Current Affairs Question - 06 October 2020

Explanation :

• The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 was passed in 2016 and the related rules were notified in 2018.

Salient Features of CAFA

• It provides for the establishment of the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
• The payments into the funds include:
  • Compensatory afforestation
  • Net Present Value (NPV)
  • Any project specific payments
• The National Fund gets 10% of funds collected and the remaining 90% goes to respective State Fund.
• These funds would be brought under the focus of Parliament and State Legislatures by transferring them to non-lapsable interest bearing funds.
• The collected funds will be utilized for:
  • Afforestation
  • Regeneration of forest ecosystem
  • Wild life protection
  • Infrastructure development
  • Location of villages from protected areas
  • Managing human-wildlife conflicts
  • Training and awareness generation
  • Supply of wood saving devices and allied activities

Explanation :

In a major success amid the ongoing border crisis with China, India on 3rd October, 2020, successfully test-fired a new version of nuclear-capable Shaurya missile off the coast of Odisha.

About Shaurya Missile

• It is a land variant of short-range Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-15 Sagarika.
• It belong to the K missile family — codenamed after late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam — which are launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines.
• It is a two-stage rocket missile having a strike range of around 800 kilometres.
• When fired, the missile in the final phase of its course moves at hypersonic speeds before reaching a height of 40 km as it gets closer to its target.
• The missile is less vulnerable to anti-ballistic missile defence systems due to its high maneuverability.

K Family of Missiles

• The K family of missiles are primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) and are named after DrKalam.
• Because these missiles are to be launched from submarines, they are lighter, smaller and stealthier than their land-based counterparts, the Agni series of missiles.
• K family are primarily submarine-fired missiles to be fired from India’s Arihant class nuclear powered platforms.