26th July 2017 The Hindu and PIB Daily Current Affairs

1)18th Kargil Vijay Diwas observed:- The 18th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated across India to commemorate the success of Operation Vijay and remember brave sacrifice of Indian soldiers during the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil War.

2)Reliance Defence launches first two Navy ships Shachi and Shruti:-

Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) launched the first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) — Shachi and Shruti at their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat.

These two NOPVs are the first warships to be launched by a private sector shipyard in India. These ships are part of a five-ships being constructed for the Indian Navy under the P-21 project.

RDEL, subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure is the first private shipyard in India to obtain defence production licence and sign a contract for defence ships in 2011.

3)PMAY was in News so lets learn some facts about it :-

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) PMAY(U) provide houses to all poor by 2022. 
• Its objective is to construct two crore houses across the nation. 
• It covers the entire urban area consisting of 4041 statutory towns with initial focus on 500 Class I cities. Intended beneficiaries of the scheme are Poor people (BPL) and People living under EWS and LIG (Low income Group) categories in urban establishments of the country. 
• It also targets people living under MIG (middle income Group).

4)Human antibodies produced in lab for first time :- 

What are antibodies :- An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large, Y-shaped protein produced mainly by plasma cells that is used by the immune system to neutralize pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

This is released in response to an antigen.

What is an Antigen:- It is a toxin or other foreign substance which induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.

So What is the Mechanism :- When an individual B cell recognises a specific pathogen-derived antigen molecule, it proliferates and develops into plasma cells that secrete large amounts of antibody capable of binding to the antigen and fending off the infection.

Importance of the Discovery :- This approach will help researchers rapidly generate therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of infectious diseases and other conditions such as cancer.

5)Open border of India and Nepal :- (PIB) 

***IMPORTANT with respect to India and its Neighbours (GS-2)

• Indo-Nepal border is open, porous and thickly populated. 

• The movement of Indian and Nepalese citizens across the Indo-Nepal border is governed by Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1950, which provides for free movement of citizens of both the countries across the border. 

• To prevent misuse of border by anti-social elements including terrorists/criminals, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has been deployed at Indo-Nepal Border as a Border Guarding Force. 

• SSB regularly carries out various operational activities like patrolling and laying of nakas along the border. 

6)Women Scientist Scheme := The ‘Women Scientist Scheme’ of the Department of Science and Technology, provides career opportunities which includes fellowship to unemployed women scientists and technologists, especially those who had a break in career, for pursuing research in frontier areas of Science and Engineering.

There are three major components of Women Scientist Scheme namely,

• i) Women Scientists Scheme-A (WOS-A) for conducting research in Basic & Applied Sciences, 
• ii) Women Scientists Scheme-B (WOS-B) for S&T interventions for Societal Benefit and 
• iii) Women Scientists Scheme-C (WOS-C) that enables them to become Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) professional.