Assam Current Affairs – May 22 – 28, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK – May 22 – 28, 2020

( Covers all important Assam & North-East Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of May 22 – 28, 2020 )

May 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | May 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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May 22, 2020

First International Tea Day celebrated on 21st May

  • The tea industry marked its first International Tea Day on 21 May, 2020, as an effort to raise awareness of the long history and the deep cultural and economic significance of tea around the world.
  • The goal of the day is to promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favour of the sustainable production and consumption of tea and raise awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty.
  • International Tea Day is observed annually on May 21, according to the United Nations. The concerning resolution was adopted on December 21, 2019 and calls on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to lead the observance of the Day.
  • An International Tea Day has been celebrated on December 15, since 2005, in tea producing countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania.
  • In Assam, Dikom Tea Estate, celebrated International Tea Day by honouring the souls, who have engraved the deep roots of Dikom tea estate centuries ago by lighting candles and thanking each and everyone.
  • The estate on this auspicious day inaugurated its Information Centre and also launched its e-learning portal in YouTube.

Odisha govt raises kharif loan target to Rs 9,000 crore

  • The Odisha government has raised the cooperative kharif loan target to Rs 9,000 crore from Rs 7,500 crore.
  • Cooperation Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said small and marginal farmers, migrants, joint liability groups and women self-help groups had been given priority.
  • Proper planning had been made to provide short-term credit for fisheries, animal husbandry, dairy and poultry sectors.
  • The government has set the target of providing Rs 5,000 crore crop loan by the quarter ended June and Rs 4,000 crore by quarter ended September.

India and Bangladesh adds five more ‘ports of call’

  • To boost trade, economic activity and connectivity, India and Bangladesh have added five more “ports of call” on either side and increased the protocol (water) routes from 8 to 10.
  • These additions to the protocol will facilitate bilateral trade with improved reliability and cost effectiveness for the business community and the people of both the countries.
  • The Second Addendum was signed by Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das and Bangladesh Shipping Ministry Secretary Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury.
  • There are six “ports of call” each in India and Bangladesh. The new five “ports of call” on the Indian side are Dhulian, Maia, Kolaghat, Sonamura and Jogigopha and on the Bangladesh side Rajshahi, Sultanganj, Chilmari, Daudkandi and Bahadurabad.
  • Two more extended ”ports of call” Tribeli (Bandel) and Badarpur in India and Ghorasal and Muktarpur in Bangladesh have been added.
  • The Indian transit cargo is mainly coal, fly-ash, POL and heavy machineries for power projects in the northeast. The other likely cargo is fertilizers, cement, grain, farm products and containers.
  • Both the countries have also agreed to introduce trade between Chilmari (Bangladesh) and Dhubri (Assam, India) through the use of shallow draft mechanised vessels.
  • The new “ports of call” will enable loading and unloading of cargo transported on the India-Bangladesh Protocol Route and stimulate economic development of new locations and their hinterland.
  • This protocol, first signed in 1972 soon after independence of Bangladesh, is a reflection of shared history, trusted friendship and mutually beneficial partnership.
  • It was last renewed in 2015 for five years with a provision of automatic renewal for the next five years, giving long-term assurance to stakeholders.

ICMR comes up with fully indigenous diagnostic platform for COVID-19

  • The Indian Council of Medical research said that it has validated a completely indigenous diagnostic platform for COVID-19 diagnosis. The apex medical research body in the country said the platform offers a reliable and affordable option to augment the SARS-CoV-2 testing capacity in India.
  • This fully indigenous diagnostic platform offers a reliable and affordable option to augment the SARS-CoV-2 testing capacity in India.
  • The platform comprises a TrueNat machine, inbuilt RNA extraction system, RT-PCR chips, collection swabs and viral lysis medium (VLM).
  • Single assay has a turnaround time of 35-50 minutes for 1-4 samples with a total of 12-48 samples being tested per day, depending upon the type of machine.
  • It also added that the biosafety and biosecurity requirements are minimal in view of the sample being collected in viral lysis medium (VLM), which inactivates the virus.
  • ICMR has now recommended the TrueNat COVID-19 test as a two-step test: step one i.e. E gene screening assay for all COVID-19 suspect samples to be followed by step two for the RdRp based confirmatory test in all E gene positives.

