Creators at Johns Hopkins envision ''gelbots'' crawling through human bodies to deliver medicine

• Gelbots are made out of gelatin, capable of moving without requiring an extra power source because of the way their shape, dimensions and patterning of gel are designed and are reportedly a significant advance in the world of soft robotics.
• They are created by 3D printing and would be easy for mass production.
• The gels swell or shrink in response to temperature.
• This property can be strategically manipulated to move robots forward and backwards on flat surfaces or to have them crawl in certain directions with an undulating, wave-like motion.

Potential application areas

• They can be used to create smart structures.
• Even they can be used for moving on surfaces through the human body to deliver targeted medicines.
• They could also be deployed as marine robots, patrolling and monitoring the ocean’s surface.
• Gelbots can be trained to crawl in response to variations in human biomarkers and biochemical.

Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) recently said more than 5,000 internships have been offered under the TULIP.

The Urban Learning Internship Program (TULIP):

• TULIP is a programme for providing internship opportunities to fresh graduates in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Smart Cities across the country.
• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has developed this programme.
• At the State level, TULIP will be supported by the Urban Development departments in providing a clear roadmap for the ULBs/smart cities to adopt TULIP in their respective organisations.
• Duration: Internship durations can range from eight weeks to one year.

TULIP:

• Enhanced employability through “learning by doing” and opportunity to co-create innovation for cities.
• TULIP interns would get exposure in a large number of areas including but not limited to urban planning, urban design, different branches of engineering, information and technology, mobility, finance, social sector issues and environmental issues.
• Strengthen institutional capacity of the urban ecosystem and youth engagement towards urban initiatives, creating an ecosystem wherein youth can contribute towards building a liveable city.
• Skilled, high-quality workforce and innovative citizen-centric solutions that help them address critical challenges.

UIDAI HQ Building wins top Green Building Award

• UIDAI believes in and promotes the idea of recycling and reusing to reduce carbon footprint.
• It has been harnessing solar power to meet a portion of its energy consumption.
• It is recycling and reuses water and has been adhering to sustainable waste management practices.

GRIHA

• It is the national rating system of India for any completed building construction.
• It was jointly set up by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Objective: To help design green buildings and help evaluate the ''greenness'' of the buildings.

Parameters used in Rating:

• Site selection and planning
• Conservation and efficient utilization of resources
• Building operation and maintenance
• Innovation points

Production Linked Incentive Scheme (Tranche II) on ‘National programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules’, with an outlay of Rs. 19,500 crores approved

• The national programme on High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules aims to build an ecosystem for the manufacturing of high-efficiency solar PV modules in India.
• Associated Ministry: The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.
• Funding: Under it, the government has provided an outlay of Rs.19,500 crores for achieving manufacturing capacity.
• PLI will be disbursed for 5 years post commissioning of solar PV manufacturing plants on sales of high-efficiency solar PV modules from the domestic market will be incentivised.
• This programme will strengthen the Atamnirbhar Bharat initiative and generate employment.
• It will help in reducing the country’s import dependence in the area of Renewable Energy.

Centre urges States to create awareness and take steps for prevention of cervical cancer among girl students

• Cervical cancer starts in the cells of the cervix. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb).
• Various strains of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) play a role in causing most cervical cancer that is transmitted through sexual contact.
• When exposed to HPV, the body''s immune system typically prevents the virus from harming.
• In a small percentage of people the virus survives for years, contributing to the process that causes some cervical cells to become cancer cells.

HPV Vaccines:

• Quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil): It protects against four types of HPV (HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11). The latter two strains cause genital warts.
• Bivalent vaccine (Cervarix): It protects against HPV 16 and 18 only.
• Non-valent vaccine (Gardasil 9): It protects against nine strains of HPV.

Cervical cancer in India:

• In India, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, after breast cancer.
• India contributes the largest share of the global cervical cancer burden. India accounts for nearly one in every four deaths globally due to cervical cancer.

World Health Organisation’s Global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer proposes:

• The following 90-70-90 targets must be met by 2030 for countries to be on the path towards cervical cancer elimination:
  • 90% of girls are fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15 years.
  • 70% of women are screened with a high-performance test by 35 years of age and again by 45 years of age.
  • 90% of women identified with the cervical disease receive treatment (90% of women with pre cancer treated, and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed).