July 21st Current Affairs

1. Nano urea.

IN NEWS:

Government making efforts to enhance the production of nano urea.

KEY POINTS:

• IFFCO has developed nanotechnology based Nano Urea (Liquid) fertilizer that aims to address the imbalanced and excessive use of conventional Urea.
• It further aims to improve crop productively, soil health and nutritional quality of the produce.
• Government is encouraging the production of Nano fertilizers in the country.
• The Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers Welfare vide notification No. S.O.884 (E) dated 24th February 2021 had notified for inclusion of any Nano fertilizer in Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) which will necessarily comply with the guidelines stipulated in the notification.
• Further, in pursuance of Clause 20D of Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare vide notification no S.O.885 (E) dated 24th February 2021 had notified the specification in respect of “ Nano urea (liquid) fertilizer” to be manufactured by M/s Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) in India for a period of three years.

SOURCE:PIB

2. CGETI.

IN NEWS:

Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Economic and Trade issues (CGETI) held on 12-14 July 2021, chaired by India.

KEY POINTS:

• For the year 2021, India is the Chair of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa). Of the various groups of BRICS, theContact Group on Economic and Trade Issues (CGETI) is responsible for economic and trade matters. The Department of Commerce is the national coordinator for the BRICS CGETI.
• Meeting of the CGETI was held from 12-14 July 2021.
• During the three daymeeting, the BRICS Members deliberated on the following proposalscirculated by India, for strengthening and increasing the Intra-BRICS cooperation and trade:
• BRICS Cooperation on Multilateral Trading System;
• BRICS Framework for ensuring Consumer Protection in E-Commerce;
• Non-Tariff Measures (NTM) Resolution Mechanism for SPS/TBT Measures;
• Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Working Mechanism;
• Cooperation framework for protection of Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions;
• BRICS Framework on Cooperation in Professional Services.
• BRICS Members agreed to take forward India’s proposals to finalise them before the BRICS Trade Minister’s meeting to be held on 3 September 2021, to be chaired by Shri Piyush Goyal, the Commerce and Industry Minister.

SOURCE:IE

3. Adarsh Smarak.

IN NEWS:

3 monuments of Andhra Pradesh Identified as “Adarsh Smarak” for providing additional facilities.

KEY POINTS:

• Three monuments of Andhra Pradesh namely

(i) Monuments at Nagarjunakonda, District Guntur

(ii) Budhhist Remains at Salihundam, District Srikakulam, and

(iii) Veerabhadra Temple at Lepakshi in District Anantapuram have been identified as Adarsh Smarak.

• Additional facilities to be provided at an  Adarsh Smarak include Wi-Fi, Cafeteria, Interpretation centre, Brail signages, Illumination etc
• Fort at Gandikota  included in Governement’s Adopt-a-Heritage scheme.
• There are 135 Centrally Protected Monuments/Sites in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Providing amenities and facilities at centrally protected monuments/sites and upgradation thereof is a continuous phenomenon.
• Conservation, Preservation and environmental development in and around Centrally Protected Monuments/Sites is taken up according to annual conservation programme drawn on the basis of need and priority.

SOURCE:IE

4. High Strength Beta Titanium Alloy.

IN NEWS:

DRDO indigenously develops High Strength Beta Titanium Alloy on industrial scale.

KEY POINTS:

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has indigenously developed a High Strength Metastable Beta Titanium Alloy containing Vanadium, Iron and Aluminium, Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al on industrial scale for applications in aerospace structural forgings.
• It has been developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a premier Hyderabad based laboratory of DRDO.
• These alloys are already being used by many developed nations in recent times as beneficial substitute for the relatively heavier traditional Ni-Cr-Mo structural steels to achieve weight savings.
• The excellent forgeability of high strength-to-weight ratio Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloy facilitates manufacture of intricately configured components for aerospace applications with potential for significant weight savings. Some of the components which may be forged from this alloy include slat/flap tracks, landing gear, and drop link in landing gear – among several others.
• The high strength beta titanium alloys are unique due to their higher strength, ductility, fatigue, and fracture toughness – making them increasingly attractive for aircraft structural applications.
• Furthermore, their relatively lower lifetime cost, owing to superior corrosion resistance in comparison to steels, is an effective trade-off to justify the use of this expensive material in India too.
• The DMRL has carried out raw material selection, alloy melting, thermo-mechanical processing, ultrasonics-based Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE), heat treatment, mechanical characterization, and type certification in active collaboration with several agencies.
• Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has identified over 15 steel components which may be replaced by Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloy forgings in the near future with a potential of 40% weight savings.

SOURCE:PIB

5. AMLEX.

IN NEWS:

“AMLEX” an oxygen rationing device, the first of its kind in India, have been developed by researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar. This device can reduce oxygen wastage by regulating the oxygen flow from the cylinder by a patient.

KEY POINTS:

• Developed specifically for oxygen cylinders, AMLEX synchronises the flow of oxygen of a patient. Thus by regulating the oxygen flow it reduces wastage.
• This device will increase the lifespan of an oxygen cylinder thus saving a lot of money for patients as well as hospitals. The demand for liquid medical oxygen increased four times to 2,800 TPD and with the second wave hitting the country it went up even higher.
• During exhalation, the oxygen in the oxygen cylinder or the pipe is also pushed out by the user along with the exhaled CO2. This leads to a large volume of oxygen wastage.
• Also, as there is a continuous flow of oxygen in the mask a large volume of oxygen escapes from the openings during the period between inhalation and exhalation.
• The AMLEX device will help in adjusting the flow of oxygen with the patient’s inhalation and exhalation and thus will help in conserving a large amount of oxygen in the reservoir.
• This device will supply only the required volume of oxygen to the patient during inhalation and trips when the patient exhales CO2 thus saving oxygen flow at that time.
• The innovators of AMLEX have said that they hope the device created by them will help in saving and reducing the wastage of oxygen and helps the patients as well as the hospitals in the long run.

SOURCE:PIB