• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched the ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative.
• The move aims to enhance the efficiency of the Electronic Toll Collection system and provide seamless movement at the Toll Plazas.
• The new arrangement Of ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ has also been introduced to discourage user behaviour of using single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a particular vehicle.
• With a penetration rate of around 98 per cent and over eight crore users, FASTag has revolutionized the Electronic Toll Collection system in the country.

ABOUT FASTAGS

• FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly while the vehicle is in motion.
  • RFID is a method of wireless communication involving electromagnetic waves.
  • It utilises the principle of inductive coupling.
  • It has two components, tags and readers which do not need to be in line of sight to share information.
• FASTag (RFID Tag) is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables a customer to make the toll payments directly from the account which is linked to FASTag.

• Scientists at the University of Oxford in the U.K. have launched first-in-human vaccine trials for the deadly Nipah virus which impacts many Asian countries, including India.
• The trials of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine, consisting of 51 people aged 18 to 55, will be led by the Oxford Vaccine Group.
• The vaccine uses the ChAdOx1 platform, the same viral vector vaccine platform that was used for the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

ABOUT NIPAH VIRUS

• Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 with outbreaks in Malaysia and Singapore.
• Outbreaks have occurred in countries in Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India, with a recent one in Kerala in September last year.
• Nipah virus is carried by fruit bats and may also be transmitted by contact with infected animals (such as pigs) or from person-to-person via close contact.
• Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, and vomiting, with severe cases potentially leading to encephalitis, coma, and death.
• The virus, which is recognised by the World Health Organization as a priority disease requiring urgent research, belongs to the same family of paramyxoviruses as more well-known pathogens like measles.
• Nipah virus is a devastating disease that can be fatal in around 75% of cases.
• There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.

• India has recorded its first-ever confirmed record of a rare Tibetan Brown Bear.
• The bear was spotted in high altitudes of Northern Sikkim thanks to the camera traps installed by the Sikkim Forest Department and WWF-India.
• With this discovery, the nation’s animal diversity has increased by one subspecies.

ABOUT TIBETAN BROWN BEAR

• The Tibetan brown bear, also known as the Tibetan blue bear, is one of the rarest subspecies of bears in the world and is rarely sighted in the wild.
  • Only a few were sighted from Nepal, Bhutan, and the Tibetan plateau.
• It lives in high-altitude alpine forests, meadows, and steppe above 4000 m.
• The omnivore mainly feeds on marmots and alpine vegetation.
• The Tibetan brown bear is characterised by its yellowish scarf-like collar that broadens from the shoulders to the chest, very different from the more commonly found Himalayan black bear in appearance.
• Protection status
  • IUCN Red List- Endangered (Least Concern on global level )
  • WPA 1972- Schedule I
  • CITES- Appendix 1

• The Government of India has announced the “Rastriya Vigyan Puraskar” in the  field of Science, Technology and Innovation.
• The National Award recognizes outstanding and inspiring scientific, technological and innovation contributions of researchers, technologist and innovators.
• Nominations/Applications are invited for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) for individuals or in teams in various fields of science, technology and technology­ led innovation.
• The awards shall be given in following four categories-
  • Vigyan Ratna (VR): Maximum of three awards to be bestowed to recognize life time achievements & contributions made in given field of Science and Technology.
  • Vigyan Shri (VS): Maximum of 25 awards to be given to recognize the distinguished contributions in given field of Science and Technology.
  • Vigyan Yuva: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) award: Maximum of 25 awards to be given to recognize and encourage young scientists who made an exceptional contribution in given field of Science and Technology.
  • Vigyan Team (VT) award: Maximum of three awards may be awarded to a team comprising of three or more scientists/researchers/innovators who have made an exceptional contribution working in a team in given field of Science and Technology.
• The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar shall be given in the following 13 domains, namely:
  • Physics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Mathematics & Computer Science, Earth Science, Medicine, Engineering Sciences, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Technology & Innovation, Atomic Energy, Space Science and Technology, and Others.

• The National Framework of Climate Services was launched by India Meteorological Department as celebrates 150th Year of its establishment and service to the nation.
  • It is India’s version of the Global Framework for Climate Services adopted by the UN in 2012.
• It aims to maximise utilisation of climate information, as a part and parcel of all our activities, with special emphasis on disaster risk reduction, water, health, energy and agriculture management.
• It seeks to build a platform for users of climate information and services that will strengthen the production, availability, delivery and application of science-based climate monitoring and prediction services.
• It will also facilitate exchange of climatic information with international and regional partners, acting as “soft diplomacy” and establishing the India Meteorological Department as a “regional leader” in climate information.

OTHER LAUNCHES

• IMD’s mobile app, ‘Mausam’, that integrates all services offered by the weather office, was also launched.
• Weather Analysis and Forecast Enabling System (WAFES) Decision Support System — a platform for visualising weather forecasts and climate models of the IMD in an integrated manner, was also launched.
• Panchayat Mausam Sewa Portal to help farmers in planning their agricultural activities.

ABOUT IMD

• It is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects.
• It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Established- 1875
• HQ- New Delhi
• It is one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organisation.

• The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) conducted a maiden bilateral exercise, named ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’.
• The Indo-Thai Bilateral Exercise ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’ translates to ‘The Invincible One’ or ‘Undefeatable’, and “symbolises the significance of two of the oldest cities, Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand, the historic legacies, rich cultural ties and shared historical narratives dating back to several centuries.
• The Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise.
• The Royal Thai Navy side was represented by His Thai Majesty’s Ship (HTMS) Prachuap Khiri Khan.

• The Kerala Drug Control Department has launched Operation Amrith (AMRITH – Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention For Total Health) to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in the state.
• Operation Amrith is aimed at conducting surprise raids in retail medical shops for detecting over-the-counter (OTC) sale of antibiotics.

FACT

• The Kerala government was the first state in India that came up with the state action plan on AMR, Kerala Anti-Microbial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP), in 2018.
• Aligned with India’s National Action Plan on AMR, Kerala’s plan reflected a multi-sectoral approach.

• India’s First National Highway Steel Slag Road section on NH- 66 Mumbai-Goa National Highway was inaugurated recently.
• Steel Slag Road Technology, developed by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) is transforming the waste of steel industries into wealth and is helping the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to build stronger and ecofriendly national highways in the country.
• The bituminous steel slag road is constructed with 28% less thickness compared to conventional bituminous roads on NH-66.
• The construction process involved converting approximately 80,000 tons of CONARC Steel slag into processed steel slag aggregates.
  • These exhibit superior mechanical properties compared to natural aggregates and have been used in all layers of the road, replacing traditional natural aggregates.

• In 2022, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially declared 16^th January as National Startup Day.
• The Startup India initiative was inaugurated on 16 January 2016 to create a powerful and dynamic environment for startups that foster innovation by supporting them financially.
• Under the Startup India programme, startups in the country expanded from around 400 to 1.18 lakh.
• The National Startup Week or Startup India Innovation Week 2024 that commenced from January 10 to 16, revolves around the theme “Startups Unlocking Infinite Potential.”

• The indigenously developed and manufactured Astra Missiles were recently supplied to the Indian Air Force.

ABOUT ASTRA

• Astra is a beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
• It has been indigenously developed by DRDO and manufactured by BDL for the IAF.
• Astra Weapon System is said to be the best in its class weapon systems in the world in the category of Air-to-Air missiles.
• The missile has a range of 100 plus km.
• It is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets.