25 March 2016 Current Affairs
Union Govt Launched Survey To Find New Enemy Properties
With an aim to find new enemy properties, the government has launched a survey in five states, including Delhi, for identification of movable and immovable assets once held by people who migrated to Pakistan. The survey work has started in five states — Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi — for identification of new enemy properties. In order to detect more enemy properties in the states by conducting the survey in an organised manner, the Home Ministry has appointed 65 personnel for the task that include 50 surveyors and 15 accountancy and management personnel. After the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971 many people migrated to that country subsequent to which Indian government, in accordance with the Defence of India Rules framed under the Defence of India Act, took over the properties and companies of such persons who had taken Pakistani nationality. These ‘enemy properties’ were vested by the central government in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.
Cassini Discovered Largest Mountain On Saturn’s Moon Titan
Scientists working on NASA’s Cassini mission have found the tallest peak on Titan, the Saturn’s largest moon. The tallest mountain is about 3,337 meters high. The highest point on Titan is within a trio of mountainous ridges called the Mithrim Montes, and most of the tallest mountains on this moon are closer to equator. The discovery was led by images and other data collected by radar instrument on Cassini, which aims at observing surface of the Titan in detail. The discovery was made during investigation to find active zones within Titan’s crust, where dynamic forces have shaped the landscape, perhaps in the relatively recent past.
“OVL gets Russia’s nod For $1.268 Billion Vankor Deal”
Russian government has approved ONGC Videsh Ltd’s deal to buy 15 per cent in the country’s second biggest oil field of Vankor from Rosneft for $1.268 billion. OVL, the overseas arm of the state explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had in September 2015 signed an agreement to buy 15 per cent stake in Vankorneft, the developer of the Vankor oil and gas condensate field in Turukhansky district of Krasnoyak territory in Russia. Vankor is OVL’s fourth-biggest acquisition ever. Vankorneft, a subsidiary of Rosneft, was founded in 2004 to carry out the project of the Vankor field development, the largest field to have been discovered and brought into production in Russia in the last 25 years. It is located in the northern part of eastern Siberia, in Turukhansky district of Krasnoyarsk territory, 142km from Igarka.
“Kejriwal On Fortune’s List of ’50 Greatest Leaders'”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. He is sole leader from India in the list and has been placed at 42nd position. 2016 edition is Fortune magazine’s third annual ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list and it has been topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list of Fortune Magazine features men and women from across the globe from the fields of government, business, arts and the philanthropy who are transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same. The list was released on 25 March 2016.
BHEL Commissioned 600 MW Power Plant In Telangana
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 25 March announced that it successfully commissioned a 600 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Telangana. The unit was commissioned at the upcoming 2×600 MW Singareni Thermal Power Project (TPP) located at Jaipur in Adilabad district of Telangana. The 1200 MW Jaipur Power Plant is being developed by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). With the commissioning of this unit, SCCL has now successfully diversified into the power generation business. SCCL is India’s second largest coal mining company and operates 16 opencast and 32 underground mines in 4 districts of Telangana. For Telangana, it is the second major plant after the formation of the State in June 2014. Earlier, in December 2015, the 600 MW Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant Stage-II was commissioned at Bhoopalapally in Warangal district.
AP Govt Inaugurates Country’s First Lift Irrigation Project
Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project. The project has been completed in a record time of one year by the Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL). The project has capactiry to lift 80 tmc (trillion metric cubic feet) of flood water from Godavari River in a span of 110 days during the flooding season between July and October.