Tag: assam current affairs April 2020

Assam Current Affairs – April 15 – 21, 2020

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        Current Affairs Assam – April 15 - 21, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of April 15 – 21, 2020 )

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF   |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 15, 2020

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.

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 17, 2020

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.

April 2020 Current Affairs Monthly PDF  |  Assam 2020 Yearbook  | March 2020 Quiz Monthly PDF

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April 19, 2020

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.

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April 21, 2020

Centre releases Rs 46,000 crore from tax pool
  • 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.
Telangana’s T-Works develops affordable ventilator
  • 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.

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Assam Current Affairs and GK Quiz – Set 253: April 07-09, 2020

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Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz Set 253 : April 07 – 09, 2020

( Daily and Monthly Assam Current Affairs & GK Quiz & MCQ for APSC Exams and various Assam exams)

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Current Affairs Assam Quiz - Assam exam

Q1. Government of Assam has decided to cut the salaries of the Ministers and MLAs by what percent for one year?

  1. 25%
  2. 30%
  3. 15%
  4. 35%

B. 30%

Q2. Recently, Supreme Court extended the tenure of chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, (TDSAT) by how many months?

  1. 6 months
  2. 4 months
  3. 3 months
  4. 2 months

C. 3 months

Q3. Which country, through its aid agency USAID, has announced a grant of $2.9 million to India to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic?

  1. US
  2. China
  3. Russia
  4. Germany

A. US

Q4. Which day is observed as the International Day of Conscience for the first time in 2020 by the United Nations?

  1. April 8
  2. April 5
  3. April 7
  4. April 10

B. April 5

Q5. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has accomplished construction of approximately how much length of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20?

  1. 4000 km
  2. 2500 km
  3. 2000 km
  4. 7400 km

A. 4000 km

Q6. Which among the following state has deployed India’s 1st automated “COVID- 19 Monitoring System Application”?

  1. Assam
  2. Maharashtra
  3. Telangana
  4. Uttar Pradesh

C. Telangana

Q7. Who has been recently appointed as the chairman of National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)?

  1. Shantanu Narayen
  2. Sanjay Mehrotra
  3. UB Pravin Rao
  4. Rajeev Suri

C. UB Pravin Rao

Q8. As per Forbes 34th annual list of Global Billionaires 2020, who is the richest person in the world?

  1. Bill Gates
  2. Mukesh Ambani
  3. Jeff Bezos
  4. Warren Buffett

C. Jeff Bezos

Q9. Recently, the government of India extended the term of Banks Board Bureau (BBB) members by how many years?

  1. Five
  2. Two
  3. Three
  4. Four

B. Two

Q10. Which state/UT has unveiled a five-step plan “5 Ts Plan” (Testing, Tracing, Treatment, Teamwork & Tracking and monitoring) to tackle the spread of Covid-19?

  1. Pondicherry
  2. Madhya Pradesh
  3. West Bengal
  4. New Delhi

D. New Delhi

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Assam Current Affairs – April 08 – 14, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – April 08 - 14, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of April 08 – 14, 2020 )

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April 08, 2020

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. 

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April 10, 2020
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 of Rs 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.

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April 12, 2020

Northeast records first COVID-19 death

  • 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

Mukesh Ambani 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.

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April 14, 2020

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 Kanpur develops 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.

 

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Assam Current Affairs – April 01 – 07, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – April 1 - 7, 2020

