Current Affairs 27th March 2019

Current Affairs 27th March 2019 - Important Points

• Fresh drugs and clinical trials rules notified on - 25th March 2019
• CBSE to include AI, yoga as - Fresh subjects
• Pakistan sanctioned Sharada Peeth Corridor on - 25th March 2019
• Indian Navy’s nuclear training facility launched  on - 25th March 2019
• Chandrayaan-2 to carry - NASA instruments
• IPL witnesses its first - Mankading 
• IOC-BPRL acquires oil block in - Abu Dhabi
• ISRO opens registration for - Young Scientist Program
  Current Affairs 27th March 2019 - Details

Fresh drugs and clinical trials rules notified on - 25th March 2019

The Union Health Ministry on March 25th, 2019 informed the fresh Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 to encourage clinical research in the nation. The guidelines diminish the time for appreciative applications to 30 days for medicine manufactured in India and 90 days for those industrialized outside the nation.
Important Highlights

• The fresh guidelines will apply to clinical trial, bio-availability/bio-equivalence study, fresh medicines and  regulation of ethics committee relating to clinical trial and biomedical health research. 
• These guidelines provide for the clearance of clinical trial applications by approval/ rejection / seeking   further data within 30 days for medicine produced in India and 90 days for medicine produced outside India. 
• In case of no communication from DCGI, the application will be considered to have been sanctioned.
• The need of a local clinical trial may be surrendered for sanction of a fresh medicine if it is sanctioned and  marketed in any of the countries to be itemized by the Drugs Controller General with the endorsement of the government.
• The local clinical trial may also be ignored if the application is for import of a fresh medicine for which the Drugs Controller General of India had already approved permission to conduct a global clinical trial which is continuing in India and in the meantime the fresh medicine has been sanctioned for marketing in a nation specified by the Drugs Controller General of India and certain other conditions.
• In case of injury to a clinical trial subject, medical management will be delivered as long as needed
  according to the opinion of the investigator/till such time it is recognized that the injury is not related to the clinical trial. 
• Also, the reimbursement in cases of death/permanent disability/other injury to a trial subject will be
  finalised by the Drug Controller General.

CBSE to include AI, yoga as - Fresh subjects

The Central Board of Secondary Education has finalised to introduce Artificial Intelligence, early childhood care education and yoga as fresh subjects in the school prospectus from the next academic session. 
Significance
In case a student miscarries in any one of the 3 elective subjects including science, maths and social science, then it will be replaced by the skill subject, which is offered as a 6th subject and the result of Class X will be calculated based on the best 5 subjects.
At the same time, if students wish to reappear in the failed subject, they may appear along with the
compartment examination.
Important Highlights 

• Central Board of Secondary Education would be introducing AI as an optional 6th subject in Class IX from the 2019-2020 session onwards.
• The CBSE has finalised that schools may begin Artificial Intelligence ‘inspire module’ of 12 hours in Class 8th itself, to augment the multidisciplinary approach in teaching learning and also to sensitise the upcoming generation.
• Further, the board has finalised to announce yoga and early childhood education as elective subjects at the senior secondary level.
• As per to the standards, a skill subject, at the secondary level, may be offered as an extra 6th subject along with the present 5 compulsory subjects.

Pakistan sanctioned Sharada Peeth Corridor on - 25th March 2019

Pakistan government on March 25th, 2019 sanctioned a proposal to open the Sharada Peeth Corridor for Hindu pilgrims. Pakistan government to start a corridor that will permit Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Sharada Peeth located in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Sharada Peeth is a prehistoric Hindu temple and cultural site in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. This would be 2nd religious corridor after Kartarpur Sahib that will join the both neighbouring nations.
More about Sharada Peeth

• Recognized in 237 BC during the reign of Ashoka, the 5000 years old Sharada Peeth is an unrestrained  temple and ancient centre of learning, dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning.
• Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was one of the leading temple education places of the Indian subcontinent.
• The temple is also observed as a Shakti Peeth, a shrine constructed on places where body parts of Sati Devi had fallen while being carried by her husband Lord Shiva. A famous pond near Sharada Peeth is recognized as “madomati”.
• It is supposed that its water holds great reputation as the water of the Katasraj temple (in Pakistan) for the Hindu community.
• In the year 1030 CE, the historian traveller Al-Biruni paid visit to Kashmir. As per him, there was a wooden idol of Sri Sharada Devi in the temple.
• He associated the temple to the Multan Sun Temple, Vishnu Chakraswamin temple at Thanesar and Somnath temple.

