Assam Current Affairs – May 01 – 07, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – May 1 - 7, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of May 1 – 7, 2020 )

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May 01, 2020

IIT Guwahati students develop low-cost intubation box
  • A team of students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has designed and developed a low-cost intubation box, which can prove useful in treating patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
  • The device that functions as an aerosol obstruction box placed atop the patient’s bed on the head-side, limits the flow of virus-laden droplets from the patient to the doctor, especially during the process of intubation.
  • The device, inspired by the design of Taiwanese anaesthesiologist Dr Hsien Yung Lai, has been developed and designed by a student venture for medical innovation named ‘Mitochondrial’, which is mentored by Dr S Kanagaraj and Dr Sajan Kapil of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of IIT Guwahati.
  • It is a low-cost alternative to intubation boxes and is easier to manufacture and deliver amid the lockdown.
  • The team has received assistance from DRDO, New Delhi for prototyping and testing the product at the Solid State Physics Laboratory, New Delhi, and is consulting Dr Johann Christopher of Care Hospitals, Hyderabad and Dr Abhijeet Bhatia of NEIGRIHMS, Shillong to ensure efficacy of the design.The projected cost per box is Rs 2,000, which is significantly lower than prices of existing alternatives.
  • The team has received assistance from DRDO, New Delhi for prototyping and testing the product at the Solid State Physics Laboratory, New Delhi, and is consulting Dr Johann Christopher of Care Hospitals, Hyderabad and Dr Abhijeet Bhatia of NEIGRIHMS, Shillong to ensure efficacy of the design.
  • The transparent material allows visual access to the head of the patient inside and the armholes on the box allow for the care provider to perform any necessary tasks, including intubation and extubation, which are cough-inducing processes.
  • The team has started a crowd-funding campaign to manufacture these boxes and provide them to government hospitals free of cost.
Arunachal Pradesh gets first COVID-19 testing lab
  • Arunachal Pradesh’s first COVID-19 qRT-PCR laboratory opened today at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) Hospital at Naharlagun.
  • The COVID-19 testing laboratory will start collecting samples for suspected coronavirus from May 1 onwards.
  • The State Government has initiated the work to establish two more COVID-19 testing laboratories – one at Pasighat and the other at C-Sector, Naharlagun.
  • With the establishment of the COVID-19 qRT-PCR laboratory at the TRIHMS, samples of around 100 people can be tested on a single day. This will increase to another 200 samples a day once the laboratory at C-Sector, Naharlagun.
PM Modi directs India should reduce dependence on defence imports

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed that India should reduce dependence on imports and take forward “Make in India” to build its domestic capabilities in defence equipment. He also stressed on the reforms to ensure a self reliant defence industry.

  • The Prime Minister held a meeting to discuss ways to boost defence and aerospace sector, in which he emphasised strengthening the domestic capacity for designing, developing and manufacturing state-of-the-art defence equipment.

  • Modi held a detailed meeting to deliberate the potential reforms to ensure a robust and self-reliant defence industry in India that caters to short and long term needs of the armed forces and initiatives to give a boost to the economy in the backdrop of COVID-19.

  • The discussions involved reforming of the functioning of the ordnance factories, streamlining procurement procedures, focused resource allocation, encouraging R&D innovation, attracting investment in critical defence technologies and promotion of exports.

  • The Prime Minister laid emphasis on positioning India among the top countries of the world in defence and aerospace sectors, from design to production, with active participation of public and private sector fulfilling the twin objectives of self-reliance and exports.

  • He reviewed the proposed reforms for attracting domestic and foreign investment in defence sector.

