NATIONAL

Centre approves setting up of 7 textile parks

• The cabinet has approved to set up 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM-MITRA) with an estimated outlay of Rs 4,445 crore.
• The 7 textile parks will be setup at Greenfield / Brownfield sites located in different willing States. Proposals of State Governments having ready availability of contiguous and encumbrance-free land parcel of 1,000+ acres along with other textiles related facilities & ecosystem are welcome.
• The parks would be developed by a special purpose vehicle(SPV) which is owned by Central and State governments and get supports from both sides.
• The development capital support to develop infrastructure would fund 30% of the project cost, Rs 500 crore for greenfield projects and 200 crore for brown field projects.
• A separate Competitiveness Incentive Support would be limited to 300 crore per park.
• A total of 10 states including Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Gujarat has showed interest to set up the textile parks.
• Of the total 1000 acres 50% would be earmarked for manufacturing activity, 20% for utilities and 10% set for commercial development.

U.P tops in PM2.5 emission

• According to an analysis by Council on Energy, Environment and Water(CEEW), Uttar Pradesh is the largest emitter of fine Particulate matter.
• The major reason for high emission of P.M2.5 in U.P is from solid-fuel use in house holds and because of its immense pouplation, Its emissions ranged from 588-976 kilo-tonnes per year.
• The list topped by U.P were followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal etc.
• It uses 5 data sources from emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research Centre(EDGAR), Evaluating the Climate and Air quality Impacts of short lived Pollutants(ECLIPSE), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis(IIASA), Regional emission Inventory in Asia(REAS), Speciated Multipoluter Generator(Smog).

Prime Minister distributes e-property cards in Madhya Pradesh

• Prime Minister has distributed 1.7 lakh e property cards to 1.71 lakh beneficiaries of ‘SVAMITVA’ in Madhya Pradesh.

About Svamitva Scheme: Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas(SAMVITVA) scheme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India.

It is aimed to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India, and for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS).

The scheme is currently being implemented in six states - Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

INTERNATIONAL

First anti-malarial vaccine approved by WHO

• For the First time World Health Organisation has given its sign and approved an anti-malarial vaccine named RTS, S/AS01, which was manufactured by pharmaceutical company GSK in 1987.
• The result for the vaccination showed reduction in severe malarial cases by 30%
• WHO has recommended that, children up to the age of two, in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions having moderate to high malaria transmission should get four doses.
• This decision to approve the vaccine was taken from a pilot programme which deployed the vaccines across the countries like Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi,  where more than two million doses of the vaccine were given.

Additional Fact: The most effective malaria vaccine discovered so far is R21/Matric-M. It has the efficacy of 77%.

This is the first vaccine which meets WHO’s goal of a malaria vaccine with at least 75% efficacy.

Noble price for chemistry awarded

• German scientist Benjamin List and David W.C Mac Milan were awarded the Noble Price for Chemistry for their work.
• Dr. Benjamin List discovered proline- an amino acid, It is a simple cheap and environment friendly.
• Dr.David Mac Milan found organic molecules those build all living things and have a stable framework of carbon atoms were excellent at catalysis.

UAE announced to launch a probe to an Asteroid between Mars and Jupiter

• United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced its plan to send a probe on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter for collecting data regarding origins of the universe.
• It will need to slingshot first across Venus and then Earth for gathering enough speed to reach an asteroid located around 560 million kilometres away.
• Only United states, Japan and european Union have completed a mission in an asteroid or comet.
• UAE has also planned to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in the year 2024.

UN-ESCAP and ADB asked asian nations to refrain from Trade restictions

• The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia(UN-ESCAP) and Asian Development Bank(ADB) jointly asked the asian nations to refrain from imposing trade restrictions.
• They stated that the protectionist measures had never been positive for global economy.
• They said countries implement digital trade schemes, average trade costs could drop by more than 13% .