ASSAM
SKOCH Award for Cachar District
Keerthi Jalli Deputy Commissioner of Cachar received the National Silver SKOCH Award a few days ago for Pushti Nirbhor (nutrition-dependent). Pushti Nirbhor is a convergence project on transformation & development entailing setting up Nutri-gardens at houses in Dinnathpur Bagicha village. Dinnathpur Bagicha village is near the India-Bangladesh border in the Katigorah circle of the Cachar district.
Thirty thousand seedlings of fruits, vegetables and herbal plants were distributed.
Each household of the village was given payment for 75 man-days for implementation of the project.
The objective was to train the villagers toward becoming self-reliant during the covid pandemic, grow enough for their own nutritional needs and to sell the surplus in the markets.
About the award:
The award was instituted in 2003. SKOCH Award salutes people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation
NORTH-EASTERN STATES
IIM Shillong becomes Arunachal’s official think tank
The Arunachal Pradesh government has signed an MoU with IIM Shillong recognising the premier institute as its “official think tank and knowledge partner”.
The MoU was signed on Friday between state chief secretary Naresh Kumar and Prof D.P. Goyal, director IIM Shillong, in presence of chief minister Pema Khandu in Shillong.
This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the institute and any state government in the Northeast, a move many feel could see more and more states tap into expert advice/services offered by institutes such as the IIM for holistic development.
According to the MoU, the government of Arunachal Pradesh will recognise Dr APJ Centre of IIM Shillong as an official think tank and knowledge partner of the government in the frontier state which suffers from connectivity issues and mainly dependent on agriculture.
This centre will help impart training to youths for entrepreneurship development and promoting start-up ecosystem, amongst others.
INTERNATIONAL
First Human Case of Monkey B Virus
China has reported the 1st human infection case with the Monkey B virus (BV). Monkey B virus is an alphaherpesvirus enzootic (endemic) in macaques, and it was initially isolated in 1932.
Highlights:
Alphaherpesviruses are pathogens or neuroinvasive viruses that establish lifelong infections in the peripheral nervous system of humans and many other vertebrates.
B virus is commonly referred to as herpes B, herpes virus simiae, and herpesvirus B.
B virus can survive for hours on surfaces, exceptionally when moist.
Updation of Motto of the Olympics
The Motto of Olympics was updated to Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together from Faster, Higher, Stronger, on 20th July 2021. Motto updation was done to show solidarity around the globe at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the change.
The Olympic motto was Citius, Altius, Fortius (in Latin) or Faster, Higher, Stronger (in English), from 1894, when it was adopted at the suggestion of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter is the Latin version of the new motto.
Ski mountaineering was approved as an extra sport for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games which is to be in 2026. Ski mountaineering sport involves climbing mountains either by carrying the skies or on them and then descending on skies. Ski mountaineering is a prevalent sport in Italy. Five medal events for this category were planned at the 2026 Games.
NATIONAL
New Generation of Akash Surface-to-Air missile
The DRDO successfully flight-tested a new generation of Akash surface-to-air missiles from an integrated test range off the coast of Odisha, enhancing air defence capabilities. Compared with the original version, the new variant of Akash-NG has a slightly better range and can strike targets at a distance of about 25 kilometers. During testing, the missile demonstrated the high manoeuvrability required to eliminate rapid and agile aerial threats.
Akash is India’s first indigenously manufactured medium-range Surface-to-Air missile capable of engaging multiple targets from multiple directions.
It is capable of being launched from mobile platforms such as battle tanks or wheeled trucks. It has a kill probability of nearly 90%.
The missile is aided by an indigenously developed radar known as ‘Rajendra,’ which is capable of handling multiple targets from multiple directions in group or autonomous mode.
Indigenously Developed MPATGM for Minimum Range
In a major push for AatmaNirbhar Bharat and the strengthening of the Indian army, DRDO successfully conducted flight tests on the indigenously developed low-weight, firepower and forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).
The test successfully validated the minimum range.
The maximum range of the missile has already been successfully flight tested.
The missile is equipped with the most advanced miniature infrared imaging seeker and advanced avionics.
The test made the development of an indigenous third-generation MPATGM nearly completed.
Sero Survey – Population Affected by Covid
Antibodies against the coronavirus are present in two-thirds of India’s population. 67.6 percent of adults were seropositive, and more than 62 percent were unvaccinated. Around 400 million of India’s 1.4 billion people do not have antibodies
About the Sero Survey:
♦ Sero studies are often called sero surveys, which check how many people in the population are infected with COVID-19.
The sero survey roughly shows the following points:
♦ The percentage (%) of the population that has been infected with the virus.
♦ Which groups have more exposure or higher infection rates
♦ The progress of the infection rate in a specific area.
♦ How close are we to herd immunity