Tamil Nadu sets up portal for people wanting to return from abroad
  • The Tamil Nadu government announced a dedicated portal for people of the state living overseas and wanting to return after lifting of lockdown and resumption of flights.
  • The state government said owing to cancellation of international flights many students, workers and others from Tamil Nadu were unable to return.
  • Those wanting to return are requested to register in portal www.nonresidenttamil.org, which would enable the government to know the number of people looking forward to return and prepare the quarantine facilities.
IIT-BHU‘s MCIIE develops low-cost UVGI system to fight coronavirus
  • The Malviya Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (MCIIE) at the IIT-BHU has developed an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) system, which has been installed at the Covid-19 lab of the BHU Hospital for sanitisation.
  • As per the latest research, UVC light-based sterilizer can kill a range of micro-organisms, like viruses (including SARS syndrome, coronavirus and Nipah virus) and bacteria in a short time.
  • The system has a series of UV lamps (depending upon size of place of installation), each having 22 watts capacity.
  • This system can produce UVGI dose of more than 2,400 microwatt sec/cm square to ensure complete inactivation of coronavirus.
  • It also works on auto timer and its visual red/green indicator ensures safety of the user against the UV dose.
  • The system can be used in hospitals, operation theatres, ICUs and IVF labs, microbiological labs, special wards, dental facilities, laboratories, pharmaceutical units and patient care wards.

May 2, 2020

Assam museums to go virtual
  • The State Museum authorities have formulated a schedule to bring all the museums of Assam closer to the audience through virtual platforms available on the internet.
  • The programme headed by YS Wunglengton, Director of Museums, Assam, comprising a series of video talks, presentations, interactive sessions has been designed by the museum professionals for the benefit of the audience of all categories which will be available on the Facebook page of Assam State Museum, initially, and likely to be expanded on all other social media platforms.
  • The museum authority has already published the first video by YS Wunglengton giving a glimpse of the Assam State Museum describing vividly the masterpieces housed in the museum.
  • The upcoming presentations shall be advertised regularly on the Facebook page of the Assam State Museum.
  • Also, a live question and answer session will be conducted on alternate days, for two weeks by the end of May, where students and general public can directly ask questions related to museums and its collections.
  • The entire programme is planned to utilise the digital platform available and make the museum objects accessible to the general public virtually.
Arvind Kumar Sharma appointed Secretary, MSME
  • Arvind Kumar Sharma (IAS) assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
  • Sharma has emphasised that MSME sector is very crucial for the society and the economy.
  • Prior to this appointment, Sharma was serving as Additional Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He is 1988 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.
  • Sharma has also worked in the government of Gujarat at various positions, including at field and policy level, and has extensive experience of handling the portfolios of regulatory and developmental administration, disaster management, corporate management, industrial/investment promotion and infrastructure development.
Kovilpatti groundnut candy gets GI tag
  • The tasty Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai or groundnut candy has finally got the unique GI tag from the Geographical Indications Registry.
  • Part of Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu, Kovilpatti groundnut candy has a unique taste and is famed for it and the application for the GI tag was made in 2014 by the Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai manufacturers.
  • The groundnut candy made with jaggery syrup and topped with wisps of grated coconut dyed in pink, green and yellow.
  • There are about 150 groundnut candy manufacturers in Kovilpatti employing about 6,000 workers now
  • Within India the Kovipatti groundnut candy is sold in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai and other places and is also exported to Sri Lanka, Dubai.
Researchers develop fast antibody blood test for Covid-19
  • A team of researchers has developed a quick, sensitive test of antibodies against coronavirus in human blood, which could help doctors track a person”s exposure to the disease, as well as confirm suspected Covid-19 cases which have been tested negative by other methods.
  • The study revealed that researchers from China wanted to develop a fast, sensitive antibody test to help identify people with current or past exposure to novel coronavirus.
  • The researchers based their test on a technique called lateral flow immunoassay (LFA); a home pregnancy test is an example of this kind of assay.
  • They attached a viral coat protein to a specific region on a strip of nitrocellulose — a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid – and then added human serum.
  • The serum flowed from one end of the strip to the other, and any antibody against the viral protein bound to that region on the strip. Then, the team detected the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with a fluorescently labelled antibody.
  • This fluorescence-based detection is much more sensitive than some other LFAs, such as pregnancy tests, that can be read by the naked eye.
  • The researchers tested the new assay on seven serum samples from Covid-19 patients and 12 samples from people who had tested negative for the disease by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a common diagnostic test that occasionally fails to detect positive cases.

