Nedumkayam 1st Digital Tribal Colony
- The Nedumkayam tribal colony at Nilambur in Malapuram District of Kerala has become the first cashless and digital tribal colony in the country.
- The training was completed with the support of National Service Scheme,volunteers of an Arts and Science College at Kondotty & Jan Sikshan Sansthan.
Gujarat Announces Biotechnology Policy
- Gujarat government has introduced the Biotechnology Policy- 2016 with the aim to establish Gujarat as a preferred destination for manufacturing of biotechnology products.
- Under this policy, state govt would provide capital subsidy up to Rs 25 crore on the total investment for developing a Biotechnology (BT) Park.
- The developer of such park will be eligible for 100% reimbursement of stamp duty
Scientists find world's most heat resistant material
- Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK have identified materials - hafnium carbide that can withstand temperatures of nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius, an advance that may pave the way for improved heat resistant shielding for the faster-than-ever hypersonic space vehicles.
- Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat and the The melting point of hafnium carbide is the highest ever recorded for a material.
World's first solar road opens in France
- The world's first solar road made with 30,000 square feet of solar panels has been opened in the French village of Normandy that is one-kilometre long road took five years and cost $5.2 million to develop
- It will be used for a two-year test period to check if it can generate enough energy to power street lighting in the village.
Flock launches world’s first chat operating system
- Flock has launched world’s first chat operating system”FlockOS” by Bhavin Turakhia, Flock CEO, a free instant messaging service for work and business environments.
- Flockos Developers can build apps by using Flock OS that provided a tightly integrated experience by using widgets. This OS provides setup slash commands, providing an additional option for users to interact with the app.
Google toilet locator app is launched
- In ordr to pish the Clean India campaign, an app—‘google toilet locator’ si launched that will also give a push to govt's Swachh Bharat campaign.
- The app was made available through a partnership between minister of urban development and Google.
- Toilets listing in 7 cities--Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Indore and Bhopal have been put on the app. 6,200 plus public toilets have been covered in 7 cities through the app.
- The app will have additional features such as cleanliness ratings, whether the toilet is of western or Indian style, or if it is free or paid. People across Delhi and NCR region have welcomed the development.
- NDMC area of Delhi is also open defection free. NDMC area is the first city to become ODF in NCT of Delhi.
- NDMC has been maintaining various public and community toilets called smart toilets through PPP mode. 2.5 crore toilets constructed In India in 2 years and more are expected in coming years.
Indian railway goes Digital
- Government is encouraging people to move towards less-cash economy. And every ministry and department is coming up with various methods to provide services digitally and thus Indian Railway has gone Digital by Adapting digital payment methodologies as Government is incentivising people to make digital transactions.
- Thus now people can book a rail ticket by just sending an SMS (without internet connection) and through website.
Govt mulls merging cyber tribunal with TDSAT
- As part of plans to merge some of the tribunals into larger entities to avoid identical functions, the government is looking to converge the Cyber Appellate Tribunal (CyAT) and Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).
- CyAT is proposed to be merged with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) and a Cabinet note to this effect will be moved shortly.
- CyAT adjudicates matter related to Information Technology and is seen carrying much significance at a time when the government is pushing for digital payments.
Goat with Superfine Wool Cloned in China
- The world’s first cloned goat bearing superfine cashmere wool was born in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
- The cashmere fiber from the goat is less than 13.8 micrometers thick.
- It is much finer than the average of 15.8 micrometers grown by the famous Erlang Mountain goats in Inner Mongolia.
Scientists Build Smallest Radio Receiver
- Scientists from the Harvard John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have created the world’s smallest radio receiver using imperfect pink diamonds by replacing a carbon atom with a nitrogen atom
- To change radio stations, an electromagnet is used. The electromagnetic field created by it is used to change stations.