TNPSC Current Affairs January 2017 1 & 2

TNPSC Current Affairs January 2017 1&2

1. Indian Army and Air Force got new Chiefs. Bipin Rawat takes charge as new Army chief and Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa as New Air Chief.

General Bipin Rawat , is taken charge as 27^th Chief of Indian Army succeeding General Dalbir Sing. He was commissioned in the 5^th battalion of the eleven Gorkha Rifles in Dec 1978. He headed the Indian army during the United Nation peacekeeping operation in Congo 2008.

He was awarded for his gallantry and distinguished service with Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal.

Appointment of Bipin Rawat had kicked up a row ignoring the seniority of Lt.Gen. Praveen Bakshi and Lt. Gen. P.M Hariz and protest from opposition parties by NDA Government.

Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa has took charge as 25^th Chief of Indian Air Force succeeding Arup Raha at the Air Headquarters. He was commissioned in into Indian Air force in 1978 as a Fighter Pilot.

He is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Yudh Seva Medal(YSM), Vayusena Medal (VM). He famously commanded during the operation Vijay (Kargil Operations) in 1999.

2. A Leap Second is added in Indian Standard Time.

A Leap Second has been added to Indian Standard time at 5:29:59 hours on Sunday to synchronize clocks worldwide with the Earth's slowing rotation.

Atomic clock in CSIR&NPL (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research & National Physical Laboratory) has struck at 23:59:59 on Sunday which has been programmed to add extra second to 2017 for compensate the slowdown.  CSIR &NPL   is the custodian of Indian Standard time and has the responsibility of establishment, maintenance and dissemination of Indian standard time.

Why it Occur?

The Earth Rotation around its own axis which determines the length of a day. The rotation around axis is not regular, sometimes it speeds and sometimes it slowdown due to various factors like gravitational pull etc which refer as the Astronomical Time or Universal Time (UT1). 

Due to this Astronomical Time gradually falls out to match the Atomic Time and when the difference approaches 0.9 Sec, a Leap second is added to Atomic Time (UTC) through Atomic clocks.