Prelims Factoids
Khadi Prakritik Paint

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Khadi Prakritik Paint)
What's the NEWS

• An innovative new paint developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission has been launched

Khadi Prakritik Paint

• The eco-friendly, non-toxic paint, called"Khadi Prakritik Paint" is a first-of-its-kind product, with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties.
• Based on cow dung as its main ingredient, the paint is cost-effective and odorless, and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards
• Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms - distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint.
• The project was conceptualized by Chairman KVIC in March 2020, and later developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur (a KVIC unit).
• The paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others.
• It will be a boost to local manufacturing and will create sustainable local employment through technology transfer.
• This technology will increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco-friendly products and will generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas.
• This is estimated to generate additional income of Rs 30,000 (approx) per annum per animal to farmers/ gaushalas. Utilization of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains.

Khadi Prakritik Distemper & Emulsion Paints have been tested at 3 reputed National Laboratories

• National Test House, Mumbai
• Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi
• National Test House, Ghaziabad

Infrastructure Development
Kochi-Mangaluru LNG pipeline inaugurated

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline + about LNG) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development - energy)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister dedicated the 450-km long Kochi-Koottanad-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline built and operated by GAIL India Ltd., to the nation

Kochi-Mangalore natural gas pipeline

• The regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) has already been flowing from Kochi LNG Terminal of Petronet LNG to Mangaluru (Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd) heralding a new era in clean and green energy sector.
• The 444 km-long Kochi-Mangalore natural gas pipeline will deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) sourced from Kochi LNG Terminal operated by Petronet in Puthuvype, Kochi, India.
• Built in 2013, the terminal is South India's first LNG-receiving, regasification and re-loading terminal with a capacity of five million metric tonnes per annum.
• The natural gas is supplied as regasified LNG I (RLNG) through the pipeline of Gail Authority of India Limited (GAIL).
• GAIL's Pipeline is already supplying natural gas to MCF (Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd) and is expected to cater to 10 city gas distribution companies including OMPL and MRPL (ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd respectively) paving the way for domestic piped natural gas (PNG) connections to households.

Know! about Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

• LNG, a non-toxic liquid, is natural gas that is cooled to a liquid state at 1 about -162°C (-260°F) that shrinks the volume of the gas 600 times I smaller. That makes it possible to transport natural gas to places far I away from producing regions.
• It is turned back into a gas at regasification plants and then piped to distribution companies, industrial consumers, and power plants.
• LNG is now also emerging as a cost-competitive and cleaner transport fuel, especially for shipping and heavy-duty road transport

Know! about the Kochi-Mangaluru LNG Pipeline

• Launched in 2009, the pipeline has a transportation capacity of 12 million metric standard cubic metres per day.
• The pipeline will carry natural gas from the Kochi LNT terminal in Keralathrough Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts to Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka
• It will help India to achieve its target of 15% share of natural gas from current 6% and vision of "One Nation-one Gas Grid moving towards Gas based Economy
• It connects four lakh houses in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Coastal Karnataka region providing piped natural gas.

Know! about Petronet LNG Limited

• Petronet LNG Limited has set up the country's first LNG receiving and regasification terminal at Dahej Gujarat and another terminal at Kochi Kerala.
• While the Dahej terminal has a nominal capacity of 15 MMTPA the Kochi terminal has a capacity of 5 MMTPA.
• The company is in the process to build a third terminal at Gangavaram Andhra Pradesh.
• The Government of India in July of the year 1997 approved the formation of a Joint Venture Company (JVC) for securing competitive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply and for development of facilities for the import and utilization of LNG.
• The GAIL (India) Ltd (GAIL) Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) formed Petronet LNG Limited as a Joint Venture company.
• Petronet LNG was incorporated in 2nd April of the year 1998 to import LNG and set up LNG terminals in the country.
• The Company successfully commissioned India's first LNG receiving and regasification terminal at Dahej in February of the year 2004.

Prelims Factoids
Co-WIN app
Know! all about Co-WIN app

• The application is in pre-product stage being accessed by health officials who are uploading the data of the health workers who will get vaccines in the first stage.
• More than 75 lakh beneficiaries have already been registered during the dry run.
• The Union health ministry and the ministry of electronics and information technology jointly announced a challenge inviting participants to take part where they will have to strengthen the final app.
• As of now, the app can not be accessed by people and there is no self-registration going on. It is being only accessed by officials as the app was tested during vaccine dry run too.
• Once launched, the app will have four modules: User administrator module, beneficiary registration, vaccination and beneficiary acknowledgement and status updation.

Features of Cowin

• Automated session allocation.
• Aadhaar authentication to prevent malpractices.
• Creation of unique ID for willing beneficiaries.
• Reporting and tracking of adverse events after immunisation.
• SMS in 12 languages and 24*7 helpline
• QR code-based vaccination certificate.
• Digilocker integrated for data retrieval and sorting QR code-based certificate.

Prelims Factoids
m-RNA VACCINE BY PFIZER
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about m-RNA vaccine)
What's the NEWS

• Pfizer's BNT162b2 took 10 months from conception to approval and it is an m-RNA Vaccine, approved for use in humans for the first time.

PFIZER'S VACCINE

• This has been shown to be 95% effective in preventing COVID-19.
• It needs to be stored in boxes containing dry ice that are capable of staying at -70 Degree Celsius.
• Besides the UK, other countries such as Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and USA have approved the emergency use of the Pfizer Vaccine.

m-RNA VACCINE

• Vaccines work normally by priming the body to recognise and fight the proteins produced by disease causing organisms.
• Normally, an inactivated virus or live attenuated virus is used to prepare the vaccines.
• However, an m-RNA Vaccine uses messenger RNA or m-RNA.
• It prompts an immune response in the body.
• m-RNA Vaccine has synthetic genetic material. It carries genetic instructions which direct the cells to make viral proteins that prime the immune system to produce protective antibodies.
• m-RNA Vaccines are said to be safer than live vaccines as there is a risk of the virus reverting to a dangerous form with the live vaccines.
• m-RNA Vaccines are not likely to produce unwanted reactions.
• They can be made much faster than the traditional vaccines.
• The biggest problem is cost and the low temperature, which they are required to be stored.

NITI Aayog
Atal Innovation Mission launches new edition of Atal Tinkering Lab handbook

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook 2.0' + about ATL) + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog tlaunched its new edition of Atal Tinkering Lab handbook which reinforces detailed establishment and operational processes of the Atal Tinkering Labs and its journey towards an innovative ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.
• The publication coincides with the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, also celebrated as the National Youth Day to honor the birthday of Swami Vivekananda who voiced the important role that youth play in the building up of a strong nation throughout his life.

The Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook 2.0'

• The handbook named ‘The Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook 2.0' outlines a practical guidance on structural, selection, establishment and celebration aspects of the AIM's flagship ATL programme.
• It provides a detailed guidance for schools across the country on building a technically robust mechanism of grass root innovations through ATLs.
• ATL Handbook encompasses 3 years of on-the-ground work done by the AIM team in a framework using 4 key pillars of the ATL initiative - Selection, Establishment, Enablement, and Celebration.
• This Handbook is one more important addition to NITI Aayog's arsenal of quality Policy works, and is rooted with best practices in grassroot experiences and interventions."
• This book will be a one stop reference for all schools, mentors and innovators in knowing various aspects of Atal tinkering labs and leveraging the same.

Know! about ATL:

• An Atal Tinkering Lab provides a makerspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills.
• To foster entrepreneurship and innovation, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog has established over 7000 ATLs across the country so far enabling over 3 Million+ students between Grade VI to Grade XII acquire a problem solving, tinkering and innovative mindset.

Connect to. the Past
ATL App Development Module

• The Atal Innovation Mission of Centre's think-tank, NITI Aayog, has launched a free online app development course for school students across the country.
• Under the Atal Tinkering Lab initiative, AIM, NITI Aayog launched the ATL App Development module for India's young minds
• It is the online course intends to make mobile application-developers of school students under Atal Tinkering Lab initiative of AIM.
• The course has been jointly developed by NITI Aayog's AIM and Indian startup, Plezmo.
• This would be one of the largest App learning and development initiatives at a school level in any country.

Flagship schemes/initiatives of NITI Aayog
Atal Tinkering Lab

• In ATLs, students of class 6^th to 12^th acquire a problem-solving attitude, develop innovative solutions leveraging technologies like 3D printers, robotics, miniaturised electronics, IOT and programming and DIY kits, with support from teachers and mentors.

Atal Innovative Mission

• AIM is the 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 innovation ecosystem of the country.

Six major initiatives of AIM:

• Atal Tinkering Labs-Creating problem-solving mindset across schools in India.
• Atal Incubation Centers-Fostering world class start-ups and adding a new dimension to the incubator model.
• Atal New India Challenges-Fostering product innovations and aligning them to the needs of various sectors/ministries.
• Mentor India Campaign- A national Mentor network in collaboration with public sector, corporates and institutions, to support all the initiatives of the mission.
• Atal Community Innovation Centre- To stimulate community centric innovation and ideas in the unserved /underserved regions of the country including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
• ARISE-To stimulate innovation and research in the MSME industry.

Generation Unlimited

• Generation Unlimited is a new UNICEF-led global partnership that aims to ensure that every young person age 10-24 is in some form of school, learning, training, self-employment, or age-appropriate employment by 2030.
• It aims to co-create and scale up proven solutions related to secondary age-education, skills for learning, employability and decent work, and empowerment, with a focus on girls.

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