PIB 4th April

Contents:

1. NIF invite innovative citizens to participate in Challenge COVID-19 Competition (C3)
2. DST funded startup develops chemical free silver based disinfectant to fight COVID 19

NIF INVITE INNOVATIVE CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE IN CHALLENGE COVID-19 COMPETITION (C3)

Why in news?

National Innovation Foundation – India (NIF), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India has come up with a call inviting innovative citizens to participate in its Challenge Covid-19 Competition (C3).

Details:

• The NIF has invited interested innovators to send in their creative ideas and innovations for problems or issues like reducing transmission of Coronavirus. This will help supplement the efforts of the government in slowing or eliminating the spread further.
• Ideas are also invited for:
  • Gainful engagement of people at home
  • Ensuring healthy food for nutrition and boosting immunity, especially, at the time of lockdown when raw materials are limited, 
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Rapid diagnostic testing facilities for capacity building of healthcare. 
  • Solutions for the problems focussing on the varying needs of the differently-abled, people with special needs.
• The selected technological ideas and innovations will be supported through incubation and dissemination support from the governmental agencies.

Background:

1. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF)? (UPSC-2015)

1. NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology under the Central Government

2. NIF is an initiative to strengthen the highly advanced scientific research in India’s premier scientific institutions in collaboration with highly advanced foreign scientific institutions.

 Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

• NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology, Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
• It was set up in February 2000 to provide institutional support for scouting, sustaining, spawning and scaling up the grassroots innovations across the country.
• Since then, it has been actively engaged in promoting creativity and innovation in society. 
• It has taken major initiatives to serve knowledge-rich but economically poor people of the country.
• It is committed to making India innovative by documenting, adding value, protecting IPR of contemporary unaided technological innovators as well as of outstanding traditional knowledge-holders and disseminating their innovations on non-commercial and commercial basis

DST FUNDED STARTUP DEVELOPS CHEMICAL FREE SILVER BASED DISINFECTANT TO FIGHT COVID 19

Why in news?  

A Department of Science and Technology funded startup has developed chemical free silver based disinfectant to fight the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Details:

• Weinnovate Biosolutions, a Pune based startup supported jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT), has come up with a non-alcoholic aqueous-based Colloidal Silver solution for disinfecting hands and environmental surfaces.
• This liquid is noninflammable and free of hazardous chemicals and can be an effective sanitizer to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection.
• It has been developed through the NanoAgCide technology 
• This sanitizer is based on the ability of the silver nanoparticles to prevent the synthesis of viral negative-strand RNA and viral budding.
• An Indian patent has been filed for the process of making colloidal silver, and a test license for making hand sanitizers and disinfectants has been granted. 

Nanoparticles:

• Nanoparticles are rapidly emerging as effective solutions to a variety of issues related to COVID-19, from theranostics (therapy plus diagnostics) to disinfection and imaging. 
• The relevance of nanoparticles is owing to their size (less than 100 nm), which is comparable to that of COVID-19 virus, and a plethora of functionalities such as targeting and drug delivery that can be tailored to match the needs.