Today’s Current Affairs: 27th Aug 2026 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
National Test House: 115th Foundation
The National Test House (NTH) is set to host a celebration for its 115th Foundation Day at its Jakkuru Campus in Bengaluru.
- National Test House is a premier scientific organization of the Government of India.
- It was established in 1912 under the then Railway Board.
- It is India’s largest multi-location multidisciplinary industrial central government’s testing laboratory dealing with almost all sorts of testing, calibration and quality evaluation related to industry, commerce, trade etc. as per international and national standards.
- It offers technical consultancy, testing, calibration, and quality evaluation across various sectors, adhering to both national and international standards.
- It is also actively involved in supporting the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and BIS by providing technical assistance in the accreditation and standard formation activities, respectively.
- It is the pioneering governmental entity in India for drone certification.
- Its branches are established at Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Varanasi.
- It is functioning under the administrative control of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Sesame:
According to a pre-sowing price forecast by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) prices of good-quality black sesame are likely to rule at ₹140-145 a kg during the harvest season.
- Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is the oldest indigenous oilseed crop in India.
- It is a primordial oilseed crop since the remnants of sesame seeds were discovered at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
- It can be cultivated up to the latitude of 1600m (India 1200 m).
- Normally the optimum temperature required during its life cycle is between 25-35 degrees celsius.
- If the temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius with hot winds the oil content reduces.
- Sesame can be grown on a wide range of soils, however well drained light to medium textured soils are preferred. It does best on sandy loams with adequate moisture.
- It thrives in the semi-arid climate of Western India, Central, Eastern and Southern part of India including lower Himalayas.
- It is cultivated during Kharif in arid and semi-arid tropics and rabi/summer in cooler areas.
- The crop is grown in almost all parts of the country. More than 85% production of sesame comes from West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Sesame oil is excellent from a medicinal point of view. It contains antioxidants, and it is perfect for heart patients.
Gene-Edited Rice Varieties:
India developed two genome-edited rice varieties — DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa Rice DST1 and is set to release Pusa Rice DST1 for commercial production in the upcoming rabi season.
- Pusa DST Rice 1 is derived from MTU1010, which is suitable for rabi season in southern states.
- It is developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.
- The edit in its genome targets the Drought and Salt Tolerance (DST) gene, with the aim of improving the plant’s ability to cope with drought and salt-affected soils.
- It is expected to be grown in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
- DRR Dhan 100 is also called Kamala variety.
- It was developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, from the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204) variety.
- Scientists edited a gene involved in cytokinin metabolism, with the aim of increasing the number of grains produced by each panicle.
- The resulting variety is said to mature about 20 days earlier than Samba Mahsuri, in around 130 days, and has a stronger stalk that is less prone to lodging, or falling over.
Kuwait:
The inaugural meeting of the India-Kuwait Joint Defence Committee (JDC) was held in New Delhi.
- Kuwait is a country in Western Asia, situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf.
- It is bordered by two countries namely Iraq in the north and west, and Saudi Arabia in the south.
- It is bounded by the Persian Gulf in the east.
- It is a member of Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation & OPEC.
- Capital City: Kuwait City
- Kuwait has a hyper-arid desert climate that is highly variable with recurrent extremes.
- There are no perennial lakes or rivers. Instead, there are wadis or transient watercourses that end in inland basins.
- Most parts of Kuwait are covered by the Arabian Desert.
- Natural Resources: Natural gas and petroleum are Kuwait’s most significant mineral resources.
PARIVARTAN Scheme: In News
The government has said that around one thousand five hundred beneficiaries have been registered on the PARIVARTAN scheme after its launch.
- PARIVARTAN (Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air Pollution and Network Emissions) scheme was launched by the Central Government.
- It is aimed at facilitating the replacement of older, highly polluting trucks and buses operating in the National Capital Region (NCR) with cleaner Bharat Stage (BS)-VI compliant or electric vehicles.
- It is implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
- It is funded by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB)
- States Covered: Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi issued notifications granting Motor Vehicle Tax
- Incentives provided under the Scheme:
- Motor Vehicle Tax concessions, registration fee waivers
- 5% interest subvention on vehicle loans
- A minimum 8% OEM discount on eligible new vehicles
- Monthly fuel voucher support for eligible diesel and CNG replacement vehicles
- One-time financial assistance for electric replacement vehicles and Certificate of Deposit (CoD) trading
- It will be implemented through an integrated digital platform that will seamlessly interface with VAHAN, V-Scrap, DigiELV, the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), participating lenders.
