TELANGANA

• Google electrical map’ for uninterrupted power supply

• A mobile application christened ‘Google electrical map’ developed by the town-based line inspector of the Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TSNPDCL) Kilaru Nageswara Rao is likely to prove handy for the field staff entrusted with the task of providing uninterrupted power supply during the mega tribal fair to be held at Medaram in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district from January 31 to February 3.

• The App gained wider acceptance among the field staff of the TSNPDCL in Khammam town due to its multifarious uses that has simplified their task of locating faults and attending to repairs on electric poles and transformers swiftly.

• The TSNPDCL is toying with the idea of using the mobile App during the forthcoming tribal fair at Medaram to attend to technical defects and unexpected interruptions if any in power supply.

INTERNATIONAL

• WEF launches Global Centre for Cybersecurity
• In a bid to safeguard the world from hackers and growing data breaches — especially from nation-states — the World Economic Forum (WEF) announced a new Global Centre for Cybersecurity.
• Headquartered in Geneva, the centre will become operational from March.

• Cyber breaches recorded by businesses are on the rise. In the last five years, these have almost doubled to an average of 130 breaches per business in 2017.

• As a borderless problem, urgent action is needed to create a safe operating environment for new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, robotics, drones, self-driving cars and the Internet of Things (IoT).

• The global centre will be an excellent opportunity to safeguard verticals like automotive and health care where wireless connectivity is the key.

·        First India-designed vaccine passes WHO test

• For the first time, a vaccine conceived and developed from scratch in India has been “pre-qualified” by the World Health Organisation.
• The Rotavac vaccine, developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited last year, was included in India’s national immunisation programme. To be “pre-qualified” means that the vaccine can be sold internationally to several countries in Africa and South America.
• While several vaccines from India have been pre-qualified, this is the first that was entirely developed locally and, according to experts, is a sign that there is a credible industrial, scientific and regulatory process in place to develop vaccines in India.

  

• The Rotavac vaccine protects against childhood diarrhoea caused by the rotavirus and was built on strain of the virus isolated at the the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here over 30 years ago.
• India included the Rotavac in its national immunisation in 2016, with about 35 million doses delivered till date. A dose costs between ₹55-60, according to the company.
• Rotavirus is responsible for an estimated 36% of hospitalisations for childhood diarrhoea around the world and for an estimated 200,000 deaths in low- and middle-income countries.

NATIONAL

• AICTE releases new model curriculum
• The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) formally released its new model curriculum for engineering and technical courses reducing the credits to be earned for an undergraduate degree from 220 to 160.
• The time freed would be utilised for practical and creative activities, including hackathons.
• The top technical education regulator had also decided to make internships mandatory for the award of degrees, as part of the exercise.
• The internship would have a minimum of 14 credits. Each credit means 40-45 hours of work.

• Multiple chief guests, a first for Republic Day
• From a single leader gracing Republic Day, India has pulled off a diplomatic coup of sorts by having as many as 10 leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for January 26 this year.
• Just as the presence of U.S. President Barack Obama as the chief guest at Republic Day in 2015 sent
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