FEBRUARY 2016 CURRENT AFFAIRS (PART-9)

• The Union Cabinet has approved the LIGO-India project (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory in India) proposal for research on gravitational waves. LIGO-India project is piloted by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• India’s leading private lender Yes Bank has been awarded inaugural Green Bond Pioneer Award at a ceremony held in London, United Kingdom. Yes Bank was bestowed with this award in recognition for its pioneering efforts in the Green Bonds market including successful issuance of India’s first ever Green Infrastructure Bonds. Yes Bank was the first Indian Bank to issue Green Infrastructure Bonds in India. It had issued India’s first-ever Green Infrastructure Bonds worth 1,000 crore rupees in 2015. Proceeds from these green bonds will be used to fund Renewable Energy projects including solar power and wind power projects.
• The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) has ordered Chennai based Geographical Indications Registry to issue ‘Geographical Indication’ tag for basmati rice. This GI tag will be issued to Basmati Rice variety grown in 7 states in the Indo-Gangetic Plains on the foothills of the Himalayas covering areas of the rice grown in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Western U.P. and two districts of Jammu and Kathua. At international level, GI is governed by World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). In India, GI registration is governed by the Geographical Indications of goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
• The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDT) has issued an order excluding software patents in its revised guidelines for Computer Related Inventions. The new order clearly mentions that, mere computer programmes those not in conjunction with a novel hardware will not be granted patent in India. The Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM) under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry is nodal agency that supervises the working of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) laws in India.
• The 13th edition of World Spice Congress will begin in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The theme of the three-day biennial event is ‘Target 2020: Clean, Safe and Sustainable Supply Chain’.
• India has ratified Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), 1997 which sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability. In this regard, India has submitted the Instrument of Ratification of the CSC to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and shall come into force after 90 days in May 2016.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Make in India Week at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Make in India Week is the flagship event that seeks to provide greater momentum to the Make in India initiative and to promote India as a preferred manufacturing destination globally.
• ‘Nagaland is changing, But…’ film has won the Golden Beaver Best Film Award in the institutional category at the 6th National Science Film Festival held in Mumbai. The film has been directed by Gurmeet Sapal. It has been produced by Nagaland State Forest Department and was made with the technical collaboration with TERI, New Delhi. The film is based on community conservation areas of Sendenyu village in Kohima district and Sukhai village in Zunheboto district of Nagaland.
• The Union Ministry of Railways has launched three IT enabled apps to bring transparency in Indian Railways on the sidelines of Digital India initiative. Three IT enabled apps are Hand Held Terminals for TTEs, Paperless unreserved ticketing mobile application and E-booking of disposable linen on trains.
• Scientists from National University of Singapore have successfully converted paper waste into green nontoxic cellulose aerogels. Aerogels are among the lightest solid materials in the world and are also one of the finest insulation materials available. Green Aerogels are ultra-light, non-toxic, extremely strong, flexible and water repellent. It is obtained by converting paper waste into biodegradable Aerogels which is a simple, cost-effective and fast method. It has low thermal conductivity and super high oil absorption capacity. Its fabrication process uses 70 per cent less energy and produces fewer polluting emissions into the air and water. It is ideal for applications such as oil spill cleaning. It can serve as heat insulation materials for buildings. It can potentially be used as coating materials for drug delivery and as smart materials. It can also be used in packaging industry as it is biodegradable and environmentally-friendly material. It should be noted that traditional aerogels are mainly made of silica which is not environment friendly process of manufacturing it.