Important Facts For Prelims (24th May 2019)

• 24 May 2019

New Space India Limited (NSIL)

New Space India Limited (NSIL) is the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which was officially inaugurated in Bengaluru.

• NSIL was incorporated on March 6, 2019, for commercially utilising research and development activities carried out by ISRO in the area of space with an authorised share capital of Rs 100 crore and initially paid-up capital of Rs 10 crore.
• It is the second commercial arm of the ISRO after the Antrix Corporation, which was set up in 1992 primarily to facilitate ISRO’s commercial launch of foreign satellites.
• The objective of NSIL: is to enhance industry participation in Indian space programmes. NSIL will act as an aggregator for all space-related activities in industry and develop private entrepreneurship in space-related technologies.
• Responsibility of NSIL: manufacturing and production of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through technology transfer mechanisms.
  
  • It will also cater to emerging global commercial SSLV market demand, providing satellite building and satellite-based services, including the supply of sub-systems for various domestic and international application needs and will enable space technology spin-offs through Indian industry interface.
  • It will also be organising an interactive workshop with industry, wherein it would seek industry’s feedback as well as their expression of interest to take a newer and larger share of work with ISRO.

Man Booker International Prize

• Jokha Alharthi has become the first Arabic author to win the Man Booker International prize for her novel ‘Celestial Bodies’ which reveals her Omani homeland's post-colonial transformation.
• The prestigious 50,000-pound prize, which celebrates translated fiction from around the world, is divided equally between the author and translator. Alharthi's translator was US academic Marilyn Booth, who teaches Arabic literature at Oxford University.
• The Man Booker International Prize was established in 2005 and in 2016 became a prize for fiction in translation, awarded annually for a single work, translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
• The Man Booker Prize launched in 1969, aims to promote the finest in fiction by rewarding the best novel of the year written in English and published in the United Kingdom. ‘Milkman’ by the writer Anna Burns won the 2018 prize.

Khyal

Khyal is a form of Hindustani Classical Music. The word ‘Khyal’ is derived from Persian and means “idea or imagination”.

• It is said that Amir Khusrou in the 13^th century gave it an impetus.
• Sultan Mohammed Sharkhi of the 15^th century is credited with encouraging this form. However, it attained its maturity at the hands of Niyamat Khan Sadarang and Adarang of the 18^th century.
• The Khyal has two varieties: the slow or Vilambit Khyal and the fast or Drut Khyal.
  
  • The Vilambit is sung in slow tempo and the Drut at a faster speed.
• Both types of Khyals have two sections: Asthayee and Antara. Together Asthayee and Antara make one song, a composition, or bandish.
• Usually, the theme for these Khyal bandish is romantic in nature.
• The major Gharanas (schools) under Khyal music are Gwalior Gharana, Agra Gharana, Jaipur Atroli Gharana, Rampur Saheswan Gharana.

Thumri

Thumri is based on mixed ragas and is commonly considered to be semi-classical Indian music.

• The compositions are romantic or devotional in nature. This was inspired by the Bhakti movement.
• As Thumri is a love song and hence the textual beauty is very important. This is closely coordinated with the musical rendition.
• The language of the composition is usually Hindi or Awadhi dialect or the Braj Bhasha dialect and the grammar is not strictly adhered in Thumri.
• There are two styles of Thumri singing: the Poorab or Banaras which is fairly slow and staid and the Punjab style which is more mercurial. 

Collaboration of National Health Authority and National Cancer Grid

• National Health Authority (NHA) and National Cancer Grid (NCG) have signed an MoU under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
• MOU will jointly review existing cancer treatment packages, pricing of services, and standard treatment workflows covered under the AB-PMJAY, and plug-in necessary gaps to ensure enhanced quality of cancer care.

National Cancer Grid (NCG)

• NCG formed in August 2012, is a network of major cancer centers, research institutes, patient groups and charitable institutions across India.
• Objectives of NCG:
  • Establish uniform standards of patient care for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
  • Providing specialized training and education in oncology.
  • Facilitating collaborative basic, translational and clinical research in cancer and shape cancer policy in India.

National Health Authority (NHA)

• NHA is an attached office to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• Its Governing Board is chaired by Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
• The NHA is envisaged to lead the development of strategic partnerships and collaborations with Central and State Governments, civil society, financial and insurance agencies, academia, think tanks, national and international organizations and other stakeholders to further the objectives of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

PRAAPTI

• A web portal and an App namely PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators), was launched by the Ministry of Power in May 2018 to capture the invoicing and payment data for various long term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) from the Generators.
• Purpose of this initiative is to herald a new era of transparency in a financial transaction in the power sector.
  
  • This will help the stakeholders in getting month-wise and legacy data on outstanding amounts of Discoms against power purchase.
  • The portal would facilitate the relative assessment of various State DISCOMs on “Ease of making payments” to various Generation Companies, and will also help make transactions in the power Sector more transparent.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is also considering setting up a similar web portal to publicly disclose payment delays to renewable energy players from power distribution companies.