Gist of The Hindu: January 2022

Gist of The Hindu: JANUARY 2022

Model Retail Outlet Scheme

  • Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited announced the launch of Model Retail Outlet Scheme and a Digital Customer Feedback Program called Darpan@petrolpump.

About:

  • Three oil PSU’s have joined hands to launch Model Retail Outlets to enhance service standards and amenities, across their networks, which serve over 6 Crores consumers everyday.
  • In order to keep pace with the rapidly changing consumer behavior and a view to offer a heightened customer experience in retail outlets, Oil Marketing Companies aim to benchmark Retail Outlet standards for ensuring standardized customer facilities through these initiatives.
  • The scheme involves an intense 5 Level evaluation process of over 70000 retail outlets in the country on a set of core service and facility parameters as well as standard of customer amenities e.g., clean and hygienic washrooms, customer centric innovative offerings etc. 
  • The Retail Outlets have been divided into 4 categories based on sales performance, facilities offered and their percentage of digital transactions at the point of sale in keeping with the Digital India imperative.

BBV154

  • Bharat Bio completes Phase II trial of intranasal Covid vaccine-name- BBV154.
  • It is a novel adenovirus vectored.

Benefits:

  • Other vaccines only produce antibodies, Intranasal vaccine produce antibodies as well as reduce risk of transmission.
  • Easy delivery- cut down syringe, needles etc.
  • Additional immune response- addition to the immunity in blood, it activates immunity of the cells founds in the tissues lining the nose and mouth and lungs.
  • Only small volume typically 0.1 ml will be required.

Barbados

  • Nearly 400 years after the country became a British colony, Barbados has become the world’s newest republic. 
  • The Caribbean island nation removed Queen Elizabeth II as the head of the state in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles.

Who took over as the new head of Barbados?

  • Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, who was selected to become the first president of Barbados last month, took over as the President of the country. 
  • There are no plans to change the flags, coat of arms, national pledge or national anthem.
  •  However, the terms “royal” and “crown” would be dropped from all official references. 
  • Hence, Royal Barbados Police Force will become Barbados Police Force and crown lands would become state lands.

History of Barbados as a British colony and after:

  • Barbados, which is said to have been made a ‘slave society’ by the British, first became an English colony when a ship arrived at the Caribbean in 1625. 
  • On November 30, 1966, Barbados gained its independence. Barbados, however, will continue to be one of the 54 Commonwealth nations.

​​​​​​​Great Green Wall Programme

  • Great Green Wall (GGW) is an African-led initiative with the UN Convention to combat desertification as a key partner. 
  • It aims to restore the degraded landscapes of the Sahel from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East (11 countries).
  • According to the FAO, for every dollar invested into land restoration, through the GGW programme, yields investors can expect an average return of$1.20.
  • Once complete, the GGW will be the largest living structure on the planet, 3 times the size of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

Green​​​​​​​ cement

  • After presenting its Concrete Future 2050 roadmap for net-zero concrete at the Glasgow meet, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) now has to act on its commitment.

Key highlights: 

  • The global industry body says it has already made proportionate reductions of 20 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions in cement production over the last three decades. 
  • The roadmap envisages an acceleration of decarbonisation to achieve the same reduction in just a decade.
  • It outlines proportionate reduction of 25 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 to achieve full decarbonisation by mid-century. 
  • The roadmap actions between now and 2030 will prevent almost 5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

About:

  • Green cement is an environmentally friendly product that minimizes the carbon footprint of cement production.
  • It is energy-efficient, incorporates low carbon production methods, new cement
    formulations, geopolymers, carbon-negative cements, and new concrete products.
  • Its production reduces cement intake, and its major raw materials include discarded industrial wastes like blast furnace slag and fly ash.

Type 1  Diabetes

  • Astern cell-based treatment for Type 1 Diabetes gives a promising result.

About:

  • Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
  • Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.
  • Different factors, including genetics and some viruses, may contribute to type 1 diabetes.
  • Although type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it can develop in adults.
  • Until now, type 1 diabetes has no cure.

Springshed Management In the Indian HimalayanRegion

  • NITI aayog has released a resource book for Springshed Management in the Indian HimalayanRegion.
  • Springshed management (SM) deals with revival and conservation of Himalayan Mountain Springs as they play a key role in providing water security to mountain communities.

Key highlights:

  • A National Springs Mission (NSM) will facilitate the improved coordination, efficient execution, and scaling up of springshed management initiatives in India. 
  • It can consolidate, converge and synergize the learnings and experiences of state government agencies, CSOs, and other stakeholders under one umbrella and help develop national or regional-level decision support systems for existing and upcoming practitioners.
  • Creating a national digital database on spring-related data collected by various agencies will improve ease of access and academic research. 
  • In addition, the data can be integrated into an online portal and facilitate open access sharing for all stakeholders, including the local communities.
  • Creating new and support for existing, state and national-level science-policy-practice consortiums will facilitate experience sharing, complementary knowledge generation, transfer, and capacity building of all stakeholders.

Draft Notaries(Amendment) Bill

  • The government proposes to amend the Notaries Act to restrict the number of terms a person can practise as a notary to allow more young legal practitioners enter the field.

Other provisions include:

  • Power to suspend the certificate of practice in cases of professional misconduct by the appropriate government for conduct of inquiry
  • Digitise notarial work undertaken by notaries.
  • The Notaries Act, 1952 was enacted to regulate the profession of notaries.
  • It empowers the Central government as well as State governments to appoint notaries who possess the prescribed qualifications.

Curtain  Raiser PANEX-21

  • A Curtain Raiser Event for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise, PANEX-21, for the member nations of BIMSTEC countries, was held at Kothari Auditorium DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi on 07 Dec 2021. 

About:

  • The exercise is planned to be conducted from 20-22 Dec 21 at Pune and will witness participation from subject matter experts and delegates from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
  • It aims to all the delegates of the member states to the event and urged them to utilize this opportunity to develop mechanisms for close transnational coordination to combat contingencies like the Pandemic in the future.  
  • It is also highlighted the importance of drawing Common Legal Frameworks and setting up Information Sharing Mechanism to facilitate defence cooperation between security and judicial agencies of the member nations.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

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