UN launches global initiative to combat COVID-19 misinformation

  • The UN launched an initiative called “Verified” to counter COVID-19 misinformation by increasing the volume and reach of trusted, accurate information.
  • Verified, led by the UN Department for Global Communications (DGC), will provide information around three themes: science, solidarity and solutions.
  • It will also promote recovery packages that tackle the climate crisis and address the root causes of poverty, inequality and hunger.
  • The initiative is calling on people around the world to sign up to become “information volunteers” to share trusted content to keep their families and communities safe and connected.
  • The DGC will partner with UN agencies and UN country teams, influencers, civil society, business and media organizations to distribute trusted, accurate content and work with social media platforms to root out hate and harmful assertions about COVID-19.

May 23, 2020

Sikkim’s first viral research and diagnostic lab inaugurated

  • Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang inaugurated the State’s first viral research and diagnostic laboratory (VRDL) at the STNM Hospital at Sochaygang, which is certified by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
  • With the establishment of the laboratory, Sikkim will no longer have to depend on other States for COVID-19 and other medical tests. Samples from Sikkim are being sent to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri for RTPCR testing for COVID-19.
  • The laboratory has a capacity to conduct 90 tests at a time. It will take three-and-a -half hours to deliver test results of a batch of 90 samples.
  • It may be mentioned here that 75 per cent of the cost of construction and establishment of the laboratory was borne by the ICMR, while 25 per cent of the funds were provided by a private firm from its CSR fund.

Beekeeping will help achieve goal of doubling farmers’ income

  • Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday beekeeping will be an important factor in achieving the goal of doubling farmer’s income.
  • Addressing a webinar organised by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Union Minister said the government has allocated Rs 500 crore towards beekeeping under the Atmanirbhar Abhiyan.
  • India is among the world’s top five honey producers. Compared to 2005-06, honey production has risen by 242 per cent and exports up by 265 per cent.
  • The National Bee Board has created four modules to impart training as part of the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) and 30 lakh farmers have been trained in beekeeping. They are also being financially supported by the government.
  • Indian government is implementing the recommendations of the committee to promote beekeeping and has launched ”Honey Mission” as part of ”Sweet Revolution” which has four components. Even small and marginal farmers can adopt beekeeping since investment is low and returns high.

Centre released Rs 19,100 crore released under PM-KISAN during lockdown period

  • The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said, the Centre has released an amount of Rs 19,100.77 crore under the Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme during the lockdown period after March 24 till date and around 9.55 crore farmer families have been benefitted under this scheme.
  • As per the latest data, around 34.87 lakh hectares area coverage under summer rice as compared to 25.29 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year.
  • About 12.82 lakh ha area coverage under pulses as compared to 9.67 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year.
  • As far as course cereals are concerned, around 10.28 lakh ha area is under coverage as compared to 7.30 lakh hectares during the corresponding period of last year.
  • About 9.28 lakh ha area is under coverage under oilseeds as compared to 7.34 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year.
  • As per the latest data of the procurement, a quantity of 5.89 lakh MT gram (chana), 4.97 lakh MT mustard and 4.99 lakh MT toor has been procured by NAFED during the lockdown period.
  • In Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2020-21, a total of 337.48 lakh MT wheat arrived in FCI out of which 326.96 lakh MT was purchased.

