The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken a significant step forward with the introduction of its ‘Knowledge Sharing’ platform. This platform, hosted on the NHAI website, facilitates the exchange of knowledge and best practices in several crucial areas including road design, construction, road safety, and environmental sustainability. The initiative aims to develop the highway infrastructure holistically by encouraging the use of innovative practices and eco-friendly approaches.
Encouraging Public Participation and Sustainable Practices
The platform allows experts and citizens alike to share insights, upload video clips, PowerPoint presentations, and PDF files for review by NHAI officials. The main aim is potential implementation of these practices in constructing National Highways. Notably, NHAI is encouraging the use of recycled materials like fly-ash and plastic waste, along with Recycled Asphalt and Recycled Aggregates.
Modernizing Infrastructure
This Knowledge Sharing platform serves as a medium for integrating modern elements such as tunnels, bridges, wildlife corridors, and expressways into India’s highways. It aims to engage a diverse audience and encourage collective efforts for achieving national highway development goals.
World Sickle Cell Day 2023
World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is observed globally on 19th June each year. This day brings much-needed attention to the sickle cell disease (SCD) and its widespread impact.
Understanding and Fighting Sickle Cell Disease
The theme for World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2023 is ‘Building and strengthening global sickle cell communities, formalizing newborn screening and knowing your sickle cell disease status’. This emphasizes understanding the genotype in infants and adults as the first step towards combating SCD. It also encourages leveraging advanced technology to determine an individual’s SCD status.
Treatment Options for Sickle Cell Disease
SCD is a chronic disorder characterized by chronic anemia, painful episodes, organ damage, and a significant reduction in life expectancy. Some common treatment options include blood transfusions to relieve anemia and reduce pain crises, medication like hydroxyurea to decrease the frequency of painful episodes, and preventive methods for long-term complications.
Approval of Indigenous mRNA-Based Omicron-Specific Booster Vaccine
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in India has reached a milestone in the fight against Covid-19 with the approval of an indigenous Omicron-specific mRNA-based booster vaccine GEMCOVAC®-OM, developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.
Features and Mechanism of GEMCOVAC®-OM
GEMCOVAC®-OM distinguishes itself by its thermostability, eliminating the need for ultra-cold chain infrastructure required by other approved mRNA-based vaccines. mRNA vaccines work by using mRNA, or messenger RNA, to teach cells how to trigger an immune response that then produces antibodies.
‘One Nation One Helpline’ Initiative for Childline Services
The Ministry of Women and Child Development in India has merged the Childline emergency counselling and distress helpline for children with the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) number 112 as part of the ‘One Nation One Helpline’ initiative.
Enhanced Efficiency for Child Helpline Services
This move is aimed at augmenting the efficiency of child helpline services by integrating them with other emergency services such as the police, fire, and ambulance departments. This service will be initially launched in nine states and Union Territories, with other regions gradually following suit.
Integration and Classification of Childline Services
Previously, the Childline services were handled by the Childline India Foundation and its partner NGOs, but they lacked interoperability with other emergency services. To enhance this, the Ministry has assigned the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing as the “”total solution provider”” to integrate the Childline 1098 service with ERSS 112. This integration will enable classification of incoming calls into emergency, non-emergency, or informational categories.
