October 15th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Ayurveda Day
2. Mahila Kisan Diwas
3. 78th EME Corps Day
4. Narcotics Control Bureau
5. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
6. Directorate General of Shipping
7. Zozila Tunnel
8. SCALE India Android App
9. Prelims Facts

1. Ayurveda Day

Context:

Ayurveda Day 2020 falls on November 13.

About Ayurveda Day:

• The Ayurveda Day is being observed every year from 2016, on the day of Dhanwantri Jayanti.
• The theme for this year’s Ayurveda day is “Ayurveda for Covid-19”.
• The objective of Ayurveda Day are:
  • To focus on the strengths of Ayurveda and its unique treatment principles.
  • To work towards reducing the burden of disease and related mortality by utilising the potential of Ayurveda.
  • To tap into the potential of Ayurveda to contribute towards the National Health Policy and national health programmes.
  • To promote Ayurvedic principles of healing in society.
• According to tradition, Ayurveda was revealed by Dhanvantari (also spelled Dhanwantri), the Hindu god of medicine.

2. Mahila Kisan Diwas

Context:

15^th October is observed as Mahila Kisan Diwas.

About Mahila Kisan Diwas:

• The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare set aside this day to empower women in the field of agriculture.
• The UN also observes 15^th October as the ‘International Day of Rural Women’.
• The main objective of celebrating this day is to create awareness and to encourage women farmers to take up different income generation activities in agriculture and allied sectors to enhance the economy of the nation.

3. 78th EME Corps Day

Context:

The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers celebrated its 78^th Corps Day on 15 Oct 2020.

About EME Corps:

• The Electronics and Mechanical Engineers Corps is responsible for providing integrated engineering support to the entire range of equipment and weapon systems of the Indian Army during the complete life cycle from design to discard thus enhancing the Army’s combat potential by exploiting the power of technology and innovation.
• The Corps has varying responsibilities related to the design, development, trial, inspection and refit of weapon systems and equipment.
• They also provide technical advice to units and conduct recovery operations in peace and war.
• The Corps also provides aid to civil authorities in emergencies or natural calamities.
• It was formed in 1943 and is headquartered in Secunderabad, Telangana.
• Its motto is ‘Karm Hi Dharm’.

4. Narcotics Control Bureau

Context:

Narcotics Control Bureau affected multiple pan-India operations wherein Mumbai emerged as a major destination.

To know more about the Narcotics Control Bureau, click on the linked article.

5. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Context:

India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP.

India and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP):

• India has been designated the ‘Vice-Chair’ of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of the Indian GLP programme.
• Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) is a quality system, which has been evolved by OECD to ensure that safety data generated on various chemicals like industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals (human and veterinary), agrochemicals, cosmetic products, food/feed additives, and medical devices, etc., can be relied upon by regulatory authorities.
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, established the National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA) in 2002.
• The non-hazardous nature of chemicals needs to be established through studies and data, which is examined by the regulators of the concerned countries to certify that the use of these chemicals does not pose any hazards to human health and the environment.
• In 2011, India became fully adherent to the Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) in the OECD.
• The MAD status has given global recognition to India’s non-clinical safety data by tremendously augmenting its credibility and acceptability across the globe.
• This has not only boosted the confidence of Indian GLP TFs but also led to the removal of technical barriers to trade.
• The dedicated training of the inspectors and continued capacity building of Indian TFs (test facilities) in emerging areas by the ground team of NGCMA has resulted in upgrading Indian TFs to meet international standards.
• The spectrum of activities of Indian GLP TFs is wide, involving eight types of chemicals/test items and nine areas of expertise.
• The National GLP program has not only helped to build a network of GLP TFs in the country but also created a huge quantum of highly competent human resources.

About NGCMA:

• The National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA) is the national body that grants GLP certification to TFs conducting safety studies on new chemicals of the above-mentioned categories in accordance with OECD Principles of GLP and OECD Council norms.

6. Directorate General of Shipping

Context:

Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) notified as National Authority for Ships Recycling.

Details:

• The Central Government has notified the Directorate General of Shipping as the National Authority for Recycling of Ships under Section 3 of the Recycling of Ships Act, 2019.

DG Shipping as the National Authority of Ship Recycling:

• As an apex body, DG Shipping is authorized to administer, supervise and monitor all activities relating to ship recycling.
• DG Shipping will look after the sustainable development of the ship recycling industry, monitoring the compliance to environment-friendly norms and safety and health measures for the stakeholders working in the ship recycling industry.
• DG Shipping will be the final authority for the various approvals required by the ship-recycling yard owners and State Governments.
• The National Authority of Ship Recycling will be set up in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The location of the office will benefit the ship recycling yard owners situated in Alang, Gujarat which is home to Asia’s largest ship breaking and ship recycling industry in the world.

About DG Shipping:

• The Directorate General of Shipping deals with the implementation of shipping policy and legislation and all matters relating to merchant shipping.
• DG Shipping’s mandate includes ensuring the safety of life and ships at sea, prevention of marine pollution, promotion of maritime education and training in coordination with the International Maritime Organization, regulation of employment and welfare of seamen, development of coastal shipping, augmentation of shipping tonnage, examination and certification of Merchant Navy Officers, Supervision and Control of the allied offices under its administrative jurisdiction.
• It works for the development of Indian shipping.
• The Director-General of Shipping is vested with statutory powers under Section 7 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.
• DG Shipping is a representative of India in IMO and all the conventions of IMO are being enforced by DG Shipping.
  • Under the Ship Recycling Act, 2019, India has acceded to the Hong Kong Convention for Ship Recycling under the IMO.

7. Zozila Tunnel

Context:

Work begins on the Zozila Tunnel.

About Zozila Tunnel:

• The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar Valley and Leh (Ladakh plateau) on NH-1.
• It will bring about an all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of Jammu & Kashmir (Now UTs of J&K and Ladakh).
• It involves the construction of a 14.15 Km long tunnel at an altitude of about 3000 m under Zojila pass (presently motorable only for 6 months in a year) on NH-1 connecting Srinagar and Leh through Dras & Kargil.
• It is one of the most dangerous stretches in the world to drive a vehicle & this project is also geo-strategically sensitive.
• This Project will make the travel on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Section of NH-1 free from avalanches.
• It would enhance the safety of the travelers crossing Zozila Pass and would reduce the travel time from more than 3 hours to 15 minutes.
• It will also be of great importance to the defence of the country, in view of the massive military activities taking place along our borders in Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan regions.
• Once completed, it will be the longest tunnel road in Asia.

8. SCALE India Android App

Context:

Leather Sector Skill Council launches SCALE India Android App for Enhanced Quality Assurance under Skill India Mission.

About the SCALE India Android App:

• The Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees (SCALE) India android app will cater to the needs of all the stakeholders of the skilling and employment ecosystem namely – candidate/trainee, employer, employee, assessor and trainer – all at one place.
• The services are accessible through the web and android application that virtually works on any smart handheld device, desktop/laptop, smartphones, tablets or phablets.
• Apart from providing end to end quality assurance across training, assessment, and certification services, the app will also help employers engage with other stakeholders seamlessly and provide a marketplace for human capital for the leather industry.
• SCALE will help candidates in the skilling ecosystem to get assessed and certified on their knowledge, skills and behaviour on a specific qualification pack.
• It also enables access to micro-learning modules for bridging the skill gaps that are identified and can be re-assessed and certified at the end of the learning on the specific qualification pack.
• It further assists the candidate to become a productive resource who is readily employable in the industry.
• The candidates can search for employment opportunities and connect with employers post completion of their certification.
• The assessments are currently available in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali, with plans to add more regional languages in a phased manner.
• From an employer standpoint, the platform will serve as a job portal with access to a certified talent pool of candidates to hire from, leading to an increase in productivity and profitability.
• The platform will also help trainers get complete access to all the learning and training resources required for effective delivery of standardised training for batches on schedule.

About the Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC):

• The LSSC is a non-profit organisation dedicated to meet the demand for a skilled workforce in the leather industry in India.
• LSSC was set up in 2012 as one of the key sector skill councils approved by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
• It caters to the training and employment needs of various sub-sectors in the leather industry such as finished leather, footwear, garments, leather goods, accessories, saddlery and harness sectors.

9. Prelims Facts

• The Union Education Minister virtually launched the ‘KAPILA’ Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness campaign on the 89^th birth anniversary of former President and Scientist Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
• 15^th – 23^rd October is being celebrated as ‘Intellectual Property Literacy Week’.

Read previous PIB here.

October 15th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here