Current Affairs: 22 February 2017

Health Secretary launches ‘SAATHIYA’ Resource Kit and ‘SAATHIYA SALAH’ Mobile App for Adolescents 

• Shri C K Mishra, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare launched the SAATHIYA Resource Kit including ‘Saathiya Salah’ Mobile App for adolescents as part of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) program. 
• One of the key interventions under the programme is introduction of the Peer Educators (Saathiyas) who act as a catalyst for generating demand for the adolescent health services and imparting age appropriate knowledge on key adolescent health issues to their peer groups.
• In order to equip the Saathiyas in doing so, the Health Ministry has launched the Saathiya Resource Kit (including ‘Saathiya Salah’ Mobile App). 
• To address and cater to the health and development needs of the country’s adolescents, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) in January 2014. 
• RKSK identifies six strategic priorities for adolescents i.e. nutrition, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), non-communicable diseases (NCDs), substance misuse, injuries and violence (including gender-based violence) and mental health. 
• This Resource Kit comprises i) Activity Book, ii) Bhranti-Kranti Game iii) Question-Answer Book and iv) Peer Educator Diary. In addition to the kit is the mobile app ‘Saathiya Salah’ (downloadable from Google play-store) which acts as a ready information source for the adolescents in case they are unable to interact with the Peer Educators. 
• The mobile app is also linked to another important piece of cost-effective information platform of a toll-free Saathiya Helpline (1800-233-1250) which will act as an e-counselor.

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Coast Guard ship Ayush commissioned

• Adding to the growing strength of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), vice admiral A R Karve, flag officer commanding-in-chief, Southern Naval Command, commissioned CGS Ayush, the final vessel in the series of twenty fast patrol vessels (FPVs) designed and built by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL)
• The ship will be under command of Commandant Asheesh Sharma and will be under operational control of the commander, Coast Guard region (east), Chennai.
• The 50-m-long ship having a maximum speed of 33 knots was delivered to the CG on December 30, 2016, almost three months ahead of contractual schedule.

India launches ‘Cyber Swachhta Kendra’ to protect citizens

• The government through its Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) launched “Cyber Swachhta Kendra” — a new desktop and mobile security solution for a secure cyber space in the country. The new solution will notify, enable cleaning and secure systems of end-users to prevent further infections.
• This centre will work in coordination with the internet service providers (ISPs) and Industry. 
• This Kendra will also enhance awareness among citizens regarding botnet and malware infection along with measures to be taken to secure their devices
• Part of the solution, USB Pratirodh is a desktop security solution that controls the usage of removable storage media like pen drives, external hard drives and other USB-supported mass storage devices.
• M-Kavach tool offers a comprehensive mobile device security solution for Android devices addressing threats related to mobile phones.
• AppSamvid is a desktop solution which protects systems by allowing installation of genuine applications through white listing. 
• This helps in preventing threats from malicious applications.
• The Cyber Swachhta Kendra is part of the government of India’s Digital India initiative under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Dish TV partners with ICICI Bank for digital payments

• Direct-to-home operator Dish TV has tied-up with private lender ICICI Bank for digital payments.
• The new payment method which is another customer-oriented initiative in the DTH industry to recharge through unified payment interface (UPI) transactions
• This alliance with ICICI Bank through UPI will drive higher customer adoption and allow them to be a part of the digital economy. 
• This will also aid our vastly spread customers with or without Internet access to recharge conveniently

Digital payments: Govt launches its own QR code platform - BharatQR

• In yet another move to aid digital or cashless payments in the post-demonetized economy, the government launched BharatQR its own QR code platform. 
• BharatQR will be the first platform with interoperability which will allow payments from various cards, including Visa and Mastercard.
• QR code or Quick Response code is a two-dimensional machine-readable code made up of an array of black and white squares, used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.
• It will make payments seamless for the buyer, making them possible without card swiping machines. It will also enable the buyer to make payments to retailers without using the merchant's ID or number
• BharatQR will also let the users make Aadhaar-enabled payments and through UPI.

EDII wins International Mercury Award 2016-17

• The Ahmedabad-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), an acknowledged national resource institute for entrepreneurship education, research, training and institution-building, has received the prestigious International Mercury Awards for the year 2016-17 for the best overall presentation of its 2015-2016 annual report.
• Instituted by MerComm, Inc. the world's only independent awards organization, the International Mercury Awards, honor outstanding achievement in professional communications in around 80 countries
• Founded in 1987, the Mercury Awards promote excellence, quality and performance in the various fields of public relations. 
• The award entertains participation from agencies, associations, corporations, government agencies, nonprofit groups, and organizations from around 80 countries worldwide every year. 
• Judges from the International Academy of Communications Arts and Sciences (IACAS) evaluate entries on the basis of objectivity, audience connection, use of imagination and original solutions, use of illustration and overall expression of the message

TCS chairman N Chandrasekaran takes over as chief of Tata Sons

• Tata group entered into a new era on Tuesday as N Chandrasekaran took over as chief of the holding company of multinational conglomerate.
• Along with chairmanship of Tata Sons, Chandrasekaran will also be holding the chairmanship of the group's crown jewel Tata Consultancy Services.
• One of his major focus areas will be the European operations of Tata Steel, particularly in the UK which has become a drag to the group after the unsuccessful acquisition of Corus.
• While Tata Steel has already started selling assets in the UK, Chandra will have to decide how much assets are to be put on the block and how much could be turned around, especially keeping in mind the implications of Brexit.

Kashmir to observe 2017 as the ‘Year of Apple’

• Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti declared 2017 as ‘Year of Apple’ in a major bid to promote the famed Kashmiri apples in domestic and foreign markets.
• The Chief Minister launched the High Density Apple Plantation Scheme in Srinagar. These high-density plants will be routed through J&K Bank along with the subsidy.
• Fifty per cent subsidy would be provided by the government to the farmers under the scheme,
• These facilities would be be set up at Jablipora in Anantnag and Aglar in Pulwama in first stage, besides establishment of e-markets for the online sale of the produce
• The government has launched a Market Intervention Scheme to stabilise the rates of apple produce and benefit growers. A network of mandies is being laid to maximise direct interface between growers and buyers
• Jammu and Kashmir is the largest apple producing State in India at 11.2 metric tonnes, which accounts for 71% of national production

Trump Chooses H.R. McMaster as National Security Adviser

• President Trump appointed Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster as his new national security adviser picking a widely respected military strategist known for challenging conventional thinking and helping to turn around the Iraq war in its darkest days.
• A battle-tested veteran of both the Persian Gulf war and the second Iraq war, General McMaster is considered one of the military’s most independent-minded officers, sometimes at a cost to his own career.
• The selection encouraged Republicans who admire General McMaster and waged a behind-the-scenes campaign to persuade Mr. Trump to select him.

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