17th January Daily Current Affairs – English

8th Pay Commission for Central Government Employees:

• The Central Government has decided to constitute the Eighth Pay Commission to revise the pay of Central Government employees and allowances for pensioners.
• The Seventh Pay Commission was constituted in 2016.
• The Central Government has taken this decision as its term is about to end in 2026.
• The Chairman and two members of the Pay Commission will be appointed soon.
• The Central Government usually constitutes a Pay Commission once in 10 years to revise the pay of Central Government employees.
• The Central Government has constituted 7^th Pay Commissions since 1947.
• The Pay Commission determines the pay, benefits and allowances to be paid to Central Government employees based on various factors including inflation and submits recommendations to the Government.
• It is noteworthy that most state government departments also follow the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission.

Third launch pad at Sriharikota:

• The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of a third launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at a cost of Rs 3,985 crore.
• The Satish Dhawan Space Centre currently has two launch pads.
• The first launch pad was built in the early 1990s.
• The first rocket was launched from this launch pad on September 20, 1993.
• The second launch pad became operational in 2005.
• The second launch pad, which was set up based on the increasing demand for rocket launches, was launched on May 5, 2005.
• The third launch pad is planned to facilitate the launch of next-generation rockets and to serve as an emergency backup launch pad for the second launch pad.
• The third launch pad, which is 91 meters longer than the height of the three-stage Qutab Minar (72 meters), is designed to be capable of launching all types of rockets, including the next-generation rockets being developed by ISRO, as well as the GSLV Mach-3, also known as LVM3 rockets, which are capable of carrying heavier satellites.
• With this, ISRO’s capacity to place satellites weighing 8,000 tons in low-Earth orbit will increase to 30,000 tons.

Successful integration of SpaDex: ISRO

• ISRO has created a new record by successfully integrating the twin SpaDex spacecraft sent as a pilot effort to set up a research center.
• With this, India has become the 4th country to launch a spacecraft.
• ISRO plans to launch a research station called ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ in space by 2035.
• Special spacecraft for this are to be launched in 2028.
• Preparations for this are currently being made.
• As a part of it, ISRO decided to conduct an experiment in integrating spacecraft in space under the SPADEX program.
• The two spacecraft, SPADEX A and SPADEX B, designed for this purpose were launched into space by the PSLV C-60 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Launch Complex in Sriharikota.
• Both the SPADEX spacecraft weigh 220 kg each.
• With this, India has become the 4th country to pioneer space docking technology.

Nellai tops the list of air quality indices:

• Nellai has topped the list of air quality indices, while Thanjavur has ranked fifth.
• Being close to the Western Ghats and surrounded by vast fields, Nellai district has good air quality.
• The Central Pollution Control Board has released a list of cities in India that are affected by air pollution and cities that have clean air.
• The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Indian cities is divided into various categories. If the index is below 50, it is safe.
• If it is between 51 and 100, it is not very harmful.
• If it is between 201 and 300, it can cause respiratory problems for those who stay outside for a long time.
• If it is between 301 and 400, it is bad enough to cause respiratory diseases.
• If it is between 401 and 450, it is classified as severe, and if it is above 450, it is classified as severe enough to affect even healthy people.
• Next in line is Nagarlagun in Arunachal Pradesh with a score of 43.
• With this, two districts of Tamil Nadu have been included in the top 5.
• Subsequently, the list of cities with the worst air quality has also been released.
• Delhi, whose air quality has been deteriorating for the past few years, is at the top.
• The air quality index in Delhi is at 357.

Important Facts:

1. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has said that the global economic environment is likely to weaken this year, and India’s economic growth is expected to continue to be strong.
2. The United States has lifted various sanctions on 3 Indian nuclear energy institutions, including India’s Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
3. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre and Indian Rare Earths have been exempted from the US sanctions list.
4. The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics to supply medium-range surface-to-air missiles to the Indian Navy at a cost of about Rs 2,960 crore.
5. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest at India’s 76th Republic Day celebrations.
6. French President Emmanuel Macron was the chief guest at last year’s Republic Day celebrations.
7. All the rivers in India are named after women, but only one, the Brahmaputra, is named after a man.
8. Vinod Chandran, who was the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court in Bihar, took oath as a Supreme Court judge.
9. The central government has formed a seven-member committee to monitor the safety and maintenance of the Mullaperiyar dam.
10. Resolution to declare January as Tamil Language and Heritage Month introduced in the US Congress.
11. Australian player Annabelle Sutherland has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for December.