Published on: September 3, 2024
Snippets : 3 SEPTEMBER 2024
Snippets : 3 SEPTEMBER 2024
- After a gap of over three years, the Charaka Super Speciality Hospital, affiliated with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, reopened on Monday. Initially launched as a 150-bed Covid facility during the pandemic, the hospital had shut down within its first year due to staff shortages. The hospital will offer services in cardiology, nephrology, urology, and plastic surgery, supported by newly recruited permanent resident doctors and staff diverted from Victoria and Jayadeva hospitals.
- The National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) is working on decoding the genetic blueprints of indigenous cattle breeds using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and genotyping technology to establish molecular signatures for registered breeds, ensuring breed purity and aiding in conservation efforts. The institute is also focused on developing new-generation vaccine platforms to combat livestock diseases like brucellosis, contributing to animal health and reducing economic losses. Under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), NIAB aligns its research with the ‘BioE3’ policy to promote bio-manufacturing and position India as a global leader in biotechnology. NIAB is also supporting biotech start-ups in transforming the livestock-based economy, with initiatives including bio-scaffold production for therapeutic interventions, a 3D-pulmosphere model for bovine TB, and the use of bacteriophages as antibiotic alternatives to target mastitis pathogens.
- The International Buddhist Confederation and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara hosted a 2-day conference on Guru Padmasambhava’s life and legacy, honoring the 8th-century founder of Tibetan Buddhism, who spread Lord Buddha’s teachings across the Himalayas, leaving a rich legacy in Yogic and Tantric practices, art, music, dance, magic, folklore, and religious teachings, and is revered as a founding father of Tibetan Buddhism and a prominent figure in Buddha Dhamma.
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has introduced the Dispute Resolution Scheme (e-DRS), 2022, a streamlined platform for taxpayers to electronically resolve income tax disputes through Dispute Resolution Committees (DRCs), aiming to reduce litigation and provide faster, cost-effective resolutions for eligible taxpayers meeting specific conditions, with DRCs able to modify orders, reduce penalties, or waive prosecution within six months.
- A recent study has revealed that long-term exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac) can significantly disrupt the behaviour and reproductive traits of the male guppy fish.
- The World Gold Council (WGC), a nonprofit association of leading gold mining companies established in 1987 to promote gold demand through marketing, research, and lobbying, has raised its 2024 projection for India’s gold consumption to 850 tonnes from 750 tonnes, covering markets that account for about three-quarters of global gold consumption from its headquarters in London and operations in India, China, Singapore, and the USA.
- The BBMP extended the ‘Nambike Nakshe’ scheme to all eight zones in Bengaluru, allowing for fully online building plan approvals, eliminating the need for physical office visits. The scheme applies to independent houses on plots under 50×80 square feet. Property owners must upload site documents and building plans on the BBMP website, which are automatically scrutinized for compliance with regulations. After an automated fee payment, a provisional building licence is issued, and the final approval is granted within 15 days, or it is deemed approved. The scheme is trust-based, requiring plans to be vetted by an empanelled engineer or architect, with BBMP engineers checking only for construction deviations. It is planned to extend this scheme to areas under BDA limits.
- The Union Cabinet has approved seven schemes for farmers, including the Digital Agriculture Mission (₹2,817 crore) to integrate technology into agriculture through Agri Stack, Krishi Decision Support System, and Soil Profile Mapping. The Crop Science for Food and Nutritional Security scheme (₹3,979 crore) focuses on climate resilience and food security by 2047. Strengthening Agricultural Education (₹2,291 crore) aims to modernize research and education in line with the New Education Policy 2020. Sustainable Livestock Health (₹1,702 crore) targets increased income from livestock and dairy production. The Horticulture scheme (₹1,129.30 crore) promotes diverse crop cultivation, while Krishi Vigyan Kendras (₹1,202 crore) strengthen agricultural extension services. Lastly, Natural Resource Management (₹1,115 crore) focuses on sustainable agricultural practices.
- The Reserve Bank of India is launching the Unified Lending Interface (ULI), a technology platform developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, Bengaluru, to streamline credit access for farmers and MSME borrowers. ULI integrates digitized financial and non-financial data from various sources into a single platform, facilitating consent-based access to information like land records. It employs standardized APIs for easy integration, enabling faster credit appraisal, simplified documentation, and enhanced customer insights. ULI’s centralized data access and automated decision-making improve the efficiency of loan processing, with successful pilots demonstrating its effectiveness in digitizing Kisan Credit Card loans.
