NFRA (National Financial Reporting Authority): NFRA has invited suggestions from public on consultation paper on NFRA’s engagement with its stakeholders. NFRA is an independent regulatory body set up under Section 132 of the Companies Act. It was established by the Central Government in October 2018. After the Satyam scandal took place in 2009, the Standing […]
First CAR-T Cell Therapy : Gene Therapy
The First CAR-T Cell Therapy: The first CAR-T cell therapy (a type of gene therapy) in India was done at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. The CAR-T cells were designed and manufactured at Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT Bombay with support from DBT/BIRAC, through National Biopharma Mission. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council […]
Blue Water Operations With A Green Footprint
Blue Water Operations With A Green Footprint: Indian Navy has adopted a comprehensive ‘Indian Navy Environment Conservation Roadmap (INECR)’ for synergising the aim of ‘Blue Water Operations with a Green Footprint’ Some of the noteworthy initiatives towards ‘Clean and Green Navy’ are Indian Navy commissioned one of its largest solar plant with a capacity of […]
Vidabha Tiger Corridors
Vidabha Tiger Corridors: In a first-of-its-kind project, radio telemetry has been deployed to identify corridors used by tigers in the Vidarbha landscape, tracking their actual movement. The study indicates that the animals are moving in a much wider swathe of area outside the protected areas than previously known. The investigators belonged the Maharashtra Forest Department […]
Zinc and Iron in Rice : Indian Council Of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Indian Council Of Agricultural Research (ICAR): Researchers from various institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya found depleting trends in grain density of zinc and iron in rice and wheat cultivated in India. The researchers collected seeds of rice (16 varieties) and wheat (18 varieties) from the gene […]
Biotech-KISAN Programme
Biotech-KISAN Programme: The Ministry of Science and Technology has issued a Special Call for the NorthEast Region as a part of its Mission Programme “Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN)”. It is a scientist-farmer partnership scheme launched in 2017. It is a pan-India program, following a hub-and-spoke model and stimulates entrepreneurship and innovation in farmers […]
Gain-Of-Function Research China
Gain-Of-Function Research: The Wuhan Institute of Virology was said to have conducted gain-of-function research on coronaviruses which may possibly have caused the lab-leak origin of the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19 pandemic). Gain-of-function Research: In virology, gain-of-function research involves deliberately altering an organism in the lab, altering a gene, or introducing a mutation in a pathogen to […]
Summer Solstice : 21st June 2021
Summer Solstice: 21st June: 21st June is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, technically this day is referred to as Summer solstice. In Delhi, the day length is around 14 hours. The amount of light received by a specific area in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer solstice depends on the latitudinal location of […]
Medical And Wellness Tourism (MWT)
Medical And Wellness Tourism (MWT): The Ministry of Tourism has formulated three draft strategies with roadmaps for promoting Medical and Wellness Tourism, for development of Rural Tourism and for promotion of MICE Industry in India. India has been ranked 34th out of 140 countries on the World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2019, released […]
Black Softshell Turtle IUCN Status
Black Softshell Turtle: The Assam forest department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and adopted a Vision Document to raise at least 1,000 black softshell turtles by 2030. About Black Softshell Turtle: Scientific Name: Nilssonia nigricans They look almost the same as the Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum), […]