04 April 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

April 4th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Challenge COVID-19 Competition (C3)
2. Silver-based disinfectant to fight COVID 19
3. CBDT

1. Challenge COVID-19 Competition (C3)

Context: 

• The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) has invited citizens to participate in Challenge COVID-19 Competition (C3). 
  • National Innovation Foundation is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.

Objective: 

• The initiative has been launched to create awareness and also intimately engage a wide cross-section of society with diverse backgrounds in providing and implementing solutions against COVID-19 pandemic.

Details:

• The NIF has invited interested innovators to send in their creative ideas and innovations for problems or issues like reducing transmission of Coronavirus. This will help supplement the efforts of the government in slowing or eliminating the spread further.
• Ideas are also invited for:
  • Gainful engagement of people at home
  • Ensuring healthy food for nutrition and boosting immunity, especially, at the time of lockdown when raw materials are limited, 
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Rapid diagnostic testing facilities for capacity building of healthcare. 
  • Solutions for the problems focussing on the varying needs of the differently-abled, people with special needs.
• The selected technological ideas and innovations will be supported through incubation and dissemination support from the governmental agencies.

2. Silver-based disinfectant to fight COVID 19

Context:

• A Department of Science and Technology funded startup has developed chemical free silver based disinfectant to fight the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Details:

• Weinnovate Biosolutions, a Pune based startup supported jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), has come up with a non-alcoholic aqueous-based Colloidal Silver solution for disinfecting hands and environmental surfaces.
• This liquid is noninflammable and free of hazardous chemicals and can be an effective sanitizer to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection.
• It has been developed through the NanoAgCide technology 
• This sanitizer is based on the ability of the silver nanoparticles to prevent the synthesis of viral negative-strand RNA and viral budding.
• An Indian patent has been filed for the process of making colloidal silver, and a test license for making hand sanitizers and disinfectants has been granted. 

Nanoparticles:

• Nanoparticles are rapidly emerging as effective solutions to a variety of issues related to COVID-19, from theranostics (therapy plus diagnostics) to disinfection and imaging. 
• The relevance of nanoparticles is owing to their size (less than 100 nm), which is comparable to that of COVID-19 virus, and a plethora of functionalities such as targeting and drug delivery that can be tailored to match the needs.

3. CBDT

Context: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued orders under section 119 of IT Act,1961 to mitigate any hardships to taxpayers arising out of compliance of TDS/TCS provisions.

Details:

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is a part of the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance.
• The CBDT provides inputs for policy and planning of direct taxes in India, and is also responsible for administration of direct tax laws through the IT Department.

For more information on CBDT, click here.

April 4th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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