NATIONAL NEWS

India Launches Single-Window Portal for Medical Devices Management

India has launched National Single Window System (NSWS) to streamline the imports of Medical Devices.

It has been designed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

It will be a ‘one-stop-shop’ portal for importing medical devices in India.

It will facilitates applications for the certificate of registration and licences to manufacture or import medical devices for various purposes like clinical investigations, tests, evaluations, demonstrations, or training.

This portal will act as as a one-stop shop for all the approvals required by the investor and facilitates ease of doing business.

The NSWS portal, distinct from the existing SUGAM and cdscomdonline portals, has been developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

The existing portals will be disabled by January 15.

It will help investors to identify, apply, track and obtain approvals needed before starting any business operations in India.

India’s demand for medical devices is projected to reach $50 billion by 2030.

Maharashtra Approves Establishment of Maharashtra Drone Mission

The Maharashtra government has decided to set up the Maharashtra Drone Mission (MDM) for the use of drone technology.

The aim of the mission is to utilize drone technology for various functions, including security surveillance, disaster rescue and relief, delivery of emergency medicines and vaccines to remote areas, monitoring infrastructure projects, and traffic management.

A five-year implementation plan has been developed by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay.

The headquarters of the Maharashtra Drone Mission will be located at IIT-Bombay.

This move is expected to transform Maharashtra into a global drone hub.

The IIT-B report envisaged the use of drones for the delivery of medicines in an emergency as well as vaccines to remote areas.

The state government notified that the use of drones would be done under the Centre’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operation guidelines.

First Union Territory to Implement PM Vishwakarma Yojana

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has become the first Union Territory (UT) to implement the Prime Minister (PM) Vishwakarma Yojana.

PM Vishwakarma Yojana is an initiative to empower and enhance the skills of the craftsman community.

The training programme for the first batch of 30 trainees (Viswakarmas) in 'darzi craft' has been inaugurated at the Industrial Training Institute in Shopian.

PM Vishwakarma Yojana was launched by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to provide holistic support to artisans and craftspeople, including access to collateral-free credit, skill training, modern tools, incentives for digital transactions, and market linkage support.

The primary aim of the scheme is to recognize artisans and craftspeople through PM Vishwakarma certificates and ID cards.

The minimum age of the beneficiary should be 18 years on the date of registration.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MoU between India and Guyana

The Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between ISRO and MRIC regarding cooperation in developing a joint small satellite.

The agreement was signed between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) in Port Louis, Mauritius.

This MoU will establish a framework for cooperation between the two for developing a joint satellite and using MRIC ground stations.

Some of the sub-systems of this joint satellite will be adopted through the participation of Indian industries, which will benefit the industry.

This joint satellite construction will also prove helpful in ensuring support from MRIC from its ground station for ISRO's future small satellite missions.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

India will Remain the Fastest Growing Economy in 2024

The United Nations released its annual report, ' World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2024’.

WESP said India's economic growth rate will be 6.2% in 2024. This growth rate is highest in South Asia.

The Indian economy will remain the fastest-growing country in 2024, with a growth rate of 6.2 percent. India's GDP is expected to grow by 6.6 percent in 2025.

The estimated growth rate of the Indian economy in 2023 was 6.3 percent.

The Indian economy will help increase the overall growth rate of Asia and the world.

GDP in South Asia is estimated to grow by 5.2%.

The main reasons behind India's fast economic growth rate are domestic demand and the good performance of the service sector.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

CEO of Indian Olympic Association

Raghuram Iyer was appointed as CEO of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Prior to this he was the CEO of Rajasthan Royals.

His experience extends to prominent positions with IPL teams such as Lucknow Super Giants and Rising Supergiants.

Additionally, he has made contributions to ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League and served as the CEO of RPSG Mavericks, a table tennis team.

The appointment of Raghuram Iyer comes in response to repeated reminders from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This move aims to strengthen the administrative structure of the IOA and enhance its capability to navigate the complexities of international sports governance.

Executive Director of Asian Development Bank

Vikas Sheel was appointed as the Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila.

He brings valuable experience from his current role as Additional Secretary and Mission Director of Jal Jeevan Mission, contributing to India’s representation at this prestigious institution.

Smita Sarangi has been appointed as Adviser to the Executive Director at ADB.

Her expertise will play a vital role in India’s collaboration with ADB on important development initiatives.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India’s ISRO is to Launch GSAT-20 Satellite   

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a communication satellite on a SpaceX rocket.

Using SpaceX's services for the first time, ISRO will deploy its heavy communications satellite GSAT-20 through the Falcon-9 rocket in 2024.

This will be India's first partnership with a venture led by Elon Musk who also wants to expand his other businesses in the country.

GSAT-20 can enable telecom providers to offer very high-speed Internet services.

It weighs about 4,700 kg, much heavier than the launch capacity of ISRO’s most powerful rocket, the LVM-3.

For its heavier satellites, weighing more than 4,000 kg, India was dependent on European launch provider Arianespace.

GSAT-20 will address high-speed connectivity deficiencies in rural and remote parts of the country and also enable in-flight internet services.

Researchers Develop ‘Electronic Soil’ that Enhances Crop Growth by 50%

Scientists have developed an electrically conductive "soil" named eSoil, leading to a 50% increase in barley seedling growth in 15 days.

This soilless cultivation method, known as hydroponics, uses a root system that is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate.

The team developed an electrically conductive cultivation substrate, tailored to hydroponic cultivation, that they call eSoil.

The main advantage of eSoil is that it has very low energy consumption and no high-voltage danger.

As per the study, hydroponics cultivation will have a better growth rate due to electrical stimulation.

Aditya L1 Successfully Injected Into Orbit

ISRO reached its destination on 06 January 2024, India's first Sun mission, Aditya-L1.

Aditya-L1 is set to orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1) in a coronal orbit.

Aditya-L1 was launched on 02 September 2023 by PSLV-C57.

Aditya-L1 is the first space-based observatory-class Indian solar mission to study the Sun from a distance of 1.5 million km. It took approximately 125 days to reach the L1 point.

Aditya-L1 is also ISRO's second astronomy observatory-class mission after Astrosat (2015).

This orbit is also important because it enables the satellite to avoid eclipses. Here solar observations are made continuously without interference from the Earth's magnetic field.

Aditya-L1 mission is for a duration of about 5 years.

The primary objective of this mission is to study the solar atmosphere, especially the chromosphere and corona.