Saras Mk2
Why in news?
- Science and Technology that the government needs to be the “launch customer” to make Saras Mk2 commercially viable.
About:
- Saras Mk2 is the first indigenous light transport aircraft in India.
- It has been developed by the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL).
- The 19-seater aircraft, developed with a target cost of ₹50 crores, is at least 20-25% lower in cost than other aircraft in a similar category.
Important Facts
- The aircraft has been in the making for long. The first prototype flew in 2004.
- But without the initial push from the government, the manufacturing capacity required for commercial production could not be set up.
- Presently, the NAL has only one order from the Indian Air Force for 15 aircraft.
- The NAL has been pitching Saras Mk-2 for the government’s UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), since it has the capacity to operate in “ill-equipped”, “semi-prepared” and “unpaved airstrips”. The scheme, launched in October 2016, is aimed at linking areas that have no air connectivity.
UJALA and Street Lighting National Programme
Why in news?
- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) of the central government has completed five successful years on January 5, 2020.
About:
- Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) is the world’s largest streetlight replacement program and Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) is the world’s largest domestic lighting project.
- Both have been spearheaded and implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
- Under the SLNP program, over 1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed to date, enabling an estimated energy savings of 6.97 billion kWh per year.
- Through the UJALA initiative, over 36.13 crores of LED bulbs have been distributed across India. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kWh per year and an estimated GHG emission reduction of 38 million t CO2 annually.
Neutral pronoun ‘they’ voted Word of the Decade
Why in news?
- Neutral pronoun ‘they’ has been voted word of the decade by US language experts, beating out other contenders.
- “They” is used in English by a growing number of non-binary individuals, people who do not identify as either male or female. They prefer the plural neutral pronoun to bypass using the pronouns “he” or “she”.
Important Facts
- Ben Zimmer, head of the American Dialect Society, said that selection of “they” is an indication that how a personal expression of gender identity has become an increasing part of our shared discourse.
- The recognition comes after US dictionary Merriam-Webster in December named “they” as word of the year.
- The American Dialect Society had previously named “they” word of the year in 2015.
- Other contenders in the decade category included #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, climate, emoji, meme, opioid crisis and woke.
- The 131-year-old American Dialect Society includes linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students and scholars.
Ethical veganism
Why in news?
- An employment tribunal in the United Kingdom has ruled that “ethical veganism” is a philosophical belief protected by British law against discrimination.
Important Facts
- Broadly, a vegan person does not consume meat products and also products that are derived from animals (such as milk, eggs, etc). Veganism is a lifestyle choice to refrain from eating meat as well as products made from or by animals.
- Ethical veganism, on the other hand, has been defined as the view that attaches a positive ethical valuation to a vegan lifestyle.
- There are two types of ethical veganism: broad absolutist veganism, under which it is always wrong to use any product made by or from animals, and modest ethical veganism, under which it is typically wrong to use products made from or by a range of animals including cats, dogs, cows, pigs, etc.
World Braille Day
Why in news?
- The day is marked remembering the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille – for people with visual disabilities.
About:
- Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in northern France.
- At the age of just 3, he lost both his eyes in an accident. This resulted in the invention of the language of 6 dots- which is popularly known as braille.
As a part of World Braille Day Celebration, Regional News Unit of All India Radio Ahmedabad has organized the special live Braille News reading by a visually impaired person. Shri Yahaya Sapatvala – a visually impaired teacher will read the 7.10 PM evening regional news bulletin of All India Radio Ahmedabad through Braille Script.
- According to 17 years long tradition of RNU – Ahmedabad, the second half of five minutes of 10 minutes evening news bulletin is being prepared in Braille Script with a special typewriter.
• After some rehearsals, the visually impaired person is reading it live along with a regular news reader.
Objective:
- The aim of this initiative is to spread awareness among society about the plight and cause of people with visual disabilities.
Sukanya project
Why in news?
- Kolkata Police will start the third edition of its ‘Sukanya’ project on Monday to provide girls studying in schools and colleges in the city with self-defence training.
- A senior official said that the third batch of ‘Sukanya’ will start on Monday at 100 city-based schools and colleges situated in Kolkata Police jurisdiction.
Important Facts
- Girl students of VIII, IX, XI and girls studying in the first year at educational institutions in this area will be part of it.
- Sukanya is an initiative of the Kolkata Police’s Community Policing Wing to provide self-defence training to girl students of city-based schools, colleges and universities.
- The initiative is funded by Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department of the state government.