Notes:
After 18 years of research, the scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia and a team of Indian researchers have identified a new gene – called NAPRT1 – directly linked to schizophrenia. Using DNA from thousands of people in India, the team has found clues in the quest for the causes of schizophrenia, and for potential treatments. This study identified a gene that encodes an enzyme involved in vitamin B3 metabolism — we were also able to find this gene in a large genomic dataset of schizophrenia patients with European ancestry. The team of Indian researchers was led by R. Thara, co-founder and director of the Chennai-based Schizophrenia Research Foundation. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality.

Notes:
In India, the National Doctor’s Day (NDD) is observed every year on 1st of July to raise awareness about the importance of doctors and the crucial role they play in our day to day lives. The day aims at making the effort for helping medical professionals come closer and take their responsibilities more seriously and delicately. The day is also marked to honour the legendary physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. Dr Roy was a highly respected physician and a renowned freedom fighter. He is often considered the great architect of West Bengal, who founded five eminent cities, Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar, Ashokenagar, and Habra. The 2019 theme is “Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment”.

Notes:
In Maharashtra, the state government has decided to inter-link rivers to solve the crisis of drought. For Mumbai, the best option is the Damnganga-Pinjal river inter-linking project that will fulfill Mumbai’s water needs till 2060. The project proposes to divert excess water from reservoirs in the Damanganga basin to Mumbai through the Pinjal dam, built on the Pinjal river in Vaitarna basin.

Notes:
Under Puducherry smart city development plan, the Union Territory government has decided to introduce Bi-cycle sharing scheme in a couple of months. The registered users or customers can use bicycles to hop from one place to another within the boulevard area. The bicycles can be left at any of the docking stations after use. For the scheme, 100 spots have been identified for cycle docking stations. To begin with, 20 docking stations with 10 to 15 cycles each, are to be set up in places like beach promenade, Bharathi Park, Gandhi Thidal, Aurobindo ashram and railway station. The novel scheme is a boon to tourists who throng to Puducherry in thousands whose number swells to several thousand on weekends. The project under the public-private partnership model will be operationalised after a suitable operator is found out through tender. This scheme is one among the 22 prioritised schemes of the Puducherry Smart City Project for which about 194 crore rupees would be spent.

Notes:
The Punjab & Sind Bank has set up the Centralised MSME & Retail Group (Cen-MARG) for credit facilities at its head office in New Delhi. Now, all MSME and retail credit approvals will be performed at this centralised set up. This will help branches focus better on lead generation for retail and MSME lending and enhanced customer service. The Cen-MARG would be linked with pan-India branches in a phased manner. It has been envisioned to ensure a qualitative improvement in credit appraisal, improved turnaround time, uniform documentation and efficient monitoring.

Notes:
The Tata Steel Kalinganagar (TSK) is the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN) of World Economic Forum (WEF). The lighthouses are chosen for their leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact. The factories were selected based on their success in integrating these technologies to increase efficiency and drive innovation. Tata Steel’s IJmuiden plant at Netherlands is already a member of this network. The TSK steel plant is the largest single-location greenfield steel project in India and is located at Jajpur district in Odisha.

Notes:
In Gujarat, India’s first design development centre ‘Fashionova’ has recently launched in Textile city Surat to provide a platform to apparel business aspirants. It offers scope to fulfil all business needs from co-working space, technicians, expert advice to cognitive workshops and industry exposure. The main objective of this centre is to provide a strong platform to all those who have a flair of the apparel business. It fulfills, on a large scale, all business needs from co-working space, technicians, expert advises to cognitive workshops and exposure to the industry.

Notes:
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas (KVD) on 26th of July 2019, