National Single Window System
Why in News
• In a historic achievement, Jammu and Kashmir became the first Union Territory to join the National Single Window System (NSWS).
Key point
• This is a big step in the direction of Ease of Doing Business (EODB) i.e. ease of doing business in the Union Territory.
• NSWS is linked to the India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), which hosts 45 industrial parks in Jammu and Kashmir.
• This will help the investors to find the available plots in J&K.
• NSWS is a digital platform as part of the Government of India’s budget announcement for the year 2020, which acts as a guide for
identifying and applying investors for approvals as per their business requirements.
• The platform was launched in September 2021 by the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal.
• NSWS will eliminate the hassle of visiting multiple platforms/offices for investors to collect information and obtain approvals from various stakeholders.
• Twenty Ministries/Departments including Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have been integrated on the NSWS platform. At present, applications for obtaining 142 Central Sanctions can be made through the NSWS portal.
• The 14 states/UTs included in NSWS are Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
• The Know Your Approvals (KYA) module on NSWS guides investors to identify the necessary approvals for their business based on a dynamic intuitive questionnaire. At present, the module hosts over 3,000 approvals at the Center and in the states.
• Till date, there are 16,800 visitors to the portal, out of which 7,500 people have been provided KYA service. More than 1,250 investors are registered on the portal.
GS PAPER III
Technology platform to detect SARS-CoV-2 by fluorescence readout
Why in News
• A team of scientists has developed a new technology, platform for fluorometric detection of pathogens such as viruses by measurement of fluorescent light emitted. The potential of the new technology has been demonstrated for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Key point
• This technology platform can also be used to detect other DNA/RNA pathogens such as HIV, influenza, HCV, Zika, Ebola, bacteria, and other mutating/evolving pathogens.
• Viruses are a major global threat to human health, and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 continues to inflict catastrophic effects on all aspects of our lives.
• The unprecedented transmission rate of RNA virus has necessitated the rapid and accurate diagnosis to facilitate contact tracing (prevent spreading) and to provide timely treatment.
• Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, along with scientists from IISc (India Institute of Science), have demonstrated a noncanonical nucleic acid-based G-quadruplex (GQ) topology targeted reliable conformational polymorphism (GQ-RCP) platform to diagnose Covid-19 clinical samples. This work has been published recently in the journal ‘ACS Sensors’ and the team have also filed a patent for the novel technology.
• The present work demonstrated the first GQ-targeted diagnostic platform for SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples, based on a novel platform GQ-RCP. This molecular detection platform can be integrated into field-deployable isothermal amplification assays with more reliability and sequence specificity.
• The platform lays greater emphasis on deciphering and systematic characterization of a unique set of interactions in nucleic acids to attain stable and reliable noncanonical DNA/RNA targets. The RCP-based target validation is a general and modular approach for the development of noncanonical nucleic acid-targeted diagnostic platforms for diverse pathogens, including bacteria and DNA/RNA viruses.
• RT-q-PCR has been the gold standard for accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). Among the recent innovations on nucleic acid-targeted diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, the techniques such as RT RPA and RT-LAMP use general-purpose DNA sensing probes. This increases the propensity of false-positive results arising out of unbiased detection of nonspecific amplification products.
• Recognizing unique DNA secondary conformations can be a promising solution to achieve reliable readouts. The team has identified and characterized a unique G-quadruplex-based target derived from the 30 kb (kilobytes) genomic landscape of SARS-CoV-2 for specific detection of SARS-CoV-2. Unlike the other reliable diagnostic assays where the existing fundamental concepts have been repurposed, this work presents a completely novel strategy to target a unique, unconventional structure specific to the SARS-CoV-2 sequence using small molecule fluorophores (microscopic molecules).
• The team developed GQ topology targeted detection of SARS-CoV-2 derived DNA obtained after reverse transcription and amplification from genomic RNA in clinical samples.
• The GQ targeted detection was achieved by pH-triggered facile transformation of the amplified double-stranded DNA into stable GQs, which forms the target for detection with remarkable selectivity using a designed fluorescent dye which is a benzobisthiazole-based target-specific turn on called BTMA.
• Thus this study demonstrates a reliable strategy for fluorogenic organic molecule-based GQ-RCP platform to diagnose Covid-19 clinical samples and is the first practical demonstration of it.
• The team explains reliance on targeting unusual nucleic acid conformations in pathogens is an exciting approach to develop specific diagnostic assays with reliable read-outs.
• Molecular probes with superior conformation or sequences for specific recognition of nucleic acids would alleviate the challenge in existing techniques of eliminating false-positive detection results.