UN’s The State of the World’s Forests released

  • The latest edition of UN’s The State of the World’s Forests released stated Urgent action is needed to safeguard the biodiversity of the world’s forests amid alarming rates of deforestation and degradation,.
  • The report shows that the conservation of the world’s biodiversity is dependent on the way in which we interact with and use the world’s forests.
  • The report was produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership, for the first time, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and technical inputs from the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).
  • It highlights that some 420 million hectares of forest have been lost through conversion to other land uses since 1990, although the rate of deforestation has decreased over the past three decades.
  • The COVID-19 crisis has thrown into sharp focus the importance of conserving and sustainably using nature, recognizing that people’s health is linked to ecosystem health. Protecting forests is key to this, as they harbour most of the earth’s terrestrial biodiversity.
  • This report shows that forests contain 60,000 different tree species, 80 per cent of amphibian species, 75 per cent of bird species, and 68 per cent of the earth”s mammal species.
  • Despite slowing of the rate of deforestation in the last decade, some 10 million hectares are still being lost each year through conversion to agriculture and other land uses.
  • The report presents a comprehensive overview of forest biodiversity, including world maps revealing where forests still hold rich communities of fauna and flora, such as the northern Andes and parts of the Congo Basin, and where they have been lost.
  • The Aichi Biodiversity Target to protect at least 17 per cent of the earth’s terrestrial areas by 2020 has been achieved for forests, although progress is still required to ensure the representativeness and effectiveness of such protection.
  • The largest increase in protected forest areas occurred in broadleaved evergreen forests such as those typically found in the tropics. Over 30 per cent of all tropical rainforests, subtropical dry forests and temperate oceanic forests are now located within protected areas.

Union Cabinet approved Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme for small business borrowers

  • Union Cabinet approved the Rs 3 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSMEs and MUDRA borrowers.
  • Under the Scheme, 100 per cent guarantee coverage would be provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for the additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore in the form of a ECLGS facility. A amounts of Rs 41,600 crore shall be provided by the Centre, spread over the current and the next three financial years.
  • The scheme would be applicable to all loans sanctioned under ECLGS during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to October 31, 2020, or till an amount of Rs 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under the ECLGS, whichever is earlier.
  • The main objective of the scheme is to provide an incentive to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs), including banks, financial institutions, and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) to increase access to and enable availability of additional funding facility to MSME borrowers, in view of the economic distress caused by the COVID-19 crisis, by providing them 100 per cent guarantee for any losses suffered due to non-repayment of the ECLGS funding by borrowers.
  • All MSME borrower accounts with outstanding credit of up to Rs 25 crore as on February 2020, which were less than or equal to 60 days past due as on that date and with an annual turnover of up to Rs 100 crore, would be eligible for collateral-free loan under the scheme.
  • The amount of ECLGS funding to eligible MSME borrowers will either be in the form of additional working capital term loans in case of banks or additional term loans in case of NBFCs and it would be up to 20 per cent of their entire outstanding credit up to Rs 25 crore as on February 29, 2020.

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May 24, 2020

Academic TV channel launched in Assam

  • The State Education Minister HimantaBiswaSarma launched a new academic television channel, GyanVriksha, to compensate for the academic losses induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The academic channel, started under Assam government’s SamagraShikshaAbhiyan, would contain study material from Class I to Class XII, apart from various co-curricular and skill development activities.
  • The channel, initially to be operated through cable network, would be gradually broadcast through the DTH operators in a phased manner.
  • Initially, the channel will be available only in Assamese and gradually contents would be developed in other languages.
  • The minister also advised all the students to learn from BiswaVidya, Assam YouTube channel, which has also been developed as a mobile application.

Mizoram cabinet grants industry status to sports

  • To give a boost to the sports sector in Mizoram, the Mizoram state Cabinet granted industry status to sports.
  • State Sports minister Robert Romawia Royte said the cabinet has cleared the proposal of the Sports and Youth Service department to grant sports an industry status.
  • This significant move will help to take forwards the segment in a more systematic and sustainable manner. It will usher in rapid as well as large scale development in various fields of sports.
  • Mizoram was the first state to grant industry status to sports. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and other big industrial bodies have been demanding industry status to sports since a long time.

Bangladesh produces 1st generic version of remdesivir

  • Bangladesh-based Beximco Pharmaceuticals has become the worlds first company to produce a generic version of the antiviral drug remdesivir, originally developed by US-based Gilead Sciences.
  • Remdesivir was originally designed as an Ebola treatment, It works by attacking an enzyme that a virus needs in order to replicate inside our cells.
  • Beximco’s production of the generic version will ensure quick supply of the drug to many countries in the South Asia.
  • A recent clinical trial in the US showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill. However, it did not significantly improve survival rates. Experts have warned that the drug should not be seen as a magic bullet for coronavirus. But in the absence of any clear treatment for COVID-19, many countries are willing to try remdesivir.

HUL, UNICEF extend tie-up for delivery of hygiene products in tea gardens in Assam

  • Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has stated that it has extended its collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support delivery of essential hygiene products to tea plantation workers based in Assam for use during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The collaboration will benefit families residing in the tea estates of the region and will facilitate the reach of key communication assets and availability of essentials such as soaps and toilet cleaners for tea plantation workers.
  • The initiative focuses on enhancing awareness related to COVID-19 amongst the tea plantation workers and local communities and on helping them take necessary precautions to stay safe during the pandemic.
  • UNICEF has been playing a key role in the tea plantations since 2010 through various interventions and the primary focus has been on the well-being of children and women.
  • In April 2020, HUL committed Rs 100 crore towards helping India fight the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of this effort, HUL has rolled out many initiatives to ensure that citizens of India across all walks of life have access to essential products such as soaps, sanitizers and toilet cleaners, and understand the causes and implications of the virus through simple and direct communication.

May 25, 2020

Tripura gets first international waterway

  • In a major development, the 93-km Sonamura-Daudkhandi stretch of the Gomati river has been approved of, as an India-Bangladesh protocol route. It is expected to strengthen the bilateral trade between the two countries, besides boosting Tripura’s economy and helping it emerge as the gateway to the North East.
  • Within six days of the Chief Minister’s appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the landmark decision has come as the second addendum to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade, which was signed in Dhaka.
  • Under the current protocol, there are six ports of call each in India and Bangladesh. These are Kolkata, Haldia, Karimganj, Pandu, Silghat and Dhubri on the Indian side and Narayanganj, Khulna, Mongla, Sirajganj, Ashuganj and Pangaon on the Bangladesh side.
  • As per the protocol, inland vessels of both the countries can operate on the designated protocol route and dock at the ports of call in each country, notified for loading and unloading of cargo. There has been significant improvement in the movement of cargo vessels in an organised manner on the protocol route.
  • The inbound cargo to India mainly comprises coal, fly ash, POL and ODC for power projects in the North East, while around 30 lakh MT of fly ash is exported by cargo from India to Bangladesh per annum. Around 638 inland vessels take up approximately 4,000 loaded voyages annually.

IIT Guwahati researchers develops material that can separate oil and water

  • A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) has successfully developed a graphene-based super-hydrophobic material which can separate oil and water.
  • Dr. Uttam Manna, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati and his team have developed the material and it can separate oil and water from both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions.
  • Hydrophobic materials are known as non-polar materials with a low affinity to water. This characteristic makes such materials water repelling. These materials are largely governed by the physical architecture and the chemical composition, thus, such materials can be rationally created by combining low-surface-energy materials with hierarchical roughness.
  • The research group manipulated graphene, which is a form of carbon, to have super-hydrophobic properties suitable for separation of oil from water in emulsions.
  • The team developed a simplistic method to produce graphene oxide-polymer composites with hierarchical topography and low surface energy chemistry in the confined space.
  • Materials with extreme water repellence capacity are considered best for removing oil from water, and they are being extensively studied for applications such as water purification and self-cleaning surfaces.

