There are many unexplored potentials in North East: Dr Jitendra Singh Posted On: 24 SEP 2019 5:55PM by PIB Delhi The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Cane and Bamboo Technology Park-cum-Office Premises of Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) at Burnihat, Assam today.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Singh said that there are many unexplored potentials in North East and one of them is bamboo, as more than 50% of India’s bamboos are found in this region. The Minister further said though the biggest storehouse of bamboo in India is North East, the market of bamboo is extended all over India. Now it is up to us how we utilize it, what we produce, how much and how far can we reach, where we can capture market and how it can also become the source of livelihood for the youth, he added. Dr. Singh urged the youth of the region to utilize the home grown bamboo to produce different commodities which will help them to earn their livelihood sitting at home. And for this purpose, with the help of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and other organizations, Ministry of DoNER would be always there to help them to facilitate their marketing beyond North East, the Minister further added.

Talking about the importance of creating awareness about the benefits of bamboo industry, Dr. Singh said that there is no dearth of takers or buyers for our products; the only problem is that they do not know what we are producing. What is important is creating awareness, for which simultaneously the Ministry has started a campaign across the country, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary of North Eastern Council and Chairman, CBTC, Shri Ram Muivah said that the Cane and Bamboo Technology Park was a long awaited dream and today it got materialized. From last year Bamboo is one of the focused areas of NEC and it has lots of plans for up-gradation and strengthening of the CBTC, he added.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh also visited the Cane and Bamboo Technology workshop and the product stalls within the compound of Cane and Bamboo Technology Park during the event.

The Bamboo Technology Park has been developed to exclusively deal with Bamboo & Cane, catering to the needs of the industries, entrepreneurs, designers, crafts persons, rural people, teachers, policy makers, technicians and technologists.

The Centre will be identifying and transferring appropriate manufacturing techniques, providing technical assistance, rendering specific services such as, laboratory testing and quality assurance.

This will itself promote the tangible benefits and will focus for generating village-level cluster and micro-processing units, encouraging and mobilizing SHGs, NGOs to adopt to bamboo culture, attract investment in the bamboo sector in both medium and small sector, create awareness generation, design innovation, new product development, technology infusion and adaptation to the requirement of this country.

The Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) was established in Guwahati as a centre for “Cane and Bamboo Technological Up gradation and Networking Project” implemented by NEDFi under the UNIDO country program for India.

The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) were the main stake holders. After completion of the Project, it was registered as a Society under North Eastern Council, Ministry of DoNER, Government of India. The CBTC has trained more than 5400 artisans, students, farmers and entrepreneurs of North Eastern Region as well as foreign countries in the field of Cane and Bamboo Technology.

It is time to make science a ‘Jan Andolan’: Dr. Harsh Vardhan Posted On: 24 SEP 2019 6:33PM by PIB Delhi The 5th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019 will be held at Kolkata from 5th to 8th November, 2019. The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan announced this at a curtain raiser Press Conference in New Delhi today. Addressing the Press Conference, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said “IISF 2019 will play a crucial role in promoting love and passion of science among students by bringing science outside the lab. It is time to make science a Jan Andolan” . The Science and Technology Minister further informed the gathering that the theme for this year’s festival is RISEN India – Research, Innovation, and Science Empowering the Nation.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan emphasized on IISF encouraging young minds towards the field of science and promoting networking of stakeholders working towards the propagation of science.

Recalling the contributions of several eminent scientists, he further elaborated on Kolkata as being the choice of the venue this year as Kolkata's scientific institutions had been the work place of several of these scientists who gave shape to science in India.

The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma also emphasized on the importance of holding the festival, “IISF is the largest science festival in the world; Focus on youth to inspire and motivate them to learn real science in motion. Real science cannot be learned in classroom atmosphere. IISF provides an opportunity to learn science in action and motion”, stated Prof. Sharma. The Press Conference also witnessed the release of publication on IISF 2019.

The IISF 2019 is the fifth edition since its inception in 2015. The first and second IISF were held in New Delhi, the third in Chennai and the fourth IISF was held in Lucknow, which witnessed a widespread participation from over 10 lakh people worldwide.

India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019, an annual event organised jointly by science & technology- related Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and Vijnana Bharati (Vibha), 2019. IISF is a festival to celebrate the achievements of India’s scientific and technological advancements with students, innovators, craftsmen, farmers, scientists and technocrats from India and abroad.

IISF 2019 expects to host a gathering of approximately 12,000 participants from India and abroad. Biswa Bangla Convention Centre and Science City in Kolkata would be the prime sites for the events at IISF 2019

Multitude of significant events are lined up for IISF 2019, which will host more than 28 different events during this period. For school students, a Students Science Village will be a major highlight. More than 2500 school students from all over the nation have been invited. The Students Science Village programme is linked with Pradhan Mantri Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, where in every Member of Parliament has been asked to nominate five students each along with their teacher from their constituency for the village.

The Young Scientists’ Conference is another major event, where in around 1500 young scientists and researchers are expected to interact with various subject matter experts of international repute. An exhibition of India’s Scientific & Technological prowess would also be in display through several expos, the most prominent being the Science Expo at Science City. New-age Technology show and an expo for the Divyangjan would be another highlight. This year’s IISF will also witness Vigyanika,the Science Literature Festival where several programs related to the various genre will been organised.

It is noteworthy to point that for the first time, there will be a two-day Science and Technology media conclave, which shall be organised at the Bose Institute’s new campus in Salt Lake area. The International Science Film Festival of India (ISFFI) will be another highlight of the festival and will promote in recognizing the efforts of filmmakers and motivate them to develop scientific and innovative content.

The special role of Women Scientists and Entrepreneurs in shaping the scientific growth trajectory will be another highlight of this Festival. The programme (Women Scientists & Entrepreneurs Conclave) aspires to develop new entrepreneurship and explore new vistas of opportunities in the field of science and technology among women. Approximately 700 women scientist/entrepreneurs will attend the event.

The North-East Science Students’ Meet will bring hundreds of innovative, dedicated and award-winning students on a single platform to share their experiences and put forth new dimensions of science.

How are cyclones named? Each Tropical Cyclone basin in the world has its own rotating list of names. For cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, the naming system was agreed by eight member countries of a group called WMO/ESCAP and took effect in 2004.

How the names are chosen? The member countries submitted eight names each. The first cyclone after the list was adopted was given the name in the first row of the first column — Onil, proposed by Bangladesh.

Subsequent cyclones are being named sequentially, column-wise, with each cyclone given the name immediately below that of the previous cyclone. Once the bottom of the column is reached, the sequence moves to the top of the next column. So far, the first seven columns have been exhausted.

Why name cyclones? Makes it easier for the media to report on these cyclones, heightens interest in warnings, and increases community preparedness. Easier to remember than numbers and technical terms.

Why eastern coast of India is more vulnerable? In addition to the storms that originate in the southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Andaman Sea, breakaway typhoons over the Northwest Pacific move across the South China Sea into the Bay of Bengal, intensifying into cyclones.

In contrast, Arabian Sea cyclones are mostly their own formations and they also generally move north-west, away from India’s west coast. Besides, the Arabian Sea is colder than the Bay of Bengal, which inhibits the formation and intensification of the cyclonic system in the former. Warm sea surface temperature is an ideal platform for cyclones.

Facts for prelims: Cyclones are given many names in different regions of the world – They are known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA.; willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders) initiative:

Department of Biotechnology has started the UMMID Initiative which is designed on the concept of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. UMMID aims to create awareness about genetic disorders amongst clinicians and establish molecular diagnostics in hospitals so that the fruits of developments in medical genetics reach the patients in India.

UMMID initiative aims to: Establish NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases Administration) Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more.

Produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics. Undertake screening of pregnant women and new born babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts.

Need for and significance of the initiative: In India’s urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns. With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage favored in many communities, prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India. Establishment of patient care services for genetic disorders is the need of the time.

Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS): Union Agriculture Ministry’s PGS is a process of certifying organic products, which ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards.

The certification is in the form of a documented logo or a statement. According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Bonn-based global umbrella organisation for the organic agriculture movement, PGSs are “locally focused quality assurance systems” that “certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange”.

Advantages of PGS: Procedures are simple, documents are basic, and farmers understand the local language used. All members live close to each other and are known to each other. As practising organic farmers themselves, they understand the processes well. Because peer appraisers live in the same village, they have better access to surveillance; peer appraisal instead of third-party inspections also reduces costs

Mutual recognition and support between regional PGS groups ensures better networking for processing and marketing. Unlike the grower group certification system, PGS offers every farmer individual certificates, and the farmer is free to market his own produce independent of the group.

However, the operational manual also identifies some limitations of PGS: PGS certification is only for farmers or communities that can organise and perform as a group within a village or a cluster of continguous villages, and is applicable only to farm activities such as crop production, processing, and livestock rearing, and off-farm processing “by PGS farmers of their direct products”.

Individual farmers or group of farmers smaller than five members are not covered under PGS. They either have to opt for third party certification or join the existing PGS local group.

Why use methane? Methane, which can be synthesised with water and carbon dioxide in space, is often described as the space fuel of the future.

Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine, along with Nitrogen tetroxide for oxidiser, currently being used by ISRO, is said to be highly toxic and cancer-causing.

Whereas Methane, apart from being non-toxic, has a higher specific impulse (which means one kg of the gas can life one kg of mass for a longer time), it is easy to store, does not leave a residue upon burning, less bulky, and, importantly, can be synthesised up in space.

What is it? Launched in Surat by Gujarat Government, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a regulatory tool that is aimed at reducing the pollution load in an area and at the same time minimising the cost of compliance for the industry.

ETS is a market in which the traded commodity is particulate matter emissions. It is also being described as the world’s first market for trading in particulate matter emissions.

How is it being implemented? The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) sets a cap on the total emission load from all industries. Various industries can buy and sell the ability to emit particulate matter, by trading permits (in kilograms) under this cap. For this reason, ETS is also called a cap-and-trade market.

How does the trading take place? At the beginning of every one-month compliance period (during which one emission permit is valid), 80 per cent of the total cap of 280 tonnes for that period is distributed free to all participant units.

These permits are allocated based on an industry’s emission sources (boilers, heaters, generators) as this determines the amount of particulate matter emitted.

Remaining 20 per cent of the permits will be offered during the first auction of the compliance period, at a floor price of Rs 5 per kilogram. Participating units may buy and sell permits among each other during the period. The price is not allowed to cross a ceiling of Rs 100 per kilogram or fall below Rs 5 per kg, both of which may be adjusted after a review.

Significance and benefits: The reason for trading is that in a cap and trade market, the regulator will measure pollution over a period of time and industries must own enough permits to cover their total emissions.

Factories who find it very expensive to reduce pollution, will seek to buy more permits. Those who can easily reduce pollution are encouraged to do so because then they have excess permits to sell.

Eventually, after buying and selling by plants that find it cheap to cut pollution and those for whom it is expensive, most pollution is taken care of.

Whatever the final allocation, the total number of permits does not change so the total pollution is still equal to the predefined cap. And yet the costs to industry are decreased.

This is expected to affect the overall development of the unborn baby.

Findings: Concentration of black carbon particles was highest in the placentas of women who are most exposed to airborne pollutants in their daily life. Inhalation of these particles by the mother gets translocated from the mothers’ lungs to the placenta, resulting in life-long changes to the development of the baby along with permanently damaging the lung tissues.

The link between exposure to dirty air and increased cases of miscarriages, premature births, and low birth weights which in turn increases the chances for diabetes, asthma, stroke, heart disease and a lot of other conditions, has been established in this study.

What is Black Carbon? Black carbon consists of pure carbon in several linked forms. It is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass, and is emitted in both anthropogenic and naturally occurring soot.

Harmful effects of BC: Black carbon (BC) is a pollutant known to aggravate breathing disorders. Because BC particles strongly absorb solar and terrestrial radiation and heats up the atmosphere it can upset the monsoon system. If deposited on snow, it could accelerate the heating of snow and quicken the melting of glaciers.

Climate Action Summit: The Climate Action Summit aims to boost action to implement the Paris Agreement, which was signed in 2015.

The Paris deal aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in India’s fuel mix to 450 gigawatts (GW) can transform country’s economy in three ways: Help to reduce India’s dependence on coal, the fossil fuel which contributes to 60% of the country’s total carbon emissions.

Can make India a global leader in new cost effective solar technologies provided it can beat China, which leads in manufacturing of cheaper solar photo-voltaic and other equipment. Can give boost to electric mobility in India, which rightly has been the Centre’s focus in the recent months.

Need of the hour: For being renewable innovator, India needs to focus on green technology research in premier institutes such as Indian Institute of Sciences in Bengaluru and Indian Institutes of Technology, which are working in different fields of new and renewable energy.

India also needs to provide skill training to youth in the area, which according to New and Renewable Energy ministry can generate around 10 million jobs by 2022, India’s target year to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy under the Paris climate agreement.

What should the government do? Integrate energy and environment policy: The various ministries currently engaged with energy and the environment should be collapsed into one omnibus Ministry of Energy and Environment. An “Energy and Environment Security Act” should be passed at the earliest possible opportunity.

Decarbonisation, demand management and efficiency should be the watchwords of the government’s energy policy. Intensify exploration and enhance recovery. Increase Natural Gas usage.

Way ahead: Such a transition would be a costly affair and will need easy and cost effective technology transfer from the developed western world. But, it also provides India an opportunity to innovate in reducing emissions from coal which is possible through different carbon sequestration technologies.

It is a newly discovered species of frog from Arunachal Pradesh.

It was discovered from riparian habitats in a primary evergreen forest in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve of the state, which is also the eastern-most protected area in the country

. Since Arunachal Pradesh is popularly known as ‘the land of rising sun’ or ‘the land of dawn-lit mountains’, the new species has been named as eos, after the mythological Greek goddess of dawn.

Microhyla are a group of narrow-mouthed frogs that is primarily and widely distributed in Asia. Commonly known as ‘Rice Frogs’ or ‘Chorus Frogs‘, the genus currently comprises of 49 recognised species.

Context: This dance has entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

It is known as the ‘royal dance of Ladakh’.

It is famous dance which was earlier used to be performed by artists for King of Ladakh on special occasion.

Context: ECI appoints former IRS officers as special expenditure observers for Maharashtra polls.

Key facts: They are appointed by ECI exercising the powers conferred on it under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 20B of The Representation of the People Act 1951.

The special observers will be supervising and monitoring the work being done by the electoral machinery.

They will also ensure that stringent and effective enforcement action is undertaken based on intelligence inputs and complaints received through C-VIGIL, Voter Helpline 1950 against all persons or entities trying to induce voters by distributing cash, liquor and freebies etc in order to vitiate the poll process.

UN declared 23rd September as International Sign Language Day. The day was first observed in 2017. This date was selected because this was the date when the World Federation of the Deaf was established in 1951. The theme for 2019 is Sign Language-Rights for all.

The objective of celebrating this day is enhancing the awareness of sign language and making the reach of sign language greater. About the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC):

It is an autonomous body under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Centre was established in 2015.

The Centre carries out many activities for promoting the use of Indian Sign Language as the educational mode for deaf students at primary, secondary and higher education levels