Kedarnath Temple re-opens a year after Uttarakhand floods

1.    Kedarnath Temple re-opens a year after Uttarakhand floods

i. A year after the famous Kedarnath temple, which was marred by massive flash floods that had left hundreds of people dead and many others stranded, re-opened on Sunday.

ii. Last year, the famous Kedarnath shrine was virtually submerged in mud and slush where thousands of people had died in the flash floods.

iii. The shrine of Shiva, visited by Hindu pilgrims from across the world, however, was only partly damaged amid the death and destruction by flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides caused in various parts of Uttarakhand for the many consecutive days.

iv. The temple is an important part of the 'Char Dham' yatra. The annual pilgrimage had begun on Friday with the re-opening of the sacred portals of the Himalayan shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri for devotees.

2.    Astra successfully test-fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI

i. Astra, India's first indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile was successfully test-fired from a Sukhoi-30 MKI at a naval range in the Western Sector, marking a major step in missile-aircraft integration.

ii. The test-firing met all the mission objectives and the air-launch was captured by side and forward looking high-speed cameras and the separation was exactly as per simulation, according to a press release from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

iii. Congratulating the team, Avinash Chander, Sceintific Advisor to the Defence Minister and DG, DRDO, observed that the launch was a major step in missile aircraft integration

3.  HAL hands over 'Nabhratna' to DRDO

i. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), transport division, handed over 'Nabhratna' flying test bird aircraft to DRDO in a simple ceremony.

ii. HAL chairman RK Tyagi handed over the aircraft to chief guest Avinash Chander, scientific advisor to defence minister.

iii. Joshi said that HAL had signed the contract for Nabhratna Flying test bird aircraft in May 2013 and completed the project in May 2014, six months before schedule time of November 2014. All the specifications are matching with the requirements laid down by DRDO.