GK UPDATE 19TH MARCH

GK UPDATE 19TH MARCH

1.  RBI cuts interest rate by 0.25 per cent: CRR unchanged

i. In its mid-quarter policy review today, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to reduce the key repo rate by 25 basis points from 7.75 per cent to 7.5 per cent with immediate effect.

ii. Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted to 6.5 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.5 per cent with immediate effect. 

iii. The RBI has left the cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4 per cent.

iv. However, the apex bank said that high current account deficit (CAD) and inflationary expectations limit possibility of further easing of rates.

v. RBI has retained the growth and inflation forecast at 5.5 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively for the current fiscal.
NOTE: This is the second policy rate cut by the RBI this calendar year to help revive a faltering economy, taking comfort from moderating core price pressures and the government's commitment to trim the fiscal deficit.

CURRENT RBI RATES:

1. CRR – 4%                                
2. Repo Rate – 7.5%           
3. Reverse Repo Rate – 6.5%

4. MSF – 8.5%     
5. Bank Rate – 8.5%        
 6. SLR – 23%

2.    Sugathakumari Selected For Saraswati Samman 2012

i. Sugathakumari, the Malayalam poetess was chosen for the Saraswati Samman 2012 for the poetry collection Manalezhuthu, which means The Writing on the Sand in English.

ii. The Saraswati Samman is constituted by K. K. Birla Foundation. 

iii. Saraswati Samman is awarded annually for outstanding literary work in any Indian language in past 10 years.

About Sugathakumari

i. Sugathakumari has 15 volumes of poetry credited to her.

ii. Sugathakumari is also the passionate environmentalist. 

iii. She was also the head of Kerala’s State Women’s Commission.

iv. She also has six collections of prose. Her career spans over a duration of five decades. 

About Saraswati Samman

i. Saraswati Samman is constituted by K. K. Birla Foundation.

ii. The award carries cash prize of 10 lakh Rupees, a plaque as well as a citation. 

iii. This award is given every year to the literary work in any Indian language which is the part of Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

iv. Apart from this award, K. K. Birla Foundation also constituted other two awards which include Bihari Puraskar for Hindi and Rajasthani writers and Vyas Samman for Hindi.

3.    'Paan Singh' best film, Irrfan best actor at National Film Awards2013

i. 'Paan Singh Tomar', Tigmanshu Dhulia's biopic on the athlete-turned-dacoit, was named the best picture at the 60th National Film Awards while its male star Irrfan Khan shared the best actor trophywith veteran Marathi actor Vikram Gokhale.

ii. For the first time a thirty two year old Kashmiri film maker has won best award in nonfiction category.

iii. 'Shepherds of Paradise' a documentary produced and directed by Raja Shabir Khan has been adjudged the best film in this category. 

iv. Shabir has also won the best Cinematographer award for the same filim which he has also shot and edited himself.

Here are the lists of the winners:

i. Best Actor: Irfan Khan for Pan Singh Tomar and Vikram Gokhale for Anumati (Marathi).

ii. Best Actress: Usha Jadhav for Marathi film 'Dhag'.

iii. Best Hindi Feature Film:  - Paan Singh Tomar.

iv. Best Film for Wholesome Entertainment: Vicky Donor & Ustad Hotel (Malayalam).

v. Best Song: Bolo Na (Chittagong).

vi. Best Tamil film: Vazhakku En 18/9

vii. Best Film on Social Issues: Spirit (Malayalam).

viii. Best Hindi Film: Filmistan

ix. Best Telugu film: Eega

x. Best Film on Environment: Black Forest (Malayalam).

xi. Best Non-Feature Film: Shepherd's of Paradise.

xii. Best Direction - Shivaji Lotan Patil (Dhag - Marathi Film).

About National Film Awards

i. The National Film Awards are most prominent awards given away to the film fraternity. 

ii. These awards were established in 1954. 

iii. Annually, the national panel is appointed by Government of India which selects the winner. The awards are presented by the President of India in the official ceremony.

4.    India and Egypt sign 7 key pacts

i. India and Egypt today signed seven key pacts in the areas of cyber security, Information technology, services, electronics, small and medium enterprises, manufacturing,fertilisers, and renewable energy. 

ii. The agreements were signed following delegation level talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visiting Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in New Delhi.

iii. The Prime Minister said he and Morsi agreed to foster productive partnerships in socio-economic development programmes, skill development, higher education, agriculture and health care.

