An Artificial Intelligence (AI) based chest X-Ray technique was recently developed by researchers from Indian Institutes of Technology Jodhpur (IIT-J). This chest X-Ray technique will be used for Covid-19A screening.
Countries have faced challenges with limited availability of processing centres in remote areas and testing kits, amid increasing number of Covid-19 cases across multiple waves worldwide. Limited availability motivated the researchers to develop alternative, reliable, faster and easily accessible methods of testing.
Scottish researchers also developed an AI-based X-Ray technique, recently. This technique can replace the currently used PCR tests to detect Covid infections. This technology was found to be capable of accurately diagnosing Covid-19 in just few minutes. It was far quicker than a PCR test, which usually takes around 2 hours and having 98 per cent accuracy.
AI-based X-Ray technique cannot completely replace PCR tests because, Covid-19 symptoms are not visible in X-rays at early stages of infection. However, it will play a significant role in curtailing the spread of viruses spread.
RT-PCR is a laboratory technique, that combines reverse transcription of RNA into DNA. It also amplifies specific DNA targets using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This technique is primarily used for measuring the amount of specific RNA. It is achieved by monitoring amplification reaction using fluorescence.
ISRO is likely to launch “Aditya-L1 mission” to study the sun, in year 2022.
Solar probe, Aditya L1 will be launched on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL, carrying 7 payloads or instruments on board.
Aditya L1 mission will be launched to study Sun’s corona (Visible and Near infrared rays), chromosphere (Ultra Violet), Sun’s photosphere (soft and hard X-ray), solar winds & flares, solar emissions, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). It will also carry out round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.
Lagrange Points has been named after Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange. These points are positioned in space, where gravitational forces of a two-body system produce enhanced regions of repulsion and attraction.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed to constitute a ‘Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission’
Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission seeks to monitor the disposal of annual stock of unutilised fly ash. It will also look after how 1,670 million tonnes of legacy (accumulated) fly ash could be utilized in least hazardous manner. Mission will further see, how all safety measures could be taken by power plants.
The Fly Ash Management Mission will hold its first meeting within one month for assessing fly ash management situation in coal power plants. It will also prepare action plans for building road maps for ash utilisation by individual plants. Under the mission, meetings will be conducted each month, for a year.
The Fly Ash Management Mission will be launched with the objective of coordinating and monitoring issues related to handling and disposal of fly ash and other associated issues.
The Mission will be jointly headed by secretaries of Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Union Ministry of Coal and Power. They will also keep on board the chief secretaries of respective states where this mission is being implemented. Secretary of MoEF&CC will act as the nodal agency for compliance and coordination.
Government had issued the ‘Fly Ash Notification 2021’ under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. The notification stops dumping and disposal of fly ash discharged from coal based thermal power plants into water bodies or land. Government had made it mandatory for plants to ensure 100% utilization of ash in an eco-friendly manner. Under new rules, non-compliant power plants will be penalised with environmental compensation of Rs 1,000 per tonne on unutilised ash at the end of each financial year.
The first geological park of India will be built in Lamheta, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
The geological park will be built in Lamheta, because this place is among significant places in world, from geological point of view. In 1928, William Henry Sleeman had discovered Dinosaur fossil from this area. UNESCO has also recognised Lamheta as geo heritage site.
Geopark is a unified area, which advances the protection and use of geological heritage in sustainable manner. It also promotes the economic well-being of the people living there.
Lameta Formation is also called as Infratrappean Beds. It is a sedimentary geological formation found in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is associated with the Deccan Traps. It is of Maastrichtian age and is known for dinosaur fossils.
GSI was founded in 1851. It is a scientific agency of India, working under ministry of Mines organisation. It is one of the oldest organisations worldwide and the second oldest survey organisation in India, following Survey of India. The Survey of India was founded in 1767. It was set to conduct geological surveys and studies of India. It also acts as prime provider of basic earth science information to general public, industry and government besides official participant in coal, steel, cement, metals, power industries and international geoscientific forums.
On 30 January 1972, the British soldiers killed a group of unarmed civilians. These civilians were protesting in the Bogside area of Derry. This incident is referred to as bloody Sunday. In 2022, the people of Northern Ireland marked fifty years of Bloody Sunday.
A group of innocent civilians protested against the internment without trial. Internment means jailing someone without any court trials. The prisoners did not have an option to justify their actions. The protest was organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. The protestors were shot. Some were injured by rubber bullets and others were run down by Army vehicles. The soldiers involved in this massacre were from the first battalion of the Parachute Regiment. The same battalion was involved in the Ballymurphy massacre as well. The protests were mainly against Operation Demetrius. It occurred during the TROUBLES.
It was a British army operation and was held in 1971. During the operation, the British soldiers arrested suspects and they were imprisoned without trials. The suspects were mainly the members of Irish Republican Army. The IRA was fighting for a united Ireland.
The Troubles was an ethno – nationalist conflict. The conflict occurred in Northern Ireland. It lasted for more than 30 years. The Troubles is also referred to as Northern Ireland conflict. The fight was between Protestants and Catholics. However, it was not religious. The Protestants wanted Northern Ireland to stay united with UK. The catholics and the Irish nationalists wanted Northern Ireland to leave UK and join Ireland. The Bloody Sunday occurred mainly for this reason.
Both UK and Northern Ireland have left EU. Ireland is still a part of EU. The Northern Ireland remains an entry point. The EU and UK have locked horns over entry and exit in Irish sea. They had created the Northern Ireland Protocol to fix the issue. However, they have still not come to a conclusion over the issue. Marking the Bloody Sunday amidst the issue is increasing the tensions.
On January 27, 2022, the first goods train reached the Rani Gaidinliu station of Manipur. This is the first freight train to enter Manipur after 75 years. This shows the rapid transformation happening in the state of Manipur.
Manipur is a hilly state. Because of this reason it was difficult to build railway lines in this region. The new railway line built in the state is 111 km long. It runs from Jiribam to Imphal. The Jiribam railway station is 17 km from the Assam – Manipur border. The Railway department is to construct 46 tunnels along the new rail line. Also, it includes 153 bridges. The world tallest bridge is in this line. It is in Noney district. The bridge is 141 metres high. The Railways has spent Rs 14,000 crores in constructing the railway line so far. The construction started in 2013. The line was to be constructed up to Imphal. Now, there are plans to extend up to Moreh. Moreh is a trading centre located in Manipur – Myanmar border.
By extending rail connectivity to North East, GoI is trying to increase its trade with the south east Asian countries. India’s plan is to use the north eastern states as a gateway to increase the trade with the ASEAN countries. Also, GoI is increasing the connectivity to the region to reduce the insurgency here. If connectivity increases, the trade increases and the economic growth of the region increases. This boosts employment opportunity for the youth. they become less vulnerable to the terror groups.
The plan of extending the rail line till Moreh is a part of the Trans Asian railway. The Trans Asian Railway is under construction. The Trans Asian Railway aims to create a rail route between Asia and Europe. It is a project of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The main objective of the project is to provide a continuous rail link between Singapore, Istanbul and Turkey.
According to Death Penalty in India report, the number of prisoners on death row at the end of 2021 was 488. This number was highest in 17 years.
Project 39A release the “report on annual statistics on death penalty” in January 2022. Project 39A is a criminal law reforms advocacy group, working at National Law University, Delhi. The Death Penalty India Report (DPIR) was first launched on May 6, 2016.
The ocean waters are melting the glaciers in Greenland as much as the warm air is melting them from the above. The Ocean Melting Greenland mission, generally referred to as OMG mission was launched by NASA. It was a five year mission. It ended on December 31, 2021. The mission mainly measured the ice loss in Green land.
Satellites could only provide the sea surface temperature. Based on this data, the entire impact of global warming in Greenland could not be studied. The researchers wanted to know how much ice is being lost. They wanted to measure the quantity. For this they had to dive into the sea.
On January 30, 2022, Congress gave a notice in Lok Sabha to move a privilege motion against Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, alleging that he misled the House on Pegasus spyware issue. A similar notice will be issued in Rajya Sabha as well.
The Government is of the view that, it has never bought Pegasus spyware from the NSO Group.