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May 3, 2020

Black rice of Manipur gets GI Tag recognition
  • Chakhao, the black rice of Manipur, has bagged the Geogrphical Indication (GI) tag. The Geographical Indications Registry has confirmed it on their website – http://ipindiaservices.gov.in/GirPublic/Application/Details/602).
  • The registration process took more than a year, which included documentation by a team of the State Agriculture Department.
  • Chakhao, a scented glutinous rice variety, is being cultivated in Manipur for many centuries. It is grown in the plains and hills of Manipur where the soil quality is rich. It is characterised by its special aroma. People usually have it during community feasts and is used to prepare ‘kheer’.
  • Chakhao is also used by traditional medical practitioners as part of traditional medicine, as it is said to be anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, beneficial for heart and to prevent onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
  • In black rice cultivation, farmers neither apply agro-chemicals nor use any motorised implements. Only human labour is used for farming.
  • GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
  • Earlier, Kachai lemon of Manipur, grows at Kachai village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, had got the GI tag. This lemon contains 45-51 mg ascorbic acid per 100 ml, which is the highest among citrus fruits. GI tag application for a local pea variety called Hawaitharak-makhayat-mubi is also under process.
Assam to open borders with NE States for stranded people
  • The State government opened a helpline for stranded people in other States wanting to return and has also decided to allow those in NE States to enter Assam from tomorrow onwards.
  • However, the State government has made a fervent appeal to all such people residing outside to avoid the massive evacuation arrangement and the elaborate screening and quarantine measures being put in place, if they can defer their return to the State for some time.
  • People stranded in other NE States, except Sikkim, can enter the State but will have to follow the strict screening protocol at the border checkposts.
  • After the mandatory screening, medical officers at the gate will take a call on whether to put them in home quarantine facility or admitted to hospital.
  • Night curfew will be imposed in Assam, so all such people will have to travel during day hours.
  • For those people stranded in other States, the State government has opened a helpline – 7428159966.
  • Those wanting to return will have to give a missed call in the number, following which a link will be send for filling up an application.
CSIR-IICT develops RT-PCR kit for COVID-19 testing
  • Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research-India Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) announced that it has developed indigenous RT-PCR kits for COVID-19 testing in partnership with Genomix Biotech
  • CSIR-IICT developed an affordable reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kit indigenously using recombinant technology for production of several enzymes used in the kit and optimized the reagent conditions to match the regulatory requirements.
  • Genomix Biotech will optimize the kit for COVID-19 diagnosis by adding the Taqman probes. CSIR-IICT and Genomix Biotech plan to approach Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) or its recognized laboratory for validation to launch the product.
  • The availability of RT-PCR kits in the market has serious limitations as most of them are currently imported.
  • The RT-PCR kit developed by CSIR-IICT can also be used in various other disease diagnostics of humans, animals and plants.
  • This technology is also expected to bring down the overall cost of RT-PCR based diagnosis in the country.
KGMU, CDRI collaborate for corona vaccine
  • The King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow is now collaborating with the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) for three major research projects, including development of a vaccine for the coronavirus.
  • The university, which is conducting highest number of corona tests in the state, has also been approached for the use of natural herbal products in the treatment of the disease by the Central AYUSH ministry.
  • There are at least seven research projects initiated simultaneously by the KGMU in collaboration with other scientific institutes.
  • Three research projects – one is a molecular research to know the reasons for disease causation, second one is for finding treatment methodologies and a third project is to develop a vaccine for the virus.
IFCN launches WhatsApp bot to fight COVID-19 misinformation
  • Poynter Institutes International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) launched its chatbot on WhatsApp to help two billion users of the Facebook-owned instant messaging platform to check veracity of information related to COVID-19.
  • The IFCN’s bot connects people with independent fact-checkers in more than 70 countries and also with the largest database of debunked falsehoods related to the new coronavirus.
  • By using the IFCN’s bot on WhatsApp, citizens from all over the world will be able to easily check whether a piece of content about COVID-19 has already been rated as false by professional fact-checkers.
  • Since January, more than 80 fact-checking organisations from 74 countries have identified more than 4,000 hoaxes related to the novel coronavirus.
  • All this information now forms the CoronaVirusFacts database and is updated daily by the IFCN so chatbot users can navigate and easily access its content.
  • The IFCN”s bot also provides users with a global directory of fact-checking organisations.
  • The system is capable of identifying the user”s country via the person”s mobile country code and then providing them with their closest fact-checking organisations.
  • The person can then submit a piece of information for review directly to its local fact-checker or visit its website to learn more about what has been circulating in the region.