Indian Navy’s nuclear training facility launched  on - 25th March 2019

The Indian Navy's state of the art Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Training Facility- NBCTF was started on March 25th, 2019 by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba at INS Shivaji, Lonavala.
The training facility has been termed ABHEDYA, which means impenetrable in Sanskrit. The Goa Shipyard Limited had inked the agreement with the Indian Navy for the building of the facility in March 2016.
Important Highlights

• The steel structure of the emulator represents the relevant Nuclear, Biological and Chemical compartment of the ship for example upper decks, citadels, cleansing stations and DCHQ.
• The upper deck section is fitted with live agents along with Nuclear, Biological and Chemical apparatus including SIRS, SICADS and other Nuclear, Biological and Chemical detection and monitoring equipment.
• The trainees will have to detect, monitor, review and decontaminate the areas using actual Nuclear,
  Biological and Chemical equipment, providing real-time Nuclear, Biological and Chemical scenarios.

Chandrayaan-2 to carry - NASA instruments

Chandrayaan-2, the 2nd moon mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation, will be carrying laser retroreflector arrays owned by the United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
Besides Chandrayaan 2, the laser retroreflector arrays will also be carried to the Moon aboard the Israeli lander Beresheet, which is due to touch down on April 11th, 2019. The proclamation regarding the same was done during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference organised in Texas in the 3rd week of March 2019.
Laser retroreflector

• The laser retroreflector arrays permits scientists to make precise measurements of the distance to the Moon.
• Retroreflectors are basically erudite mirrors that enable scientists on Earth to shoot them with lasers and  observe the light that is reflected back. 
• These signals will assist scientists in surely locating the lander and can be utilised to calculate the distance from Earth to the Moon.

IPL witnesses its first - Mankading 

The mega celebration of Cricket, Indian Premier League perceived its 1st ever Mankading in its history in the match of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals opener batsman Jos Buttler became the 1st victim of ‘Mankading’ in the history of the IPL.
Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the Rajasthan Royals opener batsman Jos
Buttler via mankading.
Mankading
Mankading is a kind of dismissal witnessed in the game of cricket. Mankading is the situation where a
bowler run-out a non-striker player by hitting the bails before bowling when the non-striker player is
outside the crease, without warning.
Even though it is a legal way of dismissing the batsman, however, it is considered as immoral and against
the spirit of the game.
Reason behind name Mankading
The name Mankading is consequent from the fact that for the 1st time Indian bowler Vinoo Mankad had
dismissed Bill Brown from Australia, by take away the bails when the non-striker batsman was away from the crease during India’s tour of Australia in 1947. Hence the dismissal is termed after the Indian
Cricketer Vinoo Mankad.

IOC-BPRL acquires oil block in - Abu Dhabi

The consortium of State-owned Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat PetroResources Ltd, Urja Bharat Pte Ltd has attained an oil block in Abu Dhabi, where the 2 units will invest USD 170 million money.
The procurement of the oil block by the consortium of State-owned IOC and BPRL, Urja Bharat Pte Ltd characters the entry of Indian Oil Corporation as a joint operator in the highly prospective United Arab Emirates region.

More about the Acquisition

• Urja Bharat Pte Ltd has been presented 100% share in the Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 Concession.
  Both Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat PetroResources Ltd hold 50% each in Urja Bharat Pte Ltd.
• Urja Bharat Pte Ltd will make an investment of USD 170 million for the survey activities and the franchise is awarded for the period of 4 years effective from the date of March 24th, 2019.
• Onshore Block 1 covers an area of 6162 sq.kms around Ruwais field and includes already exposed but undeveloped fields.
• This Onshore Block 1 is situated in the Al Dhafra region around Ruwais City and the refining complex, counting the coastal region to the west.
• There are 2 existing undeveloped oil as well as gas fields in the area, named Ruwais and Mirfa, which will be appraised by the consortium.

ISRO opens registration for - Young Scientist Program

Indian Space Research Organisation has opened the registration for freshly launched  Young Scientist
Program. The program also mentioned to as ‘YUva VIgyani KAryakram’- Yuvika, is intended at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the young minds with the aim of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space events. The Yuvika program goals to catch them young by delivering residential training of about 2 weeks duration during the summer holidays.
Selection for the Program
The selection for the program is based on their performance from 8th Standard marks. Those who have
just completed 9th standard in the academic year 2018-19 and waiting to enter in 10th standard / those who have started 10th Standard just now, are qualified for the program and selection is based on both academic as well as extracurricular activities performance with special preference given to students from rural areas. Those interested can register through the link- https://yuvika.isro.gov.in/yuvika/