A global consortium of media groups had reported in July 2021 that Pegasus spyware had been used by several governments worldwide, to snoop on businessmen, journalists and opponents etc. In India, The Wire had report that, government used Spyware to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, then Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, political strategist Prashant Kishor and other prominent names. The list also mentioned around 40 journalists.
Pegasus is a type of malicious malware or software, classified as a spyware. It is designed for gaining access to devices. It gathers personal information of uses, without their knowledge and relay it back to people who are using the spyware to spy.
Pegasus has been developed by Israeli firm NSO Group. NSO Group was set in 2010. Earliest version of Pegasus had infected phones through spear-phishing, emails or text messages. It was captured by researchers in 2016.
In 2019, WhatsApp filed a case in the United States court against Israel’s NSO Group and alleged that the firm was incorporating cyber-attacks on application by infecting mobile devices.
The Government of India recently held conversion operation. It is also called Switch operation. Under the operation, the government bought back securities from the Reserve Bank of India. These government securities were maturing in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. These securities were bought for Rs 1,19,701 crores. And fresh securities are to be issued to make the transaction cash neutral.
The transactions were made using Financial Benchmarks India Private Limited. These transactions were made with the objective of smoothening the liability profile. The liabilities are the amount of money owed to the individual or an organization.
It was established during the sixth bi – monthly policy of the year 2017-18. With this, the financial benchmark India private limited took over certain responsibilities of RBI. They are dissemination of exchange rate of currencies, settlement of financial contracts. It basically fixes the financial benchmarks. The financial benchmarks are a standard against which the performance of mutual fund, security or investment manager is measured.
They are the debt instruments. They are issued by GoI. The two categories of government securities are short term instruments that mature in 91 days, 182 days or 364 days and long term instrument that matures within 5 years to 40 years. The securities are cleared by the clearing Corporation of India Limited. These securities are issued through auctions conducted by RBI.
The Green Climate Fund is invested in developing countries. It helps the countries to fight against climate change.
In 2015 board meet, the GCF failed to cut the fund allocated for the fossil fuel projects. This included the projects in China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Around 154 countries are eligible to receive the fund. Between 2015 and 2019, countries received 2.5 billion USD. Of this 54% went to the Small Island Developing States, African countries and Least Developing Countries. But still 16 out of 37 eligible countries did not receive the funding.
Poor institutional capacity. Some countries suffer from poor governance and human capacities in their administrations. For instance, Somalia, Eritrea and Yemen. Some others like Afghanistan are facing violent conflicts. Such countries did not receive GCF. The GCF board is of the view that the allocated funds in these countries are not reaching the people.
The Delhi Government recently approved Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers. These farmers incurred losses due to unseasonal rainfall. Rainwater logged in their fields and damaged the crops that were to be harvested. The state government allocated Rs 53 crores in all for around 29,000 acres.
The Delhi Government recently conducted a study to assess the crop area of the region. According to the study, the region has 29,000 acres of land under cultivation. Also, the region has 21,000 farmers. The study had also reported the major concerns of the farmers in the region. They are crop loss, input costs, minimum support price, etc. The findings of the study are yet to be published.
The Aam Aadmi Party is the current ruling party of Delhi. The party aims to extend its power to the state of Punjab as well. It is now the main opposition in the Punjab assembly. The party is contesting in the upcoming elections. The party has promised that it will provide compensation and also increase the compensation in proportion to the production cost.
The unseasonal rains seldom affect crops such as potato, gram, wheat and mustard in this region. Prolonged rains during the harvesting stages of the crops damage the crop, impact the oil content of the seeds. Excessive water logging in potatoes leads to diseases such as late blight.
The Tamil Nadu Government has created a draft policy for senior citizens. Under the policy, the government plans to work with academic institutions, field experts and civil society organizations. The policy has been created based on Article 41 of the constitution.
The policy will focus on social security schemes, health and nutrition, income security, safety, livelihood, safety housing and environment, education, disaster management and research and documentation. It aims to create Directorate for the welfare of the senior citizens.
The policy also speaks about providing livelihood training, formation of elderly self – help groups, capacity building for senior citizens. Also, it will address the security issues of the old age people. It is to create a banking assistance programmes and create a system of rescue centre for victims.
