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Q1. Recently, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a 24×7 channel dedicated for Assam. Name of the channel is
Assam TV
Doordarshan Purnvanchal
Doordarshan Assam
NE Doordarshan
C. Doordarshan Assam
Channel telecasting from Doordarshan Kendra Assam situated at Guwahati. DD Assam is a channel exclusive for the state available on DD Free dish DTH, at channel no.0052.
Q2. Which district from Northeast region has been ranked second best in the NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District for the period of February-June 2020?
Kamrup
Ri-Bhoi
Hailakandi
Bishnupur
B. Ri-Bhoi
In January, 2018 the Government of India has launched the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative with a vision of a New India by 2022 where the focus is to improve India’s ranking under Human Development Index, raising living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth of all.
Q3. Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel inaugrated “Thenzawl Golf Resort”, which is the first golf course of which Indian state?
Manipur
Nagaland
Mizoram
Tripura
C. Mizoram
The project was sanctioned under the Integrated Development of New Eco Tourism under the Swadesh Darshan-North East Circuit at Thenzawl. The project has been planned and created with an aim to provide fine quality golfing experience and this resort will generate employment for nearby villages and will promote tourism in the state.
Q4. How much amount was contributed by India to the India-UN development partnership fund?
$10.38 million
$15.46 million
$20.70 million
$25.20 million
B. $15.46 million
India has contributed the funds to the United Nations Office for South-south Cooperation (UNOSSC) as a permanent representative of the UN. Of this, 6 million USD to the overall fund and 9.46 million USD has been dedicated to the Commonwealth countries.
India-UN Development Partnership Fund is managed by UNOSSC which was established in 2017 with the aim to contribute to the efforts of developing countries towards the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Q5. Which state/UT planned to develop India’s first snow leopard conservation centre?
Jammu and Kashmir
Himachal Pradesh
Andaman and Nicobar
Uttarakhand
D. Uttarakhand
The aim of the project is to secure livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems and also conversation of snow leopards and other endangered species and their habitats, found in Himalayas.
Q6. “India Report on Digital Education, 2020” has been launched virtually by which Ministry?
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Ministry of Culture
C. Ministry of Human Resource Development
The aim of the initiative is to assist teachers, scholars and students in their pursuit of learning. Some of the major medium to connect to the students were using WhatsApp Group for all the classes, Online classes through YouTube channel, Google meet, Skype etc., Some of the major digital initiatives Like Assam has launched the Biswa Vidya Assam Mobile Application for class 6 to 10. TRIPURA has an application titled ‘EmpowerU Shiksha Darpan’ in order to facilitate student’s appraisal.
Q7. Which company has partnered with Prasar Bharati for AI-enabled Independence Day celebration?
Microsoft
Facebook
IBM
Google
D. Google
Google India has collaborated with Prasar Bharati and Virtual Bharat for AI-enabled Independence Day celebration of India. The participants are only required to sing the National Anthem, then goggle by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology will convert that voice into any of the three traditional instruments enlisted by Google – shehnai, sarangi or bansuri.
Q8. Recently, which IIT researchers has received the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards 2020 for generating electricity from wet clothes?
IIT Madras
IIT Bombay
IIT Guwahati
IIT Kharagpur
D. IIT Kharagpur
Another team from the institute was separately granted the same award for addressing the problem of energy conservation and thermal management in wearable and flexible electronic devices.
Q9. Nokia to set up Center of Excellence (CoE) for Networked Robotics at which Indian Institute?
IIT Hyderabad
IISc Bangalore
IIT Delhi
IIIT Bangalore
B. IISc Bangalore
Nokia Center of Excellence (CoE) for networked robotics will promote interdisciplinary research involving robotics, advanced communication technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop socially relevant use cases across areas like emergency management, agriculture and industrial automation.
Q10. Who is appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir?
Girish Chandra Murmu
Rajesh Bhushan
Pradeep Kumar Joshi
Manoj Sinha
D. Manoj Sinha
The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is the head of state of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He is appointed by the President of India. A Council of Ministers led by a Chief Minister is appointed by him from the membership of the legislative assembly. He also has the power to promulgate ordinances which have the same force as the acts of the legislative assembly.
Q1. Who among the following have been awarded with “Natasurya Phani Sarma Award for the year” 2020?
Dulal Roy and Arati Das Boiragi
Bhola Kakoti and Nipon Goswami
Uaday Shankar Siakia
Aishwarya Kakati and Bhabesh Baruah
D. Aishwarya Kakati and Bhabesh Baruah
The award comprises a sarai, commendation, man bastra and a cheque of Rs 2 lakh each.
Natasurya Phani Sarma had made tremendous contributions to the cultural field of Assam and through his work. He unified the greater Assamese society cutting across linguistic, religious and all other divides.
Q2. Northern Railway today ran it’s first-ever Vyapar Mala Express train from Punjab and was destined to which state?
Manipur
Arunachal Pradesh
Nagaland
Tripura
D. Tripura
This train destined for Jirania in Tripura has 46 wagons. It will help small traders in moving their cargo through Railways, in a short time, cost effective, convenient and environment-friendly mode of transportation.
Q3. Government of India has approved the setting up of the Directorate of AYUSH in which state?
Assam
Meghalaya
Tripura
Manipur
B. Meghalaya
The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) is purposed with developing education, research and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India.
The state government has also proposed another 22 health and wellness centres for the current financial year 2020-21.
Q4. The government of India unveiled the new National Education Policy (NEP) that introduced several changes in Indian education system-from school to college level. This new policy will replace
National Education Policy (NEP) 1968
National Education Policy (NEP) 1992
National Education Policy (NEP) 1990
National Education Policy (NEP) 1986
D. National Education Policy (NEP) 1986
The National Education Policy was framed in 1986 and modified in 1992. The Right to Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) provides for free and compulsory education to all children from the age of six to 14 years. The new draft Policy recommends the extension of the Right to Education Act 2009 to all children between the ages of 3 to 18 years.
Q5. Which Ministry receives SKOCH Gold Award in digital India category for Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled Scholarship Schemes project?
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
C. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
The SKOCH Awards were presented over a virtual platform at the 66th SKOCH Summit at New Delhi.
Skoch Award is the highest civilian honour in the country conferred by an independent organisation. The awards recognise leadership and excellence in accelerating socio-economic changes. Conferred to people, projects and institutions.
Q6. Governor of which state has gave his nod to three state-capital bills and CRDA Repeal Bills 2020 recently?
Uttar Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
B. Andhra Pradesh
The new tri-capital plan involves setting up executive, legislative and judicial capitals at Visakhapatnam, Amaravati and Kurnool respectively.
Q7. United Launch Alliance (ULA) and which space agency has recently launched Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission to Red Planet?
NASA
ISRO
JAXA
CNES
A. NASA
The main aim of the Mars Perseverance Rover is to seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for a possible return to Earth.
Q8. Name the book recently launched by the Union Minister Smriti Irani and Gajendra Singh Shekhawa which contains essays on Swachh Bharat Mission?
Swachh Bharat Sapna
Swachh Bharat Kranti
Swastha Bharat
Nirmal Bharat
B. Swachh Bharat Kranti
‘Swachh Bharat Revolution’ has been translated into Hindi by Shri Parameswaran Iyer, and is published as Swachh Bharat Kranti. The book aims at capturing the remarkable journey of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) through 35 essays from various stakeholders and contributors of Swachh Bharat Missionwho have shared their perspective on this social revolution.
Q9. Which country will host the 6th annual meeting of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2021?
UAE
Denmark
France
China
A. UAE
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank which was proposed by China in 2013 and the initiative was launched at a ceremony in Beijing in 2014. The bank started operation after the agreement entered into force in 2015. The bank currently has 103 members as well as 20 prospective members from around the world. Its aim is to support the building of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region.
Q10. SABIC chemical plant, which is set to become world’s first-of-its-kind to operate on 100 per cent renewable power, is in which country?
Spain
Qatar
Ukarine
Brazil
A. Spain
SABIC’s polycarbonate facility in Spain is set to become the world’s first large scale chemical production plant which will run entirely on renewable power after a major agreement was signed with , an electricity utility company Iberdrola.
Cachar district introduces ‘Report Crowd’ web to ensure social distancing
In a first, the Cachar district administration has launched a portal to contain and disperse crowd accumulation and enhance social distancing during the nationwide lockdown period meant to restrict the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
The webportal named ‘Report Crowd’ which would be operational along with the official website of the district administration.
The facility will ensure social distancing and enable the administration to disperse crowd across the district with the help of feed in the form of on-the-spot photographs with Geo tagging.
The facility has been introduced with the technical assistance from software firm Clappia based in Bengaluru. The firm is offering free services during the lockdown phase.
This kind of an portal is being introduced for the first time in Assam to ensure that social distancing is being adhered to at all cost.
Anyone who finds a seemingly large assembly of people at one place can simply click a photo, go to cachar.gov.in and upload the photo at the URL cacharreport.clappia.com with little details about the photograph.
Oxford University vaccine ‘ChAdOX1′ to commence human trials
The UK government announced that the human trial of a potential COVID-19 candidate vaccine being developed by researchers at University of Oxford will begin from April 23.
Earlier, scientists at the University of Oxford promised a super-fast vaccine during a virtual press conference, saying the vaccine will be available by September. According to lead researcher Professor Sarah Gilbert, their ‘ChAdOx1′ vaccine can work against the coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2.
The UK government will provide 20 million pounds to the Oxford research team to help fund their clinical trials, with a further 22.5 million pounds for researchers at Imperial College London.
In normal course of time, a vaccine takes anytime between 12-18 months. What probably separates ChAdOx1 – known as recombinant viral vector vaccine – from the rest is the time it promises to take in order to deliver mass quantities.
The vaccine is an adenovirus vaccine vector and was developed at Oxford’s Jenner Institute. Adenoviral vectors are a very well-studied vaccine type, having been used safely in thousands of participants, from 1 week to 90 years of age, in vaccines targeting over 10 different diseases.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also pitched for the Oxford vaccine, saying ‘ChAdOX1′ is the frontrunner in the race to take on the deadly COVID-19 virus.
UNICEF teams up with Microsoft for remote learning platform “Learning Passport”
Microsoft has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for expansion of a global learning platform to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their education at home.
The platform, called “Learning Passport”, which has been in development for the past 18 months, was due to start as a pilot programme this year.
Now, all countries with a curriculum capable of being taught online will be able to facilitate online learning for children and youth with devices at home.
The content available to schoolchildren includes online books, videos and additional support for parents of children with learning disabilities.
UNICEF’s Learning Passport is uniquely positioned as a scalable learning solution to bridge the digital learning gap for millions of students to bring their classroom into their home during the pandemic.
Children and young people continuing their education online can do so through a country-specific platform, accessed via their country’s learningpassport.unicef.org page.
DRDO lab developes 10,000 face shields for PGI, Chandigarh
The Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) here is developing 10,000 full face protective shields for examining infected COVID-19 patients for the PGI Hospital.
TBRL is a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The TBRL is also acting as a facilitator for the procurement of bio-suits developed by another DRDO lab for use by healthcare service providers.
The TBRL is involved in development, production, processing and characterisation of different high explosive compositions, fragmentation studies of warheads, captive flight testing of bombs, missiles and airborne systems and ballistics evaluation of protective system like body armour, vehicle armour and helmets.
APRIL 23, 2020
HRD Ministry’s online platform ‘Shodhganga‘ to help research scholars
In a bid to help research scholars amid the nationwide lockdown, the Human Resource Development Ministry has come up with an online platform Shodhganga for them to access information on these and other study material.
The move comes as scholars pursuing higher studies like PhDs and MPhil etc have been hemmed in by lack of research facilities, guides and lectures due to the lockdown.
The platform would enable researchers confined to their respective homes to access study material and theses in vernacular languages, Hindi and international languages.
As many as 2,69,734 Indian theses and 7,500 synopses have been provided for study and reference on the e-platform.
NBRI develops alcohol-based sanitizer
The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in Lucknow has developed an alcohol-based herbal sanitizer.
The product has been developed under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR – Aroma Mission as per the World Health Organization”s guidelines.
The herbal sanitizer contains Tulsi essential oil as herbal constituent which is strong and natural anti-microbial agent and 60 per cent of isopropyl alcohol for killing germs.
Director of NBRI, Dr S.K. Barik said, the herbal hand sanitizer has been clinically tested and found to be highly-effective against surface microbes.
Its impact lasts for about 25 minutes and it prevents the skin from dehydrating.
The product will be available in the market very soon under the brand name of ”Clean Hand Gel”.
The technology of the herbal hand sanitizer has been transferred to Lucknow based company Sadguru Biologicals Private Limited.
Union Cabinet approved Rs 15,000 crore for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’
The Union Cabinet approved Rs 15,000 crore for what it calls ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’.
The funds will be utilized in 3 phases while for immediate COVID-19 emergency response, provision of an amount of Rs 7,774 crore has been kept.
The rest of the amount will be used for medium-term support for the next 1-4 years, which will be provided under the mission mode approach.
The key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and COVID-dedicated treatment facilities.
Centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks.
Setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, biosecurity preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities.
Ordinance to make acts of violence against healthworker a non-bailable offence
The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance making acts of violence and harassment against healthcare personnel deployed in combating COVID-19 a non-bailable offence, meeting a key demand of health professionals in the wake of recent attacks on them while discharging their duty.
The maximum sentence under the new provision is seven years imprisonment and Rs 5 lakh fine. A person can be sentenced to anywhere between three months and five years of jail, besides a fine between Rs 50,000 and two lakhs, for such crimes.
In cases where injuries caused are serious, the punishment will range from six months to seven years, and carry fine between Rs 1 to 5 lakhs.
The ordinance will amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and the amended law will also be invoked if health care personnel face harassment from their landlords or neighbours over suspicion that they may carry the coronavirus infection due to the nature of their work.
The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, assault on health workers across the country has now become a non-bailable offence and the punishment can come within a year.
This decision brings a change in the epidemic law which has been there since 1897.
Union Cabinet approval to relax Aadhaar seeding in Assam, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh up to March 31, 2021
The Union Cabinet has given its approval to relax the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data beneficiaries of Assam, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh for release of benefits to them under PM-Kisan Scheme up to March 31, 2021.
The government says the decision was taken to ensure the eligible beneficiaries do not fail to get the benefits for want of non-compliance of Aadhaar seeding of data.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by Modi on February 24 last year.
The scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions.
Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 6,000 annually is released in three 4-monthly installments of Rs 2,000 each, directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The scheme is effective from December 1, 2018.
Karnataka passed law to punish healthcare warrior’s offenders
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala promulgated an Ordinance to punish offenders of healthcare warriors, fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the southern state.
The Governor passed the Karnataka Epidemic Disease Ordinance, 2020 the state cabinet approved to punish all who attack healthcare warriors in the state, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and Asha women workers treating COVID-19 victims across the state.
The new law empowers the state government to punish the offenders with a 3-year maximum jail term and attachment of their properties for damaging assets.
The cabinet enacted the law a day after unruly mobs attacked doctors, Asha workers and police at Padarayanapura in the city’s south-west suburb when they went to shift secondary contacts of COVID patients to a quarantine centre in the city and similar violent acts on the healthcare warriors in the state.
First instalment for PMGKY beneficiaries released in the state
The State panchayat and rural development department released the first instalment of ex-gratia of Rs 500 to each of 8,51,642 beneficiaries.
Out of these beneficiaries 7,05,022 are old age pensioners, 1,12,040 are widow pensioners and 34,580 beneficiaries are under the disabled pension scheme.
This financial assistance is provided under the special package of the Government of India, rolled out under the Pradhan MantriGaribKalyanYojana (PMGKY) to help the vulnerable section of people in view of the nationwide lockdown.
Under this assistance programme, Rs 1,000 each will be paid in two instalments of Rs 500.
For this, the beneficiaries of old age pension, widow pension and disabled pension under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) will be covered.
Citing an eighty per cent drop in revenue collection in April due to the lockdown, the State Government announced a slew of austerity measures, which included reduction in establishment expenditure, ban on government functions and suspension of industrial exemptions, to “rationalize expenditure and optimize available resources” during the crisis period.
The government, however, did not slash the salaries of employees, but has put on hold new projects and will give priority to complete old ones.
Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the current fiscal situation was a worry for the State government as the revenue collection for the month of April fell to Rs 193 crore (SGST Rs 68 crore, CGST Rs 61 crore, IGST Rs 62 crore and cess Rs 2 crore) as compared to Rs 932 crore (SGST Rs 406 crore, CGST Rs 276 crore, IGST Rs 193 crore and cess Rs 55 crore) in the corresponding month last year.
The revenue collection has dropped by eighty per cent. From tax on foreign liquor, the State got Rs 6 crore in April as compared to Rs 65 crore in March. Similarly, from fuel taxes, the State got Rs 60 crore compared to Rs 360 crore in the previous month.
The committed expenses of the State government – which includes salaries, pension and interest on loan – is around Rs 3,600 crore every month.
Some of the austerity measures taken are
The Administrative Department cannot implement any new SOPD scheme without the approval of the Finance department. Sanctioning power delegated to the Administrative departments relating to the issuance of administrative approval and financial sanction in respect of SOPD Schemes has been withdrawn until further orders.
The Establishment Expenditure for the first quarter of the Financial Year 2020-21 has been capped at 10 per cent of the total budget instead of 20 per cent.
All expenses pertaining to industrial exemptions, subsidies and incentives of various sectors have been suspended until further orders. No reimbursement of GST to industries will be allowed in the first quarter of the current financial year.
Purchase of vehicles has been banned until further orders, except in case of ambulances and vehicles required for police duty. This will, however, be permitted only with the approval of the Chief Minister.
Holding of conferences, workshops, seminars, fairs and functions etc has been totally banned in the first quarter in the physical mode. There will be a ban on holding of meetings and conferences in five star hotels.
No executive class will be allowed except in the case of Governor of Assam, Chief Minister, Chief Justice, other Judges of Gauhati High Court and Chief Secretary.
No officer will be allowed to attend any foreign training course, workshop, seminar outside India for which expenditure has to be borne by the State Government.
Remuneration of Chairman and Vice Chairman of all PSUs/ Corporations/ Boards will be reduced by 25 per cent from May 1.
Release of MLA Area Development Fund will remain suspended in the first four months of the current financial year or until further orders.
MHRD launches academic calendar for upper primary stage
The Union Human Resource Development Ministry launched an alternative academic calendar for upper primary stage which consists of classes 6 to 8. The calendar has been developed by NCERT under MHRD’s guidance.
The calendar contains a week-wise plan consisting of interesting and challenging activities, with reference to theme or chapter taken from syllabus or textbook.
MHRD claims that the calendar would map the themes with the learning outcomes.
The purpose of mapping of themes with learning outcomes is to facilitate teachers and parents to assess the progress in the learning of children and also to go beyond textbooks.
The activities given in the calendar focus on learning outcomes and can thus be achieved through any resource including the textbooks children are using in their state or Union Territories.
The calendar also covers experiential learning activities such as Arts, Education, Physical Exercises, yoga, pre-vocational skills, etc.
It would include activities related to four languages as subject areas, that is Hindi, English, Urdu and Sanskrit along with link for Chapter wise e-content available on the e-pathshala, NROER and DIKSHA portals of government of India.
The calendar however has been designed for four weeks only, but the ministry says it would extend it if needed.
India gifts USD 5 million medical aid to world to combat Covid-19
India has gifted USD 5 million worth of medicines and other Covid-19 related supplies to the world so far as countries continue to combat the global pandemic.
India has sent five million Hydroxycholorquine (HCQ) tablets to countries in the neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Rim, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, Eurasia and Western Asia North Africa regions.
The government is also providing 1.32 million paracetamol (PCM) tablets to its neighbouring and other partner countries.
India is also providing a big basket of other medical aid which includes essential drugs and life-saving antibiotics; medical consumable; and other equipment for laboratories and hospitals.
India has approved commercial consignments of around 285 million HCQ tablets to 40 countries and around 500 million PCM tablets for 60 countries have also been cleared.
As part of government’s response to the Covid-19 situation, 11 empowered groups have been set up for an integrated approach.
MEA has been playing a key role in the empowered group that deals with ensuring availability of essential medical equipment and supplies.
APRIL 25, 2020
Rural Development Ministry released Rs 36,000 crore to states in April 2020
The Centre has already released more than Rs 36,000 crore to the states/UTs in the current financial year (FY2020-21) for the development schemes of the villages, said Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar.
Tomar held a meeting with all the rural development ministers and concerned officials of the states and Union Territories via a video conference and urged them to scale up of the works.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan MantriAwaasYojanaGramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), in the light of the relaxations granted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the non-containment areas w.e.f. April 20.
The ministry has sanctioned Rs 33,300 crore under MGNREGA out of which Rs 20,225 crore has been released to liquidate all the outstanding dues of previous years towards wages and materials.
The said sanctioned amount is sufficient to meet the expenses under MGNREGA till June, 2020.
The minister assured the states and UTs that adequate financial resources are available for the rural development programmes.
Tomar also urged the states and UTs to proactively start rural development schemes relating to employment generation, infrastructure creation and strengthening of rural livelihoods while taking all necessary Covid-19 related precautions.
He emphasised that under MGNREGS, the focus should be on water conservation, water recharge and irrigation work in convergence with the schemes of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Department of Land Resources.
Under PMGSY, the focus should on quick awarding of tenders in sanctioned road projects and starting pending road projects.
The contractors, suppliers, workers etc. should be galvanised to quick start the works.
IIT Delhi researchers develop dashboard to predict Covid-19 spread
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi have developed a web-based dashboard to predict the spread of deadly Covid-19 in India.
The mobile-friendly dashboard, named as PRACRITI – PRediction and Assessment of CoRona Infections and Transmission in India, gives a detailed state-wise and district-wise predictions of viral cases in the country.
The projections are given for a three-week period, which is updated on a weekly basis.
The researchers believe that such a platform will be highly useful for healthcare bodies, local and central authorities, to efficiently plan for different future scenarios and resource allocation.
A key parameter of interest on Covid-19 is the basic reproduction number R0 and its countrywide variability. R0 refers to the number of people to whom the disease spreads from a single infected person.
If an active Covid-19 patient infects two uninfected persons, the R0 is two. Hence, reduction of R0 is the key in controlling and mitigating Covid-19 in India.
The model also accounts for the effect of different lockdown scenarios, such as the effect of locking down the district boundaries and implementing different levels of lockdown within a district.
These predictions can help the districts and states having higher R0 to take rigorous measures to control the spread of Covid-19, while for those with low R0 they need to sustain measures and remain very vigilant.
The predictions in the dashboard are based on a newly-developed mathematical model that divides the population into four classes i.e. susceptible, exposed, infected, and removed.
WHO, global partners join forces to develop COVID-19 technologies
The World Health Organization (WHO), together with a group of global partners, launched a groundbreaking collaboration to accelerate both the development and equitable access to new essential technologies for COVID-19.
WHO Director-General TedrosAdhanom Ghebreyesus and other global leaders made an unprecedented commitment to work together to accelerate the development, production and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19.
Participants in conference also include leaders from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, UNITAID, the Wellcome Trust, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The group will seek to implement innovative diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines at record speed and at record scale in a bid to defeat COVID-19.
UNICEF for normal resumption of immunisation in most Assam districts
UNICEF expressed hope that the immunisation programme resumes soon in a normal way in most districts of Assam, barring areas classified as ‘red and containment zones’.
In many places, children are missing on critical vaccines due to recommendations and requirements around physical distancing and isolation, or due to reduced access to overstretched health services.
These circumstances are putting children, especially the most vulnerable, at a risk of outbreaks of other diseases such as measles. Immunisation is vital now, more than ever.
UNICEF has advised parents to get children vaccinated as soon as the COVID-19 outbreak is brought under control and routine services resume.
While essential doses for institutional deliveries have continued uninterrupted in the State during the lockdown, Assam is among the few states that resumed routine immunisation last week at the sub-centre level.
According to UNICEF, immunisation is one of the most effective public health interventions.
UNICEF has supported the National Health Mission, Department of Health, Government of Assam, with training of 45,000 ASHA and ANM workers on the COVID-19 outbreak.
The training covered issues around safe practices, community surveillance, home quarantine, using a mask, facts and myths, among other aspects.
UNICEF works on-ground closely with partners including the Government of Assam, other UN agencies and civil society organisations, to ensure availability of vaccines and their access to children, especially the most vulnerable.
The Assam government will allow inter-district movement of nearly one lakh people.
The steps have been taken to facilitate the stranded people in 33 distrcts across Assam to return home, join offices or visit hospitals while strictly adhering to the lockdown norms, including social distancing and hygiene.
Around 50,000 people are expected to use their own vehicles for one-way trip and over 40,000 are likely to be provided free-of-cost public transportation through the Assam State Transport Corporation buses by the state government.
The deputy commissioners of respective districts are issuing one-way passes to the people to travel by their vehicles.
Ministry of Home Affairs allows to open standalone shops
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a clarification saying that only standalone shops are allowed to open as per the directive and that the order does not apply to Covid-19 containment zones or liquor stores.
In urban areas, all standalone/neighbourhood shops & shops in residential complexes are allowed to open.
Shops in markets/market complexes & shopping malls are not allowed to open.
The ministry also clarified that sales by ecommerce companies will continue to be restricted to essential goods only.
It also cleared that liquor stores will be shut as the relaxations do not apply to them.
No shops have been allowed to open in multi-brand or single brand malls.
Shops were allowed outside the city limits except those in malls with 50 per cent workforce while wearing of masks has been made compulsory.
Moody’s slashes India growth forecast to 0.2% for 2020
Moody’s Investors Service slashed India’s growth forecast to 0.2 per cent for the 2020 calendar year from the earlier projection of 2.5 per cent released in March.
Stating that the economic costs of shutdown of the global economy are accumulating rapidly, Moody’s in its Global Macro Outlook 2020-21 (April 2020 Update) projected that all G-20 advanced economies would contract by 5.8 per cent in 2020.
Among the emerging economies in G-20, Moody’s projected India to grow at 0.2 per cent in 2020 and 6.2 per cent in 2021. This compares to 5.3 per cent growth clocked in 2019.
Late last month, the government had announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore stimulus package comprising free foodgrains and cooking gas to poor and cash dole to poor women and elderly. A second package, aimed at industries, is said to be in works and is likely to be announced shortly.
China is projected to grow by 1 per cent in 2020 and 7.1 per cent in 2021, as against 6.1 per cent in 2019.
Moody’s in the report titled ‘Global recession is deepening rapidly as restrictions exact high economic cost’, said there are significant downside risks to its growth forecasts in the event that coronavirus pandemic is not contained and lockdowns have to be reinstated.
India, China and Indonesia are the only 3 G-20 countries which are projected to grow in 2020, while the others will see a contraction, according to the report.
The US economy is projected to contract by 5.7 per cent, the UK by 7 per cent, Italy by 8.2 per cent, Japan by 6.5 per cent and France by 6.3 per cent.
Moody’s said the economic costs of the coronavirus crisis amid the near shutdown of the global economy are accumulating rapidly. Even with a gradual recovery, 2021 real GDP in most advanced economies is expected to be below pre-coronavirus levels.
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 to support for environmental protection
Earth Day is celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.
On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by 195 nations at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
An Earth Anthem penned by Indian poet-diplomat Abhay Kumar, which has been translated into 50 languages is used by many schools and organizations across the world to celebrate Earth Day.
APRIL 27, 2020
Governor’s Rule imposed in Bodoland Territorial Council
Governor’s Rule has been imposed in the Bodoland Territorial Council. Principal Secretary to the State Government Rajesh Prasad was appointed as Administrator of BTC.
The term of the general council of BTC expired on 27th April and elections to the council, which were scheduled for April 4, had earlier been deferred on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“… whereas the election in BTC was deferred indefinitely… and whereas the Governor of Assam is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the administration of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Now, therefore, the Governor of Assam, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 16 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India, is pleased to assume to himself, with immediate effect, the administration of the said districts and all functions and powers vested in or exercisable by the BTC,” stated a notification issued by the Governor.
It added the order shall take immediate effect “and shall, unless terminatedearlier or extended further, remain in force for a period of six months.”
It was announced that the Governor “may appoint a person or authority to discharge the functions and powers of the BTC, including the functions and power exercised by the Executive Committee, Chief Executive Member, Deputy Chief Executive member, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Executive Members.”
The Governor has appointed Rajesh Prasad, senior IAS officer and Principal Secretary to the Government of Assam, to exercise all the functions and powers exercisable by the BTC and its Executive Committee, Chief Executive Member and other representatives.
University of Hyderabad start-up wins BIRAC funding for Covid-19 project
OncoSeek Bio Pvt Ltd will receive funding support for developing an in vitro Lung Organoid model, from BIRAC which comes under the Union Science and Technology Ministry’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
OncoSeek’s project is one of 16 selected so far from the 500 proposals received for the Covid-19 research consortium.
Under this grant proposal, the company plans to use their novel platform to screen drugs/peptides/molecules/agents/compounds targeted against the virus or the host cell.
It plans to create this capability in the next 6 months.
OncoSeek is a start-up incubated at ASPIRE-BioNEST at UoH since 2019, and works on developing in vitro and in vivo platforms for specific diseases for therapeutics screening.
BioNEST at the University of Hyderabad is a life sciences incubator, set up with the support of the BIRAC, an enterprise under the DBT, to provide a plug-and-play life science ecosystem of incubation.
Tarun Bajaj to be DEA secretary and Rajesh Verma next MCA secretary
The Centre has decided to appoint Tarun Bajaj as the Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), under the Finance Ministry, on AtanuChakrabarty’s retirement on April 30.
Bajaj, a 1988 batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, is the Additional Secretary at Prime Minister’s Office.
A Gujarat cadre officer of the 1985 batch, Chakarborty was appointed the DEA Secretary in July 2019 when then Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg was shifted to the Power Ministry.
Rajesh Verma as the next Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). He will take over on retirement of Injeti Srinivas.
Srinivas, a 1983 batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, will retire on May 31 after over two-year tenure as the Corporate Affairs Secretary.
Verma is the Special Secretary at the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare.
AramaneGiridhar, the Additional Secretary at the Cabinet Secretariat, will take over as the Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as Sanjeev Ranjan will move to the Ministry of Shipping as its new Secretary.
CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwalappointed as Secretary Department of Education
CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwal was appointed as Secretary in the Department of Education and Literacy.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Anita’s appointment.
The committee has also extended, by three months, service of Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan. A 1983-batch IAS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, Sudan was to retire on April 30.
Sudan, who has been working on aligning all departments to execute the Narendra Modi government”s policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, will continue to function as Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare of MoHFW during the period.
Free zinc, vitamin tablets for Covid-19 field duty officials in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami announced free zinc and multi-vitamin tablets for government officials who are on Covid-19 field duty to boost their immunity.
Palaniswami said masks, personal protective equipment are given to officials of revenue, health, police and others who are on Covid-19 field duty.
In order to improve their immunity, zinc and multi-vitamin tablets will be provided free of cost for 10 days.
Assam starts implementation of State Policy for Transgenders
Assam State Government has started implementation of the Assam State Policy for Transgenders. Officials of the Social Welfare Department said that from now on, a number of welfare schemes will be come into force for the transgender community under the policy. The policy was a long-pending demand of the transgender community.
India hands over HCQ tablets, emergency medical gear to Bangladesh
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Riva Ganguly Das, handed over emergency medical supplies consisting of one lakh Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets and 50,000 sterile surgical gloves to Bangladesh.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka said that the second tranche of assistance came from the Covid-19 emergency fund which was created at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his March 15 video conferencing with the leaders of the SAARC countries.
Bangladesh Health Minister Zahid Maleque appreciated the continued support of India in providing medical supplies, protective gear and capacity building in the fight against Covid-19.
The Indian High Commissioner reiterated India”s continued support to Bangladesh in its fight against Covid-19.
The supplies were dispatched to the Central Medical Stores Depot of Bangladesh government.
The Covid-19 emergency fund was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his video conference with SAARC leaders on March 15. It was set up with an initial contribution of $10 million from India.
IIT Madras startup develops smart bin system to prevent COVID-19 spread
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras-incubated Startup Antariksh Waste Ventures has developed an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled smart bin system to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Called AirBin, the system works through waste generated at CVPs (contagion vulnerable points, primarily hospitals, clinics, public bins, quarantine zones).
From waste collection, transport, segregation, disposal to recycling, every process needs to be overhauled quickly and technology will play a vital role in this transformation.
Timely cleaning of bins will be a key priority while faced with a shortage of labour.
The smart bin system can be retrofitted on to existing garbage bins on nearby poles, walls or the bin lids.
The objective is to help rural and urban local bodies clear every bin before it overflows and accelerate sustainability.
The startup aims to clear waste bins before they overflow by digitising waste management processes.
Kerala students win CODE19 hackathon with virtual classroom project
A virtual classroom created by students from Government College of Engineering in Kannur, Kerala, to make learning easier and intuitive in COVID-19 times has won $10,000 (approxRs 7.6 lakh) as winner of the 72-hour online hackathon called CODE19.
The hackathon was organised by California-based MotwaniJadeja Foundation this month to find solutions to India”s challenges against the new coronavirus pandemic and the foundation awarded $34,000 in total to various teams from across the country.
iClassroom has been created by 19-year-old Abhinand C and 20-year-old Shilpa Rajeev.
With iClassroom, students and teachers can interact with each other, clear their doubts, mentor others and conduct online classes.
Code19 was held in collaboration with Bengaluru-based HackerEarth. The Association of Designers in India (ADI) helped in providing mentors through its network.
The second price worth $5,000 went to TeleVital, a solution for contactless health assessment of a patient created by a 6-student team from Manipal Institute of Technology.
The solution records a patient”s heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, etc. without any contact-based measurement tool.
Three teams won $3,000 each at third place. The projects were SoloCoin from a team from various colleges across India, led by project lead ArbobMehmood of UPES University, Dehradun; Covid19 Fact Checker created by a team from AISSMS College of Engineering, Pune; and Grape Community, created by Ranjoy Sen, a 35-year-old software professional from Bengaluru.
10 best innovative solutions were awarded $1,000 each.
IIT-Kanpur’s corona killer box that sanitizes every thing
Scientists at the IIT-K have come up with a corona killer box that will sanitize all essential commodities that are brought into homes from outside.
Vegetables, fruits, sugar, milk, pulses, mobiles, rupees and keys etc. can be sanitized in the box within minutes.
The ultraviolet rays released from this can kill the bacteria and viruses in objects within minutes.
The sensor-based box also has an alarm which can be set for a specified period of time.
This box has several ultraviolet lights, which range between 240 and 260 nanometers. The approximate price of a box is around Rs 5,000.
The IIT is contacting companies for its manufacture and large-scale production will naturally reduce the cost of the box.
Manipuri New Year Cheiraoba celebrated in subdued manner, amid covid-19
Cheiraoba, the New Year of the Manipuri community, was celebrated in Manipur in a subdued manner amid the ongoing lockdown and subsequent curfew ordered by the State Government to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Reminding that for the Hindu Meiteis, Cheiraoba symbolizes coming of a new year and is celebrated by every household with great enthusiasm and gaiety, the Governor Dr Najma Heptulla said this festival also represents change of guards where old give way to new and rekindles hope for a better life.
Exhorting the need to restrict the celebration to observance of ritual prayers in the safety of their homes, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said “let us once again pledge to protect our community and population through our individual and collective responsible action”.
FACTFILE – Sajibu Nongma Pānba or Sajibu Cheiraoba
Sajibu Cheiraoba is the lunar new year festival of the people who follow the religion of Sanamahism in the Indian state of Manipur.
The name Sajibu Nongma Pānba derives from the Manipuri words: Sajibu – the first month of the year which usually falls during the month of April according to Meitei lunar calendar, Nongma – first date of a Month, Pānba – to be.
Similarly, according to the Hindu lunar calendar, the lunar new year is celebrated on the same day as in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and many other Indian states.
However, according to the follower of the faith of Sanamahism, Meitei New Year/Sajibu Nongma Panba started during the reign of King Maliya Fambalcha (1359 BC-1329 BC) also known as Koi-Koi. Koikoi ascended the throne at the age of 25 years.
From this day, the dating of Meitei calendar (Cheiraoba) known as Mari-Fam was introduced. Hence, 1359 BC will be 25 MF, and 2000 AD will be 3364 MF in Meitei calendar taking the birthday of KOIKOI as 00 MF.
Indian Navy develops Pod for shifting corona patients
Indian Navy distributed Air Evacuation Pod, indigenously designed for transferring COVID patients from remote areas.
The Navy’s naval aircraft yard at Kochi designed and fabricated an Air Evacuation Stretcher for transfer of Covid patients from remote locations.
The manufacturing cost of the pod is Rs 50,000 against imported piece cost of Rs 59 lakhs.
The Pod uses aluminum, nitrile rubber and perspex with total weight of 32 kg. It eliminates infection risk to crew and the need of sanitization of aircraft post evacuation.
It was designed and developed by Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam. The entire setup uses an industrial 6-way radial header to enable one jumbo size oxygen bottle to supply oxygen to six patients concurrently.
DRDL develops kiosk for ‘hands-off’ collection of Covid-19 samples
Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, developed a kiosk for healthcare workers to safely collect Covid-19 samples from suspected patients.
The COVSACK or COVID Sample Collection Kiosk is the latest addition to a portfolio of products developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to combat Covid-19.
The patient walks into the kiosk and a nasal or oral swab is taken by a healthcare professional from outside through the built-in gloves.
The unit has been developed by DRDL, in consultation with the doctors of ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad.The kiosk is automatically disinfected without the need for human involvement, making the process free of infection spread.
The shielding screen of the kiosk cabin protects the healthcare worker from the aerosols/droplet transmission while taking the sample. This reduces the requirements of PPE change by healthcare workers.
After the patient leaves the kiosk, four nozzle sprayers mounted in the kiosk cabin disinfects the empty chamber by spraying disinfectant mist for a period of 70 seconds.
Govt to announce Economic package focussing on SMEs
Another set of stimulus measures from the government will have a clear focus on concerns of SME segments that have been hit hard due to Covid-19 outbreak and resultant nationwide lockdown.
The Finance Ministry has suggested the PMO to set up a dedicated fund for micro, small and medium enterprises that could be used to provide both interest-free loans to identified industries as well as capital support required to bring enterprises back in business after the lockdown.
The MSME fund may also be used to provide interest subvention on loans taken by the sector to reduce their burden and allow some of these labour-intensive segments to operate smoothly.
One of the biggest challenge facing the MSMEs due to the lockdown is of eroding cash flow.
Other non-fiscal measures in the SME package may focus more on compliance related issues and easing some of the operational conditions including making norms for sourcing from the MSME segment stringent and increasing sourcing the limit of mandatory procurement from the sector. Also to ease the cash flow, the segments dues from state government and PSUs would be asked to be cleared within a specified period of time.
The next economic stimulus package that could be bigger than the Rs 1,70,000 crore worth of schemes announced by Finance Minister last month focusing on providing food security to the poor.
DekhoApnaDesh webinar to offer tourism virtually
The Union Tourism ministry launched ”DekhoApnaDesh” webinar series to cater for an in-depth information on several destinations and expanse of the culture and heritage of India.
The first webinar of a series touches upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded. The seminar was titled ” City of Cities – Delhi”s Personal Diary”.
The core of the session based itself on tourism awareness and social history. Laced with interesting anecdotes, the session which was conducted by the India City Walks and was attended by 5,546 people registering for it.
The series of webinars will be an on-going feature and the Ministry work towards showcasing the diverse and remarkable history and culture of India including its monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural landscapes, festivals and many other aspects of the rich Indian civilization.
April 16, 2020
Assam receives 50,000 imported PPE kits from China
The Assam government imported 50,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits from China for the frontline healthcare workers combating the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
India has ordered 15 million PPE gears besides a few million testing kits from China. This includes orders placed by several state governments and both public and private health sector.
China sent a special aircraft carrying 50,000 PPE kits from Guangzhou city. The consignment was received in the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport at Guwahati by Assam’s Health Minister Himanta BiswaSarma.
Union Health Minister holds high level meeting with WHO officials
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan held a high-level meeting through video conferencing with the World Health Organisation (WHO) officials on the measures to combat the coronavirus disease.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO decided to initiate a systematic engagement of WHO”s national polio surveillance network, and other field staff, for COVID-19 response.
The meeting was attended by over 1,000 WHO staff including Polio, Tuberculosis and Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) field staff and other state officials.
The strengths of the National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP team) – surveillance, data management, monitoring and supervision, and responding to local situations and challenges – will be utilized to supplement efforts of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Integrated Disease Surveillance program (IDSP) and The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to strengthen Covid-19 surveillance.
The NPSP team will also support in sharing information and best practices and help states and districts calibrate their response based on transmission scenarios and local capacities.
Kerala institute develops diagnostic kit for Covid-19
The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), has developed a diagnostic test kit (ChitraGeneLAMP-N) which is highly confirmatory for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and detects the N Gene of SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcriptase loop-mediated amplification of viral nucleic acid (RT-LAMP).
Incidentally, this new kit is billed as one of the first few confirmatory diagnostic test for N gene of SARS-CoV-2 using the RT-LAMP technique.
According to the institute, this test kit which is highly specific for SARS-CoV-2 N-gene can detect two regions of the gene which will ensure that the test does not fail even if one region of the viral gene undergoes mutation during its current spread.
The institute has also developed the specific RNA extraction kits along with GeneLAMP-N test kits and the testing device.
The research and development of ChitraGeneLAMP-N was fully funded by Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India.
Green Zone for Tripura if no new case till April 20
Tripura, which falls under the Orange Zone on account of its current low coronavirus infection and fatality rate, is likely to get lockdown relaxation in some sectors if there is no new case of COVID-19 till April 20.
The State would have been in the Green Zone after completion of the first round of lockdown if no COVID-19 cases were detected.
Earlier, two COVID-positive cases were confirmed in the early part of this month but they recovered. At present, Tripura has two containment zones – Gomati and North district – due to the twin cases.
There is no Red Zone or coronavirus hotspot in the State so far. The State Government has taken tough measures to implement the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
If no positive case is reported in the State by April 20, Tripura will be placed in the Green Zone and get relaxation in some sectors during the second phase of the lockdown, which is scheduled to end on May 3.
The State Government has already allowed farmers and tea garden workers to begin their activities with certain restrictions. Some more sectors, including government offices, are likely to be opened by maintaining social distancing and other guidelines.
IIT Guwahati team develops anti-microbial coating for PPE kits
A team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers has successfully developed an anti-microbial spray-based coating for personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as a 3D printed ear guard for use in face masks.
The research group has developed an affordable anti-microbial (both anti-viral and anti-bacterial) spray-based coating for PPE kits. It can kill and prevent the spread of microbes once they come in contact with the coated PPE surface.
The strategic association of metal nanoparticle cocktail, such as copper, silver and other active ingredients present in the spray acts as an anti-microbial agent. This ensures limited penetration and accumulation of microbial contaminants on PPEs. Thus, the coating has the potential to reduce the risk of secondary infection by limiting transmission of the microbes.
It can be sprayed or dip-coated onto any kind of surface, including textiles and other medical devices to get rid of microbial load. This will allow reusability of PPEs and easy containment of the microbes. Our team has developed the prototype of the technology.
The PPEs used presently are designed to protect the wearer from infectious microbes and aqueous virus droplets acting as a barrier, but they generally do not have the ability to prevent the spread of microbes as the surface of the fabric allows accumulation of microbes with passage of time.
HAL makes aerosol boxes to protect doctors from Covid-19
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) made aerosol boxes to protect doctors treating coronavirus patients in hospitals across six states.
Delivered about 300 aerosol boxes to state-run hospitals in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh to protect their doctors treating Covid patients.
The transparent boxes act as an insulator between a doctor and a patient infected with the deadly virus.
An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air or another gas. It can be natural or anthropogenic.
Google India launches learning platform on YouTube
Google India launched ‘YouTube Learning Destination’ to help student, teachers and parents find useful and high-quality learning content created by education-focused creators on YouTube.
It features content in English and Hindi, with Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi and other Indian languages are coming soon.
In India, Google has collaborated with FICCI Arise and have so far trained over 250 schools across 23 states in the use of these tools.
