Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 01 Sep 2023
Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti
Recently, the Prime Minister paid tributes to Sree Narayana Guru on his Jayanti.
- Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928) was a revered Indian spiritual leader and social reformer born in Chempazhanthy, Kerala.
- He advocated for equality, education, and social upliftment regardless of caste. Guru's philosophy emphasized, “One Caste, One Religion, One God for All" (Oru Jathi, Oru Matham, Oru Daivam, Manushyanu) promoting harmony among different communities.
- He became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of non-duality put forward by Adi Shankara.
- He established a philanthropic society as the founder of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP).
Read more: Sree Narayana Guru
Indigenously Developed Electric Nuclear Power Reactor
- The indigenously developed 700 MWe nuclear reactor at Gujarat's Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3) is now operating at full capacity.
- KAPP-3 is India's largest indigenously developed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), using natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as a moderator.
- It features an advanced safety system called the 'Passive Decay Heat Removal System,' capable of removing decay heat (the heat released as a result of radioactive decay) from the reactor core without requiring any operator actions.
- India aims to increase its nuclear power capacity from 7,480 MWe to 22,480 MWe by 2031.
Read more: India's Nuclear Power Capacity
Diving Support Craft (DSC) Project
Recently, the first ship of the Diving Support Craft (DSC) project, 'DSC A 20' (Yard 325), was launched in Kolkata (Hooghly River).
- In 2021, a contract was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) for the construction of 5 DSC.
- These specialized vessels are designed to perform operational and training diving operations in harbors and coastal waters.
- The project aims to deliver all five DSC to the Indian Navy during FY 2024-25.
- The majority of equipment used are sourced from indigenous manufacturers, making them a source for the "Make in India" and "Make for the World" initiatives of the GoI and MoD.
Read More: Innovations for Defence Excellence, Atma Nirbhar in Defence Production