The life expectancy of the state has increased. And the problem of abandonment in the state is increasing. This is mainly due to the improved health care in the state. According to the report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation, “Elderly in India, 2021”, 13.6% of the population in Tamil Nadu is senior citizens. Tamil Nadu has the second largest number of senior citizens in India next to Kerala. Also, it is predicted that the senior citizen population is to increase to 18.2% by 2031.
The state of Tamil Nadu believes that the senior citizen should be allowed to lead. It is essential to facilitate inter – generational transfer of knowledge. With this the young people can learn from the experience of their seniors.
It speaks about right to work, right to public assistance and right to education. The article also says that the state government shall make the required provisions to secure right to work, public assistance and right to education in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, disablement and in other cases as in favour of the under privileged. However, the actions should be within the economic capacity of the state.
Xiomara Castro was sworn in as the first woman president of Honduras. Honduras is a Central American country. Its capital is Tegucigalpa. It is located along the coast of Caribbean Sea.
Xiomara won 51% of the votes. She gained more than 1.7 million votes. This is the first time a leader has won such good number of votes.
The US Vice President Kamala Harris attended the swearing in ceremony. The US wants Xiomara to handle poverty, corruption and violence in the country. This has led to illegal immigration of people from Honduras to the US soil.
The world famous Maya civilization developed in Honduras region. It was a Meso American civilization. It thrived in the time period of 500 BC. It is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The art forms of Maya included perishable and non – perishable items such as ceramics, wood, obsidian and jade. There are several contradictions around the collapse of Mayan civilization. Recently, study proved that the civilization did not collapse due to drought.
North Korea launched its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile on January 30, 2022.
North Korea hasn’t tested its nuclear weapon or longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) since 2017. However, launch of Hwasong-12 signalled it could soon start such testing.
Israel had first launched the Hwasong-12 IRBM in April 2017. It launched two more Hwasong-12s in 2017, after the success of first launch. In the recent test, missile was test-fired on an elevated trajectory. Missile reached an altitude of about 2,000 km and flew for a distance of 800 km. It has an estimated range of 4,500 kms.
On January 28, 2022, central government announced its decision to convert around 150 villages into ‘Villages of Excellence’ across 12 States.
150 villages which are located around CoEs will be converted into ‘Villages of Excellence. Out of these, 75 villages will be converted in first year to commemorate 75th year of India’s independence, in collaboration with Israeli government.
India had recognized the Jewish State of Israel in 1950. But the diplomatic relations between both were established in 1992. Since then, there has been an upswing in the relations in light of common concerns regarding global terrorism and religious extremism. Both the countries have strengthened their cooperation in intelligence sharing and counter-insurgency operations. India has become a major buyer of armaments from Israel. Countries are also cooperating in field of science and technology, specifically in areas like dryland farming.
India has brought radar and surveillance equipment for military application from Israel. Israel also provides counter-insurgency training to India’s anti-terror forces. Collaborations between both the countries have increased since 2014.
India and Israel started an agricultural fund worth USD 50 million, in 2008. It focused on dairy, micro-irrigation and farming technology. This led to constitution of Indo-Israel Agricultural Project.
India is the third-largest trading partner of Israel, in Asia after China and Hong Kong. Trade of diamond accounts for more than 53% of total bilateral trade. Trade has further diversified to include several sectors such as agriculture, IT, pharmaceuticals, and telecom & homeland security. India exports precious stones, metals, textiles, textile articles and chemical products etc to Israel.
Former finance secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, is all set to make his debut as an author with upcoming book titled “The $10 Trillion Dream”.
The book is scheduled to release in February 2022 end. Currently, it is available for pre-order online.
Book is published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI).
Economic policy is an important building block of any economy, similar to human resources and capital. The right policies open path of high growth, fair redistribution and adequate delivery of public goods & services. According to the author, India requires to adopt a bold and robust economic policy agenda to bring in chance of building a USD 5 trillion economy by 2026-27 and USD 10 trillion economy by 2035.