Google India has also provided training and tips through the ‘Teach from Home’ hub, which is also available in Hindi.
Google India has released children’s books from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and ChotaBheem on their reading app Bolo to help kids understand the safety measures to be taken during this COVID-19 outbreak.
WHO welcomes joint efforts with India to fight COVID-19
WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed the world health body’s cooperation with India to leverage strategies that helped the country win its war against polio into the response to COVID-19 outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it will work with India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to leverage the strategies that helped the country eradicate polio to fight the pandemic.
The WHO’s national polio surveillance network will be engaged to strengthen COVID-19 surveillance and its field staff will continue to support immunization and elimination of tuberculosis and other diseases.
April 18, 2020
Tea Estate in Assam must pay wages to workers for lockdown period
Allaying apprehensions among the tea garden workers that their wages and other entitlements accrued during the 19-day industry closure due to the lockdown would be deducted in the later working season, State Labour Welfare Minister Sanjay Kishan told that the plantation industry must pay wages and distribute the rations to all its workers notwithstanding the loss the industry has incurred during the 19 days.
There is a departmental order in which all employers and managements have been asked to pay wages on due dates and also give the labourers the rations they deserve without any deduction.
Tripura government announces cash assistance for street vendors
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb announced to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 1000 to 8666 registered street vendors of the state.
The decision was taken after the 21-day nationwide lockdown has caused a huge loss to their business.
The financial assistance to the vendors will be paid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and will be directly transferred to their bank accounts.
RBI eases bad-loan rules, cuts reverse repo rate
The RBI further eased bad-loan rules, froze dividend payment by lenders and pushed banks to lend more by cutting the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points, as it unveiled a second set of measures to support the economy hit hard by a coronavirus-led slowdown.
In a measure that effectively meant that bad loans or non-performing asset (NPA) classification will now happen after 180 days instead of the current policy of 90 days of payment default, the RBI announced an asset status freeze on loans that have been granted moratorium or deferment on interest/principal payment.
The moratorium period will not lead to a spurt in NPAs in the system and will allow the borrowers across retail, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporates availing the moratorium to access additional funding from banks or non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
RBI cut reverse repurchase rate, a tool to control the money supply, to 3.75 per cent with immediate effect to encourage banks to deploy surplus funds within the system towards lending. This move will discourage banks from parking cash with the RBI and encourage them to lend to the economy.
It kept its benchmark repo rate unchanged at 4.40 per cent. The central bank also allowed states to borrow 60 per cent more via ways and means advance facility available and extended the increased limit until September 30.
RBI will inject Rs 50,000 crore in a new round of targeted long-term repo operations and asked banks to use the funds availed through this facility to benefit NBFCs and micro-finance institutions among others.
S&P cuts India growth forecast to 1.8 percent
S&P Global Ratings has slashed India growth forecast for the current fiscal to 1.8 per cent, from 3.5 per cent estimated earlier, on account of the lockdown to contain Covid-19 pandemic. But it also expects growth to significantly recover to 7.5 per cent in 2021-22 fiscal.
S&P has cut India growth forecast to 3.5 per cent for 2020-21 fiscal, from 5.2 per cent projected earlier.
It revised Asia-Pacific growth in 2020 to 0.3 per cent with China at 1.2 per cent, India at 1.8 per cent, and Japan at -3.6 per cent.
Other international agencies forecast of India’s growth
Other international agencies also reduced India’s growth forecast over the concerns about the fallout of COVID-19 pandemic. Fitch has projected India’s GDP to grow at 2 per cent this fiscal– the slowest since the economy was liberalised 30 years back. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed India’s GDP growth projection to 1.9 per cent in 2020 from 5.8 per cent estimated in January.
Similarly, World Bank has estimated India’s economy to grow between 1.5 to 2.8 per cent in the 2020-21 – the worst growth performance since the 1991. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) sees India’s economic growth slipping to 4 per cent in the current fiscal (April 2020 to March 2021).
Moody’s Investors Service has also slashed its estimate of India’s GDP growth during the 2020 calendar year to 2.5 per cent.
Central Govt hails Assam, Tripura & 17 other states over COVID-19 cases
The central government on Friday hailed Assam, Tripura and 17 other states for registering a higher doubling rate in terms of COVID-19 cases which reflects reduction in increase of this pandemic.
19 States/UTs including Kerala, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Ladakh, Himachal, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, UP, Karnataka, J&K, Punjab, Assam, Tripura are presently showing a higher doubling rate, which is better than the national average, which reflects that rate of increase of cases in these places has been reduced to some extent.
Till date Assam registered 35 COVID-19 positive cases, Arunachal Pradesh 1, Manipur 2, Meghalaya 9, Mizoram 1 and Tripura registered 2 Covid positive cases.
Scientific task forces are evaluating existing approved drugs and repurpose them for COVID-19. CSIR has progressed into an indigenous synthesis of multiple promising anti-viral molecules such as Umifenovir, Favipiravir.
IIT Delhi startup unveils indigenous N95 similar mask at lower price
An IIT-Delhi startup has developed an indigenous and cheaper solution ”Kawach” mask, which is similar to N95 masks.
It is at par with the N95 mask in effectiveness, but costs just Rs 45 a piece.
The ”Kawach” mask, developed by ETEX, is at par with N95 in terms of fitting and engineered filtration layer that could provide up to 98 per cent filtration efficiency.
The product efficiency is backed with the strong technical inputs from the core textile team in the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering.
Hyundai Motor India develops automatic ambu bag actuator prototype
India’s second largest car maker Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) will be submitting its third prototype of mechanical ”ambu bag actuator” or an automated ambu bag to the Tamil Nadu government for approval.
Ambu bag actuators or a ”bag valve mask” is a manual resuscitator used in medical emergencies, first aid where automatic ventilator is not available.
Ventilators are medical devices which take over the work of breathing from a patient who is unable to breathe by delivering air with high concentration of oxygen to their lungs.
For patients severely affected by COVID-19, ventilators are critical to ensure continuous oxygen is supplied to overcome respiratory insufficiency.
The ambu bag actuator is not a substitute for the automatic ventilators but will come in handy for those who are in need and also when automatic ventilators are not available.
Punjab to go for plasma therapy of Covid-positive police officer
The Punjab government is supporting the medical team of S.P.S. Hospital in Ludhiana that has decided to go for plasma therapy of Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Kohli, who was diagnosed coronavirus positive.
The family of the police officer, who is admitted in Ludhiana’s Apollo hospital, has given permission for the therapy, for which the state is coordinating with potential plasma donors.
The latest technology will be used in the therapy, which is being arranged by the state’s health advisor and former PGI-Chandigarh Director K.K. Talwar.
April 20, 2020
Tripura government decides to pass students from Class I to Class IX
Tripura education minister Ratan Lal Nath said that every student from Class I to IX and XI have been promoted to the next class in view of the coronavirus pandemic
He also informed that online or virtual classes for the students of state government schools have also begun.
Assam CM hands over 50,000 masks for tea garden workers in Udalguri
Assam CM Sonowal handed over 50,000 masks meant for the tea garden workers of the district, who have already started plucking tea leaves while maintaining social distancing norms.
The Chief Minister was there to take stock of the situation arising out of COVID-19 spread, expressed his satisfaction after vising the Sonaigaon Quarantine Centre and said that the State government was taking all pains to end the pandemic in Assam.
He hoped that the positive response of people of Assam would surely yield a very positive result and Assam would be declared as a corona-free State very soon
CSIR develops protective suit for healthcare workers
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) constituent lab in Bengaluru has developed and certified overall protective coverall suit for protection of healthcare workers against COVID-19.
The polyproplylene spun laminated multi-layered non-woven fabric based coverall has been developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), along with MAF Clothing Pvt. Ltd.
The overall protective coverall suit can be used to ensure the safety of Doctors, Nurses, Paramedical staff and Health Care workers working round the clock on COVID-19 mitigation.
The Coveralls have gone through stringent testing at SITRA, Coimbatore and have been qualified for use.
CSIR-NAL and MAF have plans to augment the production capacity to about 30,000 units per day within four weeks.
Online data of human resource to fight Covid-19 launched
The Centre has launched online data pool of human resource, comprising details of doctors, other healthcare professionals and auxiliary help, to fight Covid-19.
The government has created an online data pool of doctors, including AYUSH doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, volunteers from Nehru YuvaKendras, NCC, NSS, PMGKVY and ex-servicemen, for use by the ground level administration at state, district or municipal levels
It contains data on state-wise and district-wise availability of human resources, along with contact details of the nodal officers.
This database can also be used for services of volunteers for enforcing social distancing at banks, ration shops, mandis and for providing help to elderly, Divyang and orphanages.
The courses include basics of Covid, infection prevention and control, use of PPE, quarantine and isolation, management of Covid-19 cases (SARI, ADRS, Septic Shock), laboratory sample collection and testing, ICU care and ventilation management.
In an attempt to assist states effectively address situation arising out of Covid-19, the Centre released the April month instalment of states’ share in central taxes amounting to over Rs 46,000 crore. The inter-se share is as per the recommendations of the XV Finance Commission.
The money has been released ahead of schedule and as a special dispensation to meet immediate funding needs of the state governments looking to restore economic activity and minimise losses to its citizens due to disruptions caused by lockdowns.
While releasing funds to the states, the calculation of net proceeds of shareable taxes has been kept unchanged as per Budget 2020-21.
The highest share of central taxes for April has gone to Uttar Pradesh with a net transfer of Rs 8,255.19 crore. This is followed by Bihar at Rs 4,631.96 crore, West Bengal has got Rs 3,461.65 crore while Madhaya Pradesh has got Rs 3,630.60.
Goa and Sikkim have got the least from central pool of taxes at Rs 177.72 crore and Rs 178.64 crore respectively.
In its interim report for FY21, the 15th Finance Commission has reduced the share of states in the divisible pool of central taxes by one percentage point to 41 per cent, factoring in the conversion of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories.
Odisha approves six projects worth Rs 9,100 crore
The Odisha government approved six investment proposals worth Rs 9,100.29 crore.
The 22nd High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) meeting cleared two investment proposals worth Rs 8,850.19 crore with an employment potential of 5,250
The HLCA approved the proposal of Dhunseri Ventures for setting up Maleic Anhydride manufacturing unit with annual capacity of 60,000 million tonnes at Paradeep in the Jagatsinghpur district with Rs 1,013.29 crore investment.
The proposal of Rungta Mines for expansion of Integrated Steel Plant project from 0.9 million tonnes per annum to 2.85 MTPA, with captive power plant of 385 MW and 1.69 MTPA cement plant (in two phases) at Jharbandh in the Dhenkanal district also got HLCA nod.
The proposal of Kashvi International to set up an 1.2 MTPA iron ore beneficiation plant along the 0.6 MTPA iron ore pelletisation plant with an investment of Rs 55.23 crore.
The proposal of Purosteel India to set up a unit for tubes and pipes PVD coating, furniture fabrication, finished sheets and profiles, trimes plant for Rs 53.42 crore was also approved.
T-Works, Telangana government’s hardware incubator and prototyping lab, has developed an affordable mechanical ventilator for emergency use, in collaboration with different start-ups and corporations.
The open-source Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM) ventilator, which costs Rs 65,000 to Rs 1 lakh, is expected to come handy if Covid-19 pandemic spreads and can be deployed for worldwide use.
It can gauge the tidal volume, breaths per minute, oxygen concentration, minimum residual pressure and other health parameters. The low-cost ventilators can be used by primary health care centres in rural areas and in ambulances.
The developers believe such ventilators will be useful at a time when there is world-wide shortage of conventional ventilators, which costs anywhere between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh each.
The project involved over 20 members of various startups and corporate, including talent deployed by Honeywell and Qualcomm. Apollo Hospitals, Sunshine Hospitals and Prathima Hospitals, IIT Hyderabad, Mouser and GE Healthcare, Specteochem Instruments and others were also part of the project.
CM Sonowal reviews COVID-19 situation in Barak Valley
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal took stock of the situation in Barak Valley where three patients from Cachar, Karimganj and Hailkandi have been detected COVID-19 positive recently.
Sonowal interacted with Karimganj Deputy Commissioner Anbamuthan MP and leant about the preparatory safety measures taken by the administration in dealing with the disease.
The Chief Minister also received voluntary donations made by people representing various associations from across the district including Exporter -Importer Association, Satsang Ashram, Karimganj Wholesale Cooperative Society, etc.
The CM also visited the Karimganj Civil Hospital, which has now been converted into Covid-19 treatment centre, where he inspected the isolation wards and quarantine facilities arranged by the district administration.
The Chief Minister held a meeting with the senior government officials, which was also attended by Deputy Commissioner of Karimganj, MP Ambumuthan, State Forest Minister Parimol Suklabaidya, MP Silchar Rajdeep Roy, MLA of Ratabari constituency, Bijoy Malakar, MLA, Patherkandi, Krishnendu Paul, MLA North Karimganj, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, MLA of South Karimganj, Aziz Khan and Superintendent of Police, Kumar Sanjoy Krishna were present.
Chief Minister Sarbananda also reviewed the COVID-19 situation in Hailakandi district. He asked the administration to ensure uninterrupted flow of essential commodities and power supply during the lockdown period.
He instructed the administration to take stern action against those posting objectional posts in the social media that can flare up communal tension and create stumbling blocs in the fight against COVID-19.
The Chief Minister instructed the administration to reach out to the poorest of the poor and provide the much-needed respite during the unprecedented situation.
He told the health authorities to provide proper training to the nurses and front line workers to tackle COVID-19 pandemic and to provide them the best of facilities during their quarantine period.
DRDO installs disinfection chamber at AIIMS on trial basis
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has installed its newly developed full body disinfection chamber at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
It has been installed on trial basis. Once successful, it will also install as per demands from the respective organisations.
The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment in Ahmednagar, a DRDO Laboratory, had designed the full body disinfection chamber called as personnel sanitization enclosure.
The walk through enclosure is designed for personnel decontamination, one person at a time. This is a portable system equipped with sanitizer and soap dispenser.
The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, electrically operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hyposodiumchloride.
The mist spray is calibrated for an operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically indicating completion of operation.
As per procedure, personnel undergoing disinfection will need to keep their eyes closed while inside the chamber
The system consists of roof mounted and bottom tanks with a total of 700 litres capacity. Approximately 650 personnel can pass through the chamber for disinfection until the refill is required.
HLL Lifecare develops rapid antibody diagnostic kit for corona
HLL Lifecare Limited, a Central Government Enterprise under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has developed the rapid antibody diagnostic kit for COVID 19 and the result will be ready in 20 minutes. HLL is planning to manufacture two lakhs kits for supplying to various Government units in 10 days.
The kit is being manufactured at HLL”s rapid diagnostic kit manufacturing facility in Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana, and has been validated and approved by NIV Pune and ICMR for use in India.
This device is designed to aid in the rapid differential diagnosis of COVID-19 virus infection in large population screening in our country during the current pandemic situation and this will support in the management of control and treatment of coronavirus disease.
HLL is the first Indian Government company that received the approval from ICMR for manufacturing and supplying the rapid antibody kit for COVID-19 detection.
iGOT course to train new Covid-19 warriors
The Centre launched an online course to train the second line of health workers to replace the frontline warriors as well as to tackle exponential increase in cases.
The Centre has launched the iGOT (Integrated Govt Online Training) course for doctors, nurses, para-medics, hygiene workers, technicians, auxiliary nursing, midwives, state government officers, civil defence officials and various police organisations.
The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), the National Service Scheme (NSS), the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), the Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) volunteers as well as others will be trained with the help of online course.
The online course has self-learning guide containing the latest preventive techniques for frontline Covid-19 warriors in building capabilities to fight the pandemic that has claimed 117 lives and afflicted over 4,000 across India.
Nasscom, IT Ministry to help you upgrade AI skills for free
A new initiative was launched by IT industrys apex body Nasscom and Union IT Ministry to upgrade emerging tech skills including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) course from learning platform SkillUp Online will be available for free for everyone till May 15.
This course is aligned to the industry’s recommended Foundation AI curriculum (retail price Rs 6,800).
The Foundational Big Data Analytics course from Digital Vidya — aligned to the industry’s recommended Foundation BDA curriculum — will also be soon made available free of cost.
The campaign to upgrade skills of people has been launched under the NasscomFutureSkills initiative which has curated deep learning programmes for their partner ecosystem that will be available for free on the Nasscom website for all users.
In the coming weeks, Nasscom also plans to provide learning modules on other technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity along with live webinars for participants to create more interactive learning on these themes.
April 09, 2020
IIT Guwahati team develops LED-based disinfection machine
A team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has developed a low-cost ultraviolet C (UVC) LED-based machine which can be used for disinfection of floors at hospitals as well as buses and trains to aid the fight against COVID-19 in the country.
IIT Guwahati is also filing a patent for the machine, which when commercialised, will be available at a cost of Rs 1000. The current prototype of the machine, requires to be manually manned, however, the team is working on making it a robot manned machine which requires limited human intervention.
The machine developed at a request from the Karantaka government, to be used in its hospitals and buses, will now be pitched to other governments for commercial usage.
The machine, which has been tested at the institute’s laboratory, is also equipped with an object movement identification feature so that UVC exposure to human skin is avoided during the operation.
UVC LED system is a proven technology to sanitise non-porous surfaces infected by the micro-organism. In this project, the team has developed a UVC LED system capable of providing 400 Joule doses in 30 seconds so that the virus-infected surface will be sanitised. The unique design of this UVC system will ensure uniform UVC exposure in virus-infected non-porous areas.
‘Lifeline 1’UDAN initiative for carrying medical cargo to NE states
Named as Lifeline 1, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation under the UDAN initiative, has been serving the North Eastern States by supplying critical medical kits.
On April 6, Lifeline UDAN flights carried Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) kits, consignments and other essential cargo to the North Eastern areas and also to central and eastern States.
Lifeline 1, Indian Air Force (IAF), catered to the Delhi-Ranchi-Patna route covering Jorhat, Lengpui, Imphal, Dimapur and Guwahati, when it transported ICMR kits for Guwahati (50 kg), including Red Cross ( 800 kg), Meghalaya (672 kg), leftover consignments for Manipur and Nagaland, besides ICMR consignment for Dibrugarh and Mizoram (300 kg).
Air India and IAF collaborated for delivering consignments to Ladakh, Kargil, Dimapur, Imphal, Guwahati, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Patna, Jorhat, Lengpui, Mysuru, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh and Port Blair.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is carrying out advance planning through online meetings and virtual warroom. Under the Lifeline UDAN initiative, 152 cargo flights have been operated to transport medical cargo to various parts of India including remote and hilly areas.
Home Ministry directs States to ensure availability of essential goods
Home Ministry has directed States to ensure availability of essential goods at fair prices for public at large.
In a letter to chief secretaries, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked the States to deal strictly with offences of hoarding, black marketing, profiteering and speculative trading.
He asked them to ensure proper supply of food items, medicines and medical equipments by invoking provisions of Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
Mr. Bhalla emphasised that measures including fixing of stock limits, capping of prices, enhancing production, inspection of accounts of dealers and other such actions will be undertaken by the states at the earliest and at regular intervals to ensure production and supply of essential commodities.
He said that those not complying may be dealt severely as offences under Essential Commodities Act are considered as criminal offences and may result in imprisonment of seven years.
AIIMS to launch training module for health staff to manage COVID cases of pregnant women
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a training programme in association with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi for the healthcare staff for managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases among pregnant women.
A training module is going to be launched for the physicians for suspected and confirmed cases of pregnant women by the ministry through AIIMS.
The healthcare workers will receive training for antenatal care and labour management through this course.
April 14 declared as Central govt holiday
The government announced that April 14, the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, will be a holiday for all Central government offices throughout the country.
The Ministry of Personnel said that it has been decided to declare April 14, as a closed holiday on account of the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar for all Central government offices, including industrial establishments, throughout India.
The above holiday is being notified in the exercise of the powers conferred by Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
Assam tourism industry stares at Rs 200 crore loss
The State tourism industry is likely to face a loss of around Rs 200 crore amid the coronavirus-induced medical emergency situation.
President of the Tour Operators Association of Assam Ranjeet Das said that the state tourism industry has been going through a difficult stage since last December due to the law-and-order situation and now due to coronavirus. More than five lakh families of the State have been affected due to the crisis in the tourism sector.
In Assam, the peak season for the tourism industry is from December to May which got affected.
Not only drivers and tourist guides, this time the local people of the State’s tourist spots also have suffered a lot, as normally most of them earn through various line businesses during the peak season.
Especially in rural Assam, for many families homestay is a good source of income during the peak season. This year all of them are suffering.
Central Govt clears Covid-19 emergency package ofRs 15,000 crore for states, UTs
The Central government has approved a Covid-19 emergency response and health system preparedness packageworth Rs 15,000 crore in a bid to strengthen the national and state health systems.
The Centrally funded project will be implemented in three phases from January 2020 to March 2024. The first phase will be from January 2020 to June 2020.
The project will be implemented with the objectives of emergency COVID-19 response, strengthening national and state systems, procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs, strengthening of surveillance including setting up of laboratories and bio-security preparedness.
The key activities to be implemented include support for dedicated Covid-19 hospitals, isolation blocks, ICUs with ventilators and oxygen supply in hospitals. Procurement of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and ventilators over and above what is being procured and supplied by the government of India.
The first phase will also include strengthening of identified laboratories, expansion of diagnostics capacities, including procurement of diagnostic equipment, testing kits and other reagents and mobility support for sample transport.
India, Russia to provide Covid-19 medical help to each other
India and Russia agreed to facilitate each other”s emergent needs of medicine and equipment to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
India”s Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov held a telephonic conversation to discuss the evolving situation related to the spread of the deadly virus.
Both of them exchanged notes on the national efforts underway in their respective countries to contain the outbreak of Covid-19.
Shringla and Morgulov stressed on the close bilateral cooperation between the two countries in ensuring the welfare of each other”s citizens in their respective countries.
There are around 15,000 Indian students in Russia and about 5,000 Russian tourists in India.
Odisha govt imposes penalty for not wearing masks in public
The Odisha government has made not wearing a mask in public an offence and decided to impose fines on offenders for not wearing mask while stepping out of their houses.
The general public is directed to cover their mouths and noses with any available form of mask while stepping out of the house for any purpose.