5.    DMK quits UPA govt over Sri Lankan Tamils issue

i. Giving a jolt to the Congress, the DMK pulled out of the UPA government at Centre on Tuesday. 

ii. DMK chief M Karunanidhi today snapped his party's nine-year long association with UPA and also decided to withdraw his ministers from the government.

iii. DMK chief Karunanidhi said, "When a situation has been created that will not benefit Ealam Tamils, it will be a big harm to the Tamil race for DMK to continue in government. Therefore it has been decided that DMK will withdraw from the Cabinet and the coalition." 

iv. Slamming the government, he said its failure to understand the depth of the Tamils issue or not supporting them or remaining neutral "will close down the democratic ideals propounded by Mahatma Gandhi and (Sri Lankan Tamil veteran) Chelvanayagam." 

v. The DMK also wants the Parliament to adopt a resolution against Sri Lanka. 

NOTE: i. This is the second instance within a year that an ally has pulled out of the Congress-led UPA government at Centre.

ii. Earlier, the Trinamool Congress had quit the UPA on the issue of economic policies pursued by the Centre. 

iii. There are 18 DMK MPs in Parliament. Half way mark is 271. If DMK pulls out then the Congress will be left with the support of just 232 MPs in Parliament. In that case they will be completely dependent on the ouside support of the Samajwadi Party, the BSP, RJD and JD(S). 

6.    MP bagged Awards for Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination

i. Madhya Pradesh bagged two national tourism awards: One for the best civic management of a tourist destination and other for the most innovative and unique tourism project in the 23rd National Tourism Award.

ii. Madhya Pradesh which is known for tourism hotspots received the awards from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function held for National Tourism Awards 2011-12 in New Delhi, at Vigyan Bhawan.

iii. The state received the award in category-‘B’ city for Municipal Council of Mandu in Dhar district. 

iv. It also got another award for most innovative and unique tourismproject-Air Taxi. 

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How to Solder

Step 1: Tools and materials

Soldering is the process of using a filler material (solder) to join pieces of metal together. Soldering occurs at relatively low temperatures (around 400 degrees Fahrenheit) as compared to brazing and welding, which actually melt and fuse the materials themselves at higher temperatures. In soldering the filler material becomes liquid, coats the pieces it is brought into contact with, and is then allowed to cool. As the solder cools it hardens, and the two materials are joined. Soldering is a quick way to join many types of materials, from copper pipe to stained glass. It creates an electrically conductive strong bond between components that can be re-heated (desoldered) if you should ever want to disconnect two items joined together. It's great for joining electrical components and wires and is used in just about everything electronic. In this Instructable I explain how to solder the basics you see in most Instructables: electrical components and wires.

For further information and some more technical specs on soldering check out the wikipedia article.

As with many skills, having the right tools for the job effects the quality of the work being done. When it comes to soldering you can end up using a lot of fancy tools, or just a few simple items you can pick up at the hardware store for a couple of bucks. I am going to use a couple of different soldering tools in this Instructable; there are many ways to solder, and you should use what works for you.

At the very minimum you will need the solder and a heat source to melt it - preferably something small which can get to 600-800 degrees Fahrenheit. If you've got that, your ready to make a connection. That being said, there are a wide range of soldering tools and accessories that can be really helpful if you're going to be soldering frequently. Ladyada has compiled a nice list of equipment and sources to buy the tools on her site. I got together a solid supply of soldering tools by raiding the Squid Labs soldering station. Here is the complete list of what I used...

1. Soldering iron
Most people opt for using a soldering iron to solder. It's a great heat source that heats up and cools down quickly and can maintain a pretty constant temperature. Soldering irons can be purchased from a variety of places. I have picked up some at Radioshack - evil yes, but convenient, some from the hardware store, some from garage sales and a bunch more from retailers online. Low wattage (15-40 watt) soldering irons work best for soldering components on circuit boards while more powerful (60-140 watt) soldering irons work well joining thicker materials like braided speaker wire. If you use too powerful of a soldering iron on a circuit board you might damage the components you are trying to join. I like to keep a low-wattage iron around for detail work, and a high-wattage iron that I can use when I am not too concerned about exposing the material I am working with to high temperatures. It's a real pain to solder thick wires without a powerful soldering iron.

