18.07.23

Arunachal Pradesh guv wants Red Cross to help needy people

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Arunachal Pradesh governor Lt Gen K T Parnaik Monday suggested the involvement of theRed Cross Societyin addressing the pressing needs of vulnerable sections, children with special needs, the destitute and orphans.

Participating in the business session of the annual general meeting of IndianRed CrossSociety (IRCS) held atRashtrapati Bhawan, presided over by Union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually, the governor underscored the need for long and short-term planning of Red Cross activities in the state.

The governor emphasised on proper coordination with district branches towards conducting awareness, blood donation and relief camps. He also suggested exhaustive training programmes for the volunteers before they go to the field. He stressed the need for a good Network system for smooth and fast implementation of any voluntary program.


Mahatma Gandhi int’l Hindi univ in Guwahati soon

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TheAssamgovernment signed an agreement with the Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya (MGAHV) for setting up a campus in this northeastern state.

The Maharashtra-based central varsity will be functioning from a temporary campus in Guwahati for the time being, an official release said.
The MGAHV campus will engage in popularising and research of Hindi and other Indian languages. Vice-chancellor Rajnish Kumar Shukla, present on the occasion, said a mass Communication course in Assamese language will soon be launched in the Guwahati campus.

BeMCs free health screening wins award

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Berhampur (BeMC) won the gold forArogyam a free Health screening initiative for slum dwellers through smart diagnostic devices at the SKOCH Awards.

Sources said that as many as 19 digital diagnostic devices with mobile application have been procured for the purpose and 19 paramedics were trained to conduct the health screening across the city to know the prevalence of the disease. Tests like blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, haemoglobin, body composition analysis, temperature, Oxygen level, lipid analyser and others were provided. Tests for malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, Covid-19, dengue and others were also conducted during the drive.

Tamil Nadu at top of Niti index on preparedness for exports

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Naduhas topped Niti Aayogs export preparedness index, moving ahead ofMaharashtraand Gujarat.Gujarathad topped the rankings in the previous two years of the index.

Export preparedness index is a data-driven study aimed to serve as a tool for states to evaluate their export performance across 56 indicators, and identify the underlying causes of their challenges.

Karnatakaemerged third in the overall rankings, followed by Gujarat which was pushed to the fourth spot. Haryana, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab were among the top ten states.
The report presents a comprehensive analysis of Indias export performance in FY22, along with its sector-specific and district-level merchandise export trends. It evaluates the performance of the states across four pillars policy, business ecosystem, export ecosystem and export performance.

KSUM to organise virtual expo for food tech startups

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As many as seven foodtech startups will showcase their products and solutions at a virtual exhibition to be conducted byKerala Startup Mission(KSUM) as part of the 10th edition of the Big Demo Day series.
The July 27 expo will set a platform for and investors to leverage products and Services from the startup ecosystem.

The participating startups includeFoo Foods India,Zcorp Organic, Bagmo, FEBC, Wayanad Organic Research, Papuan Global and Chakkakkoottam International.

These startups will display self-developed products and solutions for industry-specific problems. The companies will also get an opportunity to pitch business proposals before corporates, investors, partners, government departments and key stakeholders.

Tri shops to be opened in state for promotion of MFPs

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TheKarnataka State Lamps Cooperation Federationis planning to openTribes India Outlets, branded as Tri shops, at many locations in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, to promote minor forest produces (MFP) gathered by tribal community members in the Mysuru region.

TheLampshas decided to open these outlets in association withMaharshi Valmiki Tribal Development Corporation. It has planned to open 15 such outlets at popular tourist spots and KSRTC bus stands across the state. To start with, six TRI shops will be opened in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and Mysuru. Many of them will be opened at KSRTC bus stands.

Lamps has been promoting and Marketing MFPs like dry shikakai (soapnut powder), gooseberry, wild honey, seeded tamarind, resins, lichens, various fruits, roots and vegetables collected by tribal communities in Bandipur, Nagarahole, BRT Tiger Reserve and forests in Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagalur districts.

T flies 1st in India with 90% agri drone SOPs

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India’s farming sector is getting a hi-tech boost with taking the lead in deploying drones for Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture operations. Almost 90% of the country’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for drone use pertaining to cultivation of paddy and six major crops have been prepared by Hyderabad-based Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU).

Along with Telangana,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Naduand Punjab have also contributed to the SOPs on cultivation of 11 crops, which theUnionagriculture and cooperation department has adopted for the entire country. While these four states were first of the blocks in the country in using drones in a big way, senior officials said the SOPs mainly focus on parameters like at what height a fertiliser spray should be used, for how long and the way the spray should be used.

PJSTAUscientists have been experimenting with drones in local research institutions since 2020. Farmers in some districts have already begun using drones for spraying fertiliser and are pleased with results.

Mumbai firm to set up 800KW wind mill plant at Tirumala

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A Mumbai-based company will support theTirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD) in establishing an 800KW wind mill plant at Tirumala.

The electricity consumption at Tirumala is approximately 450 lakh units annually.

While TTD manages to generate 100 lakh units of electricity from the eight existing wind mills at Tirumala, the Tirupati trust borrows 350 lakh units of power from theAndhra PradeshSouthern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) every year.

Among the existing eight wind mills at Tirumala, six were set up and operated by the Suzlon group, while two other wind turbines were set up and operated by the Enercon group.

Now Mumbai-based company Vish Wind LLP, has come forward to commission, operate and handover a new wind turbine to the TTD by spending Rs 5 crore.
According to the Tirupati trust, the new wind turbine proposed to be set up by the company, will help in generating 18 lakh units of power every year.

Plant-based microbes library houses 15K samples to steer farming

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At least 15,000plant microbial samplesfrom Tawang inArunachal Pradeshto caves in Kerala are housed in the newly established Bionexus library set up by Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture startupBioprime Agrisolutionson Sinhagad Road. They were sourced from over 300 locations across India.

The collection houses microbes from the sea level to 16,500 ft, from pH 5 to 11, from rainfall regions of 210mm to 11,430 mm, and from -8 degreec C to 70 degrees C covering grasslands, rain forests, lakes, caves, deserts, Glaciers, river basins, hot water, and sulfur springs and mines.

The initiative will unlock the hidden potential of microbial communities residing within Plants and develop products in the form of manure for agriculture to improve productivity and to get rid of pests.

Punjabs top performance in education drowned by state govts silence, floods

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Punjabhas emerged as one of the best performers in the country, while Barnala has topped among all the districts in the most significant domain of schooleducationlearning outcome shows the report released by the Union ministry of Education about a week ago.

ThePerformanceGrading Index Report 2021-22 used 73 indicators and six domains to assess the potential of schools across the country.
Besides Barnala, six more districts of Punjab Ferozepur, Patiala, Muktsar, Moga, Amritsar and Mansa are among the top-12 performers in the country in the Learning outcome category.

Punjab has been grabbing the top slots on the list for the past three years, but the achievement was lost first due to the Punjab governments silence on it, and then because of floods, which grabbed focus from all the quarters.

The state has been ranked second in the overall performance with a score of 647.4, while its joint capital Chandigarh is on the top at 659.
In learning outcome, Punjab tops the country with a grade score of 113.6, followed by Chandigarh (103.4), Rajasthan (98.8) and Delhi (63.8).

Punjab was at 22nd position in 2017-18, when the grading system was launched. However, following the reforms pushed during Captain Amarinder Singhs government, it jumped to 13th rank in 2018-19 before securing the top position the next year.