The government will impose Rs 200 for not wearing masks for the first, second and third offence. The penalty will go up to Rs 500 for subsequent offence.
The Health department has framed certain regulations in this regard amending the Odisha COVID-19 Regulations 2020. The government has also promulgated an ordinance with provision of imprisonment of upto two years for those who violate the epidemic regulations.
The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 said whoever contravenes or disobeys any regulation or order made under the principal Act is liable for imprisonment upto two years or with fine up to Rs 10,000 or both. The ordinance has amended a section of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
Start-up comes up with specialised drones to help Assam Govt contain Covid-19
Guwahati-based start-up Drones Tech Lab, incubated by IIM Calcutta has come up with specialised drones to help the State government in containment of the Covid-19 pandemic in the State.
Drones Tech Lab advisor Ruchika Kuthari said drones are designed to help in spraying disinfectants in a large area, monitoring public for crowd control and delivering medicines, among other purposes.
The start-up had presented solutions to the State authorities with its services to help fight against the virus, especially in the current lockdown situation where mobility of resources is constrained and need to monitor and contain the spread is high.
April 11, 2020
Assam Planters worried as tea bushes overgrowing
Tea bushes in the estates of Assam are overgrowing due to cessation of activity during the lockdown, leaving the planters worried at the beginning of the production season.
While the government had allowed irrigation and spraying in the tea gardens from March 27, the industry captains have now pleaded to allow them to undertake skiffing in the plantations.
The shutdown of the tea estate operations due to the spread of COVID-19 at the beginning of the manufacturing season has virtually disabled the sector as seasonal tea production has ceased.
The closure of the operation has led to overgrowth the tea bushes and the overgrown foliage needs to be skiffed immediately as this is not suitable for production of tea.
Skiffing of tea bushes is a maintenance activity and this operation can be undertaken by deploying a small number of workers while adhering to social distancing and other safety norms.
If the tea bushes are not skiffed during the lockdown period, then post resumption of operations, tea estates would require another three weeks to commence production as the fresh leaves take two to three weeks to grow to be ready for harvesting.
The first and the second flush teas, which are harvested at the beginning of the season, comprise the premium quality and loss of production during this period will further aggravate the financial crisis on the tea sector.
The government’s instructions to continue regular payment to the workers, including supply of ration has also put the garden managements in a quandary.
US threatens to freeze WHO funding
President Donald Trump has threatened to put a “very powerful” hold on US’ funding to the World Health Organization, accusing the UN agency of being “very China centric” and criticising it for having “missed the call” in its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump slammed the global health agency for its early guidance aimed at countering the international spread of the coronavirus.
The Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization (WHO), receives vast amounts of money from the United States.
Senator Jim Risch, chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an independent investigation into the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 response.
In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO declared COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern promptly, and coordinated the international response lawfully and with the best available science.
FACTFILE – WHO’s Financing Structure
Since its founding in 1948, the WHO has been crucial in helping humanity resist threats from smallpox, polio, malaria, HIV/AIDS, H1N1, SARS, MERS, Zika, and Ebola etc.
The single greatest challenge to the WHO is its lack of funding. WHO’s two-year budget for 2020-2021 is about $4.8 billion. Its budget has largely remained static over time, despite the organization taking on a greater scope of responsibility and more complex challenges.
The WHO relies on its 194 member states, and other donors, to fund its budget through two primary streams of revenue: assessed contributions, which are set amounts that member states are required to pay based on their income and population size; and voluntary contributions by member states, as well as private organizations and individuals.
Assessed contributions are flexible funds that can be put toward general expenses and program activities, while most voluntary contributions are earmarked to be put toward a specified initiative.
Recognizing the dire need for rapidly deployable funding following the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, WHO created the Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE). The CFE is completely reliant on voluntary donations, but cannot be marked for specific activities.
Through the years, the United States has remained the single greatest contributor to the WHO, providing nearly 15% of its funding in 2018-2019.
China, despite being a densely populated country where viruses like COVID-19 can rapidly spread, accounts for less than 1% of WHO funding due to outdated apportionment. Other nations’ reluctance to commit significant and flexible funding to WHO is both dangerous and counter-productive toward achieving health security.
BEL co-develops system for remote health monitoring
State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Uttarkhand’sRishikesh have co-developed a remote monitoring system to combat coronavirus.
The system remotely assesses the health of Covid suspect or patient quarantined in hospitals or at home and protects healthcare staff’s exposure.
The company developed the dynamic system on inputs from AIIMS to provide a digital and clinical solution without exposing health workers to the deadly virus.
The system’s integrating non-invasive health monitoring sensors measure temperature, pulse rate, saturated oxygen level and respiration rate.
The BEL also developed a mobile app/web browser to enable patients to get admitted to hospital on feeling Covid symptoms.
The software will give SMS alerts to medical officers and health staff when the parameters exceed the threshold. It will also record the patient”s condition in colour codes.
The Northeast India recorded the first COVID-19 death as one of the 29 patients from Hailakandi, Faijul Haque Barbhuiya (65) died at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) following complications arising out of the dreaded virus.
The deceased patient was a resident of Barjurai village of Hailakandi district of Assam, was admitted in the Silchar Medical College and Hospital. He returned to Hailakandi on March 18 after performing Umrah Haj in Saudi Arabia. He had also visited the Markaz at Nizamuddin in Delhi. He later developed pneumonia and had to be shifted to the ICU and put on ventilator later.
Strictly conforming to the guidelines issued by the Government of India regarding disposing of remains of COVID-19 victims, the district administration performed his last rites.
Containment zone along with buffer zone has been clearly demarcated around a one-km radius of Borjurai village where the deceased COVID-19 victim resided, to prevent further spread of the virus. Entry of all vehicles, except those in emergency and essential services, was prohibited.
Epidemic Diseases Act imposed for first time since independence
To deal with epidemics, the British India Govt had enacted the Epidemic Diseases Act way back in 1897 and perhaps for the first time, the Act has been imposed in the entire country since Independence to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Since Independence, though the country witnessed outbreak of different diseases from time to time, those were confined to certain pockets of India and thus no government felt the need for amending the old Act though its application was amended in a few states, including Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
During the British rule, India faced epidemics such as cholera, Spanish flue, etc., which must have forced the then government to enact the legislation.
In case of COVID-19, the outbreak hit almost the entire world, forcing the World Health Organization to declare the disease as pandemic and the government was forced to impose the Epidemic Diseases Act in the entire country.
FACTFILE – Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897
The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 spelled out the measures that the government can take in the wake of outbreak of diseases in case the existing laws of the land are not adequate to deal with the same.
Section 2 of the Act says, “Power to take special measures and prescribe regulations as to dangerous epidemic disease – when at any time the State Government is satisfied that the State or any part thereof is visited by, or threatened with, an outbreak of any dangerous epidemic disease, the State Government thinks that the ordinary provisions of the law for the time being in force are insufficient for the purpose, may take, or require or empower any person to take, such measures and, by public notice, prescribe such temporary regulations to be observed by the public or by any person or class of persons as shall deem necessary to prevent the outbreak of such disease or the spread thereof, and may determine in what manner and by whom any expenses incurred (including compensation if any) shall be defrayed.”
The Government can go for inspection of persons travelling by railway or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital, temporary accommodation or otherwise, of persons suspected by the inspecting officer of being infected with any such disease.
Under the provisions of the Act, the government is carrying out inspections of people and quarantined a number of persons suspected to be affected by the disease and those who came in contact with coronavirus. The Government of India has the powers to check the persons arriving from aboard.
The Act further said that any person disobeying any regulation or order made under this Act shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860.
US marks record over 2,100 coronavirus deaths in single day
According to Johns Hopkins University data, the US has become the world’s first country to have registered more than 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day with 2,108 fatalities reported on 10th April, while the number of infections in America has crossed 500,000, the highest in the world.
China, where the deadly coronavirus disease started before spreading across Europe and America killing more than 100,000, has so far recorded 81,000 cases of positive infections and 3,339 deaths.
In terms of fatalities, the US might soon overtake Italy where 18,848 COVID-19 deaths have happened so far.
The COVID-19 positive cases in the United States are now more than the other top countries taken together: Spain (158,000), Italy (147,000), Germany (122,000) and France (112,000).
In US, the New York, which has emerged as the epicenter of COVID-19 deaths, has registered over 1.7 lakh positive cases, which is more than any other country. More than 7,800 people in New York have died due to coronavirus.
The members of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus had projected between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the US.
US President Trump has declared a national emergency, has notified major disaster declaration for almost all of the 50 States and more than 95 per cent of the 330 million population are under stay-at-home order.
India to explore blood plasma therapy for corona patients
India will explore novel blood plasma therapy for COVID-19 using the immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person.
Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an Institution of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology, has obtained the go-ahead for taking a bold step to provide innovative treatment to patients suffering from COVID-19 disease.
Technically called “convalescent-plasma therapy“, the treatment aims at using the immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person.
The therapy, like blood transfusion, harvests the antibody from a recovered patient and ingest into a sick person. Helped by the antibody, the immune system mounts robust combat on the virus. At present it is permitted as an experimental therapy for restricted use for severely affected patients only.
In this procedure, blood is drawn from a person who has recovered from COVID-19 sickness. The serum is separated and screened for virus-neutralizing antibodies. Convalescent serum, that is the blood serum obtained from one who has recovered from an infectious disease and especially rich in antibodies for that pathogen, is then administered to a COVID-19 patient.
April 13, 2020
MukeshAmbani gifts 10,000 PPEs to Assam, stock in State rises to 85,582
Mukesh Ambani has gifted 10,000 high quality PPEs to Assam government, taking the state’s stock to 85,582.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that govt intend to raise the buffer stock of PPEs to 2 lakh, after which we will procure on daily basis against the number used every day.
There are 91,000 N95 masks in the State and 50 lakh triple-layered masks. The state government will distribute triple-layered masks among tea garden workers as the gardens have reopened in the State.
COVID-19 caused severe disruption to Indian economy
The World Bank said the coronavirus outbreak has severely disrupted the Indian economy, magnifying pre-existing risks to its outlook. In its ‘South Asia Economic Update: Impact of COVID-19’, the World Bank estimated the Indian economy to decelerate to 5 per cent in 2020 and projected a sharp growth deceleration in fiscal 2021 to 2.8 per cent in a baseline scenario.
The COVID-19 outbreak arised at a time when India’s economy was already slowing, due to persistent financial sector weaknesses. Then government imposed a lockdown’ with restrictions on mobility of goods and people, to contain the crisis. This domestic supply and demand disruptions will result in a sharp growth deceleration in FY21 to 2.8 percent. The services sector will be particularly impacted.
A revival in domestic investment is likely to be delayed given enhanced risk aversion on a global scale, and renewed concerns about financial sector resilience. Growth is expected to rebound to 5.0 per cent in fiscal 2022.
World Bank also India’s outlook is not good. And if the domestic lockdown is prolonged, then the economic result can be much worse than what the World Bank has in its baseline range of forecasts.
It is important to prepare for a rebound and that means there should be a focus on temporary jobs programmes. And it is important to prevent bankruptcies especially of a small and medium sized enterprise. In the longer run, this is really an opportunity to bring the Indian economy on sustainable path..
The World Bank is working with India to mitigate the challenge posed by COVID-19. It has approved USD1 billion to India, of which the first tranche has already been released to deal with the emergency in the health care sector, at delivering civilian diagnostic equipment, put in place additional capacity to deal with testing and make testing available that benefits the entire population.
Govt allows 15 industries to commence operations
The government allowed 15 various industries to commence operations and also allowing trucks, repair services, and street vendors to start work as the exit strategy from the coronavirus lockdown starts to take shape.
A number of large and small scale sectors have been allowed where they are mandated to ensure social distancing norms.
The Industry Ministry has given these recommendations to the Home Ministry with a list of 15 industries which should be opened with minimum manpower and distancing norms on a single shift basis.
These include those involved in manufacturing of heavy electrical items like transformers and circuit vehicles, telecom equipment and components including optic fiber cable, compressor and condenser units, steel and ferrous alloy mills, spinning and ginning mills, power looms, defence and defence ancillary units.
Cement plants can run in three shifts as cement production is a continuous process. Pulp and paper units can resume their production in clusters where COVID-19 cases are low based on the data by the state authorities.
Fertiliser plants, paints and dyes manufacturing, all types of food and beverages, seeds processing units, plastic manufacturing units, automotive units, gems and jewellery sector units, all units in Special Economic Zones and Export Oriented Units have also been exempted from nationwide lockdown measures.
Big companies with proper sanitation and distancing norms in place in sectors such as textiles, automobiles and electronic manufacturing.
Companies/MSMEs with export commitments need to be allowed to operate with minimal manpower and necessary movement of material as a new entity.
All transport vehicles of all sizes, whether inter-State, intra-State or intra-city, need to be allowed, whether empty or full, by all enforcement agencies without asking any question.
Street vendors like fruit and vegetable sellers should be allowed by the States in order to improve doorstep delivery and also to provide much needed liquidity to this population.
Certain repairing units like those individuals or small agencies involved in providing repair services of mobiles, electrical items like refrigerators, air conditioners, televisions etc, plumbing, cobblers, ironing (dhobi), electrician, automobile mechanics, and cycle repair mechanics should be allowed.
Govt launches YUKTI portal to address students concern
Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal launched a web portal to monitor and record the initiative by the ministry to combat Covid-19 with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (YUKTI).
The Union Minister exuded confidence that the portal will help in critical issues related to student promotion policies, placements related challenges and physical and mental well-being of students in these challenging times.
He said that the primary aim is to keep our academic community healthy, both physically and mentally and enable a high-quality learning environment for students.
The web portal will cover various initiatives and efforts of the institutions in academics, research especially related to COVID, social initiatives by institutions and the measures taken for the betterment of the total wellbeing of the students.
The portal will cover both qualitative and quantitative parameters for effective delivery of services to the academic community at large.
The portal will also allow various institutions to share their strategies for various challenges which are there because of the unprecedented situation of COVID-19 and other future initiatives.
The portal will also establish a two-way communication channel between the Ministry of HRD and the institutions so that the Ministry can provide the necessary support system to the institutions.
WHO says No evidence suggests BCG vaccine can protect against COVID-19
World Health Organization (WHO) recently said there is no evidence that the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is primarily used against tuberculosis, protects people against infection with the novel coronavirus.
The WHO therefore didn’t recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19 in the absence of evidence.
There is experimental evidence from both animal and human studies that the BCG vaccine has non-specific effects on the immune system. These effects have not been well characterized and their clinical relevance remains unknown.
Two clinical trials addressing the question are underway, and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available, it noted.
BCG vaccination prevents severe forms of tuberculosis in children and diversion of local supplies may result in an increase of disease and deaths from the tuberculosis.
FACTFILE – Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine
Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis (TB). One dose is recommended in healthy babies as close to the time of birth as possible.
BCG also has some effectiveness against Buruli ulcer infection and other nontuberculous mycobacteria infections. Additionally it is sometimes used as part of the treatment of bladder cancer.
Rates of protection against tuberculosis infection vary widely and protection lasts up to twenty years. Among children it prevents about 20% from getting infected and among those who do get infected it protects half from developing disease.
The vaccine was originally developed from Mycobacterium bovis, which is commonly found in cows.
The BCG vaccine was first used medically in 1921. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system.
In the United States it costs US$100 to US$200.[8] As of 2004 the vaccine is given to about 100 million children per year globally
IIT Guwahati develops affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) researchers have developed affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) along with 3D-printed & Ear Guard for comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers.
PPE that are being used are designed to protect the wearer from infectious microbes/aqueous virus droplets acting as a barrier. The research group developed an affordable antimicrobial (antiviral/antibacterial) spray-based coating for PPE kits to kill and prevent the spread of microbes once they come in contact with the coated PPE surface.
The strategic association of metal nanoparticle cocktail, such as copper, silver and other active ingredients, present in the spray acts as an antimicrobial agent.
The research team also developed 3D-printed & Ear Guard; prototype for face masks. The ergonomic design of the guard holds the face mask strap in a place without giving pressure to the ear. Therefore, masks can be worn effortlessly for hours without pain or discomfort to the wearer.
India sends rapid response team to Kuwait
An Indian rapid response team has reached Kuwait to provide medical assistance and train personnel in the fight against coronavirus as a follow-up to the discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kuwaiti leadership.
On April 1, Prime Minister Modi and Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah talked on phone and decided that officials of the two countries would maintain regular contact to exchange information and explore avenues for cooperation.
The two countries share a strong partnership based on historical, cultural, economic and people-to-people-contacts. Indians constitute the largest group of expatriates in Kuwait with an estimated population of about 10 lakh.
Indian team comprising 15 Indian doctors and healthcare professionals, will supplement the efforts of the Kuwaiti government in the collective fight against the pandemic.
The team is expected to stay in Kuwait for two weeks and will provide medical assistance and train Kuwaiti personnel. The rapid response team has been deputed at the request of the Kuwaiti government.
IIT Kanpurdevelops low cost PPE
A team of researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, have developed a cheaper alternative to the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kit to help overcome its shortage for frontline workers battling the coronavirus crisis.
The team claims that the kit is as safe as the standard PPE suits, but would cost less than Rs 100 in mass production.
The IIT team of bio-science and bio-engineering researchers has named the kit PIPES (Polyethylene-based Improvised Protective Equipment under Scarcity).
The PIPES kit can be used by medical professionals, policemen, and sanitation workers who are at risk of contracting coronavirus infection.
They designed the PIPES kit based on thin cylindrical rolls of polyethylene (polythene), which is non-porous and commonly used for packaging and making carrybags.
The design and production process of PIPES Kit is open-source, so any small or medium-scale factory can start manufacturing them in large quantities soon. If mass produced, one kit can cost less that Rs 100.
The PIPES Kit may not be visually appealing and as comfortable as the standard PPE kit, but it meets the primary goal of protection against infection.
The usability of the kit has been checked and feedback from doctors has taken.
Assam gets best tableau award for Republic Day 2020 parade
Assam’s Republic Day tableau has been adjudged best among the tableaus from 16 states and Union Territories. The tableau of Assam was based on the theme ‘Land of Unique Craftsmanship and Culture’.
Tableau of Odisha and Uttar Pradesh were named joint second best. The tableau of Odisha displayed the famous Rukuna RathaYatra of Lord Lingaraja worshipped as both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in a sixth century built temple named ‘Lingaraj Temple’ at Bhubaneswar.
The tableau of Uttar Pradesh mirrored the cultural and religious tourism of the state with the theme ‘Sarva Dharma SamaBhav’.
Among the six tableaus from different ministries and departments, Ministry of Jal Shakti and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) won the joint best tableau award.
The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme ‘Kashmir se Kanyakumari’, bagged the special prize for showcasing different parts of the country decorated with colourful and fragrant flowers.
The Defence Minister gave away the award of best cultural performance to the children of SarvodayaKanyaVidyalaya, B-Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi.
Odisha CM launches virtual police station
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a virtual police station, which will facilitate online registration of FIR in unknown motor vehicle theft cases.
The Chief Minister also launched medico legal opinion system and road accident case document module at LokSevaBhawan which is aimed at reducing human interface with government offices.
The Chief Minister said that the government is committed to providing citizen-centric governance under 5-T.
The virtual police station is an online mechanism established at the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar to facilitate online registration of FIR in unknown motor vehicle theft cases.
It will benefit citizens for claiming insurance in motor vehicle theft cases.
The road accident case documents module is a web-based application and it will help insurance companies or the victims in downloading the required documents like FIR, final form, spot map, MVI report and post mortem report.
The medico legal opinion system is a web-based system and it is helpful to both the police and medical professionals.
Under it, the police can submit requisitions online for medical examination of victims. Besides, the doctors will upload their medical examination reports online which will be downloaded by the police for necessary action.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship organised Great Indian Media Job Festival
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has organised India’s first and largest media job festival – Great Indian Media Job Festival.
The job fest, organised in alliance with the Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC), began on January 27 and will continue till February 1.
Hiring will be carried in 78 Arena/MAAC Centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Indore, Pune and Baroda.
More than 100 recruiters will hire staff across graphic design, 3D modelling, VFX, web designing, motion graphics, rotoscopy, animation and other job roles.
CM Sonowaldistributes land patta to indigenous landless people
The Chief Minister Sonowal distributed the land pattas and land allotment letters to 4,513 landless indigenous families.
Satradhikar of Dakhinpat Satra Nanigopal Devagoswami was among those who received the land patta from the Chief Minister on behalf of the satra.
Apart from distributing financial assistance of Rs 3,800 per family to 176 flood-hit families, the Chief Minister also gave away financial grants to 187 schools under the 14th Finance Commission.
JANUARY 30, 2020
Assam Sahitya Sabha announces awards, honours
The Asam Sahitya Sabha has announced a host of awards and honours including the Preranamoyi Nari Sanman’ which would be conferred on RekhaBaruah for her exploits in the literary field.
The Sabha will confer the honour on Baruah under its president’s special honour and award category.
Dr Narayan Das has been chosen for the BhashaPran honour in recognition of his work in Assamese and Brajabuli languages.
The AnubadRatna honour has been conferred posthumously on BhrigugiriMaharaj for translating the Samaveda and the Atharva Veda into Assamese.
ParthaSarathiMahanta has been chosen for the Ananda Chandra Agarwala award for his contribution to Assamese literature and cinema.
The BisheshSamajHitoyshi, BisheshYuvaSahitya and Special Cultural Organiser (by Medhi Dharani-AlokaNyas) awards which will be given to Ganesh Tamuli, BarnaliKalita and Tarun Azad Deka respectively.
The Sabha also named DhrubajyotiSarma for the MahendraBorthakur Memorial Special Playwright Award.
Habibur Rahman will be given the M Ilimuddin Dewan Award and Samar Talukdar the Hari Prasad Neog Award.
Tripura unveils new Tourism Policy
The Tripura Government has adopted a new tourism policy with special emphasis on religious tourism, tea tourism and eco-tourism to promote the State in a big way.
The Tourism Development Corporation was launched in 2008 and a separate department for tourism was created in 2013, but there has been no progress in this sector. We are trying to reverse this trend and ensure growth of this sector.
