ASEAN Summit
Context :
Vietnam chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit held online. The discussions pertained to the impact of Covid-19 on southeast Asia.
- Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea joined the summit.
Key Points :
- ASEAN leaders have warned of the crippling economic cost of Covid-19 and called for trade routes to reopen to protect jobs and food supplies, as well as the stockpiling of medical equipment.
- The Covid-19 has ruined the region’s tourism and export-reliant economies.
- Vietnam has urged Southeast Asian leaders to set up an emergency fund to tackle the coronavirus.
- Existing Fears on the impact of Covid-19 on the Region:
- Limited testing in Indonesia has resulted in the lower number of cases — and under 400 deaths — for a country of 260 million.
- Health systems from Myanmar to Laos are widely believed to be missing the true scale of infections.
- A recent surge in cases in Singapore has raised fears the pandemic could rebound in places which had batted back the initial outbreak.
- The Thai economy, the second largest in ASEAN, is expected to shrink by 5.3% in 2020 — a 22-year low — with millions left jobless.
US approved sale of missiles worth USD 155 million to strengthen India
The US reaffirmed its determination to sell Harpoon air-launched anti-ship missiles and Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million to India. The aim is to enhance India’s deterrent capabilities against regional threats and to strengthen its homeland.
Highlights :
- In 2016, the US recognized India as its “Major Defence Partner”. This designation allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from the United States.
- The cost of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles is estimated to be $92 million. The estimated cost of 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and 3 MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are $63 million.
- The Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft to carry out anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes and enhance interoperability with the US and other allied forces.
Covid-19 Impact on Measles Immunization Program
Context :
According to the United Nations (UN), due to the Covid-19 pandemic, measles immunisation campaigns have been delayed in 24 countries and will be canceled in 13 other countries.
- The reason being that the healthcare workers are required to deal with the pandemic in countries where healthcare systems are inadequate.
Key Points :
- The coronavirus pandemic, which has necessitated many prevention measures including strict lockdowns, has kept infants from getting routine immunisation services from some other diseases such as polio, yellow fever and cholera.
- Countries including Mexico, Bolivia, Lebanon, Nepal and Chile are among others who have delayed their immunisation campaigns.
- Some of the countries currently amid measles outbreak include Nigeria, Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kazakhstan among others.
- According to a report in the journal Nature, the reproduction number for measles, which is the number of people who get infected by an individual who has the disease, is somewhere between 12-18, which makes measles the most contagious virus known.
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mass immunisation drives and routine vaccination for children are the key public health strategies against the Measles. Therefore, delaying the campaigns affects these strategies, potentially putting the life of thousands of children at risk.
- The WHO released an interim guideline for carrying out immunisation activities during Covid-19 on 26th March, 2020.
- It says if immunisation activities are negatively impacted during the pandemic, respective countries will need to design strategies for delivering “catch-up” vaccines after the outbreak subsides. Implementing this will require strategies to track and follow-up with individuals who missed getting vaccinated, assessing immunity gaps and re-establishing community demand.
- Further, it has advised that mass immunisation campaigns be “temporarily suspended” in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and that countries should monitor the necessity of delaying these campaigns at regular intervals.
source : economics times
Pool Testing of coronavirus
Context :
Uttar Pradesh became the first state to start the Pool Testing of the coronavirus samples as the number of COVID-19 positive patients reached 558. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) gave permission for pool testing to the state in order to help maximize the testing of samples on a daily basis. Pool testing is expected to boost the daily testing capacity of the state health department.
Pool Testing :
- In Pool Testing, if 10 samples are mixed and tested for COVID-19 and if they test negative, then it will be an indicator that all samples are negative. But if the test is not negative, then individual testing will be done.
- This will increase the testing capacity and accelerate the process.
- The health department of UP tested around 2000 samples per day in the state.
- The state has also commenced the telephonic consultation facility in UP under which the people can call on toll-free number 18001805145 and can consult with the doctors who have retired from the army and the government.
source : the hindu
Launch of CollabCAD in Atal Tinkering Labs
context :
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) have jointly launched CollabCAD in Atal Tinkering Labs (or ATL schools) to provide students experience in creating and modifying 3D designs.
Key Points :
- CollabCAD is a collaborative network enabled and desktop CAD (Computer -Aided Design) software system, which provides a total engineering solution from 2D drafting & detailing to 3D printing.
- 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file.
- 3D printing has been used to create car parts, smartphone cases, fashion accessories, medical equipment and artificial organs.
- Developed By: It is an initiative of National Informatics Centre (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), New Delhi, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Department of Atomic Energy), Navi Mumbai and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Department of Space, ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram.
- Rationale Behind Launch in ATL Schools: To provide a great platform to students of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) across the country to create and modify 3D designs with free flow of creativity and imagination.
- This software would also enable students to create data across the network and concurrently access the same design data for storage and visualization.
Atal Tinkering Labs :
- Atal Innovation Mission has established Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India. The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.
- Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
- AIM’s objective is to develop new programmes and policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy, provide platform and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders, create awareness and create an umbrella structure to oversee the innovation ecosystem of the country.
- ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills. Young children get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
- AIM provides grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.
- In light of the current situation (Covid-19), the ATL program has launched a ‘Tinker from Home’ campaign to ensure that the children across the county have access to useful easy-to-learn online resources to keep themselves fruitfully occupied.
souce : pib