BIHAR
Bihar set to procure Covishield from SII
In the wake of the Centre allowing the states to buy Covid vaccines directly from the manufacturers, the Bihar government has decided to procure Covishield from Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune, for vaccinating people above the age of 18 from May 1. CM Nitish Kumar has already announced that free Covid vaccines for everyone above 18.
Altogether 5.46crore people in the 18-44 age group have been identified for vaccination in the next phase starting May 1. As SII has announced its rates for procurement by states, we have decided to place our first order ahead of the commencement of vaccination of people above the age of 18.
the Centre announced its strategy for phase-3 of vaccination against Covid, which included inoculation of everyone above 18. It stated that vaccine manufacturers would supply 50% of their monthly production to the central government and they would be free to supply the remaining 50% to the state governments and in the open market (private hospitals). Manufacturers have also been asked to declare their prices for the supply to state governments and open markets.
SII announced that it will charge Rs400 per dose for Covishield from the state and Rs600 per dose from private hospitals from May 1, when open for all adults.
INTERNATIONAL
Russia to Launch its Own Space Station
The settlement between Roscosmos and its global companions is to run out in the 2024. Russia planned to pull out of the International Space Station (ISS) and launch its personal house station in 2025.
According to Russia, the structure of the International Space Station is ageing. With the station turning into older, it can lead to irreversible consequences.
The International Space Station was once launched by using the US house organizations and Russian Space corporations in 1998. The other countries that have been concerned in the launch of the International Space Station had been Canada, European Space Agency and Japan.
The ISS revolves around the earth in ninety-three minutes. It makes 15.5 orbits per day. It travels at an orbital velocity of 7.7 kilometres per second.
Russia announced that it has signed a settlement with China to set up a Lunar lookup station on the moon.
ADB Raises India GDP Forecast
The Asian Development Bank currently launched its Asian Development Outlook, 2021. According to the report, India is to develop by way of 11%. The Asian Development Bank released its annual outlook. The outlook says that ADB has provided economic aid of 1.5 billion USD to India to battle in opposition to COVID-19.
According to ADB, the South Asia is predicted to rebound at 9.5% in 2021. The South Asian vicinity had shriveled by 6% in 2020. The increase of the region will average to 6.6% in 2022.
The monetary boom of Asia is to rebound at 7.3% in 2021. The location faced a contraction of 0.2% in its increase in 2020. In 2022, its boom rate is to be 5.3%.
The nations such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei are expected to meet an multiplied increase charge of 7.7% in 2021 and 5.6% in 2022. The record classifies these nations as newly industrialised countries.
The GDP of East Asia is predicted to grow at 7.4% in 2021 and at 5.1% in 2022.
NATIONAL
Large Area Certification Scheme Andaman and Nicobar
14,491 ha region of UT of A&N Islands has come to be the 1st large contiguous territory to be conferred with certification for organic beneath ‘Large Area Certification’ scheme.
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare underneath its flagship scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) has launched this special speedy certification programme to harness these manageable areas. Under LAC, each village in the vicinity is considered as one cluster/group.
All farmers with their farmland and farm animals want to adhere to the popular requirements and on being verified, get certified en-mass barring the want to go below conversion period.
Certification is renewed on an annual basis thru annual verification by a technique of peer appraisals as per the procedure of PGS-India.
Advanced Chaff Technology by DRDO
Advanced Chaff Technology been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation to guard the naval ships against enemy missile attack. It is any other step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Chaff is a digital countermeasure technological know-how used by using militaries international to defend naval ships or other sensitive objectives from radar and radio frequency (RF) guiding mechanisms of the enemy missile.
The chaff rockets deployed in the air mirror as multiple aims for the missile training structures and deflecting adversary missiles, hence protecting their own assets.
DRDO has indigenously developed three editions of the fundamental science, namely Short-Range Chaff Rocket (SRCR), Medium-Range Chaff Rocket (MRCR) and Long-Range Chaff Rocket (LRCR).
Gk bit : Difference between Chaff and Flares:
Both chaff & flares are defensive countermeasures deployed by using navy aircraft. The cause is to confuse radar-guided or infrared-guided anti-plane missiles fired so that they may want to be diverted.
The Chaff is composed of many small aluminium or zinc lined fibres saved on-board the plane in tubes. In case the plane feels threatened by means of any radar monitoring missiles, chaff is ejected into the turbulent wake of air at the back of the plane.
Flares on being fired grant an alternate strong IR (Infrared) source to heat-seeking anti-air missiles. Thus they are lured away from the aircraft.