GS- 2 Paper
Topic covered– Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH)
Context
Cabinet approves merger / amalgamation of National Institute of Miners’ Health with ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health.
About
- The Union Cabinet has approved to dissolve National Institute of Miners’ Health (NIMH) and merge with ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH).
- All assets and liabilities and employees of NIMH will be absorbed in NIOH in the similar post/pay scale as the case may be and their pay be protected.
- NIOH Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW)
Impact of the merger
The merger of NIMH with NIOH will prove beneficial to both the Institutes in term of enhanced expertise in the field of occupational health besides the efficient management of public money.
Background
- National Institute of Miners’ Health was an autonomous Institute under Ministry of Mines (MoM).
- NIMH was set up by Government of India in 1990 and registered as a Society under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960.
- The registered office of NIMH is located at Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka and the Central Laboratory in Nagpur.
- The Institute conducts applied research in occupational health and hygiene and specializes in providing technical support services to mining and mineral based industry.
- The focus areas of NIOH include a vast array of areas related to occupational health which also includes occupational medicine and occupational hygiene.
- In the context of review of working and performance of autonomous institutes, Expenditure Management Commission recommended, inter-alia, that- “Organisations with similar objectives can be considered for merger to encourage synergy in operations and reduction in cost”.
- Accordingly, recommended merger of NIMH with NIOH.
NIOH
- The NIOH is the premier institute, under the aegis of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
- The National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, was established by the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi.
Vision
- To prevent and control occupation related health problems by creating a safer work environment through intensive research (basic/ epidemiological/ translational), development of appropriate technology for risk minimization and dissemination of knowledge generated by NIOH.
Objectives
- The National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) has been established with the following objectives-
- To promote intensive research to evaluate environmental stresses/factors at the workplace.
- To promote the highest quality of occupational health through fundamental and applied research.
- To develop control technologies and health programmes through basic and fundamental research and to generate human resources in the field.
GS -3
Topic covered-
Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane
- Cabinet approves Determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar season.
About
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is the body to determine the fair and remunerative price for carious crops.
- it has approved the proposal in respect of Determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar season.
- The FRP is based on the recommendation of the Commission of Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) as per its report of August 2018 on the price policy for sugarcane for the 2019-20 season.
Benefits
- The approval will ensure a guaranteed price to cane growers.
- The ‘FRP’ of sugarcane is determined under Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966.
- This will be uniformly applicable all over the country.
- Determination of FRP will be in the interest of sugarcane growers keeping in view their entitlement to a fair and remunerative price for their produce.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is one of the standing committees of cabinet constituted by government of india.
Functions
- CCEA is constituted to review economic trends on a continuous basis, as also the problems and prospects, with a view to evolving a consistent and integrated economic policy framework for the country.
- CCEA is deciding body to deal with the matters regarding fixation of prices of agricultural products.
- It also review progress of activities related to rural development including those concerning small and marginal farmers are in CCEA’s competence.
- It also deals with the price controls of industrial raw materials and products, industrial licensing policies including industrial licensing cases for establishment of Joint Sector Undertakings, reviewing performance of Public Sector Undertakings including their structural and financial restructuring.
- CCEA facilitates finalization of factual reports on the accomplishments of the Ministries, Agencies and Public Sector Undertakings involved in implementation of prioritized schemes or projects for evaluation by the Prime Minister.
- The CCEA also considers cases of increase in the firmed up cost estimates/revised cost estimates for projects etc. in respect of the business allocated to the CCEA.
GS-3
Topic covered– Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Radiation Technology for Sewage Treatment
Context
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has set up a Technology Demonstration Pilot Project “Sewage Sludge Hygienisation Plant” at Shahwadi, Ahmedabad.
About
- BARC in collaboration with Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Ahmedabad has set up a Technology Demonstration Pilot Project “Sewage Sludge Hygienisation Plant”.
- The plant loaded with 150 kCi of Co-60 was inaugurated in February 2019 and is in continuous operation since then.
- Another liquid sludge irradiator; Sludge Hygienisation Research Irradiator (SHRI) is operating at Vadodara for radiation treatment of raw sludge containing 3-4% solids since last 30 years.
What is Radiation Technology for Sewage Sludge Hygienisation?
- Ionizing radiation emitted by radiation source such as Cobalt-60 interacts with the critical molecules like DNA, proteins and water present in the cell and result in the inactivation of microorganisms.
- As a result of Irradiation, besides pathogens, other unwanted constituents like weeds, chemicals, etc. are also degraded, making the sludge safer for use.
- Based on microbiological inactivation, Radiation Technology is already established world over for sterilizing medical products, food safety and food preservation. Sludge hygienisation can be carried out in the similar manner.
- As per the established norms, the STP sludge should be hygienised before it can be applied on land to the users.
- Lime stabilization, heat pasteurization, composting, mesophilic and thermophilic digestion are some of the methods currently practiced.
- Treatment by these methods converts the sludge to “Biosolid A”, which does not invite several restrictions required otherwise for use of untreated sludge.
- The sewage sludge attractiveness to vectors e.g. rodents, files, mosquitoes, birds etc. which could transfer pathogens to other places and human.
- STP process and sun/heat drying reduce this factor.
- Irradiation ensures that sludge does not contain pathogens. Other solid wastes can also be hygienised using the process of dry sludge irradiation. An average radiation dose of 8-10 kGy is required to hygienise dry sludge .
Advantages of Radiation Technology:
The various Advantages of Radiation Hygienisation of Dry Sewage Sludge Process are listed below:
- Process is simple, economic, effective, reproducible and scalable.
- Easy to integrate with conventional sewage treatment facilities.
- Process is fully automatic to avoid manual handling of contaminated sludge.
- Based on the process of radiation sterilization which is well established world over and in India.
- Degrades chemical contaminants and makes sludge safer for use.
Benefits to the farmers/people:
Various benefits to farmers on using radiation hygienised sludge are:-
- Increased crop yield – direct benefit to the farmers.
- Improved soil conditions – soil conservation & restoration.
- Reduced health risks associated with sludge, reduces costs of health care system.
- Reduced demand of water due to higher water holding capacity of the sludge. The nutrient rich sludge, which otherwise is discarded, can be gainfully recycled for economic gain.
- Improved overall quality of life.
For Prelims-
New Space India Limited
About
- New Space India Limited (NSIL) is a wholly owned Government of India undertaking/ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).
- It is under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS).
- It is set up to commercially exploit the research and development work of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Centres and constituent units of DOS.
Objectives
NSIL has been incorporated to carry out the following roles and functions as part of its mandate viz.
- Small Satellite technology transfer to industry, wherein NSIL will obtain license from DOS/ISRO and sub-license it to Industries;
- Manufacture of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in collaboration with Private Sector;
- Productionisation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through Indian Industry;
- Productionisation and marketing of Space based products and services, including launch and application
- Transfer of technology developed by ISRO Centres and constituent units of DOS.
- Marketing spin-off technologies and products/services, both in India and abroad
- Any other subject which Government of India deems fit.
Significance
- NSIL was set up to meet the ever-increasing demands of Indian space programme and to commercially exploit the emerging global space market.
- The emergence of NSIL would spur the growth of Indian industries in the space sector and enable Indian industries to scale up manufacturing and production base.
Global Innovation Index-2019
Context
Commerce & Industry Minister Releases Global Innovation Index Rankings.
Highlights
- India jumped five places to improve its position from 57th last year to 52nd in 2019.
- The GII rankings are published every year by Cornell University, INSEAD and the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and GII Knowledge Partners.
- This is the 12th edition of the GII rankings of 129 economies based on 80 indicators ranging from intellectual property filing rates to mobile-application creation, education spending and scientific and technical publications.
- Switzerland remains number one is the GII index.
- It is followed by Sweden, the United States of America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.
