04 July 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

July 4th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
2. Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge
3. Dhanvantri Rath
4. Swami Vivekananda
5. A non-caloric natural sweetener that can make cancer therapy 
using magnetic nano particles more efficient
6. Type-1 diabetes

1. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

Context:

Prime Minister reviews progress of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

To know more about the ICAR, check PIB dated 31 March 2020.

2. Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge

About the Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge:

• This has been launched by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology along with the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and NITI Aayog.
• The chief aim of the challenge is to identify the best Indian Apps that are already being used by citizens and have the potential to scale and become world class Apps in their respective categories.
• This innovation challenge will run in two tracks:
  • Promotion of existing apps
    • For promotion of existing apps and platforms across the categories of e-learning, work-from-home, gaming, business, entertainment, office utilities, and social networking, the government will provide mentoring, hand-holding and support.
    • Track-01 will work in mission mode for identifying good quality apps for the leader-board and shall be completed in around a month.
    • Track-01 is being launched in 8 categories: office productivity & work from home; social networking; e-learning; entertainment; health and wellness; business including agri-tech and fin-tech; news; games.
  • Development of new apps
    • For incubating new apps and platforms, Track-02 initiative will work to help create new champions in India by providing support in ideation, incubation, prototyping and roll out along with market access.
  • This challenge will be jointly hosted by the Government and members of the tech community to make it more holistic.
  • Expected outcomes of the challenge:
    • Give better visibility and clarity to existing apps to achieve their goals.
    • Create tech products to find solutions to tech conundrums with the help of mentorship, tech support and guidance during the entire life-cycle.
  • The Innovation Challenge will be available on the MyGov portal.
  • A specific jury for each track with experts from Private Sector & Academia will evaluate the entries received.
  • Shortlisted Apps will be given awards & will also feature on Leader boards for the information of citizens.
  • The Government will also adopt suitable Apps, guide them to maturity and list on Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
  • Some of the key evaluation parameters will include Ease of use (UI/UX), Robustness, Security and Scalability.

Context:

PM urges tech community to participate in Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge.

3. Dhanvantri Rath

Context:

A mobile van providing non-COVID essential healthcare services to the doorsteps of the people in the city of Ahmedabad has been set by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

About the Dhanvantri Rath:

• The mobile van has been named the ‘Dhanvantri Rath’.
• These vans have an Ayush Doctor, paramedic and nursing staff along with local Medical Officer from Urban Health Centre of AMC.
• These vans have been visiting various areas and providing OPD services for non-COVID essential services and field medical consultations to people all over Ahmedabad City at their doorsteps.
• The mobile medical vans carry all essential medicines including ayurvedic & homeopathic medicines, vitamin supplements, basic testing equipment along with pulse-oxymeter.
• In addition to healthcare services reaching the people who cannot access hospital OPD services for various reasons, Dhanvantri Rath has helped identify those who need further clinical treatment or an IPD admission, and ensured that they reach the hospital in a timely manner.
• In view of the coming monsoons, the scope of health services of mobile medical vans has been extended to include malaria & dengue tests.

4. Swami Vivekananda

Context:

Home Minister pays tributes to Swami Vivekananda on his death anniversary.

For more on Swami Vivekananda, click on the linked article.

5. A non-caloric natural sweetener that can make cancer therapy using magnetic nano particles more efficient

Context:

Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science & Technology (INST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in their recent study have found that stevioside, when coated on nanoparticles can increase the efficiency of Magnetic hyperthermia-mediated cancer therapy (MHCT).

What is Stevioside?

• Stevioside is a natural plant-based glycoside found in the leaves of Honey yerba (‘Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni’).
• Stevioside is a glycoside derived from the stevia plant, which can be used as a sweetener.
• Stevioside is the main sweetener with rebaudioside A, found in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a plant originating in South America.
• Stevioside was discovered in 1931 by French chemists who gave it its name.
• The sweetening power of stevioside was estimated to be about 300 times stronger than cane sugar.

About Magnetic hyperthermia-mediated cancer therapy (MHCT):

• MHCT method of cancer therapy is based on heating the tumour tissues using magnetic nanoparticles in comparison to the routinely used surfactant moieties (oleic acid and polysorbate-80).
• It is based on generation of localised heat at the tumour site on exposure to AMF (alternating magnetic field) in the presence of magnetic nanoparticles.

6. Type-1 diabetes

Context:

Genetics could help diagnose type-1 diabetes in Indians: study reveals

Details:

• Researchers at the KEM Hospital and Research Centre, Pune; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad; and the University of Exeter in the UK have found that a genetic risk score is effective in diagnosing type-1 diabetes in Indians.
• Developed by the University of Exeter, the genetic risk score takes into account detailed genetic information that are known to increase the chance of developing type-1 diabetes. The score may be used at the time of diabetes diagnosis to help decide if someone has type-1 diabetes.

Significance of the study:

• It is widely believed that only children and adolescents get type-1 diabetes and obese and older (typically after 45 years of age) get type-2 diabetes.
• However, recent findings have shown that type-1 diabetes can occur later in life, while type-2 diabetes is on the rise among younger and thinner Indians.
• Distinguishing the two types of diabetes, has therefore, become more complex.
• The two types follow different treatment regime with type-1 diabetes needing lifelong insulin injections but type-2 diabetes often being managed with diet or tablet treatment.
• Misclassification of the type of diabetes may lead to sub-standard diabetes care and possible complications. In this context, this particular study gains importance as it helps in diagnosing diabetes from its type-1 and type 2 variants correctly.

Also read more on Type 2 Diabetes at the linked article.

July 4th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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