sikh philosophy.
• He has also won several awards such as the president’s police medal, police medal for meritorious services, Shiromani Sikh Sahitkar Award and Sikh scholar award.
• Lalpura, during his tenure as IPS officer, served as SSP Amritsar, SSP Tarantaran, and Additional inspector general CID Amritsar.
• He joined BJP in 2012 after retirement. Lalpura has written nearly 14 books on Sikh philosophy and history, such as ‘Japji Sahib ek vichaar’, Gurbaani ek vichaar’, and ‘Raj Karega Khalsa’.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• El Salvador has become the first country in the world to accept Bitcoin as legal tender. The government of El Salvador claimed that the move will give many citizens of the country access to bank services for the first time.
• In addition, trading in cryptocurrency will help the country save around $400 million in fees that is levied by banks and financial institutions on the money sent home by ex-pats.
• The acceptance of Bitcoin as a legal currency by El Salvador follows a law approved by the country’s parliament in June. At the time, the country allowed Bitcoin to be accepted as tender for all goods and services. The bill was approved within 24 hours of being presented to Congress by President Nayib Bukele.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• China successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite, Gaofen-5 02, into space, aboard a Long March-4C rocket, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China’s Shanxi Province.
• The Gaofen-5 02 satellite is the 24th in the series of Gaofen Earth-observation satellites of China, to monitor environmental protection efforts and boost its natural resources surveillance.
• Gaofen-5 02 is a hyperspectral satellite that will be used for comprehensive environmental monitoring, to improve the country’s hyperspectral observation capacity of the atmosphere, water and land.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• India’s first indigenously Designed High Ash Coal Gasification Based Methanol Production Plant at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Research and Development Centre, Hyderabad was inaugurated.
• The project was funded by the Department of Science and Technology, which provided a Rs 10 crore grant, at the initiative of NITI Aayog, PMO-India and the Ministry of Coal.
• The facility can create 0.25 ton per day (TPD) Methanol from high ash Indian coal using a 1.2 TPD Fluidized bed gasifier.
• The purity of the crude methanol produced is between 98 and 99.5 per cent.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Golden Rock Railway Workshop (GOC), Tiruchchirappalli has bagged 22nd National Award for Excellence in Energy Management from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for having adopted and implemented various energy conservation measures.
• GOC Workshop is the only workshop of Indian Railways to have received the award this year. The National Awards for Excellence in Energy Management is instituted by CII, to catalyze significant and innovative practices in the energy efficiency sector.
• CII conducts this annual event to recognize and award excellence in energy management among the industrial sector and railway workshops across the country and facilitate sharing of information on best practices & technologies.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• State-owned fertiliser firm National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL) has Nirlep Singh Rai has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of the company.
• In a regulatory filing, NFL informed that Nirlep Singh Rai, Director (Technical), has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director, on the Board of the company with effect from the date of his assumption of charge.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Cuba became the first country in the world to vaccinate children from the age of two against COVID-19, using home-grown jabs not recognised by the World Health Organisation.
• The communist island of 11.2 million people aims to inoculate all its children before reopening schools that have been closed for the most part since March 2020.
• Countries such as China, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela have announced they plan to vaccinate younger children, but Cuba is the first to do so. The Cuban vaccines, the first developed in Latin America, have not undergone international, scientific peer review.