GS PAPER III
Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship in India
Why in News
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new partnership under the Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources (Prosperity) Initiative for the Innovative Delivery of Health Care, which is the second category and improve access to affordable and quality health care for vulnerable populations in tier III cities and rural and tribal areas.
Key point
• In 2020, academia and private sector stakeholders from USAID, IPE Global and the Government of India will collaborate with innovative rich to combine public and philanthropic funds with commercial capital to create and rapidly grow market-based health solutions. Developed mixed financial facility.
• This new partnership will enhance Samridh’s efforts to reach vulnerable populations, leveraging Atal Innovation Mission’s expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The Atal Innovation Mission will leverage philanthropic capital, and public sector resources and invest in healthcare solutions to remove barriers to business investment in affluent small and medium health enterprises.
• The agreement will provide an effective support for the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 and innovations in the healthcare landscape with the common goal to build health system preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks and health emergencies. will focus on.
• Mixed financing has the potential to redefine growth finance, enabling partnerships to ensure greater pools of affordable capital to grow businesses that deliver returns, both financial and social.
• Following the speakers’ introductory remarks, an informative and compelling white paper titled ‘Reimagining Healthcare in India through Blended Finance’ was released.
• The white paper is an overview of blended finance and its role in promoting healthcare in India, while examining how to implement mixed finance approaches, and the current challenges for achieving blended financing on a large scale.
• The event continued with a call for proposals from innovators and entrepreneurs working on high-impact health innovations in India, especially women-led enterprises, and the need to scale up mixed financing market solutions and innovations in the Indian health ecosystem. Concluded with a panel discussion on the need.
GS PAPER III
Google Chrome and Cyber Security
Why in News
• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) of India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has expressed the possibility of cyber-attack on Google Chrome users.
Key point
• With the advent of the Internet, many of our tasks have become easier. On the other hand, the world of cyber fraud has also grown in parallel with this.
• The rapid development of technology and Internet in the past years. At the same speed, the number of cybercrimes has also increased.
• Indian Computer Emergency Response Team has issued instructions to update Chrome browser immediately to avoid cyber-attacks.
• According to the report, if the Chrome browser is not updated, then hackers can gain control of the system by using arbitrary codes.
• Earlier this month, Google fixed a bug in Chrome 98.
• This official warning issued for Google Chrome users is for users using versions before version 98.0.4758.80 of Google Chrome. Those who may be using its earlier version, this warning has been mainly made keeping in mind the same people because it increases the risk of attackers.
• This threat may occur to users using the old version of Google Chrome. In a note issued by the government, it has been said that many problems have been found in the Chrome browser. Several critical flaws have been identified such as web app, user interface, screen capture, file API, autofill and developer tools.
• If users do not update the old version of Google Chrome, then the risk of cyber attack increases greatly and their personal information will be in danger, so the government has been advised to update this version.
• Google Chrome gets automatic updates in the background. However, if the update is not available, users will have to update Chrome manually.
• For this, users will have to go to Chrome and then About Google Chrome. Once Google Chrome is downloaded, the browser will need to be relaunched.
• In this way the latest version of Google Chrome will be completely installed.
GS PAPER III
International Space Station
Why in News
• America’s space agency NASA has recently prepared a plan to retire the International Space Station.
Key point
• It is planned to drop it in the year 2031 at a place called Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean. This information was given in a press release by NASA.
• Plans have been made to retire the International Space Station at the end of 2030 and drop it into the Pacific Ocean in an area called Point Nemo.
• NASA announced that after the next three decades, the private sector will handle the operation of future space travel and NASA will continue to cooperate in this change.
• NASA is ready to share its knowledge and experience with the private sector to help send safe, reliable and low-cost missions to space.
• NASA said in its statement that the administration of President Joe Biden supported the operation of the space station by the year 2030 and now the space station is ‘busier than ever’.
• The International Space Station is entering its third and most productive decade as an unprecedented scientific platform in microgravity, said Robin Gates, Space Station Director at NASA Headquarters.
International Space Station
• The International Space Station was first launched in November 1998.
• It has orbited the Earth more than 1,000,000 (one lakh) times.
• According to NASA’s plan, the International Space Station will start its journey back to Earth in October 2026 and will crash at Point Nemo in January 2031.
What is the International Space Station?
• Space Space station is also called orbital station.
• This is a station built by humans in space, where scientists do new research.
• From this station new information about the earth and sky is available. The space space station was launched on 20 November 1998.