The book comprises of plan for India to become a USD 10 trillion economy. It analyses macroeconomy of India, in the light of its evolution since Independence. It also elaborates on performance of the economy on macro parameters of inflation, credit management, fiscal management, growth, inflation, monetary management, foreign capital inflows and other fundamentals. The book also discusses policies in deep to direct significant private sector investment in building digital, environmental, infrastructure and social economy of India.
Subhash Chandra Garg is a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). He is into services for over 36 years. He has served in various key positions of Union government and government of Rajasthan. In March 2019, he was designated finance secretary.
The Drug controller General of India has approved the COVAXIN booster trials. These boosters were produced by Bharat Biotech, the same company that produces COVAXIN. The boosters are being introduced for the vulnerable population. The booster doses will provide the strength to fight against the third wave that is violently spreading the Omicron.
The trials are to be conducted on 900 volunteers. Apart from this, the trials are to be conducted on another 5000 healthy individuals. Of this, 2,500 are those who have received COVISHIELD and another 2,500 are those who have received COVAXIN. A gap of six months is to be provided between the second dose and the booster dose. After the trials, the booster dose is to be launched in March 2022. The booster dose is an intra nasal vaccine. That is, it is sprayed into the nostrils.
Booster doses are provided to improve the strength of the immune system against the virus. It is the same vaccine. However, its aim is to increase the level of protection. Also, the booster shots give protection against the new variants. They are highly helpful for the elderly and the vulnerable.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT has introduced the “Federated Digital Identities”. It aims to inter link the multiple identities of Indian citizens. For instance, the digital IDs like Aadhaar, Passport and PAN are inter linked and stored under a new unique ID.
The state and central identities of the citizens will now be stored under this new federal digital identity. The citizens can avail their third party services through this ID. This will eliminate the need for repeated verification process.
Aadhaar has answered the question, “Who I am?” However, it is essential to figure out the other identities of the citizens. This includes students, farmers, entrepreneurs, teachers, pharmacists, doctors, pensioner, vehicle owners and others. This identity is of utmost importance to frame policies and weigh the capacities. The main aims of the Federal Digital Identities is to minimise the number of identities, a citizen has.
It links the electronic registries and allows easy paperless data verification. When an individual is registered under the Public Distribution Scheme, he is identified through his Aadhaar. When the person gets PAN then Aadhaar is the linking ID. When the same person opens mutual fund, then PAN is the linking ID. By this, the person is linked to PDS, Aadhaar, PAN and mutual fund. Now a new number is created in common for all the four.
The proposal of Federated Digital Identities is a part of the ministry’s India Enterprise Architecture 2.0. The IndEA was launched in 2017. It aims to establish Unity in Diversity in E – Governance. It aims to deliver governance with optimal use of ICT infrastructure. The 2.0 version enables the public and private companies to build and design IT architecture beyond boundaries. This version focuses on domain architecture pattern and state architecture pattern.
Rafael Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam title. He beat Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open Final to grab his Grand Slam. With this Nadal has become the first player to win 21 grand slam titles. Roger Federer of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic of Serbia have won 20 Grand slams. Novak was not allowed to play Australian Open. The Government of Australia deported him as he has not yet taken COVID-19 vaccine. Australia considered him as a threat to the country.
In 2003, the 128036 astroid in the main asteroid belt was named after him. The asteroid is now called the Rafale Nadal asteroid. The asteroid was named by the International Astronomical Union.
He is the coach of Rafael Nadal. Rafael won 16 grand slams under his training. He is also the player’s uncle.Toni taught tennis to Rafael when he was three years old. Rafael is from Spain. Currently, Rafael Nadal is trained by Marc Lopez.
Nadal is ranked at fifth place by the ATP ranking. He was ranked number one for 209 weeks. Nadal has won 62 ATP singles titles. This includes 13 French open titles. Also, he has won Olympic gold medal, five Davis Cup titles. Davis Cup tournament is organized by the International Tennis Federation. He has continuously won 81 matches on clay. This is the world longest single surface win. He was the first person to win on all the three different surfaces such as clay, grass and hard surface. He is the youngest to win Grand Slam. He won his first grand slam when he was 24 years old.
Usually, the top level tennis players Roger Federer, Noval Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are addressed to as the Big three. Nadal is the only left – handed player of the big three.