May 4, 2020

Three new species of little horned frogs discovered in Northeast India
  • Three new species of horned frogs have been discovered in Northeast India and named using local lingo, by a team of Irish and Indian biologists from the University College Dublin, the Natural History Museum, UK and University of Delhi.
  • Two of the new species have been named using words adapted from local tribal languages at their sites of discovery.
  • Naga Hills Horned Frog (Megophrys awuh), where the word ‘awuh’ means ‘frog’ in the Pochury language, the primary native tribe from the Melluri district of Nagaland state.
  • Tamenglong Horned Frog (Megophrys numhbumaeng), where the name is derived from ‘nwmbwmaeng’ meaning ‘forest spirit’ from the Rongmei (Ruangmei) language, the primary native tribe from the Tamenglong district of Manipur state.
  • The third new species, the Dzükou Valley Horned Frog (Megophrys dzukou), was named after the only place that this potentially endangered new species was found, which lies on the border of Nagaland and Manipur states.
  • The discoveries have concluded the eleventh new species of horned frog to be named from Northeast India following research by the same core team published in 2011, 2013, and 2018 (which included the 11 cm Giant Himalayan Horned Frog).
Assam CM constitutes economic advisory panel
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal constituted an economic advisory committee as a measure to revive the economy of the State and break the stagnation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The eight-member committee led by retired IAS officer Subhash Das would study various aspects of the State’s economy and provide recommendations to bring back economic buoyancy through systematic interventions.
  • Retired vice chancellor of Assam Agricultural University Dr KM Bujarbarua, professor of Gauhati University Dr Madhurjya Bezbarua, associate professor at Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development Dr Joydeep Barua, managing director of Rashtriya Gramin Vikash Nidhi Dr Amiya Sarma, ARIAS Society’s agribusiness consultant Gautam Goswami, State organising secretary of Bharatiya Kishan Sangha Krishnakanta Bora and journalist Adip Kumar Phukan are the other members of the committee.
PM Modi participates in NAM Summit
  • A summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the format of a contact group was held through videoconference in a bid to boost coordination among member states in fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The summit, themed “United against COVID-19,” was initiated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the current chairman of the NAM.
  • This was the first time that Prime Minister Modi attended the NAM summit after assuming office in his first term in 2014.
  • Modi at the NAM summit said that the coronavirus pandemic had demonstrated the limitations of the existing international system.
  • Prime Minister said we need a new template of globalisation based on fairness, equality and humanity. We need international institutions that are more representative of today”s world.
  • Briefing the NAM summit about India’s efforts in combating the pandemic, Modi said, despite our own needs, we have ensured medical supplies to our 123 partner countries including 59 members of Non-Aligned Movement. We are active in global efforts to develop remedies and vaccines.

FACTFILE – Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

  • The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.
  • After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
  • Drawing on the principles agreed at the Bandung Conference in 1955, the NAM was established in 1961 in Belgrade, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia through an initiative of the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito.
  • This led to the first Conference of Heads of State or Governments of Non-Aligned Countries. The term non-aligned movement first appears in the fifth conference in 1976, where participating countries are denoted as “members of the movement”.
  • The purpose of the organization was enumerated by Fidel Castro in his Havana Declaration of 1979 as to ensure “the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries” in their “struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics.”
  • The countries of the Non-Aligned Movement represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations’ members and contain 55% of the world population.
IIT-Madras startup creating nanoparticle coating material to tackle corona
  • An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras-incubated startup Muse Wearables is developing novel and scalable methods for coating textiles with nanoparticles-based antimicrobial agents that can inactivate the human coronavirus on contact.
  • These coatings are expected to be effective up to 60 wash cycles, thereby making the textiles re-usable.
  • The coated textiles can be primarily used to manufacture N95 masks, surgical masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and food packaging bags, among others, with inherent properties of inactivating the virus.
  • Some highlights of these nano-particles coated textiles include, anti-microbial properties – it continuously captures and destroys viruses and other microbes upon contact. Other viruses are as small as 30 nanometres can also be inactivated permanently.
  • It does not leach while washing in water and is environment-friendly. At present, the particles can be coated on materials like cotton, polyester and cotton polyester.
  • It is non-toxic and therefore can be safely used for making masks and other PPEs.
  • Currently, the startup is assembling the coating machine and will shortly commence coating various textiles with different nanoparticle solutions.
  • The start-up is also partnering with a mask manufacturing company to launch five-layered Antiviral N95 Masks at an estimated price of Rs 300 per piece.

