April 17th Current Affairs

1.ROPAX JETTY PROJECT.

In news

Rs. 110 crore ROPAX Jetty Project shall be constructed on river Dhamra in Odisha.

Key takeaways

Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has accorded administrative approval for developing all-weather ROPAX (Roll-on/Roll-off Passenger) Jetty and allied Infrastructure.

It shall connect Kaninali in Bhadrak district & Talachua in Kendrapara district, Odisha under the Sagarmala initiative.

This project will reduce travel time for passengers from 6 hours by road to 1 hour by waterway.

Kaninali in Bhadrak district and Talachua in Kendrapada district, are located on the northern and southern banks of River Dhamra respectively.

SOURCE:PIB

2. DuroKea Series

IN NEWS:

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Friday launched World 1st affordable and long-lasting hygiene product DuroKea Series.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• This next generation DuroKea antimicrobial technology starts at 189 rupees, kills 99.99 per cent of germs instantly and leaves behind the long-lasting protective nanoscale coating up to 35 days till next wash.
• Researcher from Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad has developed this innovative technologies to combat COVID-19 virus spreading.
• Durokea Product is aligned with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attain self reliance.
• The unique property of DuroKea range is to ensure instant killing, within 60 second and prolonged protection which is an immense necessity during this current pandemic situation.
• This revolutionary antimicrobial property of DuroKea products has been tested and certified by Indian Government accredited lab and field-tested at the IIT Hyderabad campus.

SOURCE:PIB

3. The ‘whitest ever’ paint that can reflect 99% of sunlight

IN NEWS:

Buildings coated with this paint may be able to cool them off enough to reduce the need for air conditioning, the researchers have said.

KEY POINTS:

• The new ultrawhite white paint reflects 99% of all light that hits it, remaining significantly cooler than the ambient temperature, even when sitting in full sunlight.
• Typical commercial white paint gets warmer instead of cooler and paints currently available in the market reflect only 80-90% of the sunlight and therefore, they can’t make surfaces cooler than their surroundings.
• Older formulations of white paints were made of calcium carbonate, while the new one is made up of barium sulphate making it more white.
• Barium Sulphate is used to make photo paper and cosmetics white. Different sized particles of this chemical compound, helps in scattering different amounts of light. This allows for light to scatter in a broad range, resulting in the highest reflectance.
• The paint could be the closest equivalent to the blackest black paint Vantablack, which is able to absorb 99.9% of visible light.
• Vantablack has a diverse range of applications including high performance infrared cameras, sensors, satellite borne calibration sources etc.
• Its ability to absorb light energy and convert it to heat is also of relevance in solar power development.

Significance:

• The new paint technology will help buildings covered by this paint to be cooler for longer, eliminating the effects of Urban Heat Island.
• The paint could help in the fight against global warming by reducing our reliance on electrically powered air conditioning.
• As Air conditioning injects heat into Earth’s atmosphere in multiple ways, including pushing hot air out of buildings, the heat of running the machines, and the usually fossil fuel-generated electricity that runs them that contributes to carbon dioxide emissions.
• It can not only prevent heat-related deaths and illnesses but also limit water quality depletion that is caused by heated ground.

SOURCE:IE.

4. U.K. nod for extradition of Nirav Modi in PNB case

IN NEWS:

The U.K.’s Home Department has approved the extradition of diamond merchant Nirav Modi to India in connection with the ₹13,758-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, about two months after the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London ruled that a prima facie case was made out against him.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• The accused now has the legal recourse of approaching the U.K. High Court within 14 days to seek permission for moving an appeal against the Secretary

of State’s decision.

• Unless there is an appeal, a requested person must be extradited within 28 days of the Secretary of State’s decision to order extradition (subject to any appeal according to the U.K. government’s website.

• The CBI had registered the first case against the diamond merchant and others

in 2018, alleging that they cheated the PNB of about ₹6,498 crores by getting Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) issued fraudulently to overseas banks for securing buyer’s credit in favour of his three firms