19 July 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

July 19th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)
2. Private trains
3. COVID Protection System (COPS) for Workplace

1. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)

Context:

CIPET (an institute under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers) gets accreditation by NABL for testing and certification of PPE kit.

About NABL:

• NABL has been established with the objective of providing Government, Industry Associations and Industry in general with a scheme of Conformity Assessment Body’s accreditation which involves third-party assessment of the technical competence of testing including medical and calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers.
• The NABL is an accreditation body providing services to:
  • Testing laboratories
  • Calibration laboratories
  • Medical testing laboratories
  • Proficiency Testing Providers (PTP)
  • Reference material producers (RMP)
• It is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India.
• NABL also maintains linkages with international bodies such as the Asia Pacific Accreditation Co-operation (APAC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC).

Read more about the Quality Council of India at PIB dated Feb 5, 2020.

2. Private trains

Context:

Clarification regarding the timeline of the introduction of private trains.

Details:

• The Ministry of Railways has issued a clarification stating that private trains are slated to run in the country from March 2023.

Also read an RSTV based on the above topic: Changing Indian Railways

3. COVID Protection System (COPS) for Workplace

Context:

CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, unveils the COVID Protection System (COPS) for the Workplace.

About CMERI:

• CMERI or the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute is the apex R&D institute for mechanical engineering under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• The institute’s mandate is to serve the industry and develop mechanical engineering technology so that India’s dependence on foreign collaboration is substantially reduced in strategic and economic sectors.
• Besides, the institute is facilitating innovations and inventions for establishing the claims of Indian talent in international fields where Indian products shall ultimately compete.
• It is located in Durgapur, West Bengal.

About the COVID Protection System (COPS) for the Workplace:

• This system can be utilised by organisations as healthcare workers and frontline security guards are vulnerable to COVID-19 through infected individuals and contaminated objects.
• The COPS is a conglomeration of Solar Based Intelligent Mask Automated Dispensing Unit cum Thermal Scanner (IntelliMAST), Touchless Faucet (TouF) and 360 degree Car Flusher.
  • IntelliMAST: It is an Intelligent surveillance kiosk which identifies the body temperature and whether an individual is wearing face mask or not through customized software solutions.
  • Touchless Faucet (TouF): It is being launched for households and office spaces. The system dispenses liquid soap and water from the same faucet with a time-gap of 30 seconds, which is as per the latest Government guidelines.
  • 360 degree Car Flusher: It is a sodium hypochlorite water screen that uses specialized nozzle design to ensure that the sanitizer diffused water is evenly spread over and under the car body or wheels with adequate water force and coverage.
• These are now available for Technology Transfers and Product Orders.

July 19th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here