Corneas bioengineered from pig collagen can restore sight, study finds

• The implant was used to successfully restore the vision of 20 people in India and Iran, most of whom were blind due to keratoconus, a disease that leads to thinning of the cornea. The findings were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology on August 11.
• Researchers claim that there is a severe shortage of corneas, with only one available for 70 patients.
• As a substitute for human corneas, the researchers utilised medical-grade collagen derived from pig skin, a byproduct of the food industry that is already used in medical devices for glaucoma surgery.
• This is not only cheaper and easier to access than donated corneas, but requires a less invasive procedure and can be stored for a significantly longer period — up to two years, the study notes.

India contributes four lakh US dollars to Voluntary Trust Funds for support United Nations Human Rights

• India''s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Geneva in a tweet said that the contribution reflects India''s commitment in this regard.
• The four Trust Funds to which contribution has been made include the Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation, the Voluntary Fund for financial and technical assistance for the implementation of Universal Periodic Review, and the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to support the participation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDs) in the work of the council.

On August 16, Navroz or the Parsi New Year is being celebrated.

• It is the most widely celebrated festival of the Parsi community.
• This is seen as a harbinger of peace and prosperity. In Mumbai and its suburbs, which host a considerable population of Parsi community, the festival is celebrated with grand lunch and dinner with the best and finest variety of Parsi cuisine.
• Parisis see this festival as the great occasion to get together, eat and mingle.
• On this day, the Parsis visit the Agyaris or the fire temples to offer prayers. They feed the poor on this day, as the new year has to start on a good note. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar have greeted the people on the occasion.

Indian flag unfurled 30 kilometers above earth by Space Kidz India

• The flag was sent to an altitude of 1 lakh 6 thousand feet above the planet on a balloon that unfurled it.
• The event was part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav slogan and under the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate the historic anniversary.
• Space Kidz India is an organization creating ''young scientists for the country and spreading awareness among children for a borderless world.''
• The organization recently launched a satellite into Low Earth Orbit. AzadiSAT was developed by 750 girl students from across India to mark the 75 years of Independence.

NHA announces performance-based fund allocation to states UTs for strengthening registries of healthcare professionals

• This performance-based fund allocation will help in structured implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• CEO of National Health Authority Dr RS Sharma said, the benefits of digital health services can be further extended to masses with the enthusiastic support from the States and UTs in registering more healthcare professionals and health facilities.
• He said, States and UTs support will help in building national-level registries of healthcare professionals and health facilities. Five hundred crore rupees had been demarcated for setting up of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission''s offices at State and UTs by the financial year 2025-26.

Indian Bureau of Mines to create individual portal for Mines

• The Ministry highlighted that two data layers of the portal have been created so far.
• The first layer covers the spatial data of Mineral concessions and the second layer includes mineral auction blocks.
• It said that spatial data of around over three thousand mining leases covering over two lakh ninety-seven thousand Hectare area all over the country have been uploaded on the portal.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hands over several indigenous defence equipment to Indian Army

• Future Infantry Soldier, new generation anti-personnel mine, upgraded sights system for tanks, high mobility Infantry Protected Vehicles and Assault Boats are among the state-of-the-art equipment’s.
• The equipment/systems have been jointly developed by Indian Army in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Industry, in line with the Prime Minister''s vision to modernise the Armed Forces, under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.

Dharmendra Pradhan urges citizens to participate in National Curriculum Framework survey

• He said, a dynamic National Curriculum Framework in line with the National Education Policy- 2020 will play a major role in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat.
• Ministry of Education has invited suggestions of the public through an online public consultation survey for the formulation of National Curriculum Framework and subsequently design of syllabus, textbooks and other instructional materials.
• The Government has announced the National Education Policy in July 2020, which recommends quality improvement of the system of education through the development of a National Curriculum Framework.
• The process of the Framework has been started through the constitution of the District Consultation Committees, State Focus Groups, and State Steering Committee, National Focus Groups and National Steering Committee.