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May 5, 2020

Italian researchers claim world’s first Covid-19 vaccine
  • Italian researchers have claimed that they have successfully developed a vaccine to contain coronavirus (Covid-19) which is likely to work on humans.
  • Luigi Aurisicchio, CEO of Takis, the firm developing the medication, said that a coronavirus candidate vaccine has neutralised the virus in human cells for the first time.
  • The researchers experimented with the vaccine on mice that had successfully developed antibodies that blocked the virus from infecting the cells.
  • All of the vaccine candidates currently being developed are based on the genetic material of DNA protein “spike”, the molecular tip used by the coronavirus to enter human cells. They are injected with the so-called “electroporation” technique, which consists of an intramuscular injection followed by a brief electrical impulse, helping the vaccine break into the cells and activating the immune system.
Assam Govt to resume public transportation through ASTC
  • The State transport department has taken initiatives to resume public transportation through the Assam State Public Transport Corporation (ASTC).
  • The department has ensured strict compliance of all the safety guidelines like social distancing to safeguard public health along with use of masks and disinfecting of the buses after each trip.
  • It has also deployed joint enforcement teams to monitor movement of buses and to ensure that more than 50 per cent of the seats are not occupied and that small passenger vehicles do not carry more than two passengers.
  • The department will also make arrangements to ensure that the people of Assam stranded in various Northeastern states can safely return to their homes.
  • It is coordinating with the governments of all NE states in this regard.
CCMB joins hands with Eyestem for Covid-19 research
  • The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and Eyestem Research Private Ltd, Bengaluru, announced a public private collaboration in the fight against Covid-19
  • Hyderabad-based CCMB will use Eyestem”s human lung epithelial cell culture system provided as part of its Anti-Covid screening (ACS) platform to understand the molecular and pathological characteristics of the Covid-19 virus with a view to establishing a rational basis for testing potential drugs in vitro.
  • Eyestem Research is working to democratize access to cell therapy as well as disease modeling platforms.
  • CCMB, a premier research organization in frontier areas of modern biology, is an autonomous laboratory under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
  • It responded to the current crisis and was the first academic laboratory outside the ICMR to initiate Covid-19 testing and kit validation. In addition, CCMB has initiated a variety of research projects on SARS-CoV2.
22 MPs elected as member of the Committee on Public Undertakings
  • 22 MPs from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have been elected to serve on the Committee on Public Undertakings. The Committee will serve with effect from May 1 for the term of 2020-2021 ending on April 30, 2021.
  • Of the 22 members in the Committee, 15 are from the Lok Sabha and seven from the Rajya Sabha. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appointed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Delhi Meenakshi Lekhi as Chairperson of the Committee.
  • Heena Vijay Kumar Gavit, Chandra Prakash Joshi, K. Kanimozhi, Raghu Ramakrishna Raju Kanumuru, Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam, Ajjunlal Meena, Janardan Mishra, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Saugata Roy, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Ravneet Singh, Sushil Kumar Singh, Uday Pratap Singh and Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas are the members from the Lok Sabha and Prasanna Acharya, Birendra Prasad Baishya, Anil Desai, Joginipally Santosh Kumar, Om Prakash Mathur, Surendra Singh Nagar and M. Shanmugam from the Rajya Sabha.

