US wants to ban menthol cigarettes

• Menthol cigarettes see a disproportionately high usage in the African American community than by White Americans.
• The FDA’s move, thus, has been welcomed by many as likely to help reduce the burden of tobacco-related ailments specifically in the Black population.

Why does the FDA consider menthol cigarettes especially dangerous?

• The agency says menthol, with its minty taste and aroma, reduces the irritation and harshness of smoking. This increases appeal and makes menthol cigarettes easier to use, particularly for youth and young adults.
• Menthol also interacts with nicotine in the brain to enhance nicotine’s addictive effects, while making it more difficult for people to quit smoking.
• The agency said “modeling studies have estimated a 15 per cent reduction in smoking within 40 years” if menthol cigarettes were banned.
• Apart from menthol, all other flavours in cigarettes were banned in the US in 2009.

India''s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

• The yard is in the process of setting up a new drydock, with a 600-tonne gantry crane, capable of handling vessels up to Suezmax, aircraft carriers of 70,000 tonnes displacement, Jack-up rigs and LNG vessels.
• The International Ship Repair Facility being established by the Shipyard will have a 6,000-tonne shiplift, six work stations, besides a total outfitting berth of 1,500 metres.
• The Shipyard enjoys 40 per cent market share of the country''s ship building industry and has so far built and exported 47 vessels to countries like Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, United States, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Govt to launch indigenously developed e-commerce network

• Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal announced the test-launch of the open-source system. In a tweet, Mr Goyal said, after UPI, another game-changing idea to democratise commerce - ONDC.
• Additional Secretary in the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) Anil Agrawal said, the project is massive as it will provide a wide choice to all consumers and retailers and the formal launch will take place after successful testing of the system.
• He said, end-to-end testing is being done to create a playbook with an aim to launch it in 100 cities in six months. The initial test launch, which was started in Bengaluru, will also cover cities such as Delhi, Coimbatore, Bhopal and Shillong.
• The system will have multiple choices for both retailers and customers in terms of cataloguing, inventories, warehousing, suppliers, logistics and payments.

Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated SemiconIndia Conference 2022

• The flagship conclave with the theme Catalyzing India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem, is being held in Bengaluru from 29th April to 1st May 2022.
• Inaugurating the conference, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India said, We have earmarked USD 10 billion for India Semiconductor Mission and are creating an environment that encourages growth to create a vibrant semiconductor ecosystem and steer India into the future.”
• The conference aligns with the larger national narratives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat and is pegged as the launchpad to India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
• IESA launched an industry report on ‘Semiconductor manufacturing supply chain – India’s opportunity in the global market”.

During the conference, the below Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were inked:

• MOU signed between SEMI and ELCINA to promote semiconductor ecosystem in India
• MOU between CDAC and Qualcomm for partnership in semiconductors which will target semiconductor design startups, in line with the objectives of the PLI scheme
• MOU between AICTE and SEMI and ISM for training and skilling tech workforce for the semiconductor sector

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 launches National Behaviour Change Communication Framework for Garbage Free Cities

• Now, under SBM-U 2.0, the newly launched ‘National Behaviour Change Communication Framework for Garbage Free Cities’ shall serve as a guiding document and blueprint for States and Cities to undertake large scale multimedia campaigns along with intensive and focused inter-personal communication campaigns.
• The framework focuses on intensifying messaging around the key focus areas of source segregation, collection, transportation, and processing of waste, plastic waste management, and remediation of legacy dumpsites to truly transform the urban landscape of India.

ATAL NEW INDIA CHALLENGE 2.0

• Atal New India Challenge is a flagship program of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
• The program aims to seek, select, support and nurture technology-based innovations that solve sectoral challenges of national importance and societal relevance.
• One of the primary goals of the ANIC program is to support innovations in areas critical to India’s development and growth – Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Food Processing, Housing, Energy, Mobility, Space Application etc.
• Launching the Challenge, Dr S. Chandrasekar, Secretary, DST in his address said that Government will hand-hold the path breaking innovations and asked the start-ups to take up hard challenges.
• The Atal New India Challenge aims to address the Commercialization Valley of Death - supporting innovators scale over the risks associated with access to resources for testing, piloting and market creation.

Mission SAGAR IX: India sends Medical Aid to Sri Lanka

• Mission SAGAR IX: INS Gharial reaches Colombo, delivers critical medical aid to Sri Lanka
• It delivered over 760 kgs of 107 types of critical lifesaving medicines. The shipment was received by Sri Lankan Health Minister Channa Jayasumana.
• In line with the Government''s vision of SAGAR - Security And Growth for All in the Region - the Indian Navy undertakes several deployments titled Mission SAGAR to assist friendly countries.
• Since May 2020, the Indian Navy has successfully concluded eight such missions, deploying ten ships to 18 Friendly Foreign Countries