Bihar Affairs
Patna ranks 13th in spreading infectious diseases
Patnahas been ranked 13th when it comes to vulnerability of cities in spreading infectious diseases, including Covid-19, through transportation networks, according to the hazard map prepared by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.
A team of researchers devised this map of Indian cities, including 446 cities with over 1 lakh Population, to understand the spread of infectious diseases from a host city reporting an outbreak and its spread. The institute used different modes of transportation, such as air, rail and road between cities to create this hazard map. They opined that infections can travel out from cities because of the well-connected transport hubs.
From Bihar, 26 cities were included in the study and five figured on the list top 100 vulnerable cities. Haveli Kharagpur stood at 61st position, Gaya 66, Muzaffarpur 73, Bhagalpur 81 and Ara 87.
Chhapra, Buxar, Danapur, Hajipur, Begusarai, Darbhanga, Katihar and Kishanganj figured in the rank between 101 and 200. Siwan, Sasaram, Dehri and Jamalpur, on the other hand, figured in the rank between 201 and 300. In the rank between 301 and 400, six Bihar cities Bagaha, Bettiah, Motihari, Purnia, Jehhanabad and Saharsa found their mention. Munger got 425th rank to emerge as least vulnerable city in the state as far as spreading infectious diseases is concerned.
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jhansi, Pune and Jaipur occupied the top 10 positions.
National and International Affairs
Members will include officials from the MoCA, MOPSW, and the Ministry of Tourism (MoT).
Under the Namami Gange Programme, an agreement was signed for the development of a 35 MLD (Mega Liters per day) sewage treatment plant in Maheshtala (a city on the east bank of the Ganga). The project was signed in the form of a Hybrid Annuity PPP.
The Namami Gange program is a comprehensive conseration mission. It was approved by the Union Government as a “flagship program” in June 2014 to achieve the dual goals of effectively reducing pollution and protecting and rejuvenating the national river Ganges.
It is operated by the Ministry of <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/water-Resources“>Water Resources, River Development and Ganges Rehabilitation Department of Jal Shakti Ministry.
The program is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its state counterpart, the State Program Management Group (SPMG).
The National Ganga Council’s implementation wing is the NMCG (set in 2016; which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority – NGRBA).
It has a Rs. 20,000-crore corpus that is centrally funded and non-lapsable, and it includes nearly 288 projects.
India Rank 43rd World Competitiveness Index
The Ministries of , Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) and Civil Aviation (MoCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Development of Sea Plane Services in India.
Highlights:
European Space Agency to Launch Wood Satellite
The European Space Agency (ESA) has deliberate to launch the worlds first wood satellite. It is going to be launched from New Zealand. It will be launched from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket by the last of 2021. The satellite is the brainchild of Jari Makinen.
The satellite, WISA Woodsat, is a nanosatellite. It is 10cm on every side, length, height, and width.
The sensors of the satellite have been developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and designers have placed the timber in a thermal vacuum chamber to keep it dry.
A very thin aluminium oxide layer has been used to decrease the vapour coming from the wood and to defend it from the erosive outcomes of atomic Oxygen. The non-wooden external parts are made up of aluminium rails.
The Union Minister of <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and Farmers Welfare delivered a speech at the 42nd session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The conference is held every two years. India is a founding member of FAO
Highlights:
The national planning framework developed by India’s FAO in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare of the Government of India adopts a multi sectoral approach.
India has provided technical expertise and assistance in cases of trans-boundary pests, primarily Fall Army Worm and Desert Locust.
The FAO also supported India’s proposal for an International Year of Pulses (2016) and an International Year of (2023).