National Affairs
Gujarat achieves 100 percent Jal Jeevan Mission Target 2 years before the deadline
Gujarat’s 91.73 lakh rural households now have running and potable water connections through taps under the Jal Jeevan Mission
Launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2019, the mission aims to provide 55 litres of water per person per day to each rural household through household tap connections by 2024.
Other states/UTs to achieve 100% Target: Haryana, Goa, Telangana, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Puducherry, Andaman, and Nicobar Island
Veteran Assamese actor Nipon Goswami breathes his last at the age of 80
Nipon Goswami, a classmate of famous Bollywood Director Subhas Ghai, has acted in 50 Assamese films.
Border Road Organization uses Shredded Plastic in Road Construction
Border Road Organization (BRO) has carried out trials to extensively use shredded plastic in bituminous road construction in India as well as in Bhutan.
BRO has used the technology in resurfacing of various road stretches in India and Bhutan. In India, the technology was used to renew roads in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.
Tourists delight: Neral-Matheran Toy Train services resume after 3 years
The toy train service had to be cancelled in 2019 after several damages to the rail section following unprecedented rainfall. It took Indian Railway 3 years to upgrade the infrastructure and resume the service. The route will now have a Vistadome coach, Gabion protection, and Grouting of stone pitching beneath the track.
Indian Men and women cricketers to receive equal match fees from BCCI
After the decision, both genders will individually get ₹15 lakh for each test, ₹6 lakh for each one-day international and ₹3 lakh for every Twenty20 international.
Government makes it easier to genome-edit SDN-1 and SDN-2 category plants
The guidelines (SOP) lay out regulatory requirements and guidance for acceptable research and experiments – such as genome editing – on SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories of plants.
SDN 1 and SDN 2 category plants are those plants which are free from any transgenes and so some regulatory exemptions are provided to companies involved in the research and development of these varieties.
The move will streamline and propel the development of Genome Edited Plants in India. Just so you know, genome-edited plants can benefit us in more ways than one. Farmers will get seeds which are more productive and more resilient to the vagaries of weather and other calamities. This will reduce their cost and increase their income. It’ll also help the country economically and in matters of food security.
These SOPs shall be applicable for all organizations involved in research, development and handling of the Genome Edited Plants under SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories.
We can now hope to see more and more plant varieties with improved traits contributing towards increasing Farmer’s income.