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

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April 01, 2020

Assam’s first COVID-19 case in Karimganj
  • A 52-year-old man from Karimganj with hitherto undisclosed travel history has tested positive for coronavirus which is Assam’s first COVID-19 patient.
  • The patient is undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital. The sample of the patient was sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune which confirmed the infection.
  • Assam became the third State in the North East region to report positive coronavirus case after manipur and Mizoram.
BHU women scientists developed corona testing kit
  • Women researchers at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have developed a new testing method for COVID-19. The team has already patented the method.
  • a group of women scientists at the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, have developed a novel test method-based on RT PCR (Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) for COVID-19 with 100 per cent accuracy.
  • Geeta Rai, the doctor who leads the research team comprising Doli Das, KhushbuPriya and Hiral Thacker.
  • This RT PCR (qualitative)-based detection method for coronavirus guarantees accuracy, low cost, rapid detection and no requirement for a probe or high cost machines.
  • The union government had given a call to startups, incubators and scientists to accelerate their efforts at finding solutions to the Covid-19 crisis that has met with overwhelming response.
Govt hikes MGNREGS Wages by Rs 20
  • The Department of Rural Development in collaboration with the state governments has increased the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) wages by Rs 20.
  • The focus of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS may be on individual beneficiary-oriented works which directly benefit SCs, STs and women headed households as well as small and marginal farmers and other poor households.
  • However, close consultation and guidance of the states as well as district authorities would be necessary to ensure that lockdown conditions are not violated and norms of social distancing are scrupulously followed.
  • An amount of Rs 4,431 crore has been released this week to various states and Union Territories to liquidate these liabilities of the current fiscal year.
  • The remaining liabilities along with the first tranche for 2020-21 will be released before April 15, 2020.
Jharkhand CM Soren inaugurates CM kitchen in Ranchi to feed poor
  • Inaugurating a CM Kitchen in the state capital, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that state government was committed to ensure that no one went without food during the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus scare.
  • Set up with the help of Roundtable India and Ranchi district administration, the ”MukhyamantriRasoi” aims to feed around 5,000 persons in Ranchi and adjoining areas who have been rendered without work due to the lockdown.
  • Directions have been issued, including to police stations, to set up similar CM kitchens and community kitchens across the state to feed the needy.
  • The Chief Minister flagged off mobile vans which will distribute food prepared at the kitchen in MorhabadiMaidan in Ranchi.

April 02, 2020
COVID-19 most challenging global crisis since World War II
  • According to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Coronavirus pandemic is the most challenging crisis the world has faced since World War II, one that is killing people and will also lead to an economic recession. Thus the current coronavirus pandemic was much more than a health crisis, it is a human crisis.
  • According to the Johns Hopkins University estimate, there are more than 850,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, and over 41,000 deaths with the US having highest number of cases in the world at 184,183 and more than 4,000 deaths.
  • The combination of the two facts, on one hand, of a disease that represents a threat to everybody in the world and, second, because it has an economic impact that will bring a recession that probably has no parallel in the recent past, and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict, makes it the most challenging crisis the world has faced since the Second World War.
Centre to create portal for verifying facts
  • The Centre announced creation of a web portal where people can verify facts and unverified news promptly, and also advised the states and Union Territories (UTs) to create a similar mechanism.
  • The states and the UTs were asked to submit an action taken report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) so it can be informed to the Supreme Court that took on the Centre in a hearing of a plea over the panic created by fake news leading to mass movement of migrant labourers, their plight and untold suffering following lockdown.
  • The states were also told that the apex court however has expressed satisfaction with the proactive and timely actions taken by the Central government for preventing the spread of novel coronavirus or COVID-19, but had taken serious note of the panic created by fake news leading to mass movement of migrant labourers.
  • The apex court has also given observations and directions regarding provision of relief camps, shelters for the migrant labourers and the basic amenities such as food and medicines to be provided in line with MHA and National Disaster Management Act directives and other welfare activities to be taken by the state governments.
Australian researchers begin testing COVID-19 vaccines
  • Researchers from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced that they have begun testing vaccines for the novel coronavirus.
  • The CSIRO said that it has commenced the first stage of testing at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, 75 km southwest of Melbourne.
  • The trials are expected to take three months and will be conducted on ferrets to determine if either of the two vaccines were safe and effective.
  • Beginning vaccine candidate testing at CSIRO is a critical milestone in the fight against COVID-19, made possible by collaboration both within Australia and across the globe.
  • Even if the vaccines were found to be effective and safe, it could take 12 to 18 months for them to be rolled out around the world.

 

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April 03, 2020
Arunachal Pradesh reports first COVID-19 case
  • Arunachal Pradesh on April 1st reported its first novel coronavirus case with a 31-year-old man from Lohit district testing positive for the dreaded COVID-19.
  • The patient, who had travelled to the national capital last month to participate in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, has currently been kept in isolation at the Zonal General Hospital, Tezu in Lohit district.
  • The swab sample of the man was sent for test to the Regional Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, ICMR-RMRC, at Dibrugarh in Assam and he tested positive on April 1.

FACTFILE – ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre, NE, Dibrugarh

  • ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre, NE, Dibrugarh is one of the 26 permanent institutes of Indian Council of Medical Research.
  • It was established on 12th day of July in the year 1982.
  • It covers the most remote and less developed eight states of the north-eastern region of India and is responsible for carrying out Biomedical Research in the region and runs with intramural grant from ICMR and extramural adhoc projects from different funding agencies.
  • Its primary focus of research are (i) Mosquito borne diseases (ii) HIV and drug abuse (iii) Trematode infection (iv) Haemoglobinopathies.
  • The secondary focus of research are (i) Cancer nasopharynx, oesophagus, stomach (ii) Cardiovascular diseases (iii) Medicinal plants of NE India (iv) Nutrition.
IIT, AIIMS alumni invents UV robot to disinfect hospitals
  • As a preventive measure against new coronavirus, a duo from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has developed a device titled ‘Minus Corona UV Bot’ to disinfect hospitals.
  • The company PerSapien has developed the device which is an ultraviolet light (UV C-254nm) based robot that will enable sterilization of hospital corridors, wards, Intensive Care Unit (ICUs) and patient rooms without exposing anybody to the contaminated environment.
  • It comprises a UV-C lamp mounted on a wheeled robotic platform that is operated (front-back, left-right) with a remote control which is also equipped with a camera that gives the perspective from the driver’s seat onto a digital screen to remotely control the UV robot and avoid any obstacles.
  • Ultraviolet (UV) sterilization technology has been proven to be extremely effective in killing viruses and micro-organisms of any kind which may remain on surfaces even after the minimum number of standard cleaning.
DRDO develops bio suit to keep health professionals safe
  • The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a bio suit to keep the medical, paramedical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from the deadly virus.
  • Scientists at various DRDO laboratories have prepared the suit with the help of the industry and subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood.
  • DRDO used nanotechnology to develop the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) having specific type of fabric with coating.
  • The DRDO is making all efforts to ensure that these suits are produced in large numbers and serve as robust line of defence for the medics, paramedics and other personnel in the frontline of combating COVID-19.
  • Kusumgarh Industries is producing the raw material, coating material, with the complete suit being manufactured with the help of another vendor. The current production capacity is 7,000 suits per day.
  • Another vendor is being brought in with experience in garment technology and efforts are on to ramp up the capacity to 15,000 suits per day.
Swiggy launches new initiative to feed the needy
  • Swiggy has partnered with various commercial kitchens, NGOs and state governments to provide daily meals to thousands of underprivileged, daily wagers and stranded migrant labourers during the 21-day lockdown period.
  • Having served over 2,50,000 meals so far, Swiggy said it is in the process of crowdsourcing funds from corporates and individuals in order to scale the initiative to other parts of the country.
  • Swiggy launched the ”Hope, Not Hunger” initiative launched last week to support the Delhi government”s programme to feed the needy.
  • It helped organise the preparation and distribution of nutritious meals twice a day across relief camps in Delhi with the support of partners such as Compass Kitchens, Lite Bite Foods and SmartQ.
  • The relief effort was quickly scaled to Mumbai with the help of NGOs Pratham, HelpAge India and Yuva, and Elior India acting as the food supply partner.
  • Each meal served for lunch and dinner includes adequate portions of rice, dal and vegetables to ensure the nutritional needs of the individual are met.
  • Thousands of Swiggy customers have already contributed to the aHope, Not Hunger” initiative through the Swiggy app.
  • Swiggy has also set up a platform on Milaap for individual donations.

April 04, 2020

Global economy could shrink by almost 1% in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, says UN
  • the UN has said that the global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a reversal from the previous forecast of 2.5 per cent growth.
  • The analysis by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting global supply chains and international trade.
  • Millions of workers in these countries are facing the bleak prospect of losing their jobs. Governments are considering and rolling out large stimulus packages to avert a sharp downturn of their economies which could potentially plunge the global economy into a deep recession.
  • In the worst-case scenario, the world economy could contract by 0.9 per cent in 2020. The world economy had also contracted by 1.7 per cent during the global financial crisis in 2009.
  • This contraction could be even higher if governments fail to provide income support and help boost consumer spending.
  • Before the outbreak of the COVID-19, world output was expected to expand at a modest pace of 2.5 per cent in 2020, as reported in the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020.
  • The severity of the economic impact will largely depend on two factors – the duration of restrictions on the movement of people and economic activities in major economies; and the actual size and efficacy of fiscal responses to the crisis. A well-designed fiscal stimulus package, prioritising health spending to contain the spread of the virus and providing income support to households most affected by the pandemic would help to minimise the effect of the economic recession.
Delhi approves for food grains to non PDS beneficiaries
  • The Delhi government approved for food grains to the non PDS beneficiaries during the coronavirus lockdown.
  • The government said the food grains can be distributed from next week to the non-public distribution system (PDS) beneficiaries.
  • It says the distribution of food grain to the non PDS beneficiaries will be done from distribution centres or schools by the authorised officials.
  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the government will be giving ration to about 10 lakh poor in the city who were not having ration cards.
IIT Hyderabad-incubated startup develops low-cost ventilator
  • Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad-incubated startupAerobiosys Innovations has developed a low-cost, portable, emergency-use ventilator
  • Jeevan Lite, the device developed by the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) at the institute offers protection to healthcare providers as well as it is Internet of Things-enabled and can be operated through a phone app.
  • It can also be battery-operated, enabling its deployment in areas without assured power supply.
  • Aerobiosys Innovations aims to produce at least 50 to 70 units per day through collaboration with an industrial partner.
  • Aerobiosys Innovations plans to provide Jeevan Lite at a price of Rs. 1 lakh which is significantly economical compared with existing products in the market.
  • To cut down the cost and facilitate remote electronic access to the device, Aerobiosys has developed a mobile app that communicates with the unit and seamlessly controls the functional features of the ventilator.
  • Jeevan Lite can perform both the invasive and non-invasive ventilation across a comprehensive set of modes and settings.
  • It can be used for pediatric and adult patients and will work on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in an uninterrupted manner for five hours without power supply.
DRDO develops portable backpack for sanitisation equipment
  • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed portable backpack for area sanitisation equipment. The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Delhi, has developed two configurations of sanitising equipment. These are spinoffs from technologies developed for fire suppression application.
  • The CFEES, Delhi, with the help of its industry partner has developed portable sanitisation equipment for spraying decontamination solution consisting of one per cent Hypochlorite (HYPO) solution for sanitisation of suspected area.
  • The portable system can be mounted as a backpack and can be carried by the operations personnel.
  • This system incorporates low pressure twin fluid, air and disinfectant liquid, technology to generate very fine mist.
  • The application areas can include hospital reception, doctor chambers, office spaces dealing with general public, corridors, pathways, metro and railway stations and bus stations, etc.
  • The Centre with the help of its industry partner has also developed a higher capacity which is carried on a trolley.
  • The system incorporates low pressure single fluid, disinfectant liquid, technology generating very fine mist. It is capable of disinfecting upto 3,000 square metre area.
  • Two of these systems are being provided to Delhi Police for immediate use. These can be made available to other agencies with the help of industry partners.

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April 05, 2020

32 Coronavirus cases in Northeast, Assam alone has 27
  • Of the 32 positive cases in five Northeastern states — Assam (27), Manipur (2), Mizoram (1), Arunachal Pradesh (1) and Tripura (1) — 28 took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month.
  • Besides, four persons from Assam and eight people from Tripura, who had attended the Jamaat congregation, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are under treatment in hospitals in Delhi.
  • The 23-year-old Manipur woman who had returned from the UK and became the first positive coronavirus case in the entire northeastern region, was declared completely free of the dreaded virus.
Testing & treatment of corona at private hospitals come under Ayushman ambit
  • The Centre has decided to make the testing and treatment for COVID-19 available under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (AB-PM JAY).
  • The testing and treatment of COVID -19 is already available for free in the public facilities.
  • Now, more than 50 crore citizens, eligible under the government”s health assurance scheme will be able to avail free testing through private labs and treatment for COVID -19 in empanelled hospitals as well.
  • These tests would be carried out as per Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines and by private labs either approved or registered by the ICMR.
  • Treatment of COVID-19 by private hospitals will also be covered under the scheme.
  • Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (AB-PM JAY) is the flagship scheme of the Centre that provides cashless and paperless access to medical services.
Hyderabad engineers develop low-cost portable ventilator
  • A team of engineers in Hyderabad has designed a low-cost ventilator system, which can help Covid-19 patients with respiratory assistance.
  • The developers said this can be helpful in meeting an emergency in the event of shortage of regular ventilators.
  • Krishna Ganji, Founder and CEO of NextByte Innovations Private Limited, said that the electromechanical device was used to operate manual ”Ambo bag” thus assisting the patient in respiration.
  • He said as the regular ventilators were available for not even one per cent of the population in the country, the team developed a portable low-cost ventilator system.
  • This is not equal to regular ventilator, but will be helpful if the situation gets worse.
  • The device can be made available for Rs 4,000. The regular India-made ventilator costs around Rs six lakh.
IIITM Kerala develops analogue circuit to study coronavirus
  • State owned Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K), in a joint research project with German institutes, has made a breakthrough in developing Analogue Integrated Circuits for implementing Generative Adversarial Network (GAN).
  • This can possibly be used to analyse and interpret 2019-nCoV data for a possible solution to the global pandemic.
  • The research institute said that this has been achieved by joint research conducted in collaboration with Analogue Circuits and Image Sensors Lab, Seigen University and Fraunhofer, Germany, and Centre for Excellence in Artificial General Intelligence and Neuromorphic Systems (neuroAGI), IIITM-K.
  • GAN are neural networks that can be trained to produce or generate new content. These are popularly used for generating fake images, fake audio, fake text and fake videos.
  • The experts point out that the GANs have recently succeeded in generating new molecular structures that can bind with the 3C-like protease, which is one of the most important COVID-19 protein targets, and inhibit virus functioning.
  • In a new study, energy and area-efficient analogue circuit implementation of such GAN architecture was demonstrated to generate realistic looking images.

April 06, 2020

India tightens export ban norms for anti-malarial drug Hydroxycloroquine
  • The government has tightened the export ban norms on anti-malarial drug hydroxycloroquine by including Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under its prohibition ambit to ensure there is no shortfall during Covid-19 crisis.
  • The drug is also not allowed to be shipped by export oriented units (EOUs) or under any export promotion scheme.
  • Under advance authorisation (AA) scheme, firms are allowed to import raw material at zero duty but with the condition of export obligation within a certified time frame.
  • SEZs are treated as foreign territory in terms of customs laws. Normally export ban or restrictions imposed by the government does not apply on these zones as well as EOUs, which are specially meant to promote outbound shipments from the country.
  • This step is taken after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating healthcare workers handling suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases and also the asymptomatic household contacts of the lab-confirmed cases.
  • Recently, India has banned exports of host of medical devices, including sanitiser, all types of ventilators and surgical masks.
Assam may suffer loss of 3,571 MT horticulture items
  • Assam is likely to suffer a loss of an estimated 3,571 metric tons of fruits and vegetables in 16 districts due to the lockdown. Which is around 0.06 per cent of total horticulture production and includes products such as tomato, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, banana and strawberry.
  • Fake news spreading through social media platforms about transmission of COVID-19 through vegetables has also badly affected the farmers of Assam. Such rumours had developed apprehension among the common people across the State which ultimately was having a worsening impact on the markets.
  • All agriculture and allied sectors have been suffering a lot during this medical emergency situation. The government today issued directions to start functioning of 14 animal feed mills across Assam.
32 Coronavirus cases in Northeast, Assam alone has 27
  • Of the 32 positive cases in five Northeastern states — Assam (27), Manipur (2), Mizoram (1), Arunachal Pradesh (1) and Tripura (1) — 28 took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month.
  • Besides, four persons from Assam and eight people from Tripura, who had attended the Jamaat congregation, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are under treatment in hospitals in Delhi.
  • The 23-year-old Manipur woman who had returned from the UK and became the first positive coronavirus case in the entire northeastern region, was declared completely free of the dreaded virus.

Railways PPE kit passes DRDO test
  • The railways has passed the test conducted by DRDO for the Personal Protection Equipment manufactured by Jagadhari workshop to fight Covid-19.
  • Deepak Kumar, CPRO Northern Railways, said Northern Railway Jagadhari Workshop becomes the first workshop whose two PPEs/ Coverall sample passed the DRDO test. This will be helpful in fighting the war against Covid-19.
  • The railways can now contribute to mitigating the shortfall in PPEs to the extent possible by manufacturing it in-house.
  • There are reports of shortage of PPE and many videos have hone viral where doctors are facing lack of PPE.
  • The Delhi government has given the nod for procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits by city hospitals from local manufacturers and suppliers at market rate not exceeding Rs 1,087.47, amid an increasing demand.
Telangana to use CMRF money to procure PPEs
  • The government of Telangana has decided to use the funds donated for the Chief Minister”s Relief Fund (CMRF) for the protective equipment and masks for doctors and other healthcare workers involved in dealing with coronavirus cases.
  • Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao directed the officials to utilise the donations to procure Personal Protection Equipments (PPEs), masks and medicines.
  • At a high-level meeting to review the coronavirus situation, he instructed the officials concerned to take all the protective measures for the medical and health employees.
  • Health Minister EatalaRajender said that the government has procured five lakh N-95 masks, five lakh viral transmission kits, 500 ventilators, four lakh coronavirus testing kits, 20 lakh surgical masks and 25 lakh hand gloves.
NF Railway ramps up in-house production of masks sanitisers
  • The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has ramped up in-house production of masks and sanitisers as part of its effort to make these items available to all its staff members in the time of the global coronavirus pandemic.
  • Indian Railways is making all-out efforts to supplement the healthcare initiatives of the Government of India.
  • In this direction, Indian Railways is producing masks and hand sanitisers in-house in its all zonal railways, production units and PSUs as these items are of great necessity during the current period.
  • This is in addition to the various other measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
  • Masks are being made by staff who are working from their respective homes due to the lockdown and hand sanitisers are being produced in various depots.

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April 07, 2020

Assam Cabinet to cut the salaries of the ministers and MLAs by 30% for one year
  • Assam Cabinet also decided to cut the salaries of the ministers and MLAs by 30% for one year to manage the situation arising out of the COVID19 pandemic.
  • The Assam cabinet also decided that the state government would not pass any directives regarding lockdown and the Centre directives on lockdown would continue in the state
  • The cabinet also decided to bring employees of all departments engaged in the frontline against coronavirus outbreak under the insurance scheme of Rs 50 lakh.
  • Earlier decision to dispense Rs 1000 one-time relief to the poor beneficiaries who don’t have cards under National Food Security Act has been slightly modified to allot Rs 1000 to 150 families instead of 100 families in each Village Panchayat inhabited by 5 thousand or fewer people, Rs 1000 to 200 families instead of 150 families in each Village Panchayat inhabited by 5000 to 10000 people, Rs 1000 to 250 families instead of 200 families in each Village Panchayat inhabited by 10000 people or more, Rs 1000 each to 300 families in each Village Panchayat areas inhabited by 10000 to 15000 people, Rs 1000 each to 350 families inhabited by 15000 to 25000 people.
Union Cabinet approves 30% salary cut for MPs, MPLADS suspended for 2 years
  • The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance amending the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954 to reduce allowances and pension by 30 per cent with effect from April 1, for a year.
  • The President, Vice President, and Governors have also voluntarily decided to take a pay cut as a social responsibility. The money will go to the Consolidated Fund of India.
  • The Cabinet has approved a move to suspend the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years (2020-21 and 2021-22). That amount will go to the Consolidated Fund of India.
India-Australia ready to share COVID-19 research efforts
  • India and Australia agreed to share “collaborative research efforts” in the context of the health crisis.
  • Both the countries agreed on the “importance of bilateral experience sharing” amid the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 crisis in a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
  • The two leaders discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the domestic response strategies being adopted by their respective governments.
  • They agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts.
  • PM Modi conveyed that the government of India stands ready to provide necessary facilitation and support to any Australian citizens stranded in India due to travel restrictions.
  • Both leaders agreed to remain attentive to the wider significance of the India-Australia partnership, including in the Indo-Pacific region, even as they focus on solving the present health crisis.
ABB India partners NASSCOM to help industry hire IoT professionals
  • ABB India announced a partnership with Nasscom to develop standardised qualification criterion for two IoT-related job roles — IoT network communications and IoT cybersecurity.
  • The Qualification Packs (QPs) define the competency standards that will provide a framework for academic institutions to design their course curriculum to better conform to industry hiring standards for these highly-skilled jobs.
  • The standardised format will help the industry develop a quality pool to help companies across sectors.
  • The qualification packs for the two job roles have been approved by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), and National Skills Qualifications Committee (NSQC).
  • The IT industry”s apex body has been at the forefront of an industry-driven effort in India to develop ”Future Skills Competency Standards” that define the skills required to do jobs in technologies like IoT, AI, Big Data Analytics (BDA), Cloud computing and others.

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