HIMACHAL PRADESH
Himachal to start land-based fish farming using RAS technology
Himachal Pradesh will start land-based fish farming using Recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) technology under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to raise different varieties of fish throughout the year.
The RAS technology is a new way to farm fish under which fish is reared in indoor tanks with limited use of water in a controlled environment instead of traditional method of fish rearing in water reservoirs, open tanks, ponds and rivers. The regular supply of limited quantity of clean water is ensured at a controlled temperature and dissolved oxygen content that is optimum for growth in a closed and containment system. The method is ideal for fish farmers of the state during shortage of water in summer as farmer can supplement their income with little use of water through inland fisheries using RAS technology.
Under this scheme state will set up 15 fish ponds using RAS technology during next five years beginning from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Out of total 15 fish farms, five fish farms will be set up in normal waters in Una, Mandi, Kangra (Palampur and Pong dam) and Sirmaur districts and 10 in cold water fisheries under the RAS technology in Kinnaur, Sirmaur, Shimla, Mandi, Chamba and Kullu districts during next five years aiming at enhancing fish production and productivity in the state in an integrated and holistic manner .
New fish farms in the state under RAS technology will be set up in private sector and it is estimated that around Rs 5 crore private investment will be received for infrastructural development for setting up new land based fish farms under RAS technology in the state in next five years under PMMSY.
The state government will provide incentives to the private sector for setting up fish farms under RAS technology under which financial assistance at the rate of 40 percent to general category and 60 percent to SC/ST/women of the total unit cost will be provided to the entrepreneurs under the scheme.
RAS technology fish farms of Rs 50 lakh and Rs 20 lakh unit costs are proposed to be established in the state under PMMSY keeping in view of the topography and geography different regions of this hill state.
At present, fish is reared all the year around, although summers are most favourable for growth of fish. RAS technology is expected to boost fish growth all the year around irrespective of weather conditions.
INTERNATIONAL
Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez wins 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.
One half of the award has been given to Roger Penrose for black hole discovery; and the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez.
UK’s Roger Penrose has been awarded “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity”
America’s Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez have jointly won “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.
Emmanuelle Charpentier & Jennifer A. Doudna win Nobel Prize in Chemistry 202
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing”.
Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna have discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors.
Using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision.
This technology has had a revolutionary impact on the life sciences, is contributing to new cancer therapies and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true.
Charpentier published her discovery in 2011. The same year, she initiated a collaboration with Jennifer Doudna, an experienced biochemist with vast knowledge of RNA.
Together, they succeeded in recreating the bacteria’s genetic scissors in a test tube and simplifying the scissors’ molecular components so they were easier to use.
American poet Louise Glück wins 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature
The 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to American poet Louise Glück.
A professor at Yale University, Glück made her debut in 1968 with her collection titled ‘Firstborn’.
She won the prize for “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”
She is seen as one of the most prominent poet and essayists in American contemporary literature.
She has received several prestigious awards, among them the Pulitzer Prize (1993) and the National Book Award (2014).
Nobel Prize in Economics goes to Paul R Milgrom and Robert B Wilson for improvements to auction theory
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded jointly to Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson “for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats”
The award is officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2020.
The laureates in economic sciences are selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
The Nobel prize, which consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a cheque for 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.1 million, 950,000 euros), will be shared equally between the Laureates.
World Mental Health Day: 10 October
October 10 is the second Saturday of 2020 and is celebrated as the World Mental Health Day.
The objective of this day is to spread awareness about mental health issues and taking efforts in supporting those.
It also emphasizes what more needs to be done to make sure that talking about mental health does not remain a taboo in society.
This day is organised by the World Federation for Mental Health.
It is also supported by WHO, the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and United for Global Mental Health.
NATIONAL
National Postal Week: 9-15 October
The Department of Posts is celebrating National Postal Week from 9-15 October 2020, to mark the occasion of the World Postal Day.
World Post Day is observed every year on October 9.
Every year, the National Postal week is organised to generate awareness of the role and activities of the postal services among the public and media on a national scale.
The online campaign will be organised to create awareness about new offerings and availability of citizen-centric services in Post Offices.
National Postal Day : 10 October
In India, the National Postal Day is celebrated annually on 10 October, as an extension of World Post Day, which is celebrated on 9 October.
The Day aims to commemorate the role played by the Indian postal department for the past 150 years, which was founded in 1854 by Lord Dalhousie.
The postal services in India have given the best performance despite the diversity in culture, tradition and difficult geographical terrains.
Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win his 13th French Open Men’s Singles title
Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his 13th French Open and equal Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
For world number one Djokovic, the defeat ended his hopes of an 18th Slam and of becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four majors twice.
World number two Nadal claimed his 100th match win at Roland Garros against just two defeats since his 2005 debut.
In Women’s doubles, Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic retained their French Open title.
With this, Babos and Mladenovic, who were withdrawn from the US Open due to COVID-19 protocols, have now won four Grand Slam doubles title together.
Govt agrees to extend subsidy of 50 % on transportation of notified fruits & vegetables through Kisan Rail trains
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has agreed to extend a subsidy of 50 per cent on transportation of notified fruits and vegetables through Kisan Rail trains, under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total.’
The Ministry will initially provide ten crore rupees to operate the scheme, which will be deposited with South Central Railway.
Operation Green is being implemented as part of Atmanirbhar Abhiyan under the ageis of Union Ministry of Food Processing.
The first Kisan Rail train service on the Indian Railways network was launched on 7 August 2020. The train runs between Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in the state of Bihar.