FACTFILE – Committee on Public Undertakings

  • The Committee on Public Undertakings is a committee of selected members of parliament, constituted by the Parliament of India, for the purpose of examining the reports and accounts of the public sector undertakings (PSUs) as specified in the schedule IV of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
  • This committee along with the Public Accounts committee (PAC) and the Estimates committee (EC) are the three financial standing committees of the Parliament of India.
  • The committee consists of twenty-two (21) members, fifteen elected by Lok Sabha, and not more than seven members of Rajya Sabha.
  • The members are elected every year from amongst its members of respective houses according to the principle of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
  • The chairperson is appointed by the Lok Sabha speaker.
  • The term of office of the members is one year.
  • A minister is not eligible to become a member of the committee.
ICMR deploys IBM Watson assistant to empower frontline testing facilities
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has collaborated with tech giant IBM to bring its Artificial intelligence-powered Watson virtual assistant on its portal to respond to queries from front-line staff and data entry operators across the country on COVID-19.
  • The virtual agent has been deployed on protected pages of the ICMR website that can be accessed only by authorized personnel who are involved with sample collection and testing in hospitals and diagnostic labs.
  • The queries could be related to nature and process of data to be captured by test labs, how to record inventory of test kits and reagents, process of reporting to various Government agencies and references to the latest guidance, in addition to responding to queries on COVID-19 in general.
  • The Watson virtual agent is able to understand and respond to common queries in English and Hindi from approved testing facilities for COVID-19 across India at scale, around the clock in a uniform and timely manner.
  • The virtual agent is also expected to help in on-boarding new data entry operators and staff of diagnostic centres, as the COVID-19 test network expands across the country.
  • The deployment of IBM”s chatbot AI platform is aimed to help ICMR effectively manage the process of capturing data relating to COVID-19.

May 6, 2020

Assam tea industry to incur loss of Rs 600 crore
  • Assam’s tea industry has incurred a loss of nearly Rs 600 crore during the lockdown, with the decline in production estimated at 32 million kilograms.
  • The state government has already announced the waiver of the minimum fixed charge of supply of natural gas to the tea gardens which were closed during the lockdown period.
  • Tea industry is the biggest industry in the State and being seasonal, the lockdown coincided with start of the new season. The tea industry has been hit hard as their major production period has been affected.
  • The tea industries in Assam contribute 39 per cent to the State GDP and provide direct employment to approximately 24 lakh people.
  • All the 15 gardens and factories of Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL) have been allowed to function in full capacity and that the State government has also ensured the payment of full wages to all 16,720 workers and employees during the lockdown period.
  • Tea production in Assam in 2019 was 715.49 million kg, i.e., 51.51 per cent of the total tea production of1,389.70 million kg in India.
Assam CM directs proper screening of people entering State
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed the Kokrajhar and Dhubri district administrations to ensure proper screening of people entering the State through Srirampur and Chagolia-Boxirhat gates along the border with West Bengal to check the spread of COVID-19.
  • The Chief Minister visited a screening camp adjacent to Srirampur gate at Gossaigaon Sub-Division in Kokrajhar to review the measures taken to screen the movement of people from across the inter-state boundary.
  • The Chief Minister also asked the police to keep a strict surveillance on some reported vulnerable points to thwart any design of unauthorised movement from the neighbouring state.
  • The district administration has set up a quarantine centre at an area adjacent to Chagolia Gate with all facilities to quarantine around one thousand people.
  • He also said that adequate arrangements have been made to screen the health status of drivers, handymen and others coming to the State through Srirampur Gate and maintained that strict instruction has been given to ensure that nobody can enter the State without going through mandatory screening.
Israel Institute for Biological Research develops coronavirus antibody
  • The Israel Defense Minister Naftali Bennett has said that Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has developed an antibody which can neutralise the virus responsible for COVID-19 within the bodies of those infected.
  • The antibody that attacks the virus in a monoclonal way and can neutralise it within the bodies of those ill.
  • Located in Ness Ziona, the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) is a secretive unit that works under the country” Prime Minister”s Office.
  • After completing the development phase of the antibody, the researchers are now in the process of patenting the find and in the next stage, researchers will approach international companies to produce the antibody on a commercial scale.
Engineering student from Varanasi has designed an ‘anti-COVID-19 robot
  • An engineering student from Varanasi has designed an ”anti-COVID-19 robot” which will help the security forces shock lockdown violators.
  • Vishal Patel, a third year student of mechanical engineering at the Ashoka Institute in Varanasi, has developed this robot that can not only run on shallow water but can also operate comfortably on smooth and bumpy surfaces.
  • Patel, who built the robot under the supervision of his senior Shyam Chaurasia, claims that the device is also a security shield for police personnel.
  • It will also help the police to crack down on those flouting the lockdown rules. The police who are at a risk from coronavirus infection can maintain social distancing by operating through the robots who will monitor the situation.
  • With a moving camera, remote and through the Internet, this device can be followed by two-way calling while sitting at a police checkpoint.
UP govt launches portal jansunwai.up.nic.in for stranded migrants
  • The UP government has launched a public hearing portal – jansunwai.up.nic.in. Where people form Uttar Pradesh who are stranded in other states can register themselves if they wish to return.
  • The government will then prepare a plan for their return. However, registration on the website should not be considered as permission to travel.
  • The applicants will have to agree to be quarantined on their return. The applicant will have to provide an undertaking because if the information is found to be incorrect, action can be taken against the applicant under the Epidemics Act and Disaster Management Act.
  • Applicants will have to provide information like their name, age, mobile number, email, identification card details, who they will be travelling with, date of travel, medical details of family members and those they will be travelling with, whether they were quarantined for 14 days before date of travel, current address, address in UP, among other details.
  • Applicants will also have to declare whether they have stayed in any containment zone in the past two months.

