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IIT Kanpur develops device to disinfect rooms in hospitals, hotels in 15 mins

New Delhi (NVI): IIT Kanpur has developed an Ultraviolet Light (UV) based device that can disinfect rooms in hotels, hospital and mall space in 15 minutes.

IIT-K has developed the Ultraviolet (UV) sanitising product named ‘Shudh’ that can be operated by a smartphone. The Ultraviolet Disinfection Helper has six UV lights of 15 watts each that can be individually monitored from a distance.

The device has been prepared jointly by J Ramkumar, Amandeep Singh. It can be run with bluetooth technology and can be rotated upto 360 degrees.

The device is adjustable and its lights can be used according to the room. For instance, if the room is large, then more lights can be used. IIT-Kanpur has claimed that ‘Shudh’ can disinfect a room in 15 minutes and can also be used to prevent infection in hospitals, hotels, malls, offices and schools.

The device is easy to operate and one can remotely control it by installing an android application, according to one of the engineers.

-ARK

NDRF evacuates 600 people in Bihar in wake of flood situation

New Delhi (NVI): The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has evacuated around 600 people in Bihar in the wake of flood situation in several places in the state due to heavy rains. Those evacuated have been taken to safer places.

“The flood situation in Bihar is still grim following the flow of flash flood water in Gandak and Koshi Rivers. As many as 21 NDRF teams have been pressed into service in 12 districts, taking people to safer locations and distributing relief materials,” the NDRF said in a statement.

“Today, the NDRF team deployed at District Gopalganj for emergency response conducted evacuation operations in the flooded areas like Manjha, Gopalganj Sadar and Sidhwalia blocks and at Sangrampur Block in Motihari district, evacuated approx. 600 people to safer places,” it added.

In the intervening night of 22 and 23 July, 4 people were marooned near Sikrana Bridge due to sudden increase of water level of River Sikrana in West Champaran District of Bihar. On intimation, NDRF responded promptly and safely evacuated all stranded persons.

In yet another incident, a country made boat carrying 8 people and 7 cattle swept away in the sharp current of River Gandak near Village-Puchhariya, Block- Sangrampur, District- East Champaran, Bihar. NDRF team pre-positioned there responded promptly and assisted boat sailor to reach to safer place.

A total of 127 teams of NDRF have been prepositioned in flood-affected states to tackle monsoon related exigencies. In addition to this, a 24×7, NDRF control room in New Delhi is closely monitoring the situation round the clock.

With the development of monsoon season, NDRF has placed its teams on alert mode in the vulnerable locations across the country. A close vigil is kept over the situation in various flood affected areas of the country. The battle with floods amid COVID-19 pandemic has made the fight more challenging for response agencies, the force said.

-ARK

Over 4 mn children affected by flooding in South Asia; 2.4 mn in India

(Pic: Twitter @LicypriyaK)

New Delhi (NVI): Out of the total 4 million children that currently estimated to be affected by devastating flooding in South Asia, 2.4 million are from India alone, with many more at risk as COVID-19 brings further challenges, the UNICEF said in a report today.

According to the UN body, weeks of torrential monsoon rains, widespread flooding and deadly landslides in Bangladesh, India and Nepal have affected millions of children and families. As a result, over 4 million children are currently estimated to be impacted and in urgent need of life-saving support, with many millions more at risk.

“Even for a region that is all-too-familiar with the devastating impact of extreme weather, the recent heavy monsoon rains, rising floods and continued landslides are creating a perfect storm for children and families affected,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and containment and prevention measures add an additional complication to the mix, as COVID-19 cases are accelerating in some of the affected areas,” she added.

Over 700 people have died and dozens are missing in across the four countries, with continuing reports of children drowning.

In India, over 6 million people across Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have been affected by the floods, including an estimated 2.4 million children, says the UNICEF report.

Though flooding at this period of the year is common, this widespread scale of floods during mid-July is unusual. At the same time, India has seen the daily number of COVID-19 cases crossing the 30,000 thresholds, as per the report.

