[pib] National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

The Union Ministry of Science & Technology has informed about the progress of the National Supercomputing Mission. National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) NSM is a proposed plan by GoI to create a cluster of seventy supercomputers connecting various academic and research institutions across India. In April 2015 the government approved the NSM with a total outlay… Continue reading

How policy can bridge the gap

Context India must use the windfall from oil to provide assistance to the most vulnerable to mitigate the impact due to COIVD-19 outbreak. Estimates of impact Impact on major economies: Minus 40 per cent, -30 per cent, -22 per cent, and -14 per cent. These are the estimated impacts (at an annualised rate) on the… Continue reading

Picking up the quantum technology baton

Context With the Budget announcement providing direction for the development in quantum technology, the stakeholders need to roll-out the national mission quickly. Pushing India into second quantum revolution Budgetary allocation for NM-QTA: In the Budget 2020 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a welcome announcement for Indian science — over the next five years she… Continue reading

AYUSH Health-Wellness Centres

What is the news: The Union Cabinet has approved the inclusion of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centre (AYUSH HWC) component of Ayushman Bharat in the National AYUSH Mission (NAM). A total of 12,500 Ayush health and wellness centres throughout the country will be operationalised within a period of five years. The implementation of the proposal… Continue reading

Can Vitamin C prevent or cure novel Coronavirus infection?

The strategy of ‘Shelter in Place’

What is the news: As India observed a “janata curfew” from 7 am to 9 pm on 22nd March refraining from making any non-essential movements, they are implementing a version of what is referred to, most commonly in the United States, as a “shelter in place” order. What exactly is a “Shelter in Place”? In… Continue reading

Need for re-orientation

Context State universities will have to deliver more to the State where they are located Status of the state universities in India Significance of state universities: Out of about a thousand higher education institutions (HEIs) that are authorised to award degrees in India, about 400 are state public universities. These state universities produce over 90%… Continue reading

Get a step ahead of the virus

Context The COVID-19 pandemic has repercussions beyond the biomedical sector — it impinges on industry, transport, finance, banking and education sectors. All of them must act in unison. Virus different from its nearest relative Comparison with SARS and MERS: The rapid spread of the zoonotic (transmitted from animal-to-human) coronavirus infection in Wuhan in China — several hundreds… Continue reading

[pib] Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS)

The Union Cabinet has approved Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors. About SPECS The scheme aims to offer the financial incentive of 25% of capital expenditure for the manufacturing of goods that constitute the supply chain of electronic products. The scheme will help offset the disability for domestic manufacturing of electronic… Continue reading

[pib] Defence Procurement Procedure, 2020

Raksha Mantri unveiled the draft Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020 that aims at further increasing indigenous manufacturing and reducing timelines for procurement of defence equipment. Defence Procurement Procedure The draft of DPP 2020 has been prepared by a Review Committee headed by Director General (Acquisition) based on the recommendations of all stakeholders, including private industry.… Continue reading

[pib] Production Linked Incentive Scheme

The Union Cabinet has approved the Production Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. Production Incentive Scheme (PLI) The scheme proposes production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in mobile phone manufacturing and specified electronic components including Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units. The scheme shall extend an incentive… Continue reading

Schemes for Electronic Manufacturing

The Union Cabinet has approved financial assistance to the Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC2.0) Scheme Background To build and create requisite infrastructure ecosystem for electronics manufacturing; Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) Scheme which was open for receipt of applications upto October, 2017. A period of 5 years is available… Continue reading

The double whammy that India’s economy now faces

Context India is currently in the grip of dual shocks: Covid-19 and a financial one. The supply and demand shock Containing outbreak at economic cost: Even as infection rates have tapered in China, they are rising elsewhere. Countries that have succeeded in containing it have done so at an economic cost, by quarantining people, implementing… Continue reading

A different fight-back

Context Coronavirus crisis is an opportunity for India to build on domestic technological capabilities in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, life sciences and health technology in the private sector. How a small tech company flagged Covid-19 outbreak? What does it do? A small tech company in Canada — BlueDot — was among first outside China… Continue reading

What is Windrush Scandal?

The British government has apologised for its treatment of Britons of Caribbean origin, which were wrongly detained or deported for being illegal immigrants, after the publication of a devastating official report. What is the scandal? The Windrush scandal is a 2018 British political scandal concerning people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened… Continue reading

[pib ] Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum

Indian students will undertake a research internship at Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, LA, USA under the IUSSTF Program. What is IUSSTF? IUSSTF is an acronym for the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum. It is established under an agreement between the Governments of India and the USA in March 2000. It is… Continue reading

Breach of trust

Context In bypassing established protocol to seek call details of citizens en masse, the government violates SC guidelines. What is the issue? Departure from stringent protocol: The Cellular Operators Association of India has reported mass requests from the government for mobile call detail records (CDRs). Which is a serious departure from the stringent protocol established… Continue reading

Supreme Court Removes Manipur MLA Under The 10th Schedule

The Supreme Court has removed a Minister against whom disqualification petitions were pending before the Speaker since 2017. The court invoked its discretionary powers under Art. 142 of the Indian Constitution. What is Article 142? Article 142 of the Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to pass such decree or make such order as is necessary… Continue reading

What are Supplementary Grants?

Supplementary Grants Lok Sabha recently held voting on supplementary demands for grants for Jammu and Kashmir and passed the proposals on voice vote. What are Supplementary Grants? The additional grant required to meet the required expenditure of the government is called Supplementary Grants. When grants, authorised by the Parliament, fall short of the required expenditure,… Continue reading

PCR Test for Diagnosis of the COVID-19

The diagnosis of COVID-19 can be done with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test which is explained as under: The PCR Test It uses a technique that creates copies of a segment of DNA. ‘Polymerase’ refers to the enzymes that make the copies of DNA. Kary Mullis, the American biochemist who invented the PCR… Continue reading

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