CONTEXT Release of interest sub-vented loan from Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF) under PMKSY. MAIN POINTS: Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore created with NABARD was operationalised in 2019-20 The objective of the Fund is to facilitate the states in availing an interest sub-vented loan for expanding coverage …
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ETHANOL BLENDING
CONTEXT: The government has set targets of 10% bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20% by 2030 under the Ethanol Blended Programme (EBP) BACKGROUND: In the normal sugar season, about 320 LMT of sugar is produced against a domestic consumption of 260 LMT. This 60 …
Read More »Heart disease risk high in rural area near Chennai
Two-thirds of people in the rural area who developed cardiovascular disease died Contrary to the general notion, cardiovascular disease is becoming an important preventable cause of events (heart attacks and stroke) and death even among the rural population in India, a study shows. The study involved 5,641 adults aged 25-64 …
Read More »Now, machine learning-based model can determine if skin cancer has spread
Six machine learning models were used to validate the genomic signatures Using the expression of 17 key genes (messenger RNAs) it is now possible to distinguish primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma, which is the most common type of skin cancer. While 11 of the 17 genes have already been reported …
Read More »Astrosat views star formation in jellyfish galaxies
Observations of a jelly fish galaxy, JW100, by Astrosat using its Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope have thrown up interesting puzzles. These puzzles involve star formation in hostile environments containing X-ray-emitting hot plasma. JW100 is located far away in the galaxy cluster Abell 2626. A recent work describes this analysis and poses …
Read More »Stimulating white blood cells helps clear TB bacteria
Potency of TB drugs improved many times when two receptors of the immune cells were activated Instead of using drugs to directly kill TB bacteria, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar have directly stimulated the immune system to kill the bacteria. This was achieved by using small …
Read More »How cotton leaf worm responds to the defence mechanisms of plants
A new side to the triangular story of interactions among plant, pest and predatory insect emerges as a result of a study carried out by researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru. The team finds a link between the boosting of immunity levels in pest (cotton leaf worm, …
Read More »Thailand cave reopens to visitors after 16 months
Thailand has reopened the cave where 12 young footballers and their coach were trapped last year in a rescue saga that captivated the world. The Tham Luang cave had been closed to visitors since the Wild Boars football team were rescued after nearly three weeks inside the grotto’s waterlogged corridors. …
Read More »Competing species help each other at times: study
Social connections between animals, including those belonging to competing species, play a much bigger role in ecology than previously believed, according to a study. Researchers found that some animals in the wild like gazelles, wildebeests or zebras become aware of the presence of a predator such as a lion by …
Read More »Planters concerned with RCEP
‘More tariff cuts will worsen trade deficit in plantation commodities’ The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) has said that plantation commodities should be kept out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), if India signs the agreement. AL. Rm. Nagappan, president, UPASI, said in a statement that in …
Read More »RBI search panel may back economist for Deputy Governor
‘Tussle between economists, IAS lobby’ The appointment of the deputy governor in the Reserve Bank of India to fill up the vacancy that was created after Viral Acharya’s departure could be a complicated one. This is because there is a strong view in a section of the bureaucracy that the …
Read More »‘Relaxed norms may boost tea tourism’
West Bengal allows 15% of land in a tea garden to be used for economic activities The tea industry in West Bengal is witnessing a major boost to employment with the State government’s relaxation of norms for use of leasehold land in a tea garden. The move may induce garden …
Read More »India doing good on health indicators: Naidu
Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday that India has achieved significant progress since Independence on various health indicators. He was delivering the 10th convocation address of the JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research in the city. Mr. Naidu said that with successive governments according high priority to health …
Read More »Will try safe landing on moon again: Sivan
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning another mission to safely land a vehicle on the moon, its chief K. Sivan said on Saturday. In the Chandrayaan-2 mission, a lander called Vikram crash-landed on September 6, after a 46-day journey. Vikram contained a robotic vehicle ‘Pragyaan’ that was to …
Read More »Delhi’s air quality could lead to stroke, warn AIIMS doctors
With air quality over the past few days being the worst so far this season, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said that “Delhi’s air pollution level is now affecting even healthy individuals and is a cause for concern”. He said that while the worst-hit are children, the elderly, and those with …
Read More »Chhath devotees violate NGT directive
People in Kolkata broke through the gates of landmark lake to perform rituals In what can be interpreted as a major violation of law, thousands of devotees broke open the gates to Kolkata’s key water body, the Rabindra Sarobar Lake, and performed Chhath Puja. Under pressure, the police opened the …
Read More »‘WhatsApp’s disclosure to CERT-IN lost in jargon’
Sources say the communication had no mention of Pegasus While WhatsApp provided information to CERT-IN, a government agency, in May about the hacking of phones using malware through its messaging platform, the communication was in technical jargon without any mention of Pegasus or the extent of the breach, sources say. …
Read More »‘Evolve consensus on tackling air pollution’
Concerned over the unprecedented situation triggered by increasing air pollution in Delhi, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlining the need for evolving consensus on tackling the issue, rising above political affiliations and regional considerations. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/evolve-consensus-on-tackling-air-pollution/article29867884.ece
Read More »Can’t intervene in Pak. denial of airspace: ICAO
The United Nations aviation watchdog, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is “not empowered to intervene” in the affairs of a country and will examine inputs from both India and Pakistan before it takes a decision to pursue the issue of denial of overflight to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft during …
Read More »Louvre in push to display ‘missing’ Da Vinci: culture expert
The Louvre museum has made an “offer” to the owner of the world’s most expensive painting, Salvator Mundi , to allow it to be displayed in a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in Paris, said Chris Dercon, president of the French government-run cultural body Rmn Grand Palais. The painting has not …
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