Important Facts for Prelims (09th October 2018)

• 09 Oct 2018

Zika Virus Disease Cases in Rajasthan

• Recently, few cases of Zika virus disease have been reported in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The mosquito borne flavivirus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys through a network that monitored yellow fever. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
• Zika Virus is also transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy, through sexual contact, transfusion of blood and organ transplantation.

Ghagra River as National Waterway

• Development work of Ghagra river as National Waterway (NW)-40 is to start from Basti in Uttar Pradesh, under the Sagarmala Programme of Ministry of Shipping.
• The waterway from Manjhighat at Ganga-Ghaghra river confluence to Faizabad/Ayodhya along Ghagra River for a length of 354 km was declared as NW-40 during the year 2016.
• This waterway is being classified as class-III waterway which envisages movement of up to 1000 ton capacity vessels. Besides cargo and passenger movement, NW-40 will provide a connectivity to tourist and pilgrimage places along river Ghaghra and Ganga.
• Ghaghra is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second longest tributary of the Ganges by length after Yamuna.

Sagarmala Project

• Sagarmala project aims at holistic port infrastructure development along the 7,500-km long coastline through modernisation, mechanisation and computerisation. Under this port led development framework government hopes to increase its cargo traffic three-fold.
• It also includes establishment of rail / road linkages with the port terminals, thus providing last mile connectivity to ports; development of linkages with new regions, enhanced multi-modal connectivity including rail, inland water, coastal and road services.

Andaman and Nicobar Command

• Recently the Andaman and Nicobar Command has celebrated its 18th Raising Day recently.
• It is the only joint tri-services operational Command of the country.
• The joint tri-services operational Command was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in the Andaman and Nicobar region.
• The Command has been doing regular exercises with the neighbouring countries as part of India's Act East Policy.