The State Cabinet has decided to approach the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to get Unakoti, a hidden treasure of spiritual tourism in the State, listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The splendid rock works at Unakoti near Dharmanagar subdivision are under the protection of the ASI.
Tourism is the priority sector for the State Government as it is a revenue multiplier. An increase in tourist flow would introduce the rich cultural heritage of the State to the world, which would be beneficial for the State in multiple sectors like trade and commerce.
The new tourism policy will ensure coordinated development of the tourism sector in a bid to attract domestic as well as foreign tourists.
In 2017-2018, altogether 4,83,488 tourists visited Tripura, but the footfall grew in 2018-2019 with 5,29,879 tourists visiting the State. In 2019-2020, 3,97,202 tourists visited the State up to November and this year’s final figure will surely cross the previous year’s number. There has been an increase in the number of foreign tourists also.
The Central Government is providing funds for development of tourist destinations under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) launched two police-related, citizen-centric services on the Crime and CCTNS platform which will help people in searching for missing persons and generating vehicle NOC (No Objection Certificates).
It is the first time that these services ”Missing Person Search” and ”Generate Vehicle NOC” are being launched centrally while such services were being provided through the state citizen portals so far.
These services can be accessed through ”digitalpolicecitizenservices.gov.in” portal or through a link in the existing ”Digital Police Portal”.
In this user-friendly search, a citizen may enter search criteria in the portal and the system will search for it from the available national database across the country and will display the result immediately with photograph and other details.
Generate Vehicle NOC allows citizens to ascertain the status of a vehicle before its second-hand purchase, as to whether it is suspicious or clean from police records.
This search could be made against national database based on vehicle”s details. One can generate and download the relevant NOC required by the RTO before the transfer of ownership.
India’s gold demand falls 9 % on record prices in 2019, said World Gold Council (WGC)
India’s gold demand fell nine per cent to 690.4 tonnes in 2019 from the previous calendar year as record domestic prices and economic slowdown dented retail purchase, the World Gold Council (WGC) said.
However, in 2020, gold demand in India, the world’s second biggest consumer after China, could increase to 700-800 tonnes on hopes of increased acceptance of high price level and likely economic reforms boosting consumer confidence.
The domestic gold price finished 2019 just above Rs 39,000 per ten grams, almost 24 per cent higher than at the end of 2018.
As policy measures unfold, broader economic growth accelerates and local prices of the past six months become more acceptable among households, India’s gold demand will be in the range of 700-800 tonnes in 2020.
Already, the government has made hallmarking (quality certification) mandatory on January 15, 2020 with a transition period of one year for the trade to sell or change its existing non-hallmarked inventory. This is an overdue reform and a positive step towards making the Indian gold more trustworthy.
In 2019, the WGC said India’s gold demand in volume terms declined to 690.4 tonnes from 760.4 tonnes in 2018, out of which jewellery demand fell nine per cent to 544.6 tonnes from 598 tonnes, while bar and coins demand also dropped 10 per cent to 145.8 tonnes from 162.4 tonnes in the said period.
However in value terms, the country’s gold demand rose three per cent to Rs 2,17,770 crore in 2019 from Rs 2,11,860 crore in the previous year.
India’s gold import including through grey channels, the WGC said it declined by 14 per cent to 646.8 tonnes in 2019 from 755.7 tonnes in 2018. Imports through grey market stood at 115-120 tonnes in 2019.
Union Govt approves 30 per cent funds for NEC projects
The Centre approved allocation of 30 per cent funds of the North Eastern Council (NEC) for new projects for focused development of deprived areas and neglected sections of society.
As per the plans, allocation of 30 per cent of NEC funds will be for new projects under the existing ‘Schemes of North Eastern Council’ for focused development of deprived areas; deprived or neglected sections of society and emerging priority sectors in the northeastern states.
The balance allocation shall be bifurcated in the existing two components – state component of 60 per cent and Central component of 40 per cent.
The projects will be allowed under state component, up to 25 per cent of each state’s normative allocation, for sectors not covered in the mandate of NEC, but which are considered important as per local felt needs as per recommendations of the state governments.
The projects under the existing ‘Schemes of NEC’ will accrue socioeconomic benefits to the marginalised and vulnerable groups of people in backward and neglected areas of the northeastern states.
Busu festival celebrated in Dima Hasao
Busu or Bishu, one of the major festivals of Dimasa people was celebrated throughout the district of Dima Hasao with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour.
At Maibang, the Jidab Busu was celebrated at Damadi Hawar with a three-day programme, which saw participation of hundreds of people. They also organized traditional games , sports and dance competitions during the event.
Greater Maibang central Busu was organized at Dishru Sports Complex Mabang, where Naba Kumar Doley, State Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development Department attended as the chief guest.
The State Government is committed in preserving and protecting tradition and culture of all communities living in Assam.
Busu is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Dimasa people. ‘Busu’ means festival of eating newly-grown autumnal rice, and so it can be considered as a harvesting festival too.
Govt takes over IMEI-related processes from private body
The Department of Telecom has taken over the process to issue and manage IMEI allocation for mobile phones in India from the private body MSAI.
The IMEI number – a unique 15-digit serial number of mobile devices – is allocated by global industry body GSMA and organisations authorised by it. When a mobile phone is lost, the victim is required to mention the IMEI number of the handset for tracking.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) had issued a standard operating procedure in May 2015 to prohibit import of mobile phones with duplicate, fake and non-genuine international mobile equipment identity.
The process was being managed by Mobile Standard Alliance of India (MSAI), erstwhile reporting body of GSMA in India.
The government has decided to replace the MSAI operated system and hence a new system, Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction (ICDR) system, has been developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics – R&D unit of DoT for implementing the SOP.
The new system has been operationalised on pilot basis on the web portal of Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR). The CEIR is being used to block all services on stolen or lost mobile phones on any network even if the SIM card is removed or the IMEI number of the handset is changed.
FACTFILE – International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a number, usually unique, to identify 3GPP and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones.
It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone, but can also be displayed on-screen on most phones by entering *#06# on the dialpad, or alongside other system information in the settings menu on smartphone operating systems.
GSM networks use the IMEI number to identify valid devices, and can stop a stolen phone from accessing the network.
Assam ranked 7th in 3rd Khelo India Youth Games medal tally
Defending champions Maharashtra romped to a whopping 256 medals, including 78 gold and 77 silver in the 3rd edition of the Khelo India Youth Games that came to an end.
Assam clinched as many as four gold medals on the penultimate day of the 3rd Khelo India Youth Games. Shivangi Sarma added one more gold to raise her gold medal tally to five. At the Dr Zakir Hussain Aquatic Centre in the Sarusajai Sports Complex, Shivangi won gold in 50m freestyle. Milanton S Dutta (bronze in 50m breaststroke) and Anubhuti Baruah (bronze in 200m butterfly) wee the other swimmers to win medals for Assam today.
Assam tennis pair of Parikshit Somani and Sheikh Md Iftikhar won gold in boys U-21 category defeating Shashank Macherla and Sai Karteek Reddy of Telangana in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.
In lawn bowling, Assam bagged two more gold medals in mixed pair and triple. The doubles pair team comprised Suman Kumari Pandey and Abhishek Handique while the members of triple team were Adinita Kakoti, Scion Shiv Mahanta and Surajit Buragohain. Assam created a record by winning seven gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. Previously no team could win such number of medals in any national championship.
Isha Rani Baruah and Ankita Gogoi won a silver medal in badminton doubles. The boxing medal winners were – Aikon Mili (silver in 52kg), Pranta Ghatowar (silver in 57kg), Karamveer Phogat (silver in 70kg).
Medal tally by states
Rank State Gold Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Medal Tally
1 Maharashtra 78 77 101 256
2 Haryana 68 60 72 200
3 Delhi 39 36 47 122
4 Karnataka 32 26 22 80
5 Uttar Pradesh 29 28 30 87
6 Tamil Nadu 22 32 22 76
7 Assam 20 22 34 76
8 West Bengal 19 14 20 53
9 Gujarat 16 16 20 52
10 Punjab 16 15 28 59
ICCW National Bravery Awards 2019
Twenty two children, consist of 10 girls and 12 boys, from 12 states have been selected for the ICCW National Bravery Awards 2019.
Adithya K.,15, from Kerala will get the coveted Bharat Award for saving more than 40 lives after a bus they were travelling in caught fire.
Indian Council of Child Welfare (ICCW) has instituted five special awards this year — ICCW Markandeya Award, ICCW Dhruva Award, ICCW Abhimanyu Award, ICCW Prahalada Award & ICCW Shravan Award.
ICCW Markandeya Award goes to 10-year-old Rakhi from Uttarakhand, who saved her four-year-old brother from a leopard.
ICCW Dhruva Award goes to Purnima Giri, 16, and SabitaGiri, 15, from Odisha for saving 12 persons from drowning after a boat capsized in a river full of crocodiles.
ICCW Abhimanyu Award has been given posthumously to Muhammed Mushin E.C. who saved three friends from a violent sea but himself died in the process.
SrimatiBadra, 10, has been nominated for ICCW Prahalada Award for helping a friend who lost her right leg in a train accident. Due to her timely and courageous action, her friend”s life was saved.
ICCW Shravan Award has been given to SartajMohiudinMugal from J&K for saving his sisters and parents when his house collapsed after an artillery shell hit it.
The other recipients are Sri Kamal Krishna Das from Assam, KantiPaikra and BhameshwariNirmalkar from Chhattisgarh, Alaika (Himachal Pradesh), Aarti Kiran Shet and Venkatesh (both from Karnataka), Mudasir Ashraf (J&K), Fathah P.K. from Kerala, Zen Sadavarte and Master Akash MachindraKhillare, both from Maharashtra, LourembamYaikhombaMangang from Manipur, Everbloom K. Nongrum from Meghalaya, Master Lalliansanga, Carolyn Malsawmtluangi and Master Vanlalhriatrenga (all from Mizoram).
The National Bravery Awards were started by the Indian Council for Child Welfare in 1957 to recognise children for outstanding deeds of bravery and meritorious service and to inspire others to emulate their example.
The ICCW has so far honoured 1,004 children with the award, including 703 boys and 301 girls.
PM Modi, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli open second ICP at Jogbani-Biratnagar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Nepal counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated the second Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Jogbani-Biratnagar.
The Jogbani-Biratnagar border is an important trade point between the two countries.
This is the second ICP on the Nepal border. The first was built in 2018.
The second Integrated Check Post at Jogbani-Biratnagar was built with Indian assistance to facilitate trade and people”s movement across India-Nepal border.
Both the Prime Ministers participated through videoconference.
Both Prime Ministers also appreciated India-assisted post-earthquake housing reconstruction projects in Nepal.
DAC Approves procurement of Rs 5,100 crore indigenous equipment
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved several procurement proposals to boost the ”Make in India” initiative.
The DAC accorded approval for procurement of equipment worth over Rs 5,100 crore from indigenous sources.
The DAC also approved prototype testing of trawl assemblies designed by DRDO for T-72 and T-90 tanks providing an important indigenous de-mining capability to the Army.
These include sophisticated Electronic Warfare Systems for the Army designed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured locally by the Indian industry.
These systems will be used in deserts and plains and will provide comprehensive electronic support and counter measure capabilities to the field formations in both communication and other aspects of electronic warfare.
The DAC approved shortlisting of Indian Strategic Partners (SP) and the potential Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that would collaborate with SPs to construct six conventional submarines in India.
The DAC also accorded approval for inclusion of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) in defence procurement procedure. This would provide avenues in capital procurement for the armed forces to startups and innovators working for iDEX and provide a huge fillip to their budding efforts.
JANUARY 23, 2020
Assam CM inaugurates Atal Tinkering Lab at school in Guwahati
Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal today inaugurated an Atal Tinkering Lab at Sanskriti The Gurukul in a move to inculcate scientific temperament among students.
Atal Tinkering Lab is an approach of the Central government to create an environment of innovation, creativity amongst the students.
The Government of India has allocated financial support in the form of grant-in-aid for establishing the Atal Tinkering Lab, an initiative of NITI Aayog.
FACTFILE – Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs)
With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission, an initiative of the NITI Aayog, is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India.
The objective is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as design mind – set, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, rapid calculations, measurements etc. Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand what, how and why aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills. Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM
ATL would contain educational and learning ‘do it yourself’ kits and equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers. Other desirable facilities include meeting rooms and video conferencing facility.
In order to foster inventiveness among students, ATL can conduct different activities ranging from regional and national level competitions, exhibitions, workshops on problem solving, designing and fabrication of products, lecture series etc. at periodic intervals.
AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.
Union Govt decided to have National Security Guards centre in Punjab
The central government has decided to set up a regional centre of the National Security Guards (NSG) in Pathankot in Punjab.
Pathankot city has defence establishments, including the frontier Indian Air Force (IAF) base that was attacked by terrorists.
The state Home Secretary has asked the district administration to identify a piece of land for the NSG centre.
Pathankot lies in the north of Punjab, close to international border with Pakistan and the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Union cabinet approved various MoU between India and Brazil
The Union cabinet approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India”s Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Brazilian Ministry of Citizenship for bilateral cooperation in the field of early childhood.
The MoU will strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries and increase bilateral cooperation on the issues of early childhood care.
Union cabinet accorded approval to the agreement between India and Brazil on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. The agreement aims to enhance the effectiveness of both countries in investigation and prosecution of crime through cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
The agreement aims to enhance the effectiveness of both countries in investigation and prosecution of crime through cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
The proposed agreement will provide a broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation with Brazil in investigation and prosecution of crime as well as in tracing, restraint and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime as well as the fund meant to finance terrorist acts.
The Cabinet also approved for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed between India and Brazil on cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources. The agreement will be signed between the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Geological Survey of Brazil (CPRM), it will provide an institutional mechanism between the GSI and the CPRM for cooperation in the field of geology and mineral Resources.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Brazil on cooperation in the field of oil and natural gas is also approved. The MoU will enhance cooperation between the two sides in the oil and natural gas sector.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the closure of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Ltd (HFL)
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the closure of Hindustan Fluorocarbons Ltd (HFL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
The company was not operational and the decision only means an official closure of the public sector unit.
Hindustan Fluorocarbons was incorporated on July 14, 1983, as a subsidiary company of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd (HOCL). The plant is located at Rudraram in district Sangareddy of Telangana.
The company started commercial production in 1987 and was engaged in the manufacture of Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFE) and of Chloro Di Fluoro Methane (CFM-22)
PTFE is used in chemical, mechanical, electrical and electronic industries and has strategic applications in the defence and aerospace sectors while CFM-22 is used pure or in mixture form for refrigeration.
Silchar defeated Guwahati by in the final of the U-16 Inter District Cricket Tournament for the RG Baruah Trophy. In the two-day final played at the Khirod Baruah Stradium, Morigaon, in reply to Silchar’s first innings total of 296, Guwahati were all out for 137. In the second innings Silchar scored 244 for seven when stumps were finally drawn.
Assam Cricket Association vice president Porikshit Dutta, noted cricketer Abu Nechim Ahmed among others were present in the closing function.
Manipur CM Biren Singh opens conference of Manipur IT companies ‘MITCON’
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh inaugurated the first edition of MITCON 2020, a conference of IT companies of the State, in Imphal.
The conference was organised by the Information and Technology (INCOTE) Foundation, a conglomerate body of 16 IT companies of Manipur.
The Chief Minister exhorted the youths of Manipur to develop the entrepreneurial spirit so that they can provide employment to others, instead of looking for government jobs.
He said that the present Government is ready to extend all possible support to young entrepreneurs and self-employed youths through the StartUp Manipur and StandUp Manipur programmes.
Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 referred to Joint Parliamentary Committee
The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, which was introduced in Lok Sabha has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) of both the Houses.
The JPC has been constituted under the chairmanship of New Delhi MP MeenakashiLekhi for examination and report.
The memoranda submitted to the committee would form part of the records of the committee and would be treated as “confidential and would enjoy the privilege of the committee”.
The draft Bill empowers the government to ask companies including Facebook, Google and others for anonymised personal data and non-personal data.
FACTFILE – Personal Data Protection Bill 2019
The Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 (PDP Bill 2019) was tabled in the Indian Parliament by the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology on 11 December 2019.
The Bill covers mechanisms for protection of personal data and proposes the setting up of a Data Protection Authority of India for the same.
Some key provisions the 2019 Bill provides for which the 2018 draft Bill did not such as that the central government can exempt any government agency from the Bill and the Right to Be Forgotten has been included.
IPS officer Kumar Munnan Singh, who earned accolades for his rescue work during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, and the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC) in Uttarakhand have been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose AapdaPrabandhan Puraskar-2020.
Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Singh and DMMC have been selected in the individual and institution category, respectively, for commendable work in the disaster management field.
A certificate and Rs 51 lakh in cash is given to the winning institution, which has to be used for disaster management-related activities only. In case of individual winners, a certificate and Rs 5 lakh is given.
IPS officer Singh was appointed founder-member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in 2005 following his commendable work during the 2004 tsunami.
The DMMC, which discharges the functions of State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)under the government of Uttarakhand since its establishment in 2006, has coordinated various post-disaster functions relating to coordination, requisition, information exchange and media briefing, including those after the 2010, 2012 and 2013 major disaster incidents.
India scored 41 in Corruption Perception Index, same as in 2018
India’s level of corruption remained the same in 2019 against the previous year, as per the latest survey conducted by Transparency International, an independent organization that determines the corruption perception index globally.
India scored 41, the same as in 2018, on the corruption perception index where 100 is considered very clean and 0 is highly corrupt.
The survey studied 180 countries in the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives.
Globally, Denmark stood at number one, with a score of 87, followed by New Zealand (87), Finland (86), Singapore (85), Sweden (85), Switzerland (85), Norway (84), Netherlands (82), Germany (80), Luxembourg (80).
Many developed countries including Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Denmark have scored less in 2019 compared to the previous year.
Many countries also dropped in ranks even as their score remained the same. India’s rank dropped by two places in 2019.
JANUARY 25, 2020
Assam Sahitya Sabha awards for the year 2018-20 announced
The AsamSahitya Sabha has announced a host of awards for the year 2018-20 to be given during the upcoming session of the apex literary body to be held at Sualkuchi.
It includes Asom Kesri Ambikagiri Raichoudhury Award that will conferred on poet Anubhav Tulsi and writer Dr Apurba Kumar Saikia.
Poet Dr Prayag Saikia and writer Nilotpal Baruah have been chosen for the Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha Award.
Basista Deb Phukan, Tapan Kumar Bora and MonoranjanBori have been chosen for Yuba Sangbadik Award.
CEC Arora takes over as new chairman of Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora took over as the new Chair of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2020 at the annual meeting of the poll management bodies of Saarc countries.
Arora took over from outgoing Chair K.M. Nurul Huda of Bangladesh during the 10th meeting of FEMBoSA. The CEC Bangladesh presented the Stewardship Report on the activities of FEMBoSA members during the last year.
After taking the logo of FEMBoSA from the outgoing chief, Arora said: “The democratic scaffold and superstructure can be enacted and strengthened on the principle that the political power is validated by the will of the people.”
The Election Commission also signed an agreement with the Independent National Electoral Commission of Afghanistan for cooperation in the field of election management on the sidelines of the international conference on ””Strengthening Institutional Capacity””.
The poll panel also signed an MoU with Independent Authority for Election in Tunisia for cooperation in the field of election management.
FACTFILE – Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA)
FEMBoSA was established at the 3rd Conference of Heads of Election Management Bodies of Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries in 2012.
Besides the ECI, the other 7 members are EMBs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
O.P. Jindal Global University signs MoU with University of Zurich at WEF
India’s O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland for mutual cooperation in higher education and research.
The MoU was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos in which JGU Vice Chancellor C. Raj Kumar and the President of the UZH, Michael Hengartner, were invited to speak on the future of global universities for promoting sustainable futures.
The University of Zurich is the largest and one of the oldest universities in Switzerland with excellence in teaching and research.
Located at Sonipat, Haryana, JGU is a multidisciplinary and research oriented university, which made it to the QS World University Rankings 2020 as the youngest university in India and in the world to be featured in the world rankings.
JGU is also the only Indian private university in the top 150 ”young” universities in the world (under 50 years of age) in the QS Young University Rankings 2020.
Kerala CM to launch Super Fab Lab
Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan will inaugurate a Super Fab Lab, an incubation centre and a Mini Fab Lab at Palakkad.
The Super Fab Lab is based in Kochi and has been built in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
It is billed as the world”s first such facility to function outside of the US and has been set up at the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) complex in Kalamassery.
It is expected to allow researchers, innovators and developers to do things beyond the purview of the state”s existing fab labs.
Currently, a standard community fab lab includes a laser-cutter, a sign-cutter, a high-resolution NC milling machine, a large wood-router and a suite of electronic components as well as programming tools for low-cost, high-speed microcontrollers for on-site rapid circuit prototyping.
To this, the super lab adds a set of highly-specialised machines that can do small to mid-volume manufacturing and can also be used for prototyping with a variety of materials including metals, composites and carbon fibres, besides testing, design and fabrication equipment and materials that cover length scales spanning from microns to meters in fabrication size.
Altogether 15 distinguished personalities from the Northeast have been named for the coveted Padma awards on the eve of Republic Day 2020.
Internationally acclaimed boxer MC Mary Kom from Manipur will be conferred the country’s second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan, while former Nagaland Chief Minister SC Jamir, who has also served as Governor of a number of states, including Odisha and Goa, has been named for Padma Bhushan.
Five personalities from Assam have been conferred the Padma Shri award. They are celebrated danseuse Indira PP Bora, writer educationist Lil Bahadur Chettri, veterinarian Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma, who is an expert in elephant treatment, scholar Jogendra Nath Phukan and physician Dr Ravi Kannan R.
Litterateur Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi of Arunachal Pradesh, who writes in Assamese, was also named for Padma Shri award.
The others from the Northeast who have won Padma Shri awards are footballer Oinam Bembem Devi (Manipur), social worker Sathyanarayan Mundayoor (Arunachal Pradesh), archer Tarundeep Rai (Sikkim), journalist Pu Lalbiakthanga Pachuau and social worker and freedom fighter C Kamlova (both from Mizoram), and writer Benichandra Jamatia (Tripura).