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May 7, 2020

CSIR-NEIST launces special website on COVID-19 launched in Assam

  • A special website on COVID-19 – www.neist.res.in/covid19 – was launched by CSIR-NEIST. The portal has been designed and developed by CSIR-NEIST with a goal to disseminate wide array of information about the current COVID-19 pandemic.

IIT Guwahati steps up e-learning activities
  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has stepped up activities of its online educational facilities.
  • The institute is continuing its online classes for all the theory courses, numbering more than 350, and aims to complete them by May 15.
  • The annual progress seminars, synopsis and viva-voce examinations of PhD students are also being conducted on an online mode to continuously monitor their progress as well as ensure that this unexpected lockdown does not delay their career growth.
  • The existing e-classroom facilities at IIT-G’s Centre for Educational Technology (CET) are being used for recording lectures on various subjects, besides holding student-teacher interactions, and interactions with remote students through video conferencing.
Meteorological Centre to come up in Ladakh
  • The Central government has decided to establish a Meteorological Centre in Ladakh to meet the meteorological services of the newly-carved Union Territory.
  • The decision came in pursuance to the approval accorded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
  • The Meteorological Centre will cater to all the operational meteorological services of Ladakh and issue weather forecast and adverse weather warnings as per the mandate of India Meteorological Department.
  • It will also keep close liaison with Srinagar’s Meteorological Centre, Delhi’s Regional Meteorological Centre and the state authorities.
  • All matters relating to establishment, general administration, financial and technical matters for the Meteorological Centre will be dealt with by Delhi”s Regional Meteorological Centre.
Uttar Pradesh Govt launches tele-medicine facility in all districts
  • The Uttar Pradesh government has started tele-consultancy facility in all districts to enable non-Covid-19 patients to get medical consultation from their homes.
  • The Chief Minister said that the telephone numbers of doctors who are offering their services should be publicised through newspapers and asked officials to take steps on a war footing to improve emergency health services.
  • The state government has set up 23,000 beds and deployed 2,481 doctors in government hospitals in 75 districts.
  • Adityanath said that special training was being given to health workers to protect themselves from getting infected.
IIT Delhi startup launches reusable antimicrobial mask
  • An IIT-Delhi startup named Nanosafe Solutions has launched an antimicrobial and washable face mask that can be reused upto 50 launderings. Named “NSafe”, which the team claims can reduce cost of using mask effectively.
  • The mask is a highly engineered triple-layered product consisting of – inner hydrophilic layer for comfort, middle layer having antimicrobial activity and outer most layer having water and oil repellent behaviour.
  • The team that developed the mask consists of Dr Anasuya Roy, an IIT Delhi alumnus, Founder and CEO of Nanosafe Solutions and Professor Mangala Joshi, Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi.
  • The mask enhances protection to the wearer through three different mechanisms: mechanical filtration, antimicrobial decontamination and repulsion of aerosol droplets.

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