ISRO’s cryogenic engine, indigenously developed for LVM3, passes hot test

• According to ISRO, CE20 cryogenic engine is indigenously developed for LVM3.
• This will enhance the LVM3 payload capability up to 450 kg with additional propellant loading.
• The Launch Vehicle Mark-III went through the hot test at an uprated thrust level of 21.8 tonnes for the first time.
• The major modifications carried out on this test article compared to previous engines was introduction of Thrust Control Valve (TCV) for thrust control.
• In addition to the hot test, a 3D printed LOX and LH2 turbine exhaust casings were inducted in the engine for the first time.
• The LVM3 is the heaviest launch vehicle of ISRO.

SEBI amends takeover code

• The amendments to the SEBI (substantial acquisition of shares and takeover) Regulations were notified recently.
• The board has gone away with the rule that used to link open price offer to the last 60 days’ trading volume.
• Post the latest change in Takeover Code, acquirers would enjoy flexibility in pricing their open offers for minority shareholders and not be required to calculate the open offer price linked to 60 days volume weighted average market price (VWAMP) prior to the date of public announcement.
• The earlier requirement of calculating 60 days VWAMP for determination of open offer price in case of disinvestment of PSU Companies, wherein it results in its change in control, has been dispensed with.
• The change has been made to ease strategic investments in public sector units for the Central and State governments.
• Ease of Business:
  • Acquirers would enjoy flexibility in pricing their open offers for minority shareholders
  • Offers level playing field with private sector
  • Provides a financial certainty to strategic investors
  • Will boost transparency in disinvestments

Moody’s Cuts India’s Economic Growth Projections to 7% For 2022

• The report titled ‘Global Macro Outlook 2023-24: Global economy faces a reckoning over inflation, geopolitics and policy trade-offs’.
• The downward revision assumes higher inflation, high interest rates and slowing global growth will dampen economic momentum by more than previously expected.
• The weakening of the rupee and high oil prices continue to exert upward pressure on inflation, which has remained above the Reserve Bank of India’s ‘4 per cent -/+ 2 per cent’ target range for much of this year.
• Annual headline CPI inflation increased to 7.5 per cent in September, 2022 after dipping below 7 per cent in July.
• Wholesale price inflation, however, declined for four straight months, from a peak of 16.6 per cent in May to 10.7 per cent in September.
• From May to September, the RBI has raised the repo rate a cumulative 190 bps to 5.9 per cent to contain inflation risks.
• This is not the first downward revision of the Indian economy, though all the revisions are for the fiscal year.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut India’s GDP forecast for the current fiscal (FY23) by 60 basis points to 6.8 per cent from 7.4 per cent estimated earlier.
• Before that, the World Bank cut the forecast by 1 percentage point to 6.5 per cent, ADB by 50 basis points to 7 per cent, Fitch by 80 basis points to 7 per cent and the RBI by 20 basis points to 7 per cent.
• S&P Global and OECD have maintained the forecast at 7.3 per cent and 6.9 per cent, respectively.

Miniature dhows from Beypore make their way to Qatar World Cup

• An uru is a wooden dhow, mainly made of Malabar teak, probably the biggest handicraft in the world.
• Beypore urus are purely made of wood, without using any modern techniques, and traditional methods are used to launch this ship into the water.
• The carpenters manually join each piece of wood to build the large boat.
• Uru making in Beypore is a centuries old tradition that was established since India began its maritime trade with Mesopotamia.
• Beypore is a town located on the banks of the Chaliyar River.
• The Khalasis are the traditional artisans responsible for the manufacture of the Uru.
• They are the ones who launch these urus into the water, setting them ready for travel.
• Arab traders were especially enamoured of them, and were among the first major patrons of these vessels.
• It takes at least four years and the effort of over forty Khalasis to build an Uru.

Altitude decides simian attitude to diet

• The Himalayan Gray Langur or the Chamba Sacred Langur (Semnopithecus ajax) is a colobine, meaning leaf-eating monkey.
• It is considered an endangered species globally as its population is estimated to be less than 1,500 mature individuals in 15-20 groups.
• They inhabit areas between 2,200-4,000 metres above mean sea level in the subtropical, tropical moist temperate, alpine, coniferous and broadleaved forests and scrublands.
• It is endemic to the Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal regions of western Himalayas, where the ecosystem is vulnerable and susceptible to the impact of anthropogenic pressures.
• It is also reported from Pakistan and Nepal.

PM Modi unveils 108-foot-tall bronze statue of Bengaluru founder ''Nadaprabhu'' Kempegowda

• Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempe Gowda (1510 - 1569) is also known as Kempe Gowda.
• He was an Indian ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire.
• Contributions:
  • The city of Bengaluru, capital of Karnataka, was founded by Kempe Gowda in 1537. He was successful in planning and building Bengaluru Fort and Bengaluru Pete, the foundation of Bengaluru.
  • He is also noted for his societal reforms and contribution to building temples and water reservoirs in Bengaluru.
  • One of his social reforms was to prohibit the custom of amputating the last two fingers of the left hand of the unmarried women during "Bandi Devaru", an important custom of Morasu Vokkaligas.
  • He was a patron of art and learning.

Bhopal Railway Station gets 4-star ''Eat Right Station'' certificate

• This certification is granted by FSSAI to railway stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices.
• The ''Eat Right Station'' certification is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers.
• The station is awarded a certificate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5.
• The 4-star rating indicates full compliance by the station to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.
• The other railway stations with this certification include Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station; (Delhi), Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus; (Mumbai), Mumbai Central Railway Station; (Mumbai), Vadodara Railway Station, Chandigarh Railway Station.

Eat Right India:

• The certification is part of the ''Eat Right India'' movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country''s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.
• Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

Public Service Broadcasting Day observed on 12 November

• The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the first and only visit of Mahatma Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
• He addressed the displaced people, who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.
• In the year 2001, the day was officially declared as Public Service Broadcasting Day.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd to build India’s first hydrogen fuel cell vessel

• The Shipyard also signed another MoU for the construction of six electric catamaran vessels for Uttar Pradesh and two such vessels for Guwahati.
• The air-conditioned hydrogen fuel cell catamaran vessel will have a seating capacity for 100 passengers.
• It will be deployed at Varanasi after test and trial in Kochi.
• The air-conditioned electric hybrid vessels, designed for short-distance commute in riverine waters, will have seating capacity for 50 passengers.
• The vessels will provide onboard accommodation for the crew, besides toilet and washroom facilities for the passengers.
• The vessels will significantly contribute to the reduction in pollution levels in the National Waterways.

Year 2022 declared as ASEAN-India Friendship year

• ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
• It is a political and economic union of 10 Asian countries aimed at promoting the economic growth, political stability of individual countries, and regional stability among its members.
• Apart from economic and political growth it also focuses on social progress, social-cultural evolution among member countries, and provision of mechanisms and strategies to resolve differences peacefully.
• History: It was formed in 1967, by Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Membership has been extended to include Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Brunei.
• It includes eight dialogue partners -- India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.
• Secretariat: Jakarta, Indonesia.