BharatNet Project: The Union Cabinet approved a Viability Gap Funding support of up to Rs. 19,041 crore (Out of the total expense of Rs. 29,430 crore) for the implementation of the BharatNet project through Public-Private Partnership model. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) involves collaboration between a government agency and a private-sector company that can be used to […]
Category: Science and Technology Current Affairs
What is Pyrostria laljii?
Pyrostria laljii: Genus Of The Coffee Family: Pyrostria laljii, a new species which belongs to the genus of the coffee family has recently been discovered from the Andaman Islands. A new species of pokeweed named Rivina andamanensis was also discovered. Andaman and Nicobar is a group of 572 islands and islets that are rich and […]
Cipla to Import Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna’s Vaccine: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission to Mumbai-based pharma major Cipla to import Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the fourth vaccine in the country to be given the emergency use authorisation (EUA). India has made available three COVID vaccines — Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik. The vaccine, mRNA-1273, manufactured by […]
Covishield not in EU Vaccine Passport Programme
Vaccine Passport Programme: Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, is not among the vaccines which have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its “vaccine passport” programme that allows free movement of people in and out of Europe. The EMA list only includes four vaccines now Vaxzevria (Oxford-AstraZeneca), Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech), Spikevax (Moderna) […]
Cyber Capability
Cyber Capability: According to a report by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an influential think tank, India’s offensive cyber capability is “Pakistan-focused” and “regionally effective”, and not tuned towards China. Countries Under Observation: The report has done a qualitative assessment of cyber power in 15 countries. Four members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance […]
African Swine Fever : Four Districts Of Mizoram – Epicentres
African swine fever : Four Districts Of Mizoram Have Been Declared As Epicentres: African Swine Fever (ASF) was first reported in Manipur in December 2020 and there have been no cases since. Illegal import of pigs might have introduced the infection to the state, officials of the state veterinary department suspect. Recently, four districts of […]
What is Ambergris?
Ambergris: The Mumbai Police has arrested five people and seized nearly 9 kg of Ambergris. Ambergris, French for grey amber, is generally referred to as whale vomit. It is a solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale. Ambergris is produced only by an estimated 1% of sperm whales. Chemically, ambergris contains […]
Chandrayaan-2: New Developments
Chandrayaan-2: New developments: Chandrayaan-2, hovering over the Moon, has found new developments on the hot outermost layer of the bright star known as Corona. These include: Abundances of magnesium, aluminium and silicon in the solar corona. Around 100 microflares were observed, providing new insights about coronal mass heating. Reasons behind coronal heating problem: The corona […]
Covid-19 Delta Plus Variant
Covid-19 Delta Plus Variant: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has warned people against the new Covid-19 strain ‘Delta Plus’ (DP). There is fear that this new variant may spark the third wave of Covid-19. Delta plus (B.1.617.2.1/(AY.1) is a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus formed due to a mutation in […]
Peter Pan Syndrome
Peter Pan Syndrome: A special court in Mumbai granted bail to an accused of sexually assaulting a minor as he was suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome (PPS). A syndrome is a combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process. PPS is a psychological condition that is used to describe an adult who […]