06-07-06-21 Daily-Tamilnadu-TNPSC Current Affairs

When scientists across the globe sounded the alarm about new variants of the SARS-Cov 2, which they suspect carry mutations with a potential to offset vaccine efficacy, officials in the state public Health laboratory were busy drafting a proposal to set up a whole genome sequencing lab for the state.

If the proposal is cleared, the state will soon have its own lab to sequence genomic code of the virus by the end of June.

Information available with the public health department shows the most common strain seen in the state, like in most parts of the country, is the double mutant B.1.617, now named Delta.

TheDelta variantor B.1.617.2 strain, which was first detected in India, is more infectious than the Alpha variant or B.1.1.7, first detected in the United Kingdom, and is also the reason behind the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, reveals a study conducted by a team of scientists from different Indian institutions.

The scientists noted B.1.617.2 is capable of creating very fast-rising outbreaks, importantly with vaccination breakthroughs (infections after vaccination). We would re-emphasise that prior infections, high seropositivity and partial vaccination are insufficient impediments to its spread, as seen in Delhi, and strong public Health response will be needed globally for its containment

TheCentredisbursed around Rs 76,000 crore directly to farmersaccountswhile procuring wheat during the ongoing rabi Marketing season (RMS). While for the first timefarmersinPunjabhave received more than Rs 26,000 crore in their accounts directly, Rs 16,700 crore has been transferred to farmers accounts inHaryana.
Punjab and Haryana are the last two states to implement direct cash transfer of the minimum support price and with this now the online payment system has become universal across the country. The government has termed it One Nation, One MSP, One DBT.

The government has also revised the current wheat procurement target to 433 lakh tonnes, an increase of six lakh tonnes, as almost every state is reporting highest ever procurement. Last year the total procurement of wheat during the RMS was 390 lakh tonnes.

US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation has raised more than $1.2 million for coronavirus-related efforts in India.

With a record-breaking fundraising, US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation has shipped or en route nearly 120 ventilators and over 1,000 Oxygen concentrators.

Recipients have been Indian Red Cross, along with no-governmental and government hospitals in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh,, Jharkhand, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Gujarat,Karnataka, Chhattisgarh,PunjabandTamil Nadu.

The Centre has asked state governments to launch a special drive to identify nearly 1.97 crore poor, particularly from the and most vulnerable groups such as street dwellers, rag pickers, hawkers and rickshaw pullers, who can get the ration cards to avail highly subsidized foodgrain every month under the National Act (NFSA).

The ministry, in its Communication to all states, has cited that they can utilize the available coverage under the NFSA limits for this. Food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey shared the number of ration cards that the states and UTs can issue without breaching the ceiling fixed for each state under the NFSA. He said 14 states have a 100% coverage quota. The states have been deleting fake or duplicate ration cards to prevent leakage of highly subsidized foodgrains and also been adding new bonafied beneficiaries.

The government data show that out of the total 19.8 crore such transactions in the past 13 months,Biharregistered a maximum of 1.17 crore transactions followed by 91 lakh in Rajasthan, 42 lakh in Andhra Pradesh and 35 lakh Telangana.

The government has recognised 50,000 startups across the country helping them avail of benefits across a range of laws and regulations with as many as 10,000 getting a seal of approval over the last six months.

The pace of recognising startups has picked up after the department for promotion of and internal trade (DPIIT) tweaked the norms a few years ago, which also enable them to get fiscal and infrastructural support.

A startup registered with DPIIT, for instance, enjoys a simplified compliance structure, 80% reduction in the cost of filing patents, tax exemptions and can wind up its business within 90 days of its application to do so.

To be eligible for registration underStartup India, a government initiative launched in 2016 to bolster the domestic startup ecosystem, a company needs to fulfill several criteria, including being incorporated and registered in India up to 10 years from the date of incorporation and having annual turnover of not more than Rs 100 crore for the financial years since registration.