The soldering iron in most of the pictures is made by Weller, and has a variable temperature control. This is the best of both worlds since you can set the heat exactly where you want it, but it's significantly more expensive than fixed-temperature irons. If you're just going to do some occasional soldering it isn't a must have by any means. Anyone interested in modding a soldering iron should check out DIY Hot Air Soldering Iron by charper.

2. Solder
There are lots of kinds of solder available. They come in different thicknesses from around .02" to some really thick stuff you would only use on copper pipe with a butane torch. You use thin solder for detailed work like putting resistors onto circuit boards and thicker solder for joining larger materials like speaker wire. I use solder around .025" for most jobs. Most solder is made from a combination of tin and lead - it's about a 60% tin, 40% lead mix depending on what solder your using. Recent international health codes from Japan and the EU (California and New York have adopted similar policies as well) mandate that lead solder be phased out of certain commercial products and substituted with a lead-free alternative. The manufacturing deadline was this past July so we should be seeing the changes now. Even if you don't live in California or New York its still worth staying away from lead solder since lead has been known to cause all kinds of a nasty health effects from birth defects to severe developmental and neurological damage. Plus it's pretty easy to find the lead-free stuff.

Some solder will contain a small amount of silver. This pushes the melting temperature up a bit, but the silver helps the solder to flow and makes a stronger joint. If you are worried about burning whatever your working with, try to stay away from solder with silver in it, but it works very well if you're just joining wires or something that won't be easily damaged. The last thing to know about solder is that you want to use a solder that has a rosin core. The rosin acts as a flux when soldering and helps the connection - it's also the kind that's most readily available at the hardware store and from electronics suppliers.

3. Soldering iron tips
Soldering irons come with a tip, so you don't have to go out and get a special one, but it's important to know the differences between them and make sure you're using the right tip for the kind of soldering you're doing. Some small-wattage irons come with conical pointed tips for detail work, while most high-wattage irons come with a flatter screwdriver-style tip that works well on wires. You want your tip to be a little smaller than whatever you are soldering so you have good control of what you heat up and what you leave alone.

4. Soldering iron holder and cleaning sponge
It's nice to have a safe place to put the soldering iron down in between soldering. A soldering stand safely holds the iron and gives you a place to clean the tip. Some soldering irons come with their own holders. If yours doesn't have one, you can buy one or make one. jaime9999 has a Homemade nearly-free Soldering Iron Stand that is pretty much identical to what you can buy. The stand isn't a necessity for learning how to solder, but it does help.

5. Tools to work with wires
I have a go-to stock of tools that I round up when working with wires or electrical components. They consist of wire cutters, a wire stripper, needle nose pliers, and an automatic wire stripper (courtesy of the Squid Labs soldering station.) The automatic wire stripper is really convenient if you're going to be stripping lots and lots of wire, but by no means necessary. I have stripped lots and lots of speaker wire using my teeth (not the best idea, I know I know.)

6. Clips to hold your work
Often called "third hands" or "helping hands," these little guys help a whole lot when soldering. You have to hold the soldering iron with one hand and the solder wire in the other, so it really helps to have something else to hold the components you're actually trying to join. You can use alligator clips, clamps, or even some tape to hold things in place if you need to. The third hand is generally a good investment if your going to be soldering regularly, and there are plenty of Instructables with with ideas to modify them if you do happen to pick one up. Check out: Make a 3 degree of freedom 'hand' to help with soldering / gluing work and make your 'helping hands' 100x more useful for soldering / gluing small parts by leevonk to start.

If you would like to make a set of helping hands of your own there are already a number of good Instructables on that too. Quick helper for surface-mount soldering byhttp://www.instructables.com/member/bikeNomad/bikeNomad, QuickMods - Soldering Arms by Aeshirand Build a Pair of Helping Hands by john otto should get things started.

7. Exhaust fan
I do most of my soldering at a soldering station that is equipped with an exhaust fan. It's really not such a good idea to breathe in solder fumes, and soldering does produce fumes. Any kind of ventilation/fan you can rig up will help. Vent the fumes outside or use an indoor fan with a filter if you can't vent them outdoors. Here is a Window-mounted solder fume extractor (not just for RVs!) posted by bikeNomad. Also check out Dr. Solomon's low tech, but functional Solder Fume Extractor if you're looking to build something that you can place right on your table. If you're just doing a quick soldering job, the fumes wont kill you by any means. I have certainly done my fair share of soldering without a vent, but anyone doing repetitive soldering should definitely pick one up or make one.