India becomes 2nd  largest PPE kits producer in the world

  • From zero, India is now the second largest Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) manufacturing country in the world. It was made possible within a span of 60 days and now more than a hundred units spread all across India are manufacturing such kits.
  • Before the Covid-19 crisis starts, India did not manufacture PPE kits and the requirements were met through imports. But now the country is manufacturing at least 3.5 lakh to four lakh PPE kits every day.
  • Government of India encouraged textile manufacturing units to produce PPE kits. In the first phase, five such units came forward to manufacture PPE kits. Now the number of such units supplying kits to the Government has increased to more than a hundred, while, around 500 other units are certified to manufacture it.
  • Most of the units manufacturing PPE kits are originally textile industries and there were some initial hiccups in encouraging such companies to shift to manufacturing PPE kits.
  • Though the production of PPE kits increased, the Government is not allowing exports as of now as the country has heavy demand for the item. Once the situation improves, the Government may decide to allow exports, but no such decision has yet been taken.

Union Cabinet nod to Rs 20,050 crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

  • The Union Cabinet gave its nod to the implementation of Rs 20,050- crore Pradhan MantriMatsyaSampadaYojana (PMMSY), a scheme to promote ”Blue Revolution” in the country through sustainable development.
  • The scheme will be implemented in the next 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.
  • Out of the Rs 20050 crore, the share of the Central government will be Rs 9,408 crore and the state governments” Rs 4,880 crore while the share of beneficiaries will be Rs 5,763.
  • The PMMSY will address the critical gaps in the fisheries sector and aid it in realizing its potential.
  • The scheme is expected to create direct gainful employment opportunities to about 15 lakh fishers, fish farmers, workers, vendors and other rural/urban populations in fishing and allied activities. Besides, it promises to offer indirect employment opportunities, including enhancement of incomes.
  • It will help in augmenting fish production and productivity at a sustained average annual growth rate of about 9 per cent to achieve a target of 22 million metric tons by 2024-25 through sustainable and responsible fishing practices.
  • The scheme also aims to improve availability of certified quality fish seed and feed, traceability in fish and including effective aquatic health management and help in creation of critical infrastructure, including modernisation and strengthening of value chain.
  • The PMMSY, a 5-year scheme, will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components as a Central sector scheme (CS) and (b) Centrally-Sponsored Scheme (CSS).

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May 26, 2020

UN lists Manipur’s “Khudol” among top global initiatives to fight COVID-19 pandemic

  • Manipur’s “Khudol” has been listed among the top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The listing of the initiative among the top 10 global initiatives was done by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
  • The “Khudol” initiative was launched by an Imphal-based NGO “Ya_All”, aims to ensure food supplies and health services for the people living with HIV, daily-wage earners, LGBTQI+ community, children, and adolescents.

FACTFILE – Khudol

  • Khudol is a crowdfunded initiative of Ya_All, .
  • The initiative aims to ensure food supplies and health services for the people living with HIV, daily-wage earners, LGBTQI+ community, children, and adolescents.
  • Under the initiative network of 100 volunteers has been mobilized.
  • The volunteers have, so far, provided around 2,000 families and individuals with over 1,000 health kits, 6,500 sanitary pads, and 1,500 condoms.

FACTFILE – Ya_All

  • Ya_All, means Revolution in Manipuri, is an Imphal-based NGO which was founded in 2017 to organise mental health workshops.
  • Founder of Ya_All: Sadam Hanjabam.
  • It was founded in 2017. The initiative aims to organize mental health workshops and work mostly on the health and well-being of adolescents, youths, LGBTI community.

India developed Intelligent Testing Strategy for being ”ahead of virus”

  • The Indian Council of Medical Research said that India developed an Intelligent Testing Strategy to remain ”ahead of the virus” by developing testing infrastructure that is laboratories and other means of testing.
  • The country now has capacity of testing 2 lakh samples per day, in 610 total labs (432 public, 178 private) and is currently testing 1.1 lakh samples in a day and has the capacity to test 1.4 lakh samples per day, which is being raised to 2 lakh samples per day.
  • Most states have been working with the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) to deploy TrueNAT machines for COVID-19 testing.
  • Through this machine, testing is done in such areas or districts where modern virological laboratories in private or public sectors don”t exist.
  • More labs are being set up and additional machines are deployed in states like UP, Bihar, West Bengal as well as rest of the country to meet possible higher requirements.

Indian Army Major gets UN award for anti-sexual violence campaign

  • An Indian Army Major, Major Suman Gawani, who has been selected for the 2019 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for her role in the organisation”s anti-sexual violence campaign, has been called a “powerful role model” by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
  • Major Suman Gawani is with the Army Signal Corps, through her “support, mentoring, guidance and leadership, she helped to create enabling environment for UN Peacekeepers” by combating sexual violence in conflict situations.
  • While deployed as a military observer with the UN Mission in South Sudan, Gawani ‘mentored over 230 UN Military Observers on conflict-related sexual violence and ensured the presence of women military observers in each of the Mission’s team sites”.
  • She also trained South Sudanese government forces and helped them to launch their action plan on conflict-related sexual violence.
  • Gawani shares the award with Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo, a Brazilian Naval officer working in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic,

Indian-American scientist Rajiv Joshi wins inventor of the year award

  • Indian-American inventor Rajiv Joshi has bagged the prestigious Inventor of the Year award in recognition of his pioneering work in advancing the electronic industry and improving artificial intelligence capabilities.
  • Dr Joshi, who is a master inventor with more than 250 patented inventions in the US, works at the IBM Thomson Watson Research Center in New York.
  • He was presented with the prestigious annual award by the New York Intellectual Property Law Association early this month during a virtual awards ceremony.
  • An IIT Mumbai alumnus, Joshi has an MS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a PhD in mechanical/electrical engineering from Columbia University, New York.
  • His invention span from novel interconnect structures and processes for more scaling, machine learning techniques for predictive failure analytics, high bandwidth, high performance and low power integrated circuits and memories and their usage in hardware accelerators, meant for artificial intelligence applications.
  • Many of these structures exist in processors, supercomputers, laptops, smartphones, handheld and variable gadgets and many other electronic items. His innovations have advanced day-to-day life, global communication, health sciences and medical fields impacting the world.

May 27, 2020

Arunachal Pradesh and AAU sign a MoU for GI Registration of Khamti Lahi Rice, Tawang Maize and Adi Ginger

  • Govt of Arunachal Pradesh and AAU Jorhat have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for GI Registration of Khamti Lahi Rice, Tawang Maize and Adi Ginger (Kekir) and for other agro-technology practices, processing, packaging and marketing of agricultural produces.
  • Khamti Lahi Rice is known for its uniqueness in terms of its taste, aroma, size, shape, colour and cooking method and sought the technical support and cooperation from the Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat for its cultivation, processing, packaging and marketing and also for its Intellectual Proprietary Right protection like – GI Tag Registration in a proper scientific way for generating employment and as an income source for the people/farmers of the State.
  • Arunachal Pradesh Govt sought the help of AAU, Jorhat for GI Registration of Tawang Maize and local Adi Ginger (Kekir) along with Khamti Lahi Rice which are pending for last many years.
  • AAU, Jorhat, the premier Institute for Agriculture in North East region is also sought to come up with ideas and suggestions for market opportunity and accessibility.

IIT-M researchers develop engineered magnesium alloy for automobiles

  • The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) said its researchers have developed a high-performance magnesium alloy that can replace steel and aluminium in automobiles.
  • IIT-M said its researchers working with University of North Texas and US Army Research Laboratory Teams have developed an engineered magnesium alloy.
  • The engineered magnesium alloy with significantly improved properties can replace steel and aluminium alloys in automotive and aerospace components.
  • The current industrial application of wrought magnesium alloys in structural components is very limited due to their poor moderate/low strength, poor ductility, yield strength asymmetry and lack of high strain rate super plasticity despite their density being two-third of aluminium and one-quarter of steel.
  • Light-weight vehicles consume less fuel to run and are therefore one of the strategies to increase vehicle’s energy-efficiency.
  • The new engineered alloy is strong, highly ductile and its superplasticity is achieved at higher strain-rates which reduces overall manufacturing time, effort and costs.
  • It is also lightweight, which helps lower the carbon footprint of vehicles. Lightweight vehicles need lesser fuel to run and are therefore more fuel-efficient.
  • Being one of the lightest and energy-efficient structural materials, magnesium alloys are potential candidates to replace steel and aluminium alloys in automotive and aerospace components since their density is two-thirds of aluminium and one-quarter of steel.

AMRIT app developed to track corona suspects

  • The Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) at Prayagraj, has developed a new mobile application which will help the administration and the corona control room to track suspected patients.
  • The mobile app named ”AMRIT” (Assessment, Monitoring, Reporting and Intelligent Tracking), will help chemist shops, medical practitioners and other organisations to submit information about suspected corona patients.
  • The app will also track people who are taking over the counter medicines for suppressing symptoms like cough/cold/fever and unknowingly spreading the infection to those who are coming in their contact.
  • The admin panel of the app will keep record and information about all the registered patients or customers, chemist shops, medical practitioners and other organizations like government offices, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.
  • The app also has ASHA workers registration feature and has been designed to help the ASHA workers/anganwadi workers in easily submitting the information to the control room.
  • The app has also been designed to facilitate door to door survey by health workers/ social workers where they can easily send information about the suspected corona patients in a family without any delay.

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  May 28, 2020

Jahnabi Phookan appointed as National President of FICCI FLO

  • Jahnabi Phookan has been appointed as National President of FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO), the oldest women-led and -focused business chamber of Southeast Asia and the women’s wing of the apex chamber Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
  • She took over from outgoing National President Harjinder Kaur Talwar at the 36th FLO ANNUAL SESSION- Rising Above Covid Challenges.
  • FICCI FLO represents over 8000 women entrepreneurs and professionals across 17 chapters nationally and works aggressively towards promoting economic empowerment and equal opportunities for women.
  • In her role as the National President, she will focus on empowering women with entrepreneurship capabilities and professional excellence, enabling them to take up new challenges and maximise opportunities in the new normal post Covid.
  • Jahnabi is an entrepreneur, a co-founder of two National Tourism Award-winning companies: Jungle Travels India and Assam Bengal Navigation Company under JTI Group. Her companies are encompassed in travel & hospitality – boutique river cruising, small group specialised tours, tea and textiles – all of which empower young people’s livelihoods, especially women and their communities.

UP Govt sets up disaster relief team for locust attack

  • The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has set up a Disaster Relief Team, headed by the Deputy Director, Agriculture Directorate, to deal with locust attacks in various parts of the state.
  • The team will survey various districts where locust presence has been found and will take remedial measures for the same. The state government has also set up a control room to coordinate with various districts on the issue.
  • District level committees are also being set up for the purpose under the chairmanship of the Chief Development Officer (CDO).
  • Farmers have been asked to spray pesticides in their farmlands and also play loud music since locusts are said to turn away if they hear loud music.

Karnataka to install 15 Covid screening smart kiosks

  • The Karnataka government will install 15 Covid screening smart kiosks across the state for random population screening. The kiosks will address the need for higher and quicker community testing for the virus.
  • The kiosks will ensure the safety of both the healthcare worker and the Covid test taker.
  • Looking like two conjoined telephone booths, the kiosk provides separate enclosures for the Covid tester and the test taker, separated by a transparent airtight partition.
  • Both the enclosures have separate entries, lighting and ventilation arrangements, including a mic and speaker for communication.
  • Replaceable gloves and hand sanitizer are made available in the kiosk.
  • An attendant wearing a PPE will first collect basic information about people coming for tests: vitals (weight, age, any existing health condition), persons” travel history, if they have come in contact with any known Covid patients, and check their temperature using an IR temperature gun.
  • The information is then stored in an app.
  • Later, the test taker will be given a kit to collect his swab sample for testing and move into the kiosk enclosure for the healthcare worker to collect his sample.
  • On completion, the worker will return the swab sample for the test taker to put it in a vial and drop it in an ice box. After every sample collection, the kiosk is disinfected.

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