India’s first Heart Failure Biobank starts at SCTIMST in Kerala
The first Heart Failure Biobank in the country has come up at the National Centre for Advanced Research and Excellence in HF (CARE-HF) at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Kerala. The Biobank is open to study genetic, metabolomics and proteomic markers of health outcomes in heart-failure patients.
About the Biobanks:
- Biobanks are an important resource of collections of high-quality biological human samples that can be used to understand molecular pathways and to improve the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of heart failure.
- The biospecimens include blood, serum and tissue samples obtained during open-heart surgery and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and genomic DNA collected from heart-failure patients.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan;
- Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.
Suryoday Small Finance Bank opens ‘Health and Wellness Savings account
Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB) has launched a ‘Suryoday Health and Wellness Savings Account’ to help customers grow their wealth and also take care of their family’s health amid the covid-19 pandemic. The account offers an attractive interest rate and comes with three major benefits for a family of four — top-up health insurance of ₹25 lakh, annual healthcare package and on-call emergency ambulance medical care services.
Top-up health insurance and healthcare package are free of charge for one year after opening the account. Free ambulance service up to a distance of 20 km will be available at 102 locations across the country till March-end 2022. For opening the savings account, customers will need to maintain an average monthly balance of ₹3 lakh and have to be eligible as per the key health declaration form.
Key Benefits of health and wellness savings account:
- Complimentary top-up health insurance plan of ₹25 lakh with a deductible amount of ₹5 lakh.
- The top-up health insurance plan covers self and family (self, spouse, and up to 2 children) for hospitalisation/medical emergencies.
- Complementary health care package for up to four members, including free online doctor consultations, free health check-ups, online pharmacy vouchers, network discount card.
- Complementary ambulance services for a family in case of any unfortunate medical emergency.
- Attractive rate of interest on health and wellness savings account with interest payable monthly.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Suryoday Small Finance Bank MD and CEO: Baskar Babu Ramachandran;
Labhanshu Sharma wins Bharat Kesari Wrestling Dangal for Uttarakhand
Indian Wrestler Labhanshu Sharma won the Bharat Kesari Wrestling Dangal 2021 organised in Tamil Nadu. 20 years since the formation of Uttarakhand, Labhanshu has broken the drought and won the title of Bharat Kesari for the state.
With 15 gold medals at the state level and 10 medals at the national level and 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal in the International Wrestling competitions; Labhanshu is already set to bring glory to the nation.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya;
- The chief minister of Uttarakhand: Pushkar Singh Dhami.
SBI General partners with SahiPay to offer general insurance products
SBI General Insurance, one of India’s leading General Insurance companies, announced a tie-up with Manipal Business Solutions to increase insurance penetration in the rural markets. SahiPay, the fastest growing tech-enabled financial inclusion platform of Manipal Business Solutions, provides digital and financial services to customers in semi-urban and rural India.
About the partnership:
- This association marks a significant milestone for SBI General in realizing its vision of becoming the most trusted general insurer for India as well as Bharat.
- Through this partnership, SBI General will provide a bouquet of non-life insurance solutions to SahiPay customers.
- This partnership will bring in a perfect blend for rural customers, with SBI General’s non-life product offerings and Manipal Business Solutions, along with the right understanding of the rural segment by both partners.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- SBI General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai;
- SBI General Insurance Founded: 2009;
- SBI General Insurance CEO: Prakash Chandra Kandpal.
Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan gets Brunel Medal
Bhutan’s India-assisted Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project was conferred with the Brunel Medal awarded by the London-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The award was given as a mark of excellence in civil engineering within the industry and was handed over by the Indian envoy to Bhutan Ruchira Kamboj to the Chairman of Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority, Lyonpo Loknath Sharma. One of the reasons the Mangdechhu project was awarded was because of its social and environmental credentials.
About the project:
- The project will reduce 2.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
- Bhutan and India in the past have collectively resolved to increase the hydropower energy capacity of Bhutan to 12000 MW.
- The Brunel Medal is historically given to major projects and organisations across the world.
- The 2020 edition of the prize went to the Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project – a collaboration between Indian and Bhutanese governments. The award was announced in October 2020.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Bhutan Capital: Thimphu;
- Bhutan Prime minister: Lotay Tshering;
- Bhutan Currency: Bhutanese ngultrum.
