Why in news?

• A game-changing pill and two new vaccines will bolster India’s fight against Covid variants.
• India has granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to Serum Institute of India’s Covovax, Biological E’s Corbevax and antiviral Covid-19 pill molnupiravir in a significant move.

About the vaccine and pills

• The new vaccines could possibly be used as booster shots in the days to come. With this nod, the number of Covid vaccines which have received emergency use authorisation is now eight.
• Six COVID-19 vaccines — Serum Institute’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D, Russia’s Sputnik V and the US-made Moderna and Johnson and Johnson — had already received EUA from the Indian drug regulator earlier.

Why in news?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed a rally in Mandi and said that the hydropower projects inaugurated are a part of the climate-friendly new India and aim at conserving the environment.

About Hydropower projects

• Modi addressed the rally in Himachal Pradesh after inaugurating 287 investment projects worth over Rs 28,197 crores.
• Modi also laid the foundation of the Rs 6,700-crore Renukaji Dam project along with several other developmental projects. The dam will substantially add to the water supply of Delhi. The Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project, Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project and Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Power Project were also inaugurated. These projects aim to tap the hydropower potential of the region and are worth Rs 11,281 crore.

Why in news?

• President Ram Nath Kovind recently unveiled a statue of late P.N. Panicker at Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram and said he wanted to remove the evil of illiteracy.

About the P N Panicker statue

• President Ram Nath Kovind said that Panicker made libraries and literacy a movement of the people.
• The President said Panicker spread an important message – “Vayichu Valaruka” which means “Read and Grow”.

Why in news?

• A Japanese professor has developed a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate food flavours, another step towards creating a multi-sensory viewing experience.

About ‘tele-taste’ TV screen

• The device, called Taste the TV (TTTV), uses a carousel of 10 flavour canisters that spray in combination to create the taste of a particular food. The flavour sample then rolls on hygienic film over a flat TV screen for the viewer to try.
• In the COVID-19 era, this kind of technology can enhance the way people connect and interact with the outside world, said Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita.
• Its goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home.

Why in news?

• Under Mission Sagar, INS Kesari delivers 500 tonnes of food aid to Mozambique. It is the eighth such deployment under Mission Sagar and is being conducted in close coordination with the ministry of external affairs, and other central government agencies.

About the deployment of INS Kesari

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari recently reached Port of Maputo, Mozambique to deliver 500 tonnes of food aid under Mission Security and Growth for All in the Region (Sagar). It is the eighth such deployment under Mission Sagar and is being conducted in close coordination with the ministry of external affairs, and other central government agencies.
• India also remains committed in supporting the capacity building efforts of the Armed Forces of Mozambique. To this end Kesari is carrying two Fast Interceptor Craft and self-defence equipment to be handed over to the Armed Forces of Mozambique.
• INS Kesari undertook similar missions between May and June 2020 to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros. The aid also included the deployment of medical assistance teams of the Indian Navy in multiple locations during the initial days of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).

Why in news?

• The 2021 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy was the sixth edition of the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy, a men’s field hockey tournament for the six best Asian national teams organized by the Asian Hockey Federation.

About Men’s Asian Champions Trophy

• It was originally scheduled to be held in from 17 to 27 November 2020 at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The tournament got postponed again and again and was eventually held from 14 to 22 December 2021.

Why in news?

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for Defence Technology & Test Centre and BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre, established by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh recently.

About foundation stone for Defence Technology & Test Centre and BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre

• The foundation for the two units was laid in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath. A first-of-its-kind Defence Technologies & Test Centre (DTTC), over approximately 22 acres is being set up to accelerate the growth of the defence and aerospace manufacturing clusters in Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC).
• It will consist of the following six subcentres:
• Deep-Tech Innovation & Startup Incubation Centre
• Design & Simulation Centre
• Testing & Evaluation Centre
• Centre for Industry 4.0/Digital Manufacturing
• Skill Development Centre
• Business Development Centre
• The BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-of-art facility in the Lucknow node of UP DIC. It will cover over 200 acres and produce the new BRAHMOS-NG (Next Generation) variant, which carries forward the lineage of the BRAHMOS weapons system. This new centre would be ready over the next two to three years and will commence production at a rate of 80-100 BRAHMOS-NG missiles per year.

Why in news?

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur unveiled a statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 97th birth anniversary on the Mall Road in Manali today. The statue has been constructed at a cost of Rs 44 lakh.
• The CM also addressed a public gathering at Prini village that has Vajpayee’s residence. He said the people of Kullu district in particular and people of the state in general were fortunate that Vajpayee had special love and showered benevolence on the state and its people.
• Atal Tunnel was the vision of the former Prime Minister which had virtually transformed the economy of the tribal district of Lahaul & Spiti and was strategically very important.
• Sushasan Divas’ (Good Governance Day) as a mark of respect to the former Prime Minister. He said several schemes of the state government had been named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a mark of respect to the beloved leader of the masses

Why in news?

• The government had included the Lug valley under the “Nai Rahein, Nai Manzilein” scheme to develop untouched tourism spots in the region, said DC Ashutosh Garg.
• Mathasaur was a beautiful place where tourists could be attracted and asked the department to prepare a proposal for ropeway for this site from Bhalyani
• Brown trouts were found in the valley’s natural springs and streams and there was a need to publicise it. “Efforts will be made to bring the valley on the tourism map by creating basic facilities for the tourists.”

Why in news?

• It is also Himachal’s first-ever domestic title. Rishi Dhawan’s team defeated the southern outfit by 11 runs after bad light stopped the play and the VJD method was applied to decide the winner.
• Shubham Arora’s unbeaten knock of 136 (131 balls; 13×4, 1×6) helped Himachal Pradesh to beat Tamil Nadu to clinch their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title in Jaipur on Sunday
• Himachal Pradesh seamers made the most of the early seam movement and left Tamil Nadu reeling at 40-4 . Baba Aprajith (2), Narayan Jagadeesan (9), R Sai Kishore (18) and Murugan Ashwin (7) fell cheaply.