Naval Dockyard develops low-cost device to screen people
Context :
Naval Dockyard (ND), Mumbai has designed and developed its own handheld Infrared radiation (IR)-based temperature sensor to screen people at gates.
The sense will screen a large number of Naval personnel at the entry gates of the yard reducing the load on the security sentries at the gate.
IR-based temperature sensor :
- The instrument was manufactured under Rs.1000 through in-house resources.
- The accuracy of the instrument is 0.02 deg Celsius.
- The non-contact thermometer has an IR and an LED display integrated with a microcontroller that runs on a 9V battery.
- The instrument will screen a large number of Naval personnel at the entry gates of the yard thereby reducing the load on the security sentries at the gate.
- The low-cost instrument has the capability to scale up production of these if required towards which sourcing of the components is in progress.
Reason :
Over 20,000 personnel enter the premises of the Naval Dockyard of Western Naval Command (WNC) every day. Inorder to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the yard and the Western Fleet, initial screening of the Navy personnel who enter the dockyard was very important.
The primary method to screen a probable COVID-19 infected person/patient is to check the body temperature by a non-contact thermometer. In the view of the COVID-19 outbreak, the non-contact thermometers and temperature guns have become scarce and are being sold at a very high cost in the country. In order to overcome the scarcity and requirement of large numbers, ND has designed and developed its own handheld IR based temperature sensor.
Source : pib
Mobile app to help people track spread of coronavirus
Context :
The Government of India launched “AarogyaSetu”, a mobile app developed in public-private partnership (PPP). The app is a part of the efforts taken by GoI to contain the spread of coronavirus.
AarogyaSetu :
- AarogyaSetu will enable people to assess themselves the risk for their catching the coronavirus infection.
- The app will calculate the risk based on their interaction with others, using cutting edge Bluetooth technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI).
- The app can be installed in a smartphone through an easy and user-friendly process and ensures privacy.
- The app can detect other devices with AarogyaSetu installed that come in the proximity of that phone. It can then calculate the risk of infection based on sophisticated parameters.
- The app will help the government take necessary timely steps to assess the risk of the spread of COVID-19 infection and ensure isolation if needed.
- The personal data that are collected by the app is encrypted using state-of-the-art technology and stays secure on the phone until it is needed for facilitating medical intervention.
- The app is available in 11 languages and has highly scalable architecture.
- The app has a unique example of the nation’s young talent coming together and pooling resources and efforts to respond to a global crisis.
source : pib
New E-NAM Features launched by the Agricultural Ministry
Context :
Government of India (GoI) allowed farmers to directly sell produce from premises of farmers producer organizations (FPO) and selected warehouses through electronic marketing platform Electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM).
Benefits :
- The aim of the move is to introduce a major agriculture reform that will decongest market place.
- The move by GOI will help farmers to sell produce at remunerative prices near to their farm gate without coming to the market place (mandis).
- The Centre launched the required software facilities to create a direct marketing channel alternative to mandis.
- FPOs and farmers can now use online facilities for transportation that can be tracked.
- It is being planned that eNAM will soon be expanded to 1,000 mandis from the existing 585 mandis across 16 states and two UTs.
- For this purpose following 3 modules, namely Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWRs) module in eNAM software, FPO trading module, Logistic Module has been launched to enhance the effectiveness of eNAM.
3 Modules :
- Under the Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWRs) module, the farmers can sell the products across the Nation to get better Price and at the same time can save themselves from the hassle of mandi. It will help the depositor to save the Logistics expenses and will have a better income.
- FPO trading module will help FPOs by reducing transaction costs (Transportation) and enhancing their bargaining power. It will also facilitate FPOs to avail online payment facility with ease of doing business.
- Logistic Module will help in seamless transportation of Agri produce. It will also promote inter-State trade under e-NAM by providing online transport facilities for distant buyers.
eNAM :
Founded on: 14 April 2016
eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural products in India. It functions under the Ministry of Agriculture, GoI. The Minister responsible for the Agriculture Ministry is Narendra Singh Tomar. The platform aims to facilitate the smooth marketing of their produce.
Source : pib
India supplied 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives
Context :
India supplied 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to Maldives, under Operation Sanjeevani as assistance in the fight against COVID 19.
Key Points :
- The medicines were delivered by an Hercules C-130J-30 aircraft of Indian Air Force.
- The medicines include influenza vaccines, antiviral drugs such as lopinavir and ritonavir among others as well as consumables such as catheters, nebulisers, urine bags and infant feeding tubes.
- Lopinavir and ritonavir have been used to treat patients with COVID-19 in some countries.
- In March India also dispatched a 14-member Army medical team to Maldives to set up a viral testing lab there and gifted 5.5 tonne of essential medicines.
DRDO develops bio-suit for medical practitioners who treat COVID-19 patients
Context :
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed a bio-suit for the safety of the paramedical, medical, and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from the deadly virus.
DRDO’s bio-suit :
- DRDO Scientists have used textile, coating, and nanotechnology to develop the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) having a specific type of fabric with coating.
- The suit was prepared with the help of the industry and subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters and protection against synthetic blood. The protection against synthetic blood exceeded the criteria defined for body suits by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
- The DRDO is to ensure that enough number of bio-suits are produced to serve the medics, paramedics and other personnel in the front line combating COVID-19.
- M/s Kusumgarh Industries is producing the raw material, coating material, for the production of the special bio-suit in large quantities. The complete bio-suit is manufactured with the help of another vendor.
- At present, the production capacity is 7,000 suits per day.
ICMR approves antibody tests for COVID-19 patients
Context :
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) provided interim approval on the use of rapid antibody tests for COVID-19 patients in the Country.
Antibody Tests :
- The Antibody test reveals if the antibodies were released in response to infection by the coronavirus in individuals who may not have shown symptoms of the disease.
- As per the approval, antibody tests can be carried out in hotspots zones suspected to have a widespread prevalence of the disease.
- The positive cases of the antibodies test will be made to do RT-PCR tests, which can reveal the presence of the virus. Once confirmed, the people will be quarantined at home.
- Companies that have CE-In-Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) approved kits can use them after proper approval from the Drug Controller General of India and an intimation to ICMR.
What is Antibody Test :
Antibody tests mean analyzing a patient’s sample, generally blood sample, for the presence/absence of a particular antibody or for the amount of antibody that is present. Antibodies are part of the body’s immune system. These antibodies are immunoglobulin proteins that protect people against such as viruses, bacteria, chemicals, or toxins. Antibodies are created to recognize a specific structure on an invading foreign cell or particle.
ICMR :
Formed on: 1911
Headquarters: New Delhi
Secretary & Director General: Dr. Balram Bhargava
ICMR promotes, formulates, and coordinates the biomedical research in India. It functions under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.