2nd IEEE International Conference on Range Technology by DRDO
The 2nd Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Range Technology (ICORT-2021) is being held virtually. The conference has been organised by Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur, a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It was inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy. The event will host speakers from across the globe, who will present their technological achievements in multiple subjects related to Tests and Evaluation of defence systems.
About the conference:
- The conference will be a very effective platform for all the Range Technology enthusiasts to interact with each other and stay updated with recent developments in relevant fields.
- More than 250 technical articles were submitted by experts on the relevant subjects, out of which 122 articles have been selected by a specialised technical committee.
- A virtual industrial exhibition is also being held in which more than 25 industries and organisations from India and abroad will display their products and technologies.
Eurosport India appoints John Abraham as the MotoGP Brand Ambassador
Eurosport India has appointed Bollywood superstar and MotoGP enthusiast, John Abraham, as the India Ambassador for their flagship Motorsport property, MotoGP™. John will be seen promoting MotoGP to a wider audience base in India as its face through Eurosport’s campaign – “MotoGP, Race Lagate Hai”.
Eurosport India currently boasts of an unparalleled depth in global motorsports programming for the Indian motorsports fans with prestigious properties like FIA Formula 2 Championship, W Series, Nascar, Indycar Series and Bennetts British Superbike racing. Prior to the association, the actor has shared the stage with MotoGP legend “The Doctor”-Valentino Rossi and has frequented many MotoGP races.
Indigenously designed INS Vikrant leaves port for maiden sea trials
India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Vikrant set sail to begin its first sea trial. INS Vikrant was designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). This advanced warship is the first attempt by the two entities to build an aircraft carrier from the ground up. INS Vikrant has 75 per cent indigenous content and will be commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command. It will be commissioned into the Indian Navy by August 2022.
About the INS Vikrant:
- It is 262 m long, 62 m wide, and has a height of 59 m;
- It has 14 decks and 2,300 coaches;
- It has a top speed of around 28 knots;
- Its design is completely modelled in 3D.
Power minister launches e-certification programme to provide regulatory training
Power Minister R K Singh has launched an e-certification programme, ‘reform and regulatory knowledge base for power sector’, to provide regulatory training. The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh launched ‘reform and regulatory knowledge base for power sector’, an e-certification programme to provide regulatory training to the practitioners from diverse backgrounds through virtual mode.
R K Singh also launched a Regulatory Data Dashboard which is an e-compendium of data containing state-wise details of tariff and power discoms (distribution companies) performance, developed by IIT Kanpur. The Dashboard would assist in benchmarking the sector performance, over time and across the power sector utilities.
National Handloom Day observed on 7th August
India has marked the 7th National Handloom Day to showcase the legacy of the Indian handloom industry. The day is to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement and to celebrate our country’s rich fabrics and colourful weaves. The whole nation will mark the day to showcase the legacy of the Indian handloom industry and to honour the weavers across the country. It was first observed in 2015 by the Govt of India.
National Handloom Day seeks to focus on the contribution of handloom to the socio-economic development of the country and also increase the income of weavers.
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Bajrang Punia wins Olympic wrestling bronze medal
Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has won the Olympic wrestling bronze medal match after 8-0 win over Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the men’s freestyle 65kg category. Punia became the sixth Indian wrestler to finish on the Olympic podium after KD Jadhav, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Kumar Dahiya. This became the second instance after the 2012 London Olympics when two Indian wrestlers won medals in the same Games.
Neeraj Chopra wins Olympic gold medal in Javelin throw
Neeraj Chopra has won a Gold medal for India in the javelin throw event at Tokyo Olympics. With a throw of 87.03 metres in his first attempt, Neeraj killed the competition. In his second he improved it to 87.58m and that turned out to be the golden throw. Except for Viteszalav Veslay of the Czech Republic who threw 86.67m none of his rivals including world champion Johannas Vetter fell by wayside.
This is India’s 7th medal at Tokyo 2020, the best ever medal haul for India at a single edition of the Games. Neeraj Chopra’s Gold is also India’s second-ever individual Gold medal at the Olympics, after Abhinav Bindra in Shooting.