UNICEF said that it is working with the Government and partners to respond quickly and effectively. UNICEF is also supporting the Government of Assam to implement the COVID-19 adapted relief camp management guidelines and Child Friendly Spaces in select districts, in addition to its focused support for maternal and child health service continuity and COVID-19 response in many states.

In Bangladesh alone, more than 2.4 million people are estimated to be affected by flooding, including around 1.3 million children. More than half a million (548,816) families have lost their homes. The flooding has come at a time when Bangladesh is still recovering from Cyclone Amphan, and its already stretched emergency and health response systems are working hard to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The country now has over 210,000 confirmed cases.

In Nepal, heavy monsoon rainfall has caused flooding and landslides across different parts of the country, impacting more than 20 districts, since 9 July. More than 100 people have died, 48 are missing and feared dead while 87 are injured. Over 10,000 people – half of them children – have been affected with an estimated 7,500 displaced from their homes. This same period has also seen a significant number of COVID-19 positive cases in Nepal.

In Bhutan, the monsoon rain has caused landslides across the country and is hampering transport and communication as the main highway and inter-district roads have been damaged. The flashfloods were caused by the overflow of the seven streams and tributaries to the Mao river. The water levels in the Mao remains very high posing significant risks for more flooding. The flooding has also caused damage to crops and a water treatment plant. So far four people have died because of the flooding.

UNICEF said that it is on the ground working in close coordination with respective governments and humanitarian partners to scale up its responses and support the immediate needs of affected children and their families, but the response is complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated containment and prevention efforts.

It said that measures such as physical distancing and handwashing need to be observed in order to minimize the risk of infections among affected populations, especially those in emergency shelters.

Many areas remain inaccessible due to damage to roads, bridges, railways and airports. The most urgent needs for children are clean water, hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease, food supplies and safe places in evacuation centres for children to play.

“The fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic is being compounded by climate change and extreme weather events and are arguably the biggest issues affecting children in South Asia right now,” said Jean Gough.

“Immediate support, more resources and innovative programmes are urgently needed to address the challenges that these threats represent to the region’s children,” she added.

-ARK

India, Israel to develop rapid testing to detect Covid-19 in under 30 secs

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): Israel will be sending a team of scientists to India to jointly develop a rapid testing technology that will be able to detect Covid-19 in less than 30 seconds, the country’s embassy in New Delhi said today.

The Israel embassy said that its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Health will lead an “unprecedented anti-Covid-19 cooperation operation” between the two countries.

“A special planned flight from Tel Aviv to New Delhi is set to carry a high ranking @Israel_MOD R&D team which has been working with India’s chief scientist @kvijayraghavan and @DRDO_India to develop rapid testing for #COVID_19 in under 30 seconds,” the Israeli embassy said in a tweet.

Professor Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan is the Indian government’s principal scientific adviser.

The embassy further said that merging Israeli technology with Indian development and production capabilities aims to allow a swift resumption of normal life alongside the virus.

It said that the team of scientists and doctors from Israel will bring along “breakthrough emerging Israeli technologies” for combatting the virus, which have been donated by Israel’s Foreign Ministry and private sector meant to bolster India’s response to the virus outbreak.

The Israeli plane that will take off from Tel Aviv will also deliver mechanical ventilators that were given special permission by the Government of Israel for export to India, the embassy said.

The embassy also acknowledged that the past few years have cemented the strategic relations between India and Israel and have included two historical visits of the Prime Ministers in Israel and in India.

“Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, PM Netanyahu @IsraeliPM & PM Modi @PMOIndia have held three telephonic conversations in which they promised mutual assistance in dealing with the virus & committed to joint technological and scientific research between the countries,” the embassy said in a series tweets.

“The Israeli companies chosen by the MFA, MOD and IDF to be sent to India are potentially given unique access to one of the largest economies in the world to provide monitoring and treatment technologies while significantly reducing contact between patients and medical staff,” it added.

It said that the Israeli technologies for rapid testing of Covid can be mass-produced at a lower cost in India and could in future be jointly exported to third world countries.