8. Safety goggles
I hadn't ever used goggles before while soldering, but while doing research for this post I saw it mentioned elsewhere and agree that its a good idea. Little molten bits of solder tend to fly out of the soldering joint when you're feeding in the solder, and if it landed in your eye it wouldn't feel too good.

9. The materials that you want to join together
I was just messing around, and mostly soldering for the purpose of this Instructable so my materials didn't necessarily make anything. You can solder wire, electrical components like resistors and capacitors, circuits, breadboards, electrodes, small pieces of metal and whatever else you can think of. Don't know if it can be soldered? Give it a try - you won't blow anything up.

Once I have got my tools and materials rounded up, I like to pretend that I am a pilot and begin my pre-flight/solder checklist.

Step 2: Getting ready

Once I get my tools rounded up I like to plug in my soldering iron and let it heat up while prepping my materials.

First things first, the tip of the soldering gets hot - up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, so don't touch it. I know this seems obvious, but many people seem to burn themselves at some point while soldering.

If you're using a new soldering iron you will want to put a small amount of solder on the tip of the hot iron before you start working. This is called tinning the iron and you only have to do it with a new iron. Once you start using it will usually have some solder on it already and be ready to go.

Once the iron reaches temperature (some irons take minutes to do this and some irons take seconds), I like to clean the tip of my iron on a wet sponge. You can wet the sponge on your soldering base if you have one, or you can just use a damp sponge or steel wool. Gently touch the tip of the soldering iron to the sponge and clean off any old bits of solder that might be stuck to it. It will sizzle a bit; this is normal.

I asked Mitch, a soldering expert who works at the control tower by day and is numberandom by night, for some tips. Mitch showed me a good idea for how to hold solder wire: he cuts a piece of it off the roll, and then makes a coil at one end with a short lead at the other. This helps him hold it steady and apply just the right amount of solder. This is a way better idea than trying to hold the whole spool of solder or grab onto just one thin strand.

Next it's time to pay some attention to the material you're soldering. If you're soldering wire, you'll need to strip back about 1/2" of insulation to expose the bare wire. If your joints are going to be wire-to-wire or wire-to-lead, you can twist them together tightly before soldering. Electrical components placed on a circuit board don't need much prep work; just seat them where you want them and find a way to hold them in place with clips or by bending the leads outward slightly so they stay put when you turn the circuit board over.

Finally, place what you want to solder into the clips on the helping hand, or on a surface you don't mind getting a little burn mark on - scrap wood works well. Basically you just don't want the components moving around on you when you go to solder them. There are lots of ways to orient the wires/components so you don't have to hold them in place while you solder them. Find what works best for you.

Hopefully your soldering iron has reached temperature by now, because you're ready to solder! 

Step 3: Soldering wire

I started soldering just two pieces of wire together because it's the most forgiving way to learn. You can't really get the wires too hot - the insulation might start to melt a bit, but you're not going to hurt the wire.

With the wires you want to join twisted together and held in place, pick up your soldering iron in one hand and your solder in the other.

Touch the tip of the soldering iron to the wires and keep it there.

The wires will begin to heat up. At some point over the next 2-10 seconds (depending on how hot your iron is) the wires will be hot enough to melt the solder. You can touch the solder to the wires (not to the tip of the iron!) periodically to see if it's hot enough. It's tempting to just touch the solder to the tip of the iron and melt it right away, but don't! You will end up making what's called a cold solder joint. This occurs when you melt the solder around the joint, but you aren't melting the solder into your joint or onto your components to make a good connection. It's much better to wait the few seconds and melt the solder onto the hot wire itself.

If you touch the solder to the wire and it begins to smoke and melt, the wires are hot enough. Add the tip of your solder to the joint as necessary. You want to introduce enough solder to cover the wires, but not so much that you create a big glob of solder at the bottom of the joint.

Once you've got what you think is enough solder on the joint, pull the solder away and then remove the soldering iron. If you're using a gun style soldering iron like I was, release the trigger to turn it off. If you're using the kind that doesn't have a trigger the iron will stay hot, so just place it back into the holder.

Here is a video of wire being soldered. The whole process happens pretty fast, and isn't nearly as complicated as you may have expected.

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