Kerala CM Vijayan inaugurates world’s first Super Fab Lab
Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan used a remote-controlled device to open a Super Fab Lab based in Kochi that was set up in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
It is billed as the world”s first such facility to function outside of the US and has been set up at the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) complex in Kalamassery near Kochi.
Along with the Super Fab Lab, he also inaugurated an incubation centre and a Mini Fab Lab at a function held at the Government Polytechnic College.
He said the new fab labs will enable the users to enter the next stage of scientific creativity.
The Mini Fab Lab and the Startup Incubator in Palakkad will be of use to NRI investors who return to the state with the technical expertise and experience they gained abroad.
The KSUM Super Fab Lab at Kochi has state-of-the-art machines worth more than Rs 7 crore in an area of 10,000 square feet.
India, Brazil sign pacts to boost strategic partnership
In a major boost to their strategic partnership, Brazil and India laid down a comprehensive action plan to enhance their cooperation in all areas, amid an economic slowdown.
The two governments signed agreements and memoranda of understanding for cooperation in bioenergy, oil, natural gas, investments, legal assistance in criminal matters, early childhood related issues, health and medicine, traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy, cultural exchange, social security, cyber security, science and technology, geology and mineral resources, animal husbandry and dairy, cattle genomics.
The bilateral trade between the two countries was $8.2 billion in 2018-19.
Brazil and India are members of several multilateral fora like BRICS, IBSA, G-20 and G-4 and both the countries aspire to have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
JANUARY 27, 2020
Oil India (OIL)may hold 74% in BPCL’s NRL, Assam 26%
Oil and gas explorer PSU Oil India (OIL) and the Assam Govt may acquire Bharat Petroleum Corporation’s entire 61 per cent stake in the Numaligarh Refinery (NRL), retaining the public sector character of the Assam-based entity.
OIL may pick up close to 48 per cent stake, Assam has indicated to pick up the rest to raise its stake to 26 per cent from 12.4 per cent.
Assam Commerce and Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary recently stated the state government’s willingness to pay up to Rs 2,000 crore to pick 13.6 per cent of BPCL stake in the refinery.
BPCL’s stake in OIL may be worth over Rs 8,000 crore, including control premium. With the Centre owning over 50 per cent in BPCL, the stake sale in the NRL will help it pocket around Rs 4,000 crore as disinvestment receipt.
Currently, BPCL holds 61.65 per cent stake in the NRL, OIL 26 per cent and the Assam government 12.35 per cent.
Privatisation of BPCL has become a concern in the Northeast with demand being raised not to disturb the refinery’s PSU character. NRL was set up as per the 1985 Assam accord.
NRL recorded the highest revenue at Rs 18,511 crore in 2018-19, registering a 16.25 per cent growth. Its earnings per share stood at Rs 27.79 while net worth reached Rs 5,551 crore.
Andhra Assembly passes resolution for abolishing Legislative Council
The Andhra Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to abolish the state Legislative Council as the government moved to do away with the upper house of the state legislature, considered as roadblock to pass vital Bills.
Speaker T. Seetharam announced that the statutory resolution has been adopted with 133 members voting in favour of it. There were no votes against it or abstentions.
The result meet both the conditions laid down in the Constitution’s Article 161 (1). According to the Article, resolution for abolishing the Council has to be passed by a majority in the Assembly and by not less two-third of the members present in the House.
The resolution will be sent to the Union Home Ministry for drafting a Bill, which will be tabled in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Bill will have to be cleared by both Houses of Parliament before it can be sent to the President for his assent and issuing the notification.
CISF gets ‘best marching contingent’ award at Republic Day 2020 parade
The CISF was adjudged the “best marching contingent” amongst paramilitary and other auxiliary contingents during Republic Day parade, 2020 at Rajpath.
This is sixth time that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) contingent won the “best marching contingent” trophy at Republic Day parade, the earlier occasions being in 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2017.
The CISF contingent this year comprised 148 officers and personnel, including 3 lady sub-officers, and was led by Deputy Commandant PrabhSimran Singh.
Govt signs landmark tripartite Peace Pact with Bodos
The Union government entered into a peace agreement with representatives of Bodo organisations. The move comes following the government”s attempts to put an end to the Bodo insurgency demanding a separate state carved out of Assam.
The tripartite agreement was signed by representatives of the Union government, Assam government and representatives of banned Bodo organisation – National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) is also a signatory to the peace accord.
The peace accord signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, provides for the economic and political development of Bodos without affecting the territorial integrity of Assam.
As per the peace plan, 1,550 cadres along with 130 weapons will surrender on January 30. Shah assured the Bodo representatives that all the promises made in the peace agreement will be fulfilled in a time-bound manner.
This peace accord is the third Bodo peace agreement to be signed since 1993. The demand for a separate Bodoland is almost five decades old.
Lt Gen Satinder Kumar SainiSaini to take charge as Army Vice-Chief
Lt Gen Satinder Kumar Saini will take charge as vice chief of Indian Army, Lt Gen Saini, who was the Southern Command chief so far.
An alumnus of Sainik School, Kapurthala and the National Defence Academy (NDA), Lt Gen Saini was commissioned into the Jat Regiment in June 1981.
He commanded his battalion (7 Jat), a mountain brigade, a counter insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir, a corps in the western theatre and then the Southern Army Command.
As Southern Command chief, he steered transformation of its operational philosophy to overwhelm the emerging threats and validation of many new concepts during training exercises.
He has also been weapons instructor in the National Security Guards (NSG) Training Centre, a senior directing staff at the National Defence College, New Delhi and the Commandant of the Indian Military Academy.
Lt Gen Saini had also served as the Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer in UN Mission in Iraq-Kuwait, attended an exercise on peacekeeping conducted by the Global Peace Operations initiative in Mongolia and a counter-terrorism exercise in Australia.
DSCI &TikTok launch quiz to spread awareness on online privacy
Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and Chinese short-video making app TikTok have come together to launch an interactive and informative quiz for its community online.
It also aims to appraise users on best practices for online privacy and protection.
In line with the theme of the 2020 edition of Data Privacy Day – ‘Privacy is Everyone’s Responsibility’, the in-app quiz asks users interesting questions pertaining to their awareness of online privacy and its importance.
With the rising data consumption and increase in time spent online, it is important that the users are aware of privacy practices and principles that are key to adhere to.
World Bank has approved a Rs 630-crore loan to the Assam Inland Water Transport
The World Bank has approved a Rs 630-crore loan to the Assam Inland Water Transport (AIWT) for modernisation of the State’s passenger ferry services on the Brahmaputra and other rivers.
Under the Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP), the infrastructure of passenger ferry services will be improved and the capacity of institutions running the inland water transport will be strengthened.
Better-designed terminals and energy-efficient vessels will make the ferry services more sustainable with least disruption to nature.
Of the total project cost of Rs 770 crore, the bank will provide Rs 630 crore.
The loan was signed between AIWTP and the Country Director, India, World Bank in presence of Additional Secretary (FB&ADB), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India in New Delhi.
The Indian delegation on behalf of Government of Assam was represented by Adil Khan, State Project Director, Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society.
With the World Bank’s support, the government will create an institutional framework to turn inland waterways into a mode of transport which is both attractive and well-suited to the people.
The project will also improve the infrastructure of ferry services and focus on safety of women passengers.
The terminals will have better access, lighting and signages, while the new vessels will be equipped with individual seats and washroom facilities.
A strengthened regulatory regime will ensure reduced overloading, adherence to time schedule and better crew standards.
Solar plant of one MW set up at NIT Agartala
A one MW capacity solar rooftop power plant was commissioned at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Agartala, which will save energy valued at Rs 60 lakh per year.
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development (MHRD), Sanjay Dhotre formally inaugurated the solar power plant, sanctioned by the union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Around Rs 6.5 crore was spent to install the solar power plant, commissioned by an Odisha-based private company. With the installation of the solar power plant, it is expected that on an average energy worth of Rs 5 lakh would be saved per month.
India celebrates its 72nd Army Day
The Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year as it was this day when Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa’s taken over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15 January 1949.
The day is celebrated in the form of parades and other military shows in the national capital New Delhi as well as in all headquarters.
On 15 January 2020, India celebrated its 72nd Indian Army Day in New Delhi.
Army Day marks a day to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and its citizens.
The main Army Day parade is conducted in Cariappa Parade ground in Delhi cantonment. Gallantry awards and Sena medals are also awarded on this day.
In 2020, 15 soldiers were presented with bravery awards. ParamVir Chakra and Ashok Chakra awardees participate in the Army Day parade every year.
Lt Gen Girish Kumar re-appointed Surveyor General of India
The Centre appointed Lt General Girish Kumar as the Surveyor General of India in Survey of India on contract basis for a period of one year.
Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal from re-appointment of Kumar on the post for one year with effect from January 1, 2020 or from the date of assumption of charge, whichever is later and until further orders.
Kumar was earlier appointed as Surveyor General Of India on September 30, 2017 under the Survey of India, the national survey and mapping organization of the country.
FACTFILE – Surveyor General of India
The Surveyor General of India is the Head of Department of Survey of India, a Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology of Government of India.
He/She is the senior most member of the Survey of India Service.
NAREDCO launches e-commerce portal for housing
National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) annnounced the launch of an e-commerce housing portal, ”HousingForAll.Com”.
The portal will be open for home buyers with a 45-day sale period starting February 14.
The portal will be open for one month. i.e from January 14 to February 13, 2020, for developers to register their projects.
During the first 15 days of the 45-day sale period, the portal will be opened for buyers and they would be able to view offers and shortlist properties. They will be able purchase the shortlisted properties in March.
The buyers will be able to view information such as floor plans, room dimensions, video tours of units and external views looking out from windows and balconies.
Also, they will be able to directly book or reserve a unit from the portal with a refundable payment of only Rs 25,000.
They will also get ”money back guarantee”, where their initial buyer deposit made on the portal is secured and is fully refundable in case the buyer chooses not to purchase the unit.
JANUARY 16, 2020
Assam Cancer foundation sign MoU with NRL
As a CSR initiative aligned with NRL’s focus area of improving community health, an MoU was signed between NRL and Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) to equip the upcoming radiotherapy block annexed to the Barpeta Medical College & Hospital.
The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 16.83 crore.
The MoU was signed by Debasish Choudhury, Senior Chief General Manager (HR & Legal), NRL, and GautamChintey, Project Director, ACCF, on behalf of NRL and ACCF respectively in the presence of officials from both the sides.
NRL will support ACCF to procure cancer treatment equipment such as LINAC–True beam without SRS, HDR brachytherapy, dosimetry and immobilisation unit and CT simulator.
India, Finland ink MoU to enhance defence cooperation
India and Finland inked an MoU to enhance bilateral defence cooperation, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and and the Finnish Defence Ministry”s Permanent Secretary, JukkaJuusti signed the Mou.
MoU was signed on co-operation in the field of production, procurement, research and development of defence-related equipment and industrial cooperation on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2020.
Under the broad ambit of the MoU, cooperation between Finnish companies and Indian defence public sector undertakings could be explored.
The MoU was under discussion since the Defence Expo 2018 and has now been formalised in the run up to Defence Expo 2020, to be held in Lucknow between February 5-9.
Anand Prakash Maheshwariwas appointed as CRPF chief
The Uttar Pradesh cadre, 1984 batch IPS officer, Anand Prakash Maheshwariwas appointed CRPF chief.
Maheshwari took over from ITBP Director General S.S. Deswal who was given the additional charge to head the country”s largest paramilitary force, after DG R.R. Bhatnagar retired on December 31.
Maheshwari, who will hold the post till his retirement in February next year, was handed over the DG”s ceremonial DG at the CRPF headquarters and also accorded a guard of honour by force personnel.
The Special Secretary, Internal Security, in the Ministry of Home Affairs prior to this, he has earlier worked in the CRPF as Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General.
He has also headed the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and served as an Additional DG in the Border Security Force.
FACTFILE – The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is India’s largest Central Armed Police Force. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India.
CRPF’s primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter insurgency.
It came into existence as the Crown Representative’s Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949.
Besides law and order and counter-insurgency duties, the CRPF has played an increasingly large role in India’s general elections. During the Parliamentary elections of September 1999, the CRPF played a major role in the security arrangements. Of late, CRPF contingents are also being deployed in UN missions.
With 239 battalions and various other establishments, the CRPF is considered India’s largest paramilitary force and has a sanctioned strength of more than 300,000 personnel as of 2017.
Maharastra CM launches first girder of India’s longest sea-bridge
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the first girder for the country’s longest sea-bridge, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).
Thackeray, along with top officials of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and others launched the girder at the Mumbai-end of MTHL in Sewri.
The girder weighing 1,000 tonnes was set off by a 1,400-tonnes ”launching girder” and mark the erection of the first span in the civilian works of the MTHL.
The MTHL, the second road link cutting through the Arabian Sea in the island city”s eastern coast, will connect the mainland with Sewri and Chirle respectively.
Estimated to cost around Rs 14,260 crore, it is being financed by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The total bridge will be 22 kms long of which 16.5 kms will run in the sea, with interchanges on both sides, making it the longest sea-bridge in India, and second after the Rajiv Gandhi BandraWorli Sea Link, which is now being extended up to Andheri.
Himachal Govt Pact with AAI for greenfield airport in Mandi
A memorandum of understanding for development of a greenfield airport at Nagchala in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh was signed between the state and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Director Tourism and Civil Aviation Yunus on behalf of the state and AAI Executive Director Planning H.S. Balhara signed the agreement in the presence of AAI Chairman Arvind Singh.
The development of airport will be through a joint venture company (JVC) wherein the AAI will hold 51 per cent equity and the remaining will be held by state or its designated agency.
The JVC will undertake the functions of design, finance, construction and completion of the airport project for commercial civil aviation operation and maintenance and management of the airport.
The state will acquire and transfer land for airport to the JVC.
Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhiflags off National Integration Tour
Governor Professor Jagdish Mukhi flagged off a national integration tour from the NE states to Pune and naval dockyard Mumbai, at the Raj Bhavanin a move to imbibe a pan-Indian vision and attitude in students.
Organised by Moreh Battalion of 26 Sector Assam Rifles under the aegis of Inspector General Assam Rifles (South), the national integration camp is aimed at helping the students know different states of India and develop a pan-India attitude.
The objective of the tour is to enable the youths of NE states to see the amalgamation of the varied and rich culture of India and develop a feeling of ‘unity in diversity’ that the country stands for as well as to develop a strong bonding between NE region and rest of the country.
The tour includes various aspects like sightseeing, visits to defence establishments, DRDO and interactions with prominent personalities like governors, etc.
India’s communication satellite GSAT-30 put into orbit
The European space agency Arianespace put India’s communication satellite GSAT-30 and Eutelsat Konnect – into geo-stationary transfer orbit with its heavy lift of Ariane 5 rocket. The 3,357 kg GSAT-30 was produced by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The GSAT-30 will provide high-quality television, telecommunication and broadcasting services ensuring continuity of service for INSAT 4A satellite.
By operating GSAT-30, ISRO will – once again – use space to help bridge the digital divide in the Indian subcontinent as part of its ambitious space programme.
GSAT-30 has a unique configuration of providing flexible frequency segments and flexible coverage.
The satellite will provide communication services to Indian mainland and islands through Ku-band and wide coverage covering Gulf countries, a large number of Asian countries and Australia through C-band.
GSAT-30 will provide DTH Television Services, connectivity to VSATs for ATM, Stock-exchange, Television uplinking and Teleport Services, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and e-governance applications.
The satellite will also be used for bulk data transfer for a host of emerging telecommunication applications.
The GSAT-30 was the 24th ISRO satellite orbited by Ariane-series launchers.
Punjab Assembly passes Bill for water regulation authority
The Punjab Assembly passed unanimously the Punjab Water Resources (Management and Regulation) Bill, 2020, thus paving the way for the creation of Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority to manage critical water resources in the border state.
The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to resolve the problem, which was particularly acute in southern Punjab districts like Muktsar Sahib, leading to large number of cancer cases.
The Chief Minister apprised the House that his government had already signed an agreement with Israeli company Mekorot for formulation of a master plan for the conservation and management of water resources.
IIM Indore partner with TikTok for dialogue series
Indian Institute of Management-Indore and Chinese short-video sharing application TikTok will jointly lead India-wide conversation and dialogue series on responsible leadership and how to make policy work better for people.
The focus of the partnership will remain on creating high quality first of a kind education module for top B-school students, mid-career senior management professionals, government officers, smart city CEOs, bureaucrats, family owned businesses and entrepreneurs to prepare them for management challenges of the future and digital disruption.
IIM-Indore and TikTok plan to host joint training and workshops on sharing good practices on using the internet safely and productively along with hackathons for government departments, law enforcement agencies, and the government scheme executing partners.
This will be further strengthened by the launch of several high level policy engagements and e-services delivery and problem solving workshops for key decision makers helping them harness the power of the Internet better.
JANUARY 18, 2020
Dr Krishnakanta Handique chosen for 2020 Bokulbon Award
Noted folk artiste Dr Krishnakanta Handique, has been selected for 2020 Bokulbon Award.
The award is given annually by the Bokulban Trust here in memory of noted poet late Ananda Chandra Baruah, who was popularly known as “BokulbanarKabi” and was also a former president of AsamSahitya Sabha.
The award carries a cash prize, a citation, a selengsador and a packet of books.
Dr Handique founded the well-known Bihu troupe named JhanjipariaBihudol which is a popular Bihu group across the state. Dr Handique has also authored several books on Assam’s folk art.
IAF enhances strike capabilities in Indian Ocean Region
The Indian Air Force is enhancing its strength there by inducting Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets armed with lethal Brahmos missile at its new squadron based in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur.
The presence of Su-30s in south Inaid will augment the Indian Navy”s strength and air strike capabilities of the Indian armed forces as a whole, as the Brahmos have been tried and successfully tested for anti-ship operations.
The Su-30 has a range of 1,200 km and with addition of 300 km range of the Brahmos, India can strike at locations deep inside the region.
The new squadron will initially have around five to six fighter jets but gradually it will operate with full strength of 18 aircraft. This will be the first fighter squadron to be set up by the Indian Air Force in its Southern Command.
The integration of Brahmos with Su-30 was fast tracked after the Balakot air strikes in 2019. Further strengthening of the armed forces’ firepower in the southern region will act as a move towards tri-service synergy
Bharti Foundation partner with Ericsson to set up Robotic Lab in Punjab
Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, in partnership with Ericsson India launched “The Robotic Lab” at the Satya Bharti Senior Secondary School, Jhaneri, Punjab.
The state-of-the-art lab in the government school in Jhaneri will benefit the underprivileged students from Class IV to Class VIII and further stimulate their interest in science and technology.
The program curriculum aims to introduce these students to the world of digital technology by improving their general understanding as well as providing hands-on experience of programming and digital tools.
During the robotic classes, students will learn the basics of programming and develop the skill sets to create precise and accurate instructions.
The three-year partnership with Bharti Foundation aims to impart knowledge that inspires students to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
This program will provide knowledge in the areas of new technologies, coding, programming and robotics to name a few.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expanded his cabinet by including two more Ministers. Sanjay Kishan and Jogen Mohan were administered the oath of office and secrecy by state Governor JagdishMukhi at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan”s Darbar Hall.
Sanjay Kishan is a lawmaker from Tinsukia, while Jogen Mohan was elected to the Assembly from Mahmora. They were both inducted as Ministers of State with independent charge.
With this, the strength of the Sonowal government has risen to 18 including the Chief Minister.The two vacancies were created after Topon Kumar Gogoi and Pallab Lochan Das resigned following their victory in the Lok Sabha elections last year.
Assam Govt has identified 4 sites for solid waste management
The State government has identified four sites for setting up of the integrated solid waste management facility (ISWMF) for the Guwahati Capital Region and possession of all these sites have been handed over to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC).
The State Biodiversity Board is going to undertake a feasibility study for clearing and cleaning the legacy waste at the Boragaon solid waste dumping site.
It has been decided that the clearing and cleaning of waste from the dumping site will be conducted in a pattern similar to that of the Neel Khas near the Yamuna Diversity Park, Noida.
The four ISWMF sites include
a 40-bigha plot of land located on the Old Chandrapur Thermal Power Station campus of the Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGCL).
A 27-bigha plot covered by dag no.32 in the Tamulikuchi NC under SonapurMouza of Sonapur Revenue Circle, Kamrup (Metro) district
A 20-bigha, 1-katha, 19-lessa plot of land covered by dag no.33 at Odalbakra under BeltolaMouza of Dispur Revenue Circle, Kamrup (Metro) district
And a 37-bigha, 3-katha, 5-lessa plot of land covered by dag no.139 at Basistha under BeltolaMouza of Dispur Revenue Circle, Kamrup (Metro) district.
Andhra Assembly passes three-capital Bill
Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill to develop three capitals with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy assuring justice to Amaravati farmers.
The Assembly passed by a voice vote Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill 2020 to develop Visakhapatnam and Kurnool as the capitals in addition to Amaravati.
Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Bill 2020 was also passed to repeal the CRDA Act passed in 2015 to develop Amaravati as the state capital.
The House also passed a resolution for development of three state capitals. According to the resolution, the move is aimed at decentralisation of governance and for ensuring inclusive development of all regions.
JANUARY 20, 2020
Three new frog species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh
Three new species of small frogs have been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district by scientists of Zoological Survey of India.
The new species discovered from Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) have been named as ‘Liurana himalayana’, ‘Liurana indica’ and ‘Liurana minuta’. The frogs are so small in size that one can sit on a coin.
A study has been published in a science journal, the Records of the Zoological Survey of India’, which confirmed that the species are new discoveries.
Vice President calls for national movement to promote all Indian languages
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for a national movement to promote all Indian languages, he said that promotion and protection of ancient Indian languages is the need of the hour as they offer a window to our ancient civilisational values, knowledge and wisdom.
Speaking at the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), the vice president called for according a sense of dignity and pride to those who speak, write and communicate in Indian languages.
He also urged people to use their mother tongue at home, in the community, in meetings and in administration.
The vice president commended CICT for translating the ‘Thirukkural’ into all Indian languages and also in some foreign languages.
He further called for translation of ancient and popular Tamil texts into Indian and foreign languages for the wider benefit of humanity.
The vice president also visited the International Institute of Tamil Studies, and saw the cultural centre with the permanent exhibition set up to recreate the history of Tamils that has been uncovered through research spread over the decades.
World Economic Forum & TikTok launch diversity campaign
In collaboration with World Economic Forum (WEF), Chinese short-video sharing application TikTok launched the #AllTheDifference challenge to promote inclusion in diversity ahead of the Davos summit that will discuss inclusive societies.
From January 21 to 27, TikTok users in over 75 global markets are encouraged to celebrate inclusion and diversity by joining the #AllTheDifference challenge.
A special “I say” sticker is available on the app to help TikTok users express themselves.
The WEF will be held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 21 to 24. The event brings together 3,000 global leaders.
The theme of this year”s meet is ”Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”.
Bengaluru hosts ‘RevHack 2020’ first Indian language based hackathon
The Silicon Valley of India – Bengaluru hosted RevHack 2020 – first Indian language based hackathon. Around 200 participants battled it out to build solutions to drive – Language Equality on the Indian Internet.
The hackathon was organised by Reverie Language Technologies and NASSCOM.
The main objective of the event was to build an ecosystem to drive language equality on the Indian Internet space
The historic Jonbeel Mela began at Jonbeel Pathar in Jagiroad of Assam.
Jonbeel Mela is a community fair held on the weekend of ‘Magh Bihu’ at a historic place known as Dayang Belguri at Jonbeel.
The ceremonial ‘king’of Gova Kingdom Gova Tiwa Deo-raja-Deepsing along with his court members namely Barbarua, Senapati, Deka-Doloi, Arandhara, Bordoloi, Khatoniar and others assembled at the Mela site to attend a community feast which was also joined by a host of leading personalities .
Nearly 3,000 people from Karbi Anglong and Meghalaya have assembled at the Jonbeel Pathar. The people will ‘barter’ their essential items at the Mela site, followed by ‘community fishing’ at Jonbeel.
Su-30 MKI squadron inducted in Thanjavur base
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commissioned the 222 squadron, also known as ”Tigersharks”, for their Thanjavur base.
The squadron has six Sukhoi-30 specially modified fighter jets, each carrying 2.5 tonne air-launched supersonic BrahMos cruise missile.
The squadron based in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu will keep a check on increase in Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region.
It will also augment Indian Navy”s strength and air strike capabilities of the military as a whole.
The squadron will be operating closely with the Indian Army and Navy to get the ball rolling in jointness of the Indian armedfforcesThe squadron will be operating closely with the Indian Army and Navy to get the ball rolling in jointness of the Indian armedf forces.
The Su-30 has a range of 1,200 km, with addition of 300 km in range of the Brahmos. It can strike at locations deep inside the Indian Ocean region.
The decision to choose Thanjavur as the base for the induction of the Su-30 MKI squadron was made because of its strategic location.
The induction ceremony culminated with a flying display by Light Combat Aircraft, Sarang Helicopter Display Team and Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team.
Haryana passes Constitutional Amendment to extend reservations
The Haryana Assembly unanimously passed a motion to ratify the 126th Constitutional Amendment to extend reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Punjab for another 10 years.
Moving a motion in the House, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said now the Rajya Sabha secretariat “is to be apprised with the ratification” made in this regard.
Haryana Governor SatyadeoNarain Arya said the special session was convened to ratify the amendments to the Constitution.
Odisha CM Patnaik launches online property tax module
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched an online module to facilitate payment of property tax.
Patnaik also launched an initiative – Municipal Premier League (MPL) – in order to facilitate urban local bodies to enhance their revenue collection.
The name MPL has been inspired from the Indian Premier League (IPL), and its main objective is to motivate tax officials, recognise their efforts and improve internal revenue generation.
This is an idea of conducting competition among tax collecting officials of nine urban local bodies (ULBs), five municipal corporations and four municipalities, where the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is being implemented.
Awards will be given to top five tax officials in different categories.
The online property tax module will help people in urban areas. The payment can be done through credit card, debit card, net banking and e wallets.
IIT Guwahati featured in ‘Top 50 young universities in Chemistry’ in 2019
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has featured in the ‘Top 50 young universities in Chemistry’ in 2019, according to Nature Index.
IIT Guwahati is in the 20th position with 17.30 as the Fractional Count 2018 and 19 Article Count 2018 in the subject.
As per the index, the output share from chemistry was the highest with 22.08 followed by physical sciences at 8.62 and life sciences at 0.39.
IIT Guwahati is the only IIT to be featured in this list which also includes a total of eight institutes from India.
13 from China, six from Australia, five from South Korea, three from Germany, two each from France, Spain and the United states, and one each from Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Switzerland.
IISc, Canadian varsity to research for water security
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Canada-based University of Saskatchewan”s Global Institute for Water Security will jointly conduct a research for water security.
Signed a five-year agreement with the Canadian institute to partner on joint research, training and academic exchanges related to water security, climate science and policy issues.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) President Peter Stoicheff and IISc in-charge Registrar Indumati Srinivasan signed the agreement for collaboration in the research projects.
USask topped in water resources research in 2019, while the state-run IISc ranked number 1 in India for post-graduate research.
Both institutes have national and global network of scientists, policy makers, business leaders and practitioners to collaborate in the joint research projects.
As part of the partnership, the institutes will provide access to their research facilities and pursue bi-lateral and/or global funding opportunities.
Both the institutes will also explore short and long-term exchanges of faculty members and qualified personnel, including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and scientists.
USask”s institute is a global leader in water science for cold regions and home to the global water futures programme, the world”s largest freshwater research project.
The joint research goal is to transform the way communities, governments and industries in Canada and other cold regions the world over prepare for and manage increasing water-related threats.
Infosys Science Prize 2019 for six researchers
Infosys Science Foundation awarded six winners with the Infosys Science Prize 2019 for research and academic excellence, in the fields of engineering and computer science, humanities, life sciences, mathematical sciences, physical sciences and social sciences.
Amartya Sen, the 1998 economics Nobel laureate and Harvard University economics and philosophy professor, felicitated the winners with a citation, gold medal and a purse of $1 lakh (Rs 72 lakh).
The winners are Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Professor G. Mugesh, Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay (IIT-Bombay) Computer Science and Engineering chair professor Sunita Sarawagi and IIT-Mandi School of Humanities and Social Sciences Assistant Professor Manu V. Devadevan.
Other winners include Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology”s (CCMB) Chief Scientist Manjula Reddy, Professor Siddhartha Mishra at Swiss University ETH Zurich in mathematical sciences and Anand Pandian, Anthropology professor at Baltimore”s John Hopkins University.
The winners were zeroed in on from a pool of 200 nominations by a jury of eminent international academicians.
Set up in 2009 as a not-for-profit organisation by Infosys co-founders N.R. Narayana Murthy, Nanda Nilekani, S. Gopalakrishnan, S.D. Shibulal and Dinesh, the foundation promotes interest in science and research in the country.
FACTFILE – Infosys Prize
The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and social scientists of Indian Origin by the Infosys Science Foundation and ranks among the highest monetary awards in India to recognize research.
The prize for each category includes a gold medallion, a citation certificate, and prize money of US$100,000 (or its equivalent in Indian Rupees). The prize purse is tax free in the hands of winners in India.
In 2008, the prize was jointly awarded by the Infosys Science Foundation and National Institute of Advanced Studies for mathematics. The following year, three additional categories were added: Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences. In 2010, Engineering and Computer Science was added as a category. In 2012, a sixth category, Humanities, was added.
JANUARY 09, 2020
Gaan Ngai Festival begins in Manipur
Gaan Ngai, the biggest post-harvest festival of the Zeliangrong tribes of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, got under way in the Zeliangrong-dominated areas of Manipur and the North East region today. On the occasion, a sacred fire was made to purify the entire community and a colourful dance was performed by troupes representing numerous Zeliangrong communities.
The formal inauguration of the festival in Manipur, heralding the arrival of the New Year, was marked by an invocation to god, congregational prayers and dance performances.
The Gaan Ngai Festival is also celebrated across 85 Kabui villages in the valley areas.
The Gaan-Ngai Festival was declared a restricted holiday in 1976 and it was upgraded to a public holiday on January 10, 1998 when W Nipamacha was the Chief Minister.
FACTFILE – Gaan-Ngai
Gaan-Ngai is a festival of the Zeliangrong people of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. It is the biggest festival out of many festivals observed throughout the indigenous calendar of Rongmei Naga/Kabui tribe.
It is also a post harvest festival, mainly performed by the followers and devotees of Zeliangrong Indigenous religion of ‘Poupei Chapriak’ and ‘Heraka’ cults.
Gaan-Ngai is traditionally celebrated in the month of “Gaan-Bu” of the indigenous calendar of the Rongmei Naga tribe which typically falls in the Gregorian month of November or December.
Gaan-Ngai is celebrated in Assam as per the date fixed using the indigenous Rongmei Naga Calendar with the said festival having status of Restricted Holiday in Assam. While in Manipur, Gaan-Ngai is celebrated in the 13th day of the Manipuri month of “Wakching” of Meetei Manipuri Calendar with the festival being a State holiday in Manipur.
Gaan-Ngai has also been recognized as the Tourist Festival of India by the Govt of India
Govt proposes investor-friendly changes in model concession agreement for highways
Seeking to revive private investment in the roads sector, the Centre has proposed investor-friendly changes in the model concession agreement (MCA) for Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) highway projects.
The changes are aimed at putting in place a progressive dispute resolution mechanism, mutual foreclosure agreement and harmonious substitution of the concessionaire.
The availability of credit was a much bigger issue for the sector and revival of BOT (Toll) projects may take upto nine months.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited suggestions from various stakeholders such as bankers, contractors, consultants and industry bodies on the proposed amendment.
The amendments have been proposed after deliberations with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRT&H), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and NitiAayog.
The major modifications proposed in the MCA are related to capping of liabilities of either party throughout the subsistence of the agreement, tightening of conditions precedent prior to declaration of appointed date and dispute resolution.
Union Cabinet approves ratification of Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and France
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the ratification of Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between India and France.
The agreement, which was signed in March 2018 during the state visit of the French President to India, represents a major milestone in enhancing people-to-people contacts, fostering mobility of students, academics, researchers and skilled professionals and strengthening cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides.
It is a testimony to India”s rapidly expanding multi-faceted relationship with France and symbolises the increasing trust and confidence between the two sides.
The agreement is initially valid for a period of seven years and incorporates provision for automatic renewal and a monitoring mechanism through a joint working group.
Union Govt approved to divest equity shares of six PSUs, including MMTC and Odisha Mining Corporation
The Cabinet approved a proposal to divest equity shares of six PSUs, including MMTC and Odisha Mining Corporation in NeelachalIspat Ltd.
The Cabinet has approved divestment of some shares of six companies held in NeelachalIspat.
Cabinet has allowed NeelachalIspat stakeholders to sell shares.
The six PSUs are MMTC, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL), Odisha Mining Corporation, Odisha Investment Corporation and MECON.
The minister further said MMTC will sell 49 per cent in NeelachalIspat, while that of Odisha Mining Corporation 20 per cent, Odisha Investment Corporation 12 per cent, NMDC 10 per cent.
MMTC, a trading firm under the Union ministry of commerce and industry, is the largest stakeholder in NINL with equity of 49.9 percent.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has cleared the North East Gas Grid project of Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited, for supply of piped cooking gas and compressed natural gas (CNG) for transportation in the northeastern states have been cleared
A CCEA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the project with viability gap funding (VGF) at 60 per cent of the estimated cost of Rs 9,265 crore, including interest during construction.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) shall identify milestones for major activities for this project and link the same for release of capital grant of the project.
The pipeline will enable the supply of piped cooking gas to households and CNG to automobiles, besides fuel to industries. However, in the absence of anchor customers, the Rs 9,265-crore project was not economically viable.
For effective monitoring of the project implementation, a committee comprising officials from the MoPNG, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of DoNER, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Department of Fertilizers may be formed, which would periodically review the progress in implementation of the project and take steps to smooth out any issues in execution.
According to the plan, the gas pipeline grid would be developed in the eight states of the Northeast. The 1,656-km North-East Natural Gas Pipeline Grid will connect Guwahati to major cities in the region, including Itanagar, Dimapur, Kohima, Imphal, Aizwal, Agartala, Shillong, Silchar, Gangtok and Numaligarh.
The pipeline grid will be implemented by Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited, a joint venture of state-owned GAIL India, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, Oil India Limited and Numaligarh Refinery Limited.
The consortium had pitched for a 60 per cent funding support from the government and would raise the rest via equity and debt. Without government support, the pipeline will not be viable, added Pradhan.
The project will also boost exploration and production activities in the Northeast and connect regional gas sources with a pipeline network for early monetisation of natural resources in the region.
Government approves formal structure of Department of Military Affairs
The government approved a formal structure of the newly-created Department of Military Affairs.
The Department of Military Affairs will be two joint secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries and 22 under-secretaries who will assist the Chief of Defence Staff to carry out his responsibilities.
The CDS will push the three services to truly integrate in planning, procurements, logistics, doctrines and training.
The CDS provides single-point military advice to the government as well as function as the military advisor to the Prime Minister-led Nuclear Command Authority.
Though the three service chiefs will retain full operational control over their forces, the CDS will clearly be the “first among equals” in the hierarchy.
The Department of Military Affairs will be the fifth department in the Ministry of Defence. The existing ones are the Department of Defence, the Department of Defence Production, the Department of Defence Research and Development and the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
The Department of Military Affairs deals with the armed forces, the integrated headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, comprising the Army, Naval and Air and defence staff headquarters and the Territorial Army.
Union Communications, Electronics and IT Minister inaugurated the submarine optical fibre cable laying
Union Communications, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the submarine optical fibre cable laying work between Chennai and Anadaman and Nicobar Islands.
The project will connect Port Blair along with seven other islands of Andaman & Nicobar viz Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Havelock, Long Island and Rangat.
Total length of the submarine cable project is 2,250 km and will have four fibre pairs.
Each fibre pair has the ultimate capacity of 6.4 Tbps with very low latency.
At present, the combined availability for Andaman & Nicobar Islands is only 3.2 Gbps.
At the initial stage of commissioning the project itself, bandwidth availability will be 400 Gbps which is nearly 100 times of the existing capacity.
Presently the Andaman & Nicobar islands are connected to the mainland through satellite link with limited bandwidth capacity with high latency.
JANUARY 11, 2020
3rd Khelo India Youth Games stated in Assam
The 3rd edition of the Khelo India Youth Games is inaugurated at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Sarusajai here.
The 20-discipline Games will be held in eight different venues where 6,800 athletes from across 37 states and union territories will compete.
State-of-the-art infrastructure have been set up for the Games in different venues and host Assam is fully geared up to conduct the multi-sport event.
FACTFILE – Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG)
Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) held annually in January or February, are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India held for two categories, namely under-17 years school students and under-21 college students.
Every year best 1000 kids will be given an annual scholarship of ₹5 lakh for 8 years to prepare them for the international sporting events.
On 31 January 2018, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, declared open the inaugural Khelo India School Games. From the 2019 events, Khelo India School Games were renamed to Khelo India Youth Games.
The second edition of the event was kicked off in Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, a sports complex situated in Balewadi, Pune.
Light Combat Aircraft lands on INS Vikramaditya
The indigenously designed and developed Light Combat Aircraft (N) Mk1 has made a successful arrested landing on the India”s biggest warship INS Vikramaditya.
With this feat, the indigenously developed niche technologies specific to deck based fighter operations have been proven.
This will now pave the way to develop and manufacture the twin engine deck based fighter for the Indian Navy.
The DRDO in a statement said that after completing extensive trials on the shore based test facility of DRDO”s Aeronautical Development Agency, developed the LCA Navy.
Union Home Minister inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and also the dedicated National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to the nation, a citizen-centric initiative that will enable citizens to report cybercrimes online.
This state-of-the-art Centre is located in New Delhi.The scheme to set up I4C was approved in October 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 415.86 crore to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
It has seven components — a national cyber crime threat analytics unit, a national cyber crime reporting portal, a national cyber crime training centre, a cyber crime ecosystem management unit, a national cyber crime research and innovation centre, a national cyber crime forensic laboratory ecosystem and platform for joint cyber crime investigation team.
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) is a citizen-centric initiative that will enable citizens to report cyber crimes online through the portal.
All the cyber crime related complaints will be accessed by the concerned law enforcement agencies in the states and UTs for taking action as per law.
So far, more than 700 police districts and more than 3,900 police stations have been connected with this portal.
Bumrah becomes India’s highest wicket-taker in T20s
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah became India’s highest wicket-taker in the T20 Internationals after he dismissed Sri Lankan opener Danushka Gunathilaka in third and final T20 series against Sri Lanka.
Bumrah has now 53 T20 wickets to his name from 45 T20 internationals. Wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (52 wickets from 37 matches) and ace off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (52 wickets from 46 matches) are the joint second highest on the list.
Bumrah, who was injured, returned to international cricket from the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.
National Youth Festival 2020 inaugurated at Lucknow
The 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 is inaugurated on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on 12th Jan 2020.
The National Youth Festival 2020 is jointly organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the State Government of Uttar Pradesh.
The NYF is organised with an objective to provide a platform to the youth of the country and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their talents in various activities.
The government has been organising NYF since 1995.
It is organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India in collaboration with one of the State Governments annually. It is held in a different state each year during National Youth Week, 12 to 16 January every year.
The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (12th Jan) is celebrated as National Youth Day and the week commencing from that day is known as the National Youth Week.
PM Modi opens light & sound show at Howrah Bridge
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an interactive light and sound show at the iconic Howrah Bridge – Rabindra Setu – through a glittering programme held in the picturesque Millenium Park on the banks of the Hooghly.
The 150-second show and sound is part of the various initiatives taken to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Kolkata Port Trust.
The British era Howrah Bridge, which serves as a crucial gateway to the city, ferrying one lakh-plus vehicles and over 1.5 lakh pedestrians daily, was thrown open to the public on February 3, 1943, replacing a pontoon bridge linking Kolkata and Howrah.
The cantilever bridge, where not a single nut or bolt was used, is now the sixth largest bridge of its kind in the globe.
India, China agree to set up a military hotline
In an effort to keep peace and tranquillity along the borders, India and China have agreed to set up a military hotline between Indian Army”s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and Western Theatre Command (WTC) of the Chinese People”s Liberation Army.
The proposal for the hotline has been accepted by both sides after all procedural issues were resolved.
Both sides see hotlines as a necessity for better interaction between their armies and to defuse tensions caused by differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control.
Both borders, including Northern and Western, are equally significant and stressed that the advanced weapons systems are being deployed and infrastructure improved along the Chinese border.
JANUARY 13, 2020
Free education support system for Assam, NE students
Vectors Academy has started a unique initiative named #LetsTeamUp in a bid to build an education support system for the students of Assam and the North East aspiring to crack national-level competitive exams like IIT-JEE or NEET (AIIMS) without bearing any cost.
A mobile app – FAST Vectors – has already been launched where students can directly communicate with mentors and clarify their study-related questions and concerns.
Science students can also avail course material, previous years’ questions and online mock tests of all leading competitive tests completely free of cost.
India to acquire 200 fighter jets for Air Force
Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar has said, the government is in the process of acquiring around 200 aircraft to cope with the depleting aerial inventories of the Indian Air Force.
On the sidelines of commissioning Indian Coast Guard vessels in Kolkata, he said, the contract for HAL-manufactured 83 LCA Tejas Mark 1 A advanced fighter jets are in the final stages.
Expression of Interest has been floated for another 110 aircraft, based on which Request for Proposal will be floated. He said that roughly for 200 aircraft, the acquisition is in process
The Air Force has Sukhoi 30 MKIs, Mirage 2000s, Mig 29s and the ageing Jaguars and Mig 21 Bisons in its inventory of fighter jets at present.
The last fleet of seven swing-wing MiG-27 fighters, which played an important role during the 1999 Kargil war, was decommissioned on December 27.
India’s First Cyber Crime Prevention Unit launched
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated country’s first Cyber Crime Prevention Unit called the “Cyber AASHVAST” in Gandhinagar.
Along with AASHVAST, the Video Integration and State Wide Advance Security project called VISWAS was also launched for preventing crimes in the state.
The Cyber AASHVAST is a unit that will act to prevent cyber crimes with the help of VISWAS and NETRANG. It will own an exclusive online portal that will have dedicated service helpline for victims of cyber-crimes.
The AASHVAST will also monitor, prevent and control cyber-crimes in the state. Along with AASHVAST and VISWAS, Project NETRANG was also launched. It will establish command and control rooms in 33 districts of Gujarat.
In India the cyber-crimes have almost doubled between 2016 and 2017 according to NCRB. Therefore, GoI is taking many measures to bring them under control.
The projects aims to meet the challenges of Cyber-crime include:
Project VISWAS: Video Integration and StateWide Advance Security.
‘Netrang’ project to establish Command and Control Room in 33 districts.
AASHVAST to pay E Challan online and provide Cyber Crime Prevention which will have a dedicated service helpline for victims of cyber crimes.
Six different postal memory cards were released by the Minister depicting various folk dances of Gujarat.
Dibrugarh honoured with Plastic Waste Management Award
Dibrugarh district was awarded the Plastic Waste Management Award -2020 for being the best district of India in plastic waste management category during Swachhta Hi Sewa 2019.
Pallav Gopal Jha, Deputy Commissioner, Dibrugarh received the award from renowned Bollywood actor Amir Khan at a function held at Pride Plaza.
The function was organised by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
Swachhta hi Seva 2019, a massive nationwide awareness and mobilisation campaign on Swachhta, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mathura on September 11, 2019.
Massive awareness and mobilisation programmes were organised in Dibrugarh district to generate awareness on single use plastic waste collection, segregation and effective disposal under the Swachh Bharat Mission-G (SBM).
The campaign in the district was a joint initiative of the District Water & Sanitation Committee, Dibrugarh administration and the PHED.
Jarprit Bumrah set to receive Polly Umrigar Top BCCI Award
India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will receive the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for his exploits in international cricket in the 2018-19 season.
The world’s leading pacer will be honoured during the BCCI Annual Awards here on Sunday. The World’s No. 1 ODI bowler made his Test debut during India’s tour of South Africa in January 2018 and hasn’t looked back since.
He picked up a five-wicket haul in South Africa, England, Australia and the West Indies becoming the first and only Asian bowler to achieve the feat. He played a stellar role in the historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia, India’s first Down Under.
While Bumrah nets the biggest prize in the men’s category, Poonam Yadav will claim the top prize in women’s section and will be awarded the best international cricketer.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Anjum Chopra will be presented with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award and the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for women respectively.
Raisina Dialogue to begin from 14th January
India’s flagship global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics Raisina Dialogue will begin from 14th Jan 2020 in New Delhi.
This will be the fifth edition of the prestigious Raisina Dialogue. The Dialogue is being jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation.
12 Foreign Ministers will participate in the 3-day conference including from Russia, Iran, Australia, Maldives, South Africa, Denmark, Uzbekistan and the EU.
The Dialogue was initiated in 2016 and involves a variety of global policymakers including heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials.
It is designed on the lines of Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue. The name “Raisina Dialogue” comes from Raisina Hill, an elevation in New Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan.
IOCL launches new fuel exclusively for Indian Navy warships
The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) launched a new fuel known as High Flash High Speed Diesel (HFHSD – IN 512) exclusively for Indian Navy warships.
The new fuel will enable India to ensure interoperability amongst foreign Navies during fleet exercises and provide fuel of quality better than that mandated to all foreign Navies under bilateral and multi-national logistics support pacts, including Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
The Indian Navy had collaborated with IOCL to carry out an extensive and thorough study and a comparative evaluation of existing international regulations like International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
IOCL, post the upgradation of the refinery units, initiated a limited supply of the product to Indian Navy platforms following which rigorous machinery performance checks and acceptance trials were carried out.
The deal for fuel quality standards revision was inked to keep pace with induction of new technology equipment and meet contemporary emission standards.
US varsity honours human rights activist Dibyajyoti Saikia from Assam
Human rights activist from Assam Dibyajyoti Saikia has been conferred honorary doctorate degree by the California Public University, USA for his invaluable services in the field of human rights, social harmony and community welfare.
Saikia received the Doctor of Humanities (D Hum) honour at a special programme organised in Tamil Nadu, where a number of other eminent personalities from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Dubai were given honorary doctorate.
Saikia, who has been actively involved in anti witch-hunting campaigns throughout the State and also in several parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Bihar, has two decades of experience in the field of social work.
Apart from working in the field of eradication of superstition in the rural pockets of Assam, he has also worked to foster communal harmony.
Saikia has received a number of other awards and honours including Babu Jagjivan Ram Award, Maulana Azad National Award and Bhupen Hazarika Peace Award.
Assam Govt announced financial grant to indigenous literary bodies
The State government announced financial grant for indigenous Sahitya Sabhas (literary bodies) of Assam, including Asam Sahitya Sabha and Bodo Sahitya Sabha.
The State government would provide Rs 10 crore to the corpus fund of Asam Sahitya Sabha, Rs 5 crore to Bodo Sahitya Sabha and Rs 3 crore each to the other indigenous Sahitya Sabhas as one-time grant.
Accordingly, the Asam Sahitya Sabha would be able to derive an amount of Rs 80 lakh annually as interest from the corpus fund, while the Bodo Sahitya Sabha would receive Rs 40 lakh and other indigenous Sahitya Sabhas would get Rs 24 lakh each annually.
The Chief Minister also announced that the State government would provide a one-time financial grant of Rs 50,000 each to one thousand new writers belonging to various communities of the State under the ‘Bhasha Gaurav’ scheme which was a budget announcement.
CM Sonowal hoped that the scheme would be able to inspire young generation writers to engage in literary works in different indigenous languages of the State.
The Chief Minister also urged the indigenous literary bodies to put emphasis on research works for preservation and promotion of indigenous language and culture, and assured all help from the State government in this regard.
FACTFILE – ‘Bhasha Gaurav Achoni’
On September 07, 2019, Assam CM Sarbanand Sonwal announced that under the ‘Bhasha Gaurav Achoni’, under which 1000 new generation authors will be provided one-time financial grant of Rs 50,000 each for promotion of various languages of Assam.Various ‘Sahitya Sabhas’ will select the authors for the scheme.
General Bipin Rawat takes charge as first ‘Chief of Defence Staff’
Former Army Chief BipinRawat, took charge as the first Chief of Defence Staff. General Rawat, who demitted office on retirement as Chief of Indian Army received the guard of honour from all the three forces.
Besides Rawat, Army Chief Manoj MukundNaravane, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria and Navy Chief Karambir Singh and other senior officers were also present during the guard of honour.
General Rawat said, “All the three services will work as a team. As per the task given to the Chief of Defence Staff, we have to enhance integration and do better resource management.”
New Indo-Bangla river route opened through Dhubri District
In a bid to boost trade between Bangladesh and India, the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh Tanvir Mansur formally opened a river route between India and Bangladesh by flagging of a commercial cargo service between the two countries in Dhubri.
The Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh said that Indo-Bangla trade has increased manifold in the wake of improving relations between the countries and the new route is likely to give a fresh impetus to bilateral trade.
On July this year the first cargo vessel from Dhubri to Bangladesh was introduced.
JANUARY 02, 2020
Assam tourism lost Rs 500 crore due to anti-CAA stir
State tourism sector has lost an estimated revenue of Rs 500 crore due to the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act during the peak tourist season from December to March.
Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah said when the tourism industry of the State was witnessing a surge in tourist footfall, the violent protest dealt a blow, resulting in trip cancellations and an expected 30 per cent fall in the annual tourist inflow.
Also, with the negative travel advisories issued by a dozen countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Russia and Israel, the brand value of Assam tourism received a major setback that would take a long time to recover.
The period from December to March is the peak tourist season for Assam. However, as the violent protests erupted in different corners of the State, including the capital city, a number of sectors, including tour operators, hoteliers, tour guides, transport services to name a few, have been badly hit.
As a damage control exercise, the ATDC has entered into a tie-up with Google for a digital campaign that would help in image building for the State tourism sector through small promotional videos on YouTube and Facebook, besides pushing promotional contents in the Google search engine.
The State tourism department that has been running several campaigns to woo foreign tourists is also apprehensive about the duration it will take for withdrawal of negative travel advisories to foreign tourists.
4 IAF pilots selected for India’s manned space mission
Four ace pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were selected for India’s maiden manned mission Gaganyaan around the earth’s orbit by 2022.
Three of them will go into space to orbit around the earth for a week and conduct experiments in micro-gravity and bio-science.
The quartet will undergo training in Russia from the third week of this month for becoming the first Indian crew to go into space from native soil.
The four pilots have undergone medical tests at the Indian Aviation Medicine of the IAF in Bengaluru and in Russia at the space agency which will train them in all aspects of a manned mission in outer space.
RBI launches mobile app MANI for visually impaired
The Reserve Bank of India launched a unique mobile application for aiding visually impaired persons to identify the denomination of Indian bank notes.
The application Mobile Aided Note Identifier was launched by RBI Governor.
At present, Indian bank notes contain several features which enable the visually impaired to identify them, viz., intaglio printing and tactile mark, variable bank note size, large numerals, variable colour, monochromatic hues and patterns.
The mobile app is capable of identifying the denominations of “Mahatma Gandhi Series and Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series” bank notes by checking “front or reverse side or part of the note including half folded notes at various holding angles and broad range of light conditions”.
Feature-wise, the app is capable of identifying the denomination through audio notification in either Hindi or English and non-sonic mode such as vibration.
Besides, it can be navigated via voice controls. After installation, the mobile application does not require internet and works in offline mode.
PM Modi dedicates 5 DRDO Young Scientists Labs to nation
As part of the ongoing efforts to boost indigeneous research capabilities in the country”s defence sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicate five DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories to the nation.
The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion at the Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bengaluru during his two-day visit to Karnataka.
The Prime Minister also viewed DRDO innovations on show in an exhibition at the event.
This event comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister”s proposal in 2104 to identify at least five DRDO labs for innovation by young scientists aged under 35 years.
Giving away the DRDO awards in 2014, Modi had also called for facilitating greater involvement of youth in defence research related activities so that India remained abreast of global technological advancements in the field.
Guwahati’s Down Town Hospital has been rewarded with the ‘Kayakalp’ certification for the year 2019-20 in recognition for its efforts towards excellence in promoting cleanliness, hygiene and infection control in the hospital and contributing to improved quality of care to the patients, said a press statement.
The assessment was conducted by a team of auditors with expertise in their respective fields from various parts of the country.
Kayakalp is an initiative launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and aims to promote and maintain sanitation and hygiene in healthcare facilities.
Wipro, HAL tie up to make aerospace components
Software major Wipro’s Infrastructure and Engineering arm and aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) tied up to jointly design, develop and manufacture aerospace components using metal additive technology (3D printing).
The agreement will enable the partners to develop, prove and apply new material in the production of aerospace applications, including Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO).
The joint initiative will make manufacturing and certification of aerospace components feasible using metal 3D printing.
The 3D printing is a new age manufacturing technique, which uses solid material such as plastic or metal as ink to print or manufacture the desired object layer by layer, also called additive printing.
Desired product images with exact dimensions are fed into a computer to 3D print required specimens using the molten ink, which later solidifies.
Wipro 3D metal additive facility offers layered metal printing consulting, design, production and research and development services.
HAL designs, develops, manufactures and supplies aircraft, helicopters, aerospace equipment, engines and accessories.
IIT Hyderabad set to help Telangana govt carry out research on AI
The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) is going to collaborate with the Government of Telangana to carry out research in Artificial Intelligence.
The Institute is partnering with the Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Department, for building, and identifying quality datasets, along with third parties such as Industry.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Prof B S Murty, director, IIT Hyderabad, and JayeshRanjan, principal secretary to Government of Telangana, during an event.
They will also work on Education and Training to prepare and deliver content and curriculum on AI courses, which are to be delivered to college students along with industry participants.
JANUARY 04, 2020
Assam Govt to start State-wide vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis
The State government will start an adult vaccination drive to prevent spread of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Assam from the January 2020 end.
The step to start the vaccination drive has been taken by the government after JE and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) took a disastrous form last year across the State.
I n the preliminary stage the vaccination drive is likely to start from Goalpara district, to be followed by South Salmara and Kokrajhar.
The health department will use Jenvac vaccine during the drive. Jenvac is a locally produced JE vaccine available in India.
FACTFILE – Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) In Assam
In 2019, altogether 2,652 cases of AES were reported across the State with 353 of those resulting in death. The highest number of 601 cases was reported in Dibrugarh district, followed by Kamrup Metro (241) and Lakhimpur (167) districts.
The number of JE cases reported in 2019 was 641 with 161 of those resulting in death. Last year, the highest cases of JE were reported in Lakhimpur (50), followed by Nagaon (45) and Sivasagar (45) districts.
In 2019 altogether 89 AES cases and 34 JE cases were reported in Goalpara district. While AES claimed the lives of 21 people, JE claimed 13 lives in that district.
PM Modi kicks off 107th Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2020) in Bengaluru in the presence of galaxy of top scientists, Nobel Laureates, dignitaries and students from across the country and the world over.
During his address, the Prime Minister called for new solutions to remove and reuse plastic waste and metal from the electronic waste. He also sought solutions to farmer-centric problems like the stubble burning.
About 15,000 delegates, including two Nobel Laureates and eminent scientists from across India and abroad are attending the mega 5-day event at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), which is hosting the annual event.
This year’s event focal theme is ‘Science & Technology : Rural Development’
FACTFILE – Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA)
Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it has a membership of more than 30,000 scientists.
The first Indian Science Congress was held in 1914 at the Asiatic Society in Calcutta.
Several prominent Indian and foreign scientists, including Nobel laureates, attend and speak the congress.
ISRO sets up 4th regional academic centre for space in NIT Karnataka
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set up a regional academic centre for space at the National Institute of Technology (NITK) at Surathkal in Karnataka”s southwest Dakshina Kannada district.
The centre at NIT-K will conduct joint research and development in space technology applications to meet the needs of space programmes.
The state-run ISRO will provide Rs 2 crore grant annually to NIT for the R&D projects and promotional activities through the year.
The space agency and the engineering institute signed an agreement on the industry-academic collaboration at Surathkal, about 380km from Bengaluru.
The centre, fourth in the country, will also facilitate promoting space technology in the southern states, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and be an ambassador for capacity-building, awareness and research and development.
A joint policy and management committee will guide the centre in optimal utilisation of the research potential, infrastructure, expertise and experience of the space agency and the autonomous institute.
The committee will plan activities like research programmes of common interest and reviewing their projects periodically.
Students of under-graduation (B.Tech) and post-graduation (M.Tech) will be involved in one-year short-term research projects and 2-4 year long-term projects in advance space programmes.
The other three such centres are Malaviya National Institute of Technology at Jaipur in Rajasthan, Gauhati University in Assam and Kurukshetra University at Thanesar in Haryana.
Dubai-based Indian girl Sucheta Satish wins Global Child Prodigy Award
A Dubai-based Indian girl, who can sing in 120 languages, has won in the ”Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020”.
The 13-year-old Sucheta Satish, known as the Dubai Indian High School”s nightingale, won in the singing category.
The Global Child Prodigy Award is a platform to celebrate children”s talent and power in different categories such as dancing, music, arts, writing, acting, modelling, science, innovation, sports etc.
The awards are supported by the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Oscar award winning music producer A.R. Rahman.
Tripura per capita income to cross the national average
Due to proactive economic measures taken by the State Government, Tripura’s per capita income would cross the national average in the current fiscal (2019-20), said Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
According to official documents, the per capita income of Tripura was Rs 1,13,467 in 2018-19 against the national average of Rs 1,25,397.
The Chief Minister said that besides the urban areas, the rural areas of Tripura are also economically developing following which the per capita income has increased substantially and it is expected to cross Rs 1,50,000 by the end of 2019-20.
Indian states and union territories by NSDP per capita
According to the IMF, on a per capita income basis, India ranked 142nd by GDP (nominal) and 119th by GDP (PPP) per capita in 2018.
Rs 457 crore to be spent in 2020 for upgrading NE airports
Almost all the airports in the northeastern region are on upgrade projects for which about Rs 457 crore will be spent in the year 2020, focusing mainly on developing airport-related infrastructure and enhancing passenger amenities.
Most of the land disputes in the region have been resolves and hundred per cent land mutation done for all airports.
At present 12 airports are operational in the Northeast. Air connectivity in the region has also increased and some routes have been reactivated. Focusing about some remote locations, Lengpui (Aizawl) and Dimapur airports have seen new connectivity.
Cargo development is another sector where the Northeast is growing fast and the AAI is in the process of developing cargo terminals at all the airports of the region.
The AAI is coming up with world class integrated terminal buildings in Guwahati and Agartala. Greenfield (completely new project) airports are also being developed at Holongi (Arunachal Pradesh) and Silchar (Assam).
28th World Book Fair started in New Delhi
The 28th edition of the nine-day New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) opened at Pragati Maidan, and saw Lt. Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi launch a book written on her.
This year, the book fair is themed Gandhi: Writer”s Writer.
The 2020 Fair was inaugurated by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokkhriyal ”Nishank”
He also urged publishers to promote books and the habit of reading as people are moving away from books, and said that a book fair like the NDWBF ensures that books and reading is preserved and increases.
Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the fair is featuring over 600 exhibitors in different languages including Bangla, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Maithili, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, who are exhibiting books in over 1300 stalls.
Along with business sessions, several literary and cultural activities including seminars, book release functions and panel discussions, are part of the fair.
It sees participation from about 20 foreign countries including China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Nepal, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
Children’s Science Congress kicks off in Bengaluru
The two-day children’s science congress of the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC), kicked off aimed at encouraging school children to take up science education.
The main objective is to motivate children to take science and technology education and encourage a sense of discovery.
ISC organising committee Chairman and University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) Vice Chancellor S. Rajendra Prasad said the Children”s Science Congress targeted students in the age bracket of 10-17 years.
Thousands of students from across the country and Bengaluru attended the event where Israeli Chemistry Nobel Laureate Ada Yonath and Bharat Ratna C.N.R. Rao also spoke.
JANUARY 06, 2020
Guwahati Refinery carries out Akira Miyawaki method of afforestation
As a mark of support to Indian Oil’s commitment towards the cause of environment protection and conservation, Guwahati Refinery carried out an ‘Akira Miyawaki’ method of afforestation at Amingaon in Guwahati.
A total of 4,000 saplings of around 48 species of indigenous plants were planted near the Saraighat Lake in an attempt to build ‘the lungs of Guwahati city’.
A large number of employees took part in the afforestation drive which was carried out in line with the ‘Think Green’ mission of Indian Oil. The afforestation was carried out under the CSR initiatives of Guwahati Refinery and in collaboration with the district administration of Kamrup.
Miyawaki method of afforestationis a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests. The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area, and becomes maintenance-free after the first three years.
BIOGRAPHY – Akira Miyawaki
Akira Miyawaki is a Japanese botanist and expert in plant ecology, specializing in seeds and the study of natural forests.
He is active worldwide as a specialist in the restoration of natural vegetation on degraded land.
Since 1993, he has been Professor Emeritus at Yokohama National University and Director of the Japanese Center for International Studies in Ecology.
He received the Blue Planet Prize in 2006.
Indian Navy kicks off 1st Maha Navy Connect 2020
The Indian Navy launched a first-ever three-dimensional expedition to promote the heritage of India and spread awareness on coastal security among the sea-side communities in Maharashtra.
The tri-axes expedition – comprising yachting, running and cycling teams of 50 naval personnel was flagged off by Western Naval Command”s Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Ajith Kumar P. at the Naval Dockyard.
The expedition extends from Arnala Fort, the northernmost fort in Palghar district built by the then Portuguese rulers to Sindhudurg Fort, the southernmost fort in the state built by ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj.
The team of sailors, runners and cyclists will cover a staggering distance of over 555 kms, and complete the expedition after a week.
The three teams will touch prominent coastal locations like the KanhojiAngre Island with the Khanderi Fort, around 20 kms off Mumbai harbour in the Arabian Sea, Revdanda, Korlai, Murud-Janjira, Raigad, Suvarnadurg, Jaigad, Ratnadurg, Purnagad, Vijaydurg and Devgad forts, spanning Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in the Konkan region.
Besides, the teams would visit and interact with students of schools-college, NCC-NSS and local establishments to spread awareness about coastal security.
Delhi launches ”She Codes” programme for girl students
The Directorate of Education of the Delhi government on Friday launched ”She Codes” programme for girl students of the city government schools, With an aim to empower young girls in the field of Computer Science.
Launched in collaboration with She Codes Foundation – a Not for Profit organization — the programme aims to provide free and flexible Computer science and coding skills programmes for girls.
While 1,000 girl students of the Delhi government schools have been enrolled in the programme, the government is aiming to accommodate 10,000 girls by March 2021.
The aim is to equip girls to be strong enough to pursue a career in technology.
Centre clears Rs 5,908 crore aid to Assam and other 6 disaster-hit states
The Centre decided to provide additional assistance of Rs 5,908.56 crore to seven disaster-hit states – Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
The states were affected by floods, landslides and cloudburst during south west monsoon 2019.
A High Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, approved the additional assistance to seven states from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Rs 616.63 crore to Assam, Rs 284.93 crore to Himachal Pradesh, Rs 1869.85 crore to Karnataka, Rs 1749.73 crore to Madhya Pradesh, Rs 956.93 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 63.32 to Tripura and Rs 367.17 crore to Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, the Central government had released an interim financial assistance of Rs 3,200 crore to four states — Rs 1,200 crore to Karnataka, Rs 1,000 crore to Madhya Pradesh, Rs 600 crore to Maharashtra and Rs 400 crore to Bihar.
In addition, during 2019-20, till date, the Centre had released Rs 8,068.33 crore to 27 states as Central share from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Bodo Sahitya Sabha signed MoU to digitise Bodo language
The Bodo Sahitya Sabha signed an MoU with ASCOSYS, an organisation working in information technology, for a project to digitise the Bodo language.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Sabha president Taren Boro, general secretary PrasantaBoro, Vice Chancellor of CMJ University, Meghalaya PranhariTalukdar, director ASCOSYS Mandeep Sharma and others.
The Sabha singed the memorandum for a project called ‘e-thunlai’ (e-literature) to digitise the language and make it easily available online.
The main aim is to popularise the language among non-Bodo speakers.
More than 1,000 books will be available on online platforms after completion of the project.
The project will be formally launched at the 59th annual conference of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha to be held at Khoirabari in Udalguri district from January 20.
IIT Mandi develops mechanism for hydrogen production
Indian Institute of Technology Mandi said its researchers have developed new materials that can use sunlight for the production of hydrogen from water.
This collaborative research work by IIT Mandi and Yogi Vemana University in Andhra Pradesh.
Hydrogen gas, with its high energy yield and eco-friendliness has been identified as a potential energy vector that can herald a new hydrogen-based economy.
The catch with hydrogen economy is that the gas is now largely obtained from fossil fuels by petroleum and natural gas steam reforming processes, which does not help with the problem we set out solving – finding alternatives to fossil fuels.
Water, the simplest chemical compound known to man, is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom and is logically a good source of hydrogen.
However, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is not easy and is energy intensive. It has been known for decades that light can assist in the splitting of water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
The researchers have developed a novel multicomponent catalyst comprising nitrogen doped zinc oxide nanorods coated with molybdenum sulphide nanosheets.
Materials in the nanometre scale have high surface area-to-volume ratio, improved physical properties and tuneable electronic properties, all of which make them suitable for photocatalytic activities.
This collaborative research has not only provided an easy method to fabricate the N-ZnO-MoS2 nanosheet heterojunctions but has also offered insights into the scope of exploitation of such materials for hydrogen fuel generation using water and sunlight.
Delhi launches Mission NEEV health scheme
The Delhi government launched Neonatal Early Evaluation Vision (NEEV) covering close to 1.5 lakh newborns to tackle visible, functional and metabolic defects in them.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain laid the foundation of NEEV at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC).
The scheme is being supported by the Delhi government and Delhi State Health Mission under the Rashtriya Baal SwasthyaKaryakram.
With the programme being implemented at many government hospitals, newborns who do not have clinically evident disease like congenital hypothyroidism, critical congenital heart disease and hearing loss will be picked up early and treatment can be initiated early
To start at 31 birthing facilities with the highest load, Jain said that this will be expanded later to include all delivery points and other birthing facilities.