Apart from that, the embassy also appreciated India’s help during the first outbreak of Covid-19 in Israel and said that it is now reciprocating to New Delhi for the “significant gesture”.

“In the first outbreak of COVID-19 in Israel, India gave Israel special authorization to acquire medicine, masks & protective gear. Now, Israel is proud to reciprocate this significant gesture & grant authorization for purchasing of respirators to its great friend in the east,” it said.

“The unique cooperation between India and Israel has allowed both countries to better deal with the #Covid_19 threat and could potentially change the way we live beside the virus,” read another tweet by the embassy.

Israeli ambassador to India, Ron Malka said, “I am proud to lead this Israeli delegation to India. It is at times like this that our friendship is tested, and the State of Israel is happy to lend a helping hand to India in this complicated and difficult time.”

Israel’s Covid-19 tally stands at over 56,000 out of which more than 23,000 have recovered and 433 have died.

India’s Covid-19 tally stands at 12,38,635 out of which 7,82,696 have recovered and 29,861 have died, as per the latest health ministry data.

-ARK

India expects China to ‘sincerely’ disengage, de-escalate completely in Ladakh: MEA

Ladakh

New Delhi (NVI): India today put the onus on China for maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas by saying that it expects Beijing to “sincerely” disengage and de-escalate completely in Ladakh.

“As we have stated earlier, the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship. Therefore it is our expectation that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas at the earliest as agreed to by the Special Representatives,” External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said here during weekly MEA briefing.

The MEA spokesperson said that China’s behaviour has been in complete disregard of all mutual agreements on LAC issue. He was referring to the border skirmishes between the Indian and Chinese troops at several points at LAC this year and most recently the violent clashes in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

He said that several agreements concluded by India and China since 1993 firmly acknowledge that respecting and strictly abiding by the LAC is the basis of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

“In my statement of June 26th, I had noted that the conduct of Chinese forces this year, including the deployment of large body of troops and changes in behaviour, accompanied by unjustified and untenable claims, has been in complete disregard of all the mutual agreements,” he said.

Srivastava made it clear in strongest terms that India will not accept any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along LAC.

“We have also made it clear that India is fully committed to observing and respecting the LAC and that we will not accept any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to Ladakh, had said that the sacrifice of Indian soldiers who lost their lives in Galwan will not go waste.

Srivastava further said that the two sides have agreed during the conversation of the Special Representatives to work towards complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquillity.

“Both sides are engaged in discussions through the established diplomatic and military channels to achieve this objective expeditiously. I had informed last week that the 4th round of the meeting of the Senior Commanders was held on 14th July, where they also discussed further steps to ensure complete disengagement,” he added.

The MEA spokesperson said that another meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) is also expected to be scheduled soon.

The MEA statement on China also comes a week after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Ladakh where he said that India-China talks should resolve the border dispute, but to what extent, he can’t guarantee.

While addressing soldiers at Lukung post, Rajnath had also said that no country in the world can take away even an inch of land from India.

-ARK

Pakistan’s actions in Jadhav case ‘farcical’: India

Kulbhushan Jadhav
Kulbhushan Jadhav. (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Pakistan has indulged in “farcical” actions on the issue of Consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, India said today while highlighting how Islamabad failed to provide remedy to the death row convict as per the directions of the International Court of Justice.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava told a media briefing here that India has requested consular access 12 times over the past one year but Pakistan has so far not been able to provide an “unimpeded” consular access.

Giving details, he said the meeting of Indian Consular Officers with Jadhav on July 16 was scuttled by Pakistan authorities as the Consular Officers were instructed not to hand over any document to the imprisoned Indian.

Hence, the Indian Consular Officers could not obtain a Power of Attorney from Jadhav, the spokesman said.

Similarly, India has repeatedly requested Pakistan for relevant documents related to the case of Jadhav and in response, it was told that the relevant documents could be handed over only to an authorised Pakistani lawyer.

“Thereafter, India appointed a Pakistani lawyer to obtain the relevant documents. To our surprise, as advised by the Pakistani authorities, when the authorised Pakistani lawyer approached the concerned authorities, they declined to handover the documents to the lawyer,” Srivastava said.

“In the absence of an unimpeded and unhindered consular access as well as of the relevant documents, as a last resort, India tried to file a petition on 18 July. However, our Pakistani lawyer informed that a review petition could not be filed in the absence of power of attorney and supporting documents related to the case of Shri Jadhav,” he said.

While detailing the “farcical” actions, he said, Pakistan also created confusion over the last date of filing a petition. Initially, they indicated that a petition has to be filed by no later than 19 July. Subsequently, Pakistan indicated that the time limit to file a review petition shall expire on 20 July.

“Knowing the inadequacies and shortcomings in the Ordinance, India had already shared its concerns in June 2020, including a considerable delay in informing India about its promulgation, with the Pakistan authorities. Pakistan took two weeks to inform us about this Ordinance and shared the copy of the Ordinance only after India requested the same.”

The MEA spokesman said India has conveyed to Pakistan that the Ordinance neither fulfils nor gives complete weight to last year’s judgment of the ICJ.

“With regards to the Ordinance, it seems, Pakistan was non-serious in its approach and was not interested in implementing the judgment of the ICJ in letter and spirit. It has blocked all the avenues for an effective remedy available for India,” Srivastava said.

“The whole exercise of not providing any documents related to the case even after repeated requests, not providing an unimpeded consular access and some reported unilateral action of approaching the HC on part of Pakistan again exposes the farcical nature of Pakistan’s approach,” he said.

The spokesman said Pakistan “is not only in violation of the judgment of ICJ, but also of its own Ordinance. Pakistan has completely failed to provide the remedy as directed by the ICJ and India reserves its position in the matter, including its rights to avail of further remedies.”

Army recovers huge cache of arms, ammo along LoC in J&K’s Baramulla

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The Indian Army today recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition during a search operation launched near the Line of Control (LoC) in Hathalanga area of Rampur sector in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar-Corps said in a tweet that an input was received regarding weapon drop near LoC and a search operation was launched after that.

“On 22 July 2020 late evening, input was received regarding likely weapon drop along the Line of Control ahead of AIOS. On this basis, a search operation was launched along the Line of Control in Hathlanga, Rampur Sector, #Baramulla district,” the tweet read.

During the search operation, a weapon cache was discovered. Recoveries include one AK-47 rifle with magazines, five Chinese pistols with magazines, 24 grenades and other warlike stores, the defence sources said.

They said that expert teams are at the spot to find out how the arms cache reached the spot and who was assigned to receive the consignment. “It seems that a fresh consignment of weapons was supposed to be received by a group which has sneaked in or was about to infiltrate,” they said.

They said a heightened vigil is being maintained across LoC in Uri area, especially Rampur sector, to foil any possible infiltration bid.

-ARK

300 mn tonnes of plastic waste each year, 8 mn tonnes end up in ocean: UNEP

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): At least 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced by the entire humanity each year, of which about 8 million tonnes end up in the ocean, according to a UN environment programme (UNEP) report.

In the last 50 years, plastic production has increased more than 22 times as per the report. Yet in 2015, only an estimated 9 per cent of plastics were recycled.

Plastics are part of modern life but when not properly managed, they harm human health, biodiversity and ecosystem services. The problem of plastic pollution has been growing, and the costs mounting, particularly for the marine environment, says UNEP in its report.

In 2015, the estimated damage to fisheries and aquaculture, marine transport, shipbuilding and marine tourism from marine debris for Asia-Pacific economic cooperation countries was USD 11.2 billion, the report said.

There has been a growing action, including bans on single-use plastic products. However, with investments of around USD 180 billion over the last decade in plastics production facilities, and COVID-19 causing a resurgence in single-use plastic products, the challenge is back.

Marine litter is a pollutant without borders, therefore, it needs a common approach to a common cause: the unsustainable consumption and production of plastic.

For keeping the oceans plastic free, UNEP is involved in several partnerships including the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, with over 200 members.

Apart from that, UNEP is involved in partnership with United Nations Environment Assembly, which will meet next year to advance action on marine litter, addressing plastic products pollution and other issues.

Another point is that the industry must take more responsibility for managing the plastic waste before it ends up in oceans. This can be done by bringing new tools and business models aimed at cutting unnecessary and problematic plastic use and keeping the plastic we need within the economy at its highest value.

We also need to manage COVID-19 plastic waste. According to the World Health Organization, every month, the world needs 89 million plastic medical masks, 76 million plastic examination masks and 1.6 million plastic protective goggles. Meanwhile, we have seen the halting or reversal of policies aimed at reducing single-use plastic products.

-RJV/ARK

New GST e-invoicing scheme for businesses with Rs 500 cr turnover from Oct 1: CBIC

GST

New Delhi (NVI): To further streamline the GST filing process, the Government has decided to implement a new GST e-invoice scheme under which businesses with a turnover of Rs 500 crore and above will generate all invoices on a centralised portal from October 1, a CBIC official said today.

The decision was announced by CBIC Principal Commissioner (GST) Yogendra Garg in an ‘ASSOCHAM e-Conclave on 3 years of GST – Further streamline needed?’

“The QR codes are definitely not happening on October 1 but the e-invoice schema and 500 crore turnover related notification should be out by next week and the industry can start working on as everything is ready, the FAQs, the circular etc will be issued at the earliest,” said Garg.

He further stated that CBIC would improve the existing GST return filing system instead of rolling out a new model.

Sharing his views on the industry’s suggestion about the need for training the officers, Garg stated, “We are constantly endeavoring to gain from strengths of both central and state officers and those getting transferred, so there is a plan going forward in the new year to ensure that there is more interaction to gain from each other’s strengths and make it a better experience for taxpayers.”

Noting that the government’s endeavour is to make the life simpler for the taxpayer and has been reactive and sensitive to trade requirements, he added, “There are challenges ahead but rest-assured, the whole idea is to keep it as simple as possible and focus is on improving compliance mechanism, making it further simple and bring the costs down.”

Garg however lamented about lack of communication with industry and urged to keep communication channels open so that the policy wing keeps getting to know as to what is required and expected.

Pratik Jain, Chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Indirect Taxes suggested to hold discussions every month to highlight industrial issues and also suggested creating a forum for regular interaction between the Government and Trade.

In addition to this, while addressing the ASSOCHAM e-conclave, Chief Executive Officer, GSTN (Goods and Services Tax Network), Prakash Kumar said, “We are happy that in the last three years we have been able to have a system where more than 47 crore returns have been filed, more than Rs 25 lakh crore worth payments have been made in 14.23 crore transactions, and more than 128 crore e-way bills have been generated.”

-CHK/ARK

Indian Navy’s largest solar plant commissioned in Ezhimala

Solar Power Plant (Representative Pic)

New Delhi (NVI): The largest Solar Power Plant of the Indian Navy, with a capacity of 3-megawatt (MW) was commissioned yesterday at the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala, the Indian Navy said.

Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command commissioned the plant through virtual conferencing.

The plant, is in line with the government’s ‘National Solar Mission’ to achieve 100 GW of solar power by 2022, is the largest in the Indian Navy with an estimated life of 25 years, said press release issued by Navy.

All components have been indigeneously sourced, including 9,180 highly efficient monocrystalline solar panels employing the latest technology, it added.

The project has been executed by Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KELTRON).

Despite heavy monsoons and restrictions due to COVID-19, all concerned agencies including Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) continued work on the project adhering to all guidelines and protocols against COVID-19 and executed the work in a timebound manner, the release said.

However, the solar power plant will also help the Ezhimala academy in reducing the carbon footprint and it is one of the many initiatives undertaken by INA towards a clean and green environment. While the surplus power generated will also feed the KSEB electricity grid.

-RJV

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