• Coal India's flagship subsidiary Northern Coalfields limited(NCL0 has set up a centre named "Science and Applied Research Alliance and Support"(SARAS) to promote Innovation, Research & Development and skill development along with improving company's operational efficiency and utilize resources at optimum level.

• SARAS will help and enable the company in Integration of Innovation and Research for enhancing coal production, productivity, and safety in mines.
• The company has set up a dedicated R&D Centre in collaboration with IIT (BHU) and have already commenced 6 varied domain projects worth ₹ 60 Million to facilitate this move
• The SARAS would also help establish centres of excellence to ensure technical support to R&D along with thrust on quality skill development and employment to local youths in and around company's operational area.
• NCL accounts for 15 per cent of India's coal production and 10 per cent of thermal power generation of the country is met by the coal produced by this Miniratna Company of Govt. of India. The company produces more than 100 million tonnes of coal every year. It has planned to produce 107 million tonnes of coal in the current fiscal.

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the fashion show + about TRIFED and Tribes India + about Suraj kund mela)
What's the NEWS

• A fashion show entitled "Naturally North-East: The Naga Narrative" curated by Mrs. Ritu Beri noted fashion designer and Chief designer of Tribes India and organised by TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs held at Suraj Kund Mela
• This fashion show showcased the Naga weave with modern touch and various other products from Northeast states.
• The event highlighted the culture of Nagaland through fusion attire mixed with their local beaded jewellery.

Know! about TRIFED

• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) came into existence in 1987.
• It is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India.
• TRIFED has its registered and Head Office located in New Delhi and has a network of 13 Regional Offices located at various places in the country.
• TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs aims to serve the interest of tribes through socio economic betterment.
• TRIFED has set up a retail chain known as Tribes India to buy the products from tribal and sell the same in market.
• This in turn is making tribal self-sufficient and providing them with better livelihood opportunities.

Know! about Surajkund Mela

• The Annual International Craft Festival is organised by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
• It was first hosted in the year 1987, and this year will mark the 34^th year of the Surajkund Mela.
• The fortnight-long festival is celebrated from February 1 to February 16.
• It engages visitors in traditional folk dances, musical shows, and even puppet skits.
• The Surajkund Mela 2020 will be celebrated in Surajkund, Faridabad, Haryana.
• Every year, each theme state constructs a replica of one of the popular monuments of its state at the in the Surajkund Mela Grounds.
• Himachal Pradesh is the ‘Theme State' of the 34^th Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2020.
• The state will present a replica of ‘Bhima Kali Temple'.

International
China Scientists Identify Pangolin as Possible Coronavirus Host

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Coronavirus and about Pangolin)
What's the NEWS

• The deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could have spread from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins, the world's only scaly mammals, which are prized in Asia for food and medicine, Chinese researchers said.
• The genome sequence of the novel coronavirus strain separated from pangolins in the study was 99% identical to that from infected people
• The research found that pangolins to be "the most likely intermediate host.

Know! about pangolin

• The pangolin is one of Asia's most trafficked mammals, although protected by international law, because its meat is considered a delicacy in countries such as China and its scales are used in traditional medicine
• Pangolins are listed under threatened in IUCN red list and have the highest protection under CITES
• The outbreak, which has killed 636 people in mainland China, is believed to have started in a market in the city of Wuhan, in central Hubei province that also sold live wild animals.
• Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another species.
• Earlier in 2002-03, when the SARS outbreak occurred, the virus transferred to humans from civet (a mammal). The sale of Civet was outlawed in China in the wake of SARS epidemic.

Prelims Factoids
Sakhi Centres
Relevance IN - Prelims (Know! about the objective of Sakhi Centre)

• One Stop Centre(OSC) scheme, popularly known as Sakhi Centres, is being implemented across the country since 1^st April 2015. As on date, 680 OSCs have been set up across 35 States/UTs.
• As per the OSC Scheme, OSCs are required to facilitate women affected by violence with a range of integrated services under one roof including police facilitation, medical aid, legal aid and legal counselling, psycho-social counseling and temporary shelter, and are to be located within 2 kms radius of the hospitals or medical facilities.
• The Government of India has approved setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTCSs) under Nirbhaya Fund across the country for expeditious trial and disposal of pending cases rape under POCSO Act, 2012 in a time-bound manner.

Defence
Bandhan, DefExpo 2020

Relevance IN - Prelims(about DefExpo and the important takeaways) + Mains ( GS III Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
What's the NEWS

• Over 200 partnerships involving Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs), Transfer of Technology (ToTs) , Product launches were concluded on the third day of DefExpo 2020, at ceremony tilted "Bandhan"
• In DEFEXPO 2020 during the MoU signing ceremony titled ‘Bandhan', DRDO handed over 15 licenses for ToT (LATOT) to 17 industries on DRDO developed technologies.
• The 11th edition of DefExpo 2020 being held at Lucknow is the largest of all the defence exhibition held so far.
• So far, the DefExpo has launched 13 products, 71 MoUs and 18 transfer of technologies. More than 200 agreements have been signed.

Know! some of the important takeaways
Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)

• During the course of the ceremony, a major announcement in the form of issuing the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) certificate of Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) was issued to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• LUH is designed and developed as a replacement for Cheetah & Chetak helicopters which are currently being operated by Indian Armed forces.
• LUH is a new generation helicopter in the 3-Ton class incorporating the state-of-the-art technology features which will meet the emerging needs in this class of helicopters in the coming decades.

Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) launched Sharang and Alpha Guns

• OFB launched "Sharang" the 155mm artillery gun with 36 km range and handed over a model to Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane.
• The Sharang artillery guns have been upgraded from 130 mm to 155 mm
• Upgraded 155 mm artillery gun Sharang was successfully test-fired at the Long Proof Range (LPR) of Ordnance Factory Khamaria in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh .
• The gun, ingenuously upgraded from 130mm to 155mm/45 calibre, has a striking range of 39 kilometers. Sharang Artillery is a heavy Range weapons to launch munitions
• These Artillery guns currently produced by kanpur based state-owned OFB (Ordnance Factory Board).
• OFB also launched JVPC Alpha gun with 100 mt range, Light Machine Gun of 800 mt range and UBGL - Under barrel Grenade launcher.

Know! about artillery guns in the Army

• The Army inducted its first modern artillery guns system in November 2018 after a gap of almost three decades
• These include M-777 Ultra Light Howitzers (ULH) from the U.S. and K9 Vajra-T self-propelled artillery guns from South Korea.
• The Army has the older, battle-proven Bofors 155mm guns in service.
• The 155mm Dhanush towed gun system, developed based on the Bofors guns by OFB, is under induction.
• In addition, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), a 155mm, 52 calibre gun, being jointly developed by the DRDO in partnership with Bharat Forge of Kalyani Group and Tata Power SED, is in advanced stages of testing.
• In October last year, the Army procured and inducted 155mm Excalibur precision guided ammunition from the U.S. which gives its 155mm artillery guns extended range and also the ability to hit targets with very high accuracy.

Know! about Ordnance Factory Board

• The Indian Ordnance Factories organisation - a family of 41 Ordnance Factories under the aegis of its corporate headquarters Ordnance Factory Board, Kolkata - possesses the unique distinction of over 200 years experience in defence production.
• Indian Ordnance Factories is the oldest and largest industrial setup which functions under the Department of Defence Production of the Ministry of Defence.

Amogha-3 and Varunastra

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), launched Amogha-3 the anti-Tank Guided Missile. It is a man portable fire and forget missile.
• BDL also launched Varunastra - the anti-submarine torpedo, manufactured under the technological guidance of DRDO.

Know! about BDL

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Defence was established in Hyderabad in the year 1970 to be a manufacturing base for guided missiles and allied defence equipment.

State Specific
First Disha police station

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Disha act)
What's the NEWS

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy inaugurated Disha police station in Rajamahendravaram city to address heinous crimes against women and children in Andhra Pradesh.
• He also launched the Disha app to help women in distress, and demonstrated how women can send SOS through the app which will alert the nearest police vehicle.
• It is the first of the 18 Disha police station promised under the Disha Act to fast-track the trials of crime against women, providing stringent punishment for rape crimes and others with conclusive evidence.
• While the state saw the first Disha police station set up within three months of passing the new law, the remaining police stations will be set up by the end of the month

Know! about Disha Act

• Disha Act is a state law passed by the government, soon after the brutal rape and murder of 26-year-old veterinarian in Telangana last year.
• Under the law, the investigation into cases of sexual offences are to be completed within seven working days from the time of record, and the trial must be concluded within 14 working days from the date of filing the charge sheet.
• The Disha law is designed in such a way that it awards the capital punishment for the convict in a rape case if the evidence is established during the 14-day of trial. The State ensures a fair investigation within seven days in the Disha cases
• The appeal against the sentence passed under the new law has to be disposed of within six months.
• Special courts in each district will take care of such cases. This is notably less than the four months' judgement period (two months each for investigation and trial) prescribed under the Nirbhaya Act of 2013 and the Criminal Amendment Act of 2018.
• Criminals will also be sentenced to two years' of imprisonment on the first conviction of cyber harassment and four years on repeated attempts.
  
  

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS