Changing the way of learning Daily Current Affairs Capsule 16 th March 2019 1. DRDO successfully test fires Indigenous Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile Indian defence scientists have scored a twin success in demonstrating the effectiveness of the Man Portable Antitank Guided Missile (MPATGM). This follows the hat trick of sharp tests carried out on the short range guided Pinaka weapon system early in the week. They enhance the hit and destruction capacity of the armed forces in short distance battle situations considerably. Both these weapons, developed indigenously by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were tested in the deserts of Pokhran in Rajasthan.
2. IIT Kharagpur Inks MoU With C-DAC For High Performance Computing Facility & Data Center The IIT Kharagpur has signed an MoU with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)to set up a Petaflop high performance computing facility. It also includes setting up a data center funded under the National Supercomputing Mission. PetaFlop is the measurement of computing power based on the frequency of mathematical calculations that can be done per second. Setting up of the 1.3 PetaFlop high performance computing facility and data center is going to change the face of computation-based research and development in India. 3. Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to Head Mobility Panel in India Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will head the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. It is being set up to promote clean and sustainable mobility initiatives in the country. The Union Cabinet on March 7 had approved setting up of the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage. The panel will also propose and recommend policy guidelines possible strategies for sustainable and transformative mobility and energy storage in India. 4. 16-year-old activist nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work leading a youth campaign to halt climate change. She skipped school to sit in front of the Swedish Parliament demanding that the government do something about climate change. If she wins, Greta would become the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala Yousafzai received the prize when she was 17 years old. 5. President Kovind gives away National Grassroots Innovators Awards President Ramnath Kovind awarded National Grassroots Innovators at Grambharti near Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Prakash Singh Raghuvanshi from Uttar Pradesh has been awarded lifetime achievement award for his innovations in new varieties of agriculture crops. The first prize in Veterinary, Herbal medication for coccidiosis was presented to Periyasami Ramasami of Salem, Tamil Nadu. The President also inaugurated the exhibition of the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The aim of this festival of innovation and entrepreneurship is to provide a platform for new innovators for building linkages with potential stakeholders. 6. India to host U-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2020 India will host the Under-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2020. This was announced by the President of International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino after the council meeting in Miami, USA. This will be the second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the U-17 Men's World Cup in 2017. 7. Kamalpreet Kaur wins gold in women's discus throw event
Kamalpreet Kaur won a gold medal in the women's discus throw event at Federation Cup in Patiala. Kaur also qualified for the Asian Championships. Kamalpreet of Punjab emerged triumphant with a final throw of 60.25 metres which is better than the Asian Championships qualifying standard of 58.50 meters. Shivpal Singh also booked a berth in the next month's Asian Championships in Doha in men's javelin throw by crossing the qualifying standard set by Athletics Federation of India. 8. India bags five medals, including two gold in Asian Youth Athletics Championship India bagged five medals, including two gold, on the opening day of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Hong Kong. Philip Maheswaran grabbed the first gold for India by winning the boys' 110 metres hurdles in 12.86 seconds. Vipin Kumar added the second gold metal for India in the boys' hammer throw with an effort of 69.63 metres. India's first medal of the day came from Harshita Sherawat as she clinched a silver in the girls' hammer throw with an effort of 61.93 metres.