National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage

In News: The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister has approved the proposal of Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage’ for achieving manufacturing capacity of Fifty (50) Giga Watt Hour (GWh) of ACC and 5 GWh of “Niche” ACC with an outlay of Rs.18,100 crore.

Context:

  • Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC) are the new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.
  • Each selected ACC battery Storage manufacturer would have to commit to set-up an ACC manufacturing facility of minimum five (5) GWh capacity and ensure a minimum 60% domestic value addition at the Project level within five years.
  • Furthermore, the beneficiary firms have to achieve a domestic value addition of atleast 25% and incur the mandatory investment Rs.225 crore /GWh within 2 Years (at the Mother Unit Level) and raise it to 60% domestic value addition within 5 Years, either at Mother Unit, in-case of an Integrated Unit, or at the Project Level, in-case of “Hub & Spoke” structure.
  • The outcomes/ benefits expected from the scheme are as follows:
    • Setup a cumulative 50 GWh of ACC manufacturing facilities in India under the Programme.
    • Direct investment of around Rs.45,000 crore in ACC Battery storage manufacturing projects.
    • Facilitate demand creation for battery storage in India.
    • Facilitate Make-ln-lndia: Greater emphasis upon domestic value-capture and therefore reduction in import dependence.
    • Net savings of Indian Rs. 2,00,000 crore to Rs.2,50,000 crore on account of oil import bill reduction during the period of this Programme due to EV adoption as ACCs manufactured under the Programme is expected to accelerate EV adoption.
    • The manufacturing of ACCs will facilitate demand for EVs, which are proven to be significantly less polluting. As India pursues an ambitious renewable energy agenda, the ACC program will be a key contributing factor to reduce India’s Green House Gas (GHG) emissions which will be in line with India’s commitment to combat climate change.
    • Import substitution of around Rs.20,000 crore every year.
    • Impetus to Research & Development to achieve higher specific energy density and cycles in ACC.
    • Promote newer and niche cell technologies.

Amphotericin B – to fight Mucormycosis

In News:

  • A sudden increase in demand has been observed in some states for Amphotericin B which is being actively prescribed by the physicians to patients suffering from Mucormycosis, a post COVID complication.
  • Amphotericin B is an antifungal medication used for serious fungal infections and leishmaniasis. It is being used to treat patients with Mucormycosis in India.
  • The Government of India is therefore engaging with the manufacturers to ramp up production of the drug.
  • The supply position is expected to improve with extra imports of this drug and increase in its production domestically.

ICAI and QFCA signs MoU

In News: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA).

Context:

  • The MoU would enhance cooperation between the Institutes to work together to strengthen the Accounting profession and entrepreneurship base in Qatar.
  • The benefits of MoU are as follows:
    • It increases opportunities for members of ICAI  to provide professional services through setting up practice for providing professional services in the State of Qatar in the areas of assurance and auditing, advisory, taxation, financial services and allied areas.
    • ICAI   shall   also nurture and develop local Qatar professionals, entrepreneurs and students through a specialized training programme, in collaboration with QFCA.
    • ICAI and QFCA will work together to explore the opportunities for Indian businesses in Qatar by organizing roundtables, networking events etc., as the case may be mutually agreed.
    • ICAI and QFCA shall collaborate on opportunities that may arise in the fields of corporate governance, technical research and advice, quality assurance, forensic accounting, issues for small and medium sized practices (SMPs), Islamic Finance, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and other subjects of mutual interest.

PM CARES Fund approves DRDO’s ‘Oxycare’

In News:

  • PM CARES Fund has accorded sanction for procurement of 1,50,000 units of ‘Oxycare’ system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at a cost of Rs 322.5 crore.
  • Oxycare is a SpO2 based Oxygen Supply System which regulates the oxygen being administered to patients based on the sensed SpO2 levels.
  • The Oxycare system delivers supplemental oxygen based on the SpO2 levels and prevents the person from sinking into a state of hypoxia which can be fatal.
  • This system was developed by Defence Bio-Engineering & Electro Medical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bengaluru of DRDO for soldiers posted at extreme high-altitude areas.
  • The system is indigenously developed for operation in field conditions and is robust. It can be effectively used to treat COVID-19 patients.

International Nurses Day 2021 – May 12

In News: The International Nurses and Midwives Day 2021 is celebrated on May 12 every year to honor nurses.

  • Every year we observe May 12 as International Nurses Day along with the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
  • The celebration of International Nurses Day started in 1965 by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). This day is the birth anniversary of the famous Florence Nightingale.
  • The theme for this year’s International Nurses Day 2021, is Nurses: A Voice to Lead-A Vision for Future Healthcare.
  • Florence Nightingale:
    • She was an English nurse, social reformer, and statistician. During the Crimean war, she gained fame while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses, being the pillar of modern nursing. She brought a reputation for nursing and became an icon in Victorian culture.

Monkey Census as of Wildlife Census – Haryana

In News:

  • The monkey census was part of Wildlife Census 2021. The Wildlife Census 2021 was to be held in two parts — line transects survey within and outside the Protected Areas and census through camera traps.
  • The monkey census was conducted between April 28 and April 30 and was part of a larger Wildlife Census for Haryana-2021, which was halted later keeping in view the increasing number of Covid cases in the state.
  • An official of WII, Dehradun, and Haryana said, “At least 600 people documented at least 6,000 monkeys from their balconies and/or rooftops of their houses in Haryana. We had put a condition that the participants in the online survey will not venture out of their houses for the survey. The animals would be only observed from within the house”.

Axiom Space to Send the First Crew to the International Space Station

In News:

  • Outer space is rapidly becoming Outer Space, Inc., as the rise of private launch providers is making it increasingly easy to turn a buck in an industry that was once exclusively a not-for-profit government operation.
  • The commercialization of low-Earth orbit took a big step with NASA’s announcement that the space agency has inked a deal with Houston-based Axiom Space, in which Axiom will fly the first purely commercial crew to the International Space Station (ISS)—and pay NASA handsomely for the privilege.

Decentralised Triage and Emergency Response (DETER) Committees – Bangalore

In News: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has formed Ward Decentralised Triage and Emergency Response (DETER) Committees with the aim of managing the pandemic at the local level.

Context:

  • Each of the 198 wards in the city will have a control room and triaging centre to address the needs of residents.
  • Officials in each ward will work with residents’ welfare association, organisations, students, and volunteers to set up a ward control room, triage centre, and a micro COVID Care Centre.
  • The Department of Health and Medical Education will appoint the staff needed for the triaging centre, which will be operational 24/7.

Functions of WDCs (Ward-level DETER Committees):

  • WDCs will emerge as the first-point contact for those infected with Covid-19.
  • These committees will also be entrusted with the responsibility to provide timely and accurate information to citizens on appropriate actions and behaviours that need to be taken at each stage of the Covid lifecycle.
  • WDCs will also share information on triaging — the process by which the need of patients whether to be in home isolation or to be admitted to stabilisation centres, hospitals and then whether to access hospital beds with/without oxygen or ventilators is determined — and take appropriate steps to enable contact tracing and testing.
  • Those in home isolation will be supported in a bid to minimise the burden to hospitals.
  • Grievance redressal and escalate citizen needs, if any, and mobilisation of resources and essential medical supplies in the ward will also be carried out by the WDCS.
  • Universal vaccination in an efficient manner is another responsibility.
  • In an event of death, WDCs are expected to help families connect with the hearse van and the crematorium team (or volunteers at burial grounds)