Prelim Bits 15-07-2017

Customer Satisfaction Index Survey

• Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport was ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports in the country.
• The latest Customer Satisfaction Index Survey was conducted by an independent agency commissioned by AAI for the period of Jan-June 2017.
• Raipur is followed by Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun airports. Raipur also tops in the previous period (Jul-Dec 2016).
• The survey covers a wide range of parameters like transportation, parking, passenger facilities and cleanliness etc.

DEMU Coach

• Recently, India's first solar-powered Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) coach was flagged off.
• The project will help offset carbon emissions by 9 tonnes per coach per year.
• This is the first instance involving the installation of a solar rooftop system in a diesel-run passenger train with a battery backup.
• The installed solar rooftop system will be used for powering internal lights, fans and other electrical systems of the coach.

M sand

• The excessive mining of river bed to meet the increasing demand for sand in construction industry has lead to the ecological imbalance.
• Manufactured sand (M sand) is a substitute of river bed sand for construction purposes.
• M sand is produced from hard granite stone by crushing.
• The crushed sand is of cubical shape with grounded edges, washed and graded to as a construction material.
• It can be dust free and the sizes of m-sand can be controlled easily so that it meets the required grading for the given construction.
• The cost of construction can also be controlled by the use of manufactured sand as an alternative material for construction and it can be readily available.

Panel to enhance cyber security framework

• The Centre has formed a panel to enhance cyber-security of IT platforms used by the ministry of rural development.
• The panel will also suggest ways to bring synergies in various areas of information technology applications used in department’s many schemes.

National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM)

• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has formed a new institution “National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management”.
• The centre is located in Chennai and established with the objective of creating a new National Coastal Mission.
• NCSCM’s core strength is the coastal system research for the well-being of coastal communities and promoting sustainable development.
• NCSCM’s researches will be useful for arriving at policy decisions and for capacity building of coastal communities.
• Along with other Ministries and State/UT governments, it will scientifically map the cumulative vulnerability of coastal environment to climate change and consequent threats to ecology, lives and livelihoods.

Investment Facilitation Mechanism

• European Union (EU) and India announced the establishment of an Investment Facilitation Mechanism (IFM) for EU Investments in India.
• It aims to promote and facilitate EU investment in India.
• This agreement builds on the Joint Statement of the 13th EU-India Summit held in Brussels in March 2016.
• Invest India, the official Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the GoI, will also be part of the Mechanism.
• Invest India will create a single-window entry point for EU companies that need assistance for their investments at the central or state level.
• It helps ensuring a more robust, effective and predictable business environment for the EU investors.

Source : PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard