Press Information Bureau (PIB) - 28th November to 5th December 2020

 

CSIR-CCMB’s Dry Swab direct RT-PCR method for Coronavirus detection receives ICMR approval

·         The simple and fast method of Dry Swab-Direct RT-PCR, developed by CSIRs constituent lab Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad for scaling up of SARS-CoV-2 detection has now been approved by ICMR based on their independent validation.

·         This method developed by CSIR-CCMB is a simple variation of the existing gold standard RT-PCR method and can easily scale up the testing by 2 to 3-fold with no new investment of resources.

·         After evaluating this method and finding an overall concordance of 96.9%, ICMR has now issued an advisory for the use of CSIR-CCMB dry swab method, considering its lesser cost and quick turn-around time.

CSIR-CCMB Dry Swab Method:

·         CSIR-CCMB has identified some of the key issues that slow the testing process. In response to it, the researchers here developed the Dry Swab RNA-extraction free testing method for the COVID-19 virus.

·         It involves collecting and transporting the nasal swab in dry state (as opposed to using the viral transport medium VTM) which makes the transportation and handling of the samples easy and less prone to spillage and spread of infection. 

·         The step of RNA isolation from the sample is omitted and involves only simple processing of the sample followed by direct RT-PCR using the kit recommended by ICMR.

·         Omitting the step of RNA isolation offers a huge benefit over the conventional method, as the RNA isolation is a major bottleneck in terms of time, cost and trained manpower.

·         Given this, with the same resources and no additional cost more samples can be tested and can be easily scaled up at least 2-3 times immediately.

 

US$28.1 billion FDI inflows into the country during the July-September quarter

·         FDI Equity Inflows during the first half of 2020-21 have shown 15% growth in US$ terms and 23% growth in Rupee terms

·         Total Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) inflows into India during the second quarter of financial year 2020-21 (July, 2020 to September, 2020) have been US$ 28,102 million, out of which FDI equity inflows were US$ 23,441 million or Rs. 174,793 crores.

·         During April, 2000 to September, 2020; maximum FDI Equity inflows have been reported from Mauritius, followed by Singapore and the USA.

·         Among the sectors, Services sector has received maximum FDI equity inflows, during April, 2000 to September, 2020; followed by Computer Software & Hardware, and Telecommunications.

·         Gujarat has been the major beneficiary state of the FDI Equity inflows, during October, 2019 to September, 2020; followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka.

 

GST Shortfall:

·         Governments of Punjab has communicated acceptance of Option-1 to meet the revenue shortfall arising out of GST implementation.

·         The number of States who have chosen this option has gone up to 26. All the 3 Union Territories with Legislative Assembly (i.e., Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Puducherry) have also decided in favour of Option-1. 

·         The States & Union Territories who choose Option-1 are getting the amount of shortfall arising out of GST implementation through a special borrowing window put in place by the Government of India.

·         The window has been operationalised since 23^rd October, 2020 and the Government of India has already borrowed an amount of Rs.24,000 crores on behalf of the States in four instalments and passed it on to the States and Union Territories, who chose Option-1on 23^rd October, 2020, 2^nd November, 2020, 9^th November, 2020 and 23^rd November, 2020.

·         Under the terms of Option-1, besides getting the facility of a special window for borrowings to meet the shortfall arising out of GST implementation, the States are also entitled to get unconditional permission to borrow the final instalment of 0.50% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) out of the 2% additional borrowings permitted by the Government of India, under Atmnirbhar Abhiyaan on 17^th May, 2020. This is over and above the Special Window of Rs.1.1 lakh crores.

 

India International Science Festival 2020 (IISF 2020)

CSIR organizes pre-events for IISF-2020 in various states to generate awareness.

 

Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA)

9th foundation day of GITA.

About GITA:

• Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA) is a “not–for–profit” Section-8 Public- Private Partnership company promoted jointly by the Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• The Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry had, in 2010, recommended the incorporation of a Government’s arm’s length entity under PPP mode to professionally manage the Government’s funds for providing flexibility to industry for undertaking R&D along with global partners.
• The GITA platform encourages industrial investments in innovative technology solutions by:

• Mapping technology gaps.
• Undertaking expert evaluation of technologies available across the globe.
• Facilitating techno–strategic collaborative partnerships appropriate for Indian economy.
• Connecting industrial and institutional partners for synergistic matchmaking.
• Providing soft funding for technology development/acquisition/deployment.
• GITA’s vision is to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem by supporting and enabling technology and innovation-driven enterprises.
• Enterprises from India are tying up with their counterparts from partner countries including Canada, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, and the UK.
• GITA is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana.

 

Developing improved disease-resistant banana plants

• An improved understanding of Fusarium, a root pathogen infection in banana plant may soon help develop strategies to prevent the disease that causes wilting of the fruit crop that is grown in at least 5 major states of India.
• India is the leading producer of banana in the world and the present cultivation is vulnerable to this fungal disease which dwells in soil as a saprophyte and shifts to the parasitic mode in presence of host roots. Scientists are trying to understand the disease paradigm for developing innovative management strategies.
• Scientists are working towards studying the role of a protein complex that drives the expression of the effector genes required for pathogenicity. Understanding this complex regulatory network can help in improved knowledge on the basic biology of fungal infection in plants, evolution of virulent strains, lifestyle switching in Fusarium from saprophytic to parasitic mode and also investigation of banana defence responses in terms of resistance genes.

 

AI & Robotics Technologies Park (ARTPARK) 

·         ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park) is a joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Science & AI Foundry, set up as a Section 8 company (Not for Profit) with a seed grant from the Department of Science and Technology (Govt. of India).

·         It is set up as the premier research translation park with a global collaborative ecosystem.

·         It is getting incubated at Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber-Physical Systems at IISc.

·         ARTPARK is committed to leveraging AI & Robotics in a mission-driven model to bring a better quality of life for people.

·         Its mission includes lowering the cost of living with AI and robotics, ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, and improving access to AI awareness, education and enablement.

 

 

SCO Online International Exhibition

The first-ever SCO Online International Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage commences.

Details:

• The exhibition is developed and curated by the National Museum, New Delhi, in active collaboration with SCO member countries.
• The exhibition deploys state of the art technologies like 3D scanning, webGL platform, virtual space utilization, innovative curation and narration methodology, etc.
• Buddhist philosophy and art of Central Asia connect SCO countries to each other.
• The participating museums are the national museums of India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• The visitors can explore the Indian Buddhist treasures from the Gandhara and Mathura Schools, Nalanda, Amaravati, Sarnath, etc. in a 3D virtual format.

 

India becoming pharmacy of the world

As the world races to develop the vaccine for Covid-19, India is looking to be self-reliant in both its development and production.  While at least five pharmaceutical companies of India are engaged in vaccine development, Serum Institute in Pune has been chosen for mass production of Covishield vaccine developed by Oxford –Astra Zeneca. The government has initiated a robust Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing and delivery ecosystem to meet the demand.

Launch of Mission COVID Suraksha

The Government of India (GOI) has announced the third stimulus package of Rs. 900 Crore for the Mission COVID Suraksha- The Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission. This grant will be provided to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for Research & Development of Indian COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVID-19 Vaccine development Mission with end-to-end focus from preclinical development through clinical development and manufacturing and regulatory facilitation for deployment, would consolidate all available and funded resources towards an accelerated product development. This will help accelerate development of approx. 5-6 vaccine candidates and ensure that these are brought closer to licensure and introduction in market for consideration of regulatory authorities for introduction in public health systems, to combat further spread of COVID infection.

The important objectives of the fund will be 

• Accelerating pre-clinical& clinical development; licensure of COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are currently in clinical stages or ready to enter clinical stage of development, establishing clinical trial sites, and strengthening the existing immunoassay laboratories, central laboratories and suitable facilities for animal studies, production facilities and other testing facilities to support COVID-19 vaccine development. 
• Supporting development of common harmonized protocols, trainings, data management systems, regulatory submissions, internal and external quality management systems and accreditations.   
• Capabilities for process development, cell line development and manufacturing of GMP batches for animal toxicology studies and clinical trials will also be supported under the Mission. 
• A key element will be development of suitable Target Product Profile so that vaccines being introduced through the mission have preferred characteristics applicable for India.

Led by Department of Biotechnology and implemented by a dedicated Mission Implementation Unit at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the existing activities under National Bio Pharma Mission (NBM) and Ind-CEPI Mission will provide complementary strengths to this Mission.

Growing world interest in India’s pharma capability 

Ambassadors of 100 countries are scheduled to arrive in Pune on December 4, to visit Serum Institute of India and Gennova Biopharma.  Sweden has already acknowledged India’s role as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ and is focusing on expanding bilateral cooperation in the areas of health and life sciences in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Luxembourg based company B Systems is partnering with India to produce portable vaccine refrigeration equipment, which will address the issue of vaccine distribution in India. 

Nagaland Statehood Day

The 58th Statehood Day of Nagaland was observed on 1st December. Nagaland became the 16th state of India on 1 December 1963.

 

 BSF’s Raising Day – 1^st December

56^th Raising Day of Border Security Force (BSF).

Details:

• The BSF is the world’s largest border guarding force securing the 6,386.36 km long international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• It is one of the five central armed police forces in India and comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 

BrahMos

BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile in Anti-Ship mode was successfully test-fired against a decommissioned ship by the Indian Navy.

 

Cyclonic Storm ‘Burevi’

Context:

Cyclonic Storm ‘Burevi’ over southwest Bay of Bengal.

About ‘Burevi’:

• According to the Cyclone Warning Division of the India Metrological Department(IMD), the deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-north-westwards with a speed of 9 kmph, intensified into a cyclone storm and lay centred over southwest Bay of Bengal, about 400 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) and 800 km east-southeast of Kanyakumari (India).
• It is very likely to intensify further during the next 12 hours.

• It is very likely to cross the Sri Lanka coast (near Trincomalee) during evening/night of 2^nd December as a Cyclonic Storm with a wind speed of 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph.
• It is very likely to move nearly westwards thereafter, emerge into the Gulf of Mannar and adjoining Comorin area on 3^rd December morning.
• It would then move nearly west-south-westward’s and cross south Tamil Nadu coast between Kanyakumari and Pamban around the early morning of 4 December.
• A cyclone alert has been issued for South Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts (Yellow Message).
• Heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy fall is expected over a few places in South Tamil Nadu and South Kerala. Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Lakshadweep can also expect heavy rainfall at isolated places.
• IMD advises total suspension of fishing operations from 1^st to 4^th December.

 

ADB, India sign $132.8 million loan

Context:

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $132.8 million loan to strengthen and modernize the distribution network and improve the quality of power supplied to households, industries, and businesses in Meghalaya.

Details:

• Though Meghalaya has achieved 100% electrification, remote rural areas in the state suffer from frequent power interruptions due to overloaded distribution networks and substations that use outdated technology, resulting in high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses.
• The Government of India and the state government of Meghalaya embarked on a joint 24×7 Power for All Meghalaya initiative to provide uninterrupted, quality, reliable, and affordable power supply to all electricity consumers.

• The project will construct 23 substations; renovate and modernize 45 substations, including the provision of control room equipment and protection systems; install and upgrade 2,214 kilometres of distribution lines and associated facilities covering three out of the six circles in the state.
• Installation of smart meters will benefit about 180,000 households.
• The loan is proposed to be supplemented by a $2 million grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction that will finance renewable energy mini-grids for improving power quality and supporting income generation activities, especially for women and other socially disadvantaged groups in three villages and three schools.

 

Green Charcoal Hackathon

NVVN (NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam), a wholly-owned subsidiary company of NTPC Ltd, launched the Green Charcoal Hackathon.

About the Green Charcoal Hackathon:

• It is a technology challenge with an aim to fast-track technology developments conducted by NVVN in partnership with EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd – a 100% govt. owned energy service company).
• The purpose of the event is to leverage the innovative Indian mind to bridge the technology gap, with the prime objective to:

• Clean the air by eliminating farm fire, producing renewable energy out of the agro residue.
• Promote local entrepreneurship.
• Increase the income of the farmers.
• The ultimate goals is to reduce the carbon footprint of the nation.
• At the end of the hackathon, the organisers hope to come up with an economical and commercially viable machine that can convert agro residue to charcoal without emissions.
• This is expected to benefit farmers as well as the environment.

Background:

• The increasing air pollution due to the burning of stubble and agro residue by local farmers has become a major concern for the country. As a result, NVVN is looking for technologies to convert the agricultural waste to a form that can be used in the power plants in the form of the Green Charcoal Hackathon. One such option is torrefaction which converts the agro residue to green charcoal.
• The technology to produce torrefied fuel using agro residue biomass is not easily accessible to small entrepreneurs due to the higher cost of imported machines, lack of sufficient manufacturers.
• The technology to produce torrefied fuel using agro residue biomass once developed in India will be made accessible to small entrepreneurs.

 

Health Ministry’s telemedicine service e Sanjeevani completes 9 lakh consultations  

Completed 9 lakh consultations; over 7,16,000 consultations recorded on eSanjeevani OPD

•Telemedicine is a new modality for remote diagnosis and treatment of patients over internet. eSanjeevani enables virtual meetings between the patients and doctors & specialists from geographically dispersed locations, through video conferencing that occurs in real time.

•At the end of these remote consultations, eSanjeevani generates an electronic prescription which can be used for sourcing medicines. In order to enable delivery of outpatient services remotely during COVID-19 pandemic as many as 28 States have on-boarded the Ministry of Health’s eSanjeevani initiative. These States are aggressively working towards long term enablement of telemedicine services.

•This eSanjeevani platform has enabled two types of telemedicine services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-consultations

•The former is being implemented under the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWCs) programme.

•The telemedicine platform is hosting over 40 online OPDs, more than half of these are speciality OPDs which include Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Dermatology, ENT, Ophthalmology, antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the AIDS/HIV patients, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) etc.

 

Government constitutes High-level Ministerial Committee for implementation of Paris Agreement

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has constituted a high-level inter-ministerial Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) under the chairmanship of Secretary, MoEFCC.

The purpose of AIPA is to generate a coordinated response on climate change matters that ensures India is on track towards meeting its obligations under the Paris Agreement including its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). 

Senior officials from fourteen ministries will serve as Members to AIPA who will oversee the progress in implementation of India’s NDC and receive periodic information updates to monitor, review and revisit climate goals to fulfil the requirements of the Paris Agreement. 

Key functions of AIPA would be 

• To operate as a National Authority to regulate carbon markets in India under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
• Formulate guidelines for consideration of projects or activities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
• Issue guidelines on carbon pricing, market mechanism, and other similar instruments that have a bearing on climate change and NDCs. 
• It will take note of the contributions of the private sector as well as multi-/bi-lateral agencies in the field of climate change and provide guidance for aligning their climate actions with national priorities.

The year 2021 would mark the beginning of implementation of the Paris Agreement and constitution of AIPA is central to strengthening the national systems and institutional arrangements for implementation and monitoring of climate actions. It will also ensure that India maintains its climate leadership as one the few countries in the world whose climate actions are consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

 

DST–CII Technology Summit 2020

Curtain raiser of the 26th DST – CII Technology Summit takes place.

About the DST – CII Technology Summit:

The Dept. of Science & Technology (DST) has been co-organizing the Technology Summit with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for over 25 years.

The yearly summit has been instrumental in providing significant opportunities to forge and foster global technology partnerships.

The heads of the partnering countries have addressed the technology summits in the past – a significant testimony of considering science and technology as one of the topmost priorities in the world.

Portugal is the partner country this year.

The focus areas of the summit are water, agriculture, healthcare, cleantech, energy, climate change and IT/ ICT.

The conference and digital exhibition will also cover tech talks and business sessions on several other technology areas.

This virtual summit and exhibition will provide a corridor for showcasing and collaborating unbeatable business and technology solutions of India and the partner countries.

The digital conference would bring together global innovators, technology leaders, disruptive entrepreneurs, policymakers, industry stalwarts and eminent academicians from India and partner countries to share their experiences, and virtually everyone directly or indirectly associated with the technology sectors.

 

Aadi Mahotsav

The virtual edition of the Aadi Mahotsav – Madhya Pradesh launched.

About Aadi Mahotsav:

• Aadi Mahotsav is a national tribal festival and a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
• The festival showcases traditional art and handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country.
• The concept of organising Aadi Mahotsav in major cities is to eliminate the middleman and provide direct access to large markets, otherwise impossible for tribal artisans.
• This year, the festival will be held in the virtual format on the Tribes India website.

 

Union Education Minister sets up a task force

Union Education Minister sets up a task force for preparing a roadmap on imparting technical education in Mother Tongue.

Details:

The task force will be set up under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Higher Education.

It will take into consideration the suggestions made by various stakeholders and will submit a report in a month.

The Minister reiterated that no language will be imposed on any student but enabling provisions should be made so that bright students are not deprived of Technical Education due to lack of knowledge of the English language.

 

International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)

IFSCA obtains Membership of International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).

Details:

With this membership, the IFSCA would have access to IAIS’s global network and would be able to exchange ideas and information with other global regulators.

This would help in developing a vibrant global insurance hub in IFSC at GIFT City.

Currently, 17 leading insurance entities are operating from GIFT IFSC undertaking offshore insurance and reinsurance business.

This membership would go a long way in connecting IFSC with global insurance institutions and would facilitate IFSCA in the joint development of global insurance business with other global centres.

About International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS):

The IAIS a voluntary membership organization of insurance supervisors and regulators from more than 200 jurisdictions, constituting 97% of the world’s insurance premiums.

It is the international standard-setting body responsible for developing and assisting in the implementation of principles, standards and other supporting material for the supervision of the insurance sector.

The IAIS also provides a forum for members to share their experiences and understanding of insurance supervision and insurance markets.

In recognition of its collective expertise, the IAIS is routinely called upon by the G20 leaders and other international standard-setting bodies.

It is headquartered in Switzerland and was established in 1994.

 

India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre

The inaugural session of the annual conference of the India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre was held.

About the India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre:

• The Centre was launched to further deepen the collaboration in the field of innovation and healthcare between India and Sweden.
• The Centre was launched in the wake of the India-Sweden MoU in the field of healthcare and the India-Sweden Joint Declaration on Innovation Partnership for a Sustainable Future.
• This initiative is a tripartite collaboration between the Swedish Trade Commissioner’s Office, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS Delhi) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur (AIIMS Jodhpur), with active participation from core partners like the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ICMR and AstraZeneca.
• The overall vision of the Centre is to make healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone.
• It strives to enable a collaborative ecosystem of Open Innovation by supporting start-ups to address healthcare challenges in India.

 

 WHO World Malaria Report 2020

• The World Malaria Report gives the estimated cases for malaria across the world, based on mathematical projections.
• It provides a comprehensive update on global and regional malaria data and trends.
• The report tracks investments in malaria programmes and research as well as progress across all intervention areas: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and surveillance.
• It also includes dedicated chapters on malaria elimination and on key threats in the fight against malaria.
• The report is based on information received from national malaria control programmes and other partners in endemic countries.
• It is published by WHO annually.

Highlights of World Malaria Report 2020

• The report indicates that India has made considerable progress in reducing its malaria burden.
• India is the only high endemic country which has reported a decline of 17.6% in 2019 as compared to 2018.
• The Annual Parasitic Incidence (API) reduced by 27.6% in 2018 compared to 2017 and by 18.4% in 2019 as compared to 2018. India has sustained API less than one since the year 2012.
• India has also contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide, from approximately 20 million to about 6 million. The percentage drop in the malaria cases was 71.8% and deaths was 73.9% between 2000 to 2019.
• India achieved a reduction of 83.34% in malaria morbidity and 92% in malaria mortality between the year 2000 and 2019.

• This helped India achieve Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals (50-75% decrease in case incidence between 2000 and 2019).
• The total number of malaria cases reported in 2020, till October has also decreased by about 45% as compared to the corresponding period in 2019.

Malaria in India – Background

• Malaria has been a problem for India since centuries.
• During the latter parts of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, nearly one-fourth of India’s population suffered from malaria, particularly in the states like Punjab and Bengal.
• The economic losses were also enormous due to malaria.
• The National Malaria Control Programme was first launched in 1953.

• This was a successful programme which helped to reduce the number of malaria cases significantly by 1958.
• In 1958, the ambitious National Malaria Eradication Programme was launched.
• This programme suffered many setbacks and cases surged in the country.
• In more recent times, the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) was launched in 2016 by the Health Ministry.
• Based on the NFME’s framework, the National strategic Plan for Malaria was launched in 2017.
• This plan lays down the strategies for 2017 to 2022.
• Malaria has been made notifiable in 31 states/UTs of India.
• The states with a high burden of the disease are West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

High Burden to High Impact

• WHO launched the High Burden to High Impact approach as a targeted response to malaria.
• The approach is currently being driven by the 11 countries that carry a high burden of the disease (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania).
• Key elements include:

• political will to reduce the toll of malaria;
• strategic information to drive impact;
• better guidance, policies and strategies; and
• a coordinated national malaria response.

About Malaria:

• Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.
• Children aged under 5 years are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria.
• The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2019, the region was home to 94% of malaria cases and deaths.
• Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites.
• The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, called “malaria vectors.”
• Symptoms of malaria:

• Fever
• Headache
• Chills
• Severe malaria can cause severe anaemia, respiratory distress in relation to metabolic acidosis, or cerebral malaria.
• In adults, multi-organ failure is also frequent.
• If untreated, malaria can be fatal.

 

ADB, India sign $50 million loan to boost West Bengal’s digital platforms for public finance reforms 

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $50 million policy-based loan to improve financial management procedures and operational efficiencies aimed at achieving more fiscal savings, promote informed decision making, and improve service delivery in the state of West Bengal.

• Integration of the state’s financial and information systems through the programme’s whole-of-government approach will help improve delivery of public services and generate fiscal savings that could help the state augment growth-enhancing development financing.
• Through support to interoperable e-Government platforms, the programme will ensure streamlining of social protection benefits such as pension and provident fund, facilitate gender-disaggregated data, tax payments, and revenue collection.
• Development projects could be better tracked and monitored with the help of a new module within the integrated financial management system (IFMS) leading to improved project management. 
• A centre for fiscal policy and public finance will be established to deepen capacity of the state government officials on public finance management while developing a web-based grievance redress system for transport corporations and urban local bodies will provide a credible citizen-government interface.

The loan builds up on past ADB policy-based programmes in 2012 and 2017, supporting the Government of West Bengal on sustainable public financial management reforms. These programmes helped develop and implement an IFMS, established successful e-Governance systems for improved revenue administration, undertook measures for expenditure rationalisation, and promoted the private sector’s involvement in service delivery.

The loan is proposed to be supplemented by a $350,000 technical assistance grant for capacity building, monitoring of IFMS reforms, and strengthening the integration of social and gender aspects in reform areas.

 

India, USA sign MoU on Intellectual Property cooperation

The MoU aims at increasing IP co-operation between the two countries by way of:

1. Facilitating exchange and dissemination of best practices, experiences and knowledge on IP among the public, and between and among the industry, universities, research and development (R & D) organizations, and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises through participation in programs and events organized singly or jointly by the Participants;
2. Collaboration in training programs, exchange of experts, technical exchanges and outreach activities;
3. Exchange of information and best practices on processes for registration and examination of applications for patents, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications, and industrial designs, as well as the protection, enforcement and use of IP rights;
4. Exchange of information on the development and implementation of automation and modernization projects, new documentation and information systems in IP and procedures for management of IP Office services;
5. Cooperation to understand various issues related to traditional knowledge, and the exchange of best practices, including those related to traditional knowledge databases and awareness raising on the use of existing IP systems for the protection of traditional knowledge; and
6. Other cooperation activities as may be mutually decided by the Participants.

The two sides will draw up Biennial Work Plan to implement the MoU which will include the detailed planning for carrying out of the co-operation activities including the scope of action.

The MoU will go a long way in fostering the cooperation between India and USA, and provide opportunities to both countries to learn from the experience of each other, especially in terms of best practices followed in the other country. It will be a landmark step forward in India’s journey towards becoming a major player in global innovation and will further the objectives of National IPR Policy, 2016.

 

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

PM’s message on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

About the International Day of Persons with Disabilities:

3rd December is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

This annual observance was initiated by the UN in 1992.

It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

The theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020: “Building back better: towards an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world by, for and with persons with disabilities”.

 

Millets in India

APEDA strategizes Action Plan for the promotion of millets and millet products with IIMR.

Details:

• APEDA is formulating a strategy with Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR) and other stakeholders like National Institute Nutrition, CFTRI and Farmer Producer Organisations (FAPO’s) for perspective planning of five years for the promotion of millets and millet products.

 

India and USA sign MoU

India, USA sign MoU on Intellectual Property cooperation.

Details:

• The MoU was signed between the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GOI and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce of the United States of America.
• The MoU aims at boosting IP cooperation between both countries by:

• Facilitating exchange and dissemination of IP best practices, knowledge and experience on the various aspects of IP
• Collaboration in training programs, exchange of experts, technical exchanges and outreach activities
• The MoU will go a long way in fostering the cooperation between India and USA and provide opportunities to both countries to learn from the experience of each other, especially in terms of best practices followed in the other country.
• It will be a landmark step forward in India’s journey towards becoming a major player in global innovation and will further the objectives of the National IPR Policy, 2016.

 

 Navy Day

The fourth of December is celebrated every year as Navy Day.

About Navy Day:

• This day marks a decisive victory for India in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
• During Operation Trident, the missile boats of the Indian Navy successfully fired their missiles onto ships, oil installations and shore defence installations of Pakistan at Karachi.
• During the 1971 operations, the Indian Navy sunk many Pakistani ships carrying war sustenance efforts and critical stores.
• The fighter aircraft from the deck of INS Vikrant, struck at the enemy harbours and airfield at Chittagong and Khulna, destroying ships, defence facilities and installations.
• Both the missile strikes at Karachi and air attacks from Vikrant led to the defeat Pakistani Forces in East Pakistan.

 

Passage Exercise (PASSEX): Between Russian Federation Navy and Indian Navy in Eastern Indian Ocean Region  

 

PM-KUSUM Scheme

MNRE issues guidelines for the implementation of Feeder Level Solarisation under Component-C of PM-KUSUM Scheme.

Details:

• The KUSUM scheme consists of three components. 

• Component-A includes installation of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants
• Component-B includes installation of standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps 
• Component-C includes Solarisation of Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps
• The objective of Component-C of PM-KUSUM Scheme is to provide reliable day-time power to farmers, enhancing their income by purchasing surplus solar power and thus incentivising them for saving water. 
• In the case of feeder level solarisation, farmers will get daytime reliable solar power for irrigation, but there is no provision of selling surplus solar power. 
• Therefore, farmers can be incentivised for saving water and enhancing their income. 
• The DISCOMs shall assess the average power requirement by farmers of an area depending upon various factors. 
• This power requirement will be treated as their benchmark consumption. 
• The DISCOMs shall incentivise farmers for consuming power, less than the benchmark consumption. 
• Such saving of power shall be treated as surplus power injected by farmers and they will be paid by DISCOMs against this saved power at pre-determined tariff. 
• This will be an important measure for conserving groundwater level.

 

ASCI guidelines on online gaming and fantasy sports

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has issued an advisory asking all private television broadcasters to follow guidelines issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for advertisements relating to online gaming, fantasy sports etc.
• The Ministry has advised that the advertisements should not promote any activity prohibited by statute or law.

The need for Guidelines

• The Ministry of I&B felt that a large number of advertisements on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports, etc have been appearing on the television.
• Concerns were expressed that such advertisements appear to be misleading, do not correctly convey to the customers the financial and other risks associated thereof, are not in strict conformity with the Advertising Code laid down under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
• The advisory therefore has been issued to “protect consumers’ interest”.

ASCI guidelines

• Print ads on online games and fantasy sports are required to carry a disclaimer that says “playing these games may involve financial risk and can be addictive”.
• The disclaimer should not occupy less than 20% of the space of the entire print ad.
• Audio-visual and audio ads must also run a disclaimer.
• The disclaimer should be placed after the ads and must be in the same language as the advertisement.
• The guidelines state that no gaming advertisement may depict any person under the age of 18 years engaged in playing online games and winning real money or even suggest that such a person can even play these games.

• The guidelines also say that any person who even appears to be under the age of 18 should not be depicted in such ads.
• The advertisements should also not depict winning in online games as an income opportunity or an alternate employment option.
• The advertisements should also not suggest that the person winning money through online games is in any way more successful than others.

Advertising Standards Council of India

• The Advertising Standards Council of India, established in 1985, is a Mumbai based self-regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry in India.
• It seeks to ensure that advertisements conform to its Code for Self-Regulation.
• Under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 it is mandatory for television networks to follow the advertising code laid down by ASCI.

 

Jal Jeevan Mission

A team from the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) would be visiting Andhra Pradesh to provide technical assistance to the State to realize the goal of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ under the flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission as well as identify different issues and challenges and to document good practices.

Jal Jeevan Mission

• It is a flagship program of the Union Government which aims to provide all rural households potable water in adequate quantity & of prescribed quality on a regular and long-term basis.
• Union Government and State Governments are working hand in hand to accomplish this ambitious goal of provision of assured potable water in rural homes.

How stars explode due to neutrinos?

• Scientists may soon find a clue to how stars explode due to neutrinos, one of the most abundant particles in the universe.

• These sub atomic particles are extremely difficult to detect because of their limited interactions with matter. However, they are very important to the study of supernovas or powerful luminous stellar explosions, because they power the explosion and provide an early warning signal that allows scientists to look in the right direction before the supernova explosion takes place.