• 11 Jan 2022

South African variant Omicron BA.2 found in Patna

Why In News

• Recently, the genetic pattern BA.2 of the South African Omicron variant has been found in Patna, the capital of Bihar. This variant is contagious and is rapidly infecting people.

Key Points

• After its spread in South Africa, scientists and experts of the World Health Organization have described it as seven times more infectious than the delta variant. However, according to experts, it is less lethal than Delta.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are three variants (ba.1, ba.2 and ba.3) in the Omicron variant (basic B.1.1.529) of the Pango lineage. The ba.2 mutant is also known as 'Omicron-like' and is more difficult to identify.
• BA.1 and BA.3 have a 69–70 deletion in the spike protein, whereas BA.2 does not. Due to this deletion, these sub-variants are successful in bypassing existing vaccines and they spread rapidly.
• Scientists from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACAG) of the Department of Biotechnology (DOB) said that out of these three sub-variants, the presence of BA.1 and BA.2 is being found more in genome sequencing in India. In this too, especially BA.1 is fast replacing the delta and most of the cases are being found in Maharashtra and many other states. BA.3 is not yet available in India.
• Significantly, due to the dense population in Bihar and India, its infection is spreading very fast. The speed with which this infection is spreading can break the previous record of getting the number of infected in a day.
• At the same time, due to its recent spread in India, till now the fatal form has not come to the fore. Only mild symptoms are being seen in the infected so far. Instead of the lungs, this infection is seen going directly from the windpipe to the stomach in most cases. That's why this time the serious victims of shortness of breath are rarely seen.
• The only way to avoid this is to include Corona standards in your practice.

Panchayats of the State Will be Rewarded on the Basis of Grading

Why In News

• On January 10, 2022, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the grading of the works of the Panchayats will be done and the Panchayats which are doing good work will be rewarded. The development plan of every panchayat has been prepared, 'Smart Villages' will be made by implementing it.

Key Points

• The Chief Minister said these things while reviewing the works of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in Mantralaya. He also inaugurated a 'Mobile App' made by the department for garbage collection and transportation from village to village.
• The Chief Minister said that 127 'Didi Cafes' are running successfully as self-help centers by self-help groups in the state. In the coming time, 'Didi Cafe' will also be opened at places like Vallabh Bhawan, Vindhyachal, Satpura etc.
• 28 plastic collection centers are being opened in the state, which will be operated by women of self-help groups. Waste plastic is being used in the construction of about 9 thousand kilometers of roads in the state.
• The Chief Minister directed to form village organizations in all 45 thousand villages under the State Rural Livelihood Mission. At present there are 32 thousand 874 village organizations in the state.
• He said that 'Gram Foundation Day' would be celebrated every year in every village to restore the history, pride, identity, culture, great men etc. of every village.
• The Chief Minister said that under the Swachh Bharat Mission, a target has been set to make all the villages of the state 'ODF-plus' by the year 2024-25. So far 1154 villages of the state have been made 'ODF-plus'.

Rowing Academy Got 7 Medals in the National Tournament

Why In News

• In the 39^th Senior and 23^rd Open Sprint National Rowing Championships held at Army Rowing Node, Pune on January 9, 2022, the players of Madhya Pradesh State Rowing Academy earned a total of seven medals including 1 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 Bronze.

Key Points

• Academy player Khushpreet Kaur earned one gold and one silver medal in the women's singles sculls event.
• The pair of Rukmani Dangi and Jyoti Kushwaha won two silver medals in the women's coxless pair event.
• Academy players Mehul Krishnani, Ajay Singh, Rohit Sendhav and Sohail earned silver medals in the men's coxless four event.
• The pair of Mangal Singh and Tarun Dangi won the bronze medal in the Men's Double Skull event. The pair of Mangal Singh and Monika Bhadauria won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles sculls event.

India Skill-2021 National Competition

Why In News

• The winners of India's biggest India Skill-2021 National Competition were felicitated in New Delhi on January 10, 2022. In this, the players of the Haryana team got 11 medals.

Key Points

• Competitions were organized at several places including Pragati Maidan from January 7 to 9 as per the COVID-19 protocol mandated by the local authorities and the state government. And from January 3 to 5, eight skill competitions were organized in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
• It may be noted that Haryana will represent the country in the upcoming World Skill Competition-2022 to be held in China.
• Haryana team got three gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal and three medals of excellence. Sonu Lather from Haryana bagged gold medal in Auto Body Repair, Anuraj in R&AC and Manish Kumar in Welding category.
• Kaishav Kaundal in Cooking, Devika Jhunjhunwala in Industry Design and Abhay and Viyapu Nagarjuna in Mechatronics category won silver medals. Jagat Yadav has got a Bronze Medal in Restaurant Services.
• Akash in R&AC, Samarpika in Beauty Therapy and Akhilesh Kumar in Industrial Control category have won medals of excellence.
• It is noteworthy that the Haryana Government has established the country's first Vishwakarma Skill University at Dudhola, Palwal with the aim of developing skills along with education for the youth of the state. In this, various types of skill training are being given to the youth.
• It is worth mentioning that the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the direction of the Ministry of Skill Development and India, leads and organizes skill competitions every two years. Skilled youth from different States/UTs compete in their respective skills.