17th September Current Affairs

• 2nd edition of ‘Paryatan Parv’ from Sept 16
  • The tourism ministry would organise the 2nd edition of ‘Paryatan Parv’ from September 16 to September 27 2018.

  

  
  

  • The event will be based on three main components – ‘Dekho aapna desh’ – encouraging domestic tourists to travel within India, ‘Tourism for all’ – promoting tourism across social classes, and ‘Tourism and governance’ – interactive sessions with stakeholders.
• 6 AAI-run airports bag international awards
  • Six aerodromes of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have bagged seven international awards.

  

  • The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017 were presented by the Airports Council International (ACI) at the Customer Excellence Global Summit in Canada, on September 12 2018.
  • The winning airports are Lucknow, Indore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune airports.
• International Day of Democracy on 15 Sept
  • International Day of Democracy is observed on 15 September across the world. 
  • The theme for 2018 is ‘Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World’.

  

  • The United Nations General Assembly observed Democracy day for the first time in 2008.
  • This day provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.
• NASA tests foldable heat shield
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched and tested a new umbrella-like heat shield.
  • The new technology, ‘the Adaptable Deployable Entry Placement Technology (ADEPT)’, stores like a folded umbrella inside smaller rockets.
  • The shape allows it to protect larger areas than current heat shields.
• India’s first dedicated park for dogs
  • Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation set up first-ever exclusive ‘pet park’ at Hyderabad.
  • It is reportedly the first park in India to be developed to match international standards for pets, and to be certified by the Kennel Club of India. 

  

  • The park has an exclusive play area for dogs, training and play equipment, an amphitheatre, a separate enclosure for small and big dogs.
• Coast Guard commissions patrol vessel Vijaya
  • Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Vijaya‘, the second in the series of 98 m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), was commissioned in Chennai on 14 September 2018.
  • The OPV is fitted with advanced technology navigation and communication equipment and sensors.
  • On joining the Coast Guard fleet, the ship will be based at Paradip.
  • The Ship will be deployed extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance.
• India ranks 3rd in family-owned businesses
  • India rank 3rd globally in terms of number of family-owned companies according to ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ report.

  

  • The rating agency analysed over 1,000 family-owned, publicly-listed companies, and compared their 10-year performance.

  • India has a total of 111 companies with $839 bn total market capitalisation.
  • India closely follows China (159 companies) and the US (121 companies).
• India’s 1st underwater robotic drone launched
  • India’s first underwater robotic drone, ‘ Eyerovtuna’, was launched on 14th September 2018.
  • It can send real-time videos of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance.
  • It was handed over to the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO.
  • Eyerovtuna was developed by EyeROV Technologies which is a Kochi-based Startup.