Current Affairs - May 17

In today's article, you will read:

• World Bank to support 625 Million US dollars for Rooftop Solar Program in India.
• India and US held their first Maritime Security Dialogue in New Delhi.
• Rajasthan, 1st State to issue advertisement for selection of vice-chancellors.
• Nandini Bhandaru, an IITian has won top Material Science award.

World Bank to support 625 Million US dollars for Rooftop Solar Program in India

The World Bank Board on 13 May 2016 approved a 625 million US dollars loan to support the India's program to generate electricity from widespread installation of rooftop solar photo-voltaic (PV). The Board also approved a co-financing loan of 120 million US dollars on concessional terms and a 5 million US dollars grant from Climate Investment Fund's (CIF) Clean Technology Fund.

The project will finance the installation of at least 400 MW of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (GRPV) across India. The solar PV installations will provide clean, renewable energy and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing thermal generation. Frequent energy shortages and high cost of backup supply in India are the reasons behind the need of rooftop solar PV systems.

Questions:

• Which Bank will support India for Rooftop Solar Program?
• List two reasons behind the Rooftop Solar systems
• Extend the term GRPV

Answers

• World Bank
• Rrequent energy shortages and high cost of backup supply.
• Gird Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic

India and US held their first Maritime Security Dialogue in New Delhi

India and United States (US) held their first Maritime Security Dialogue in New Delhi for deepening the evolving partnership in the maritime domain between both countries. The first round of discussions under the recently-constituted dialogue was held between officials of India's defence and External Affairs Ministries and their US counterparts.

They agreed to include the conclusion of a white shipping technical arrangement to improve data sharing on commercial shipping traffic. The Maritime Security Dialogue was one of the several new initiatives agreed between Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart Ashton Carter during the latter's visit to India in April 2016.

Questions:

• The first Maritime was held at which place?
• Who is the Union Defence Minister of India?

Answers:

• New Delhi
• Manohar Parrikar

Rajasthan, 1st state to issue advertisement for selection of vice-chancellors

Rajasthan becomes India's first state to issue newspaper advertisements to select vice-chanccellors for state universities to at ensure better-qualified candidates apply for the job and greater transparency in the process. The move will replace the existing convention riddled with delays and allegations of political favouritism of direct appointment of V-Cs.

The advertisements seeking applications for vice-chancellor positions in state universities will be published in two national newspapers also appear on the website of the concerned institute and the governor, who is the chancellor of the state's 15 state universities. Applicants will also have to mention the number of students who have completed Ph.D and M.Phil degrees under them.

Questions:

• Which state in will issue newspaper advertisements to select vice-chancellors for state universities?
• Who is the Governor of Rajasthan?

Answers:

• Rajasthan
• Kalyan Singh

Nandini Bhandaru, an IITian has won top Material Science award

Nandini Bhandaru, a doctoral researcher at IIT-Kharagpur has bagged the European Materials Research Society's (E-MRS's) Young Scientist Award for contribution to material science nano technology, particularly nano patterning of soft films and surfaces. She has been awarded at EMRs 2016 Spring Meeting Lille in France. Presently, She is working at the Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory of the institute IIT-Kharagpur. 

Her area of research is nano-fabrication, including soft-lithography, thin film dewetting, polymer blend films and self-assembly. She proposed an innovation through which possibility of fabricating nano scale patterned surfaces can be done at an extremely low cost and using an inherently simple methodology.

Questions:

• Which indian has won the European Materials Research Society's (E-MRS's) Young Scientist Award?
• She is from which institution?

Answers:

• Nandini Bhandaru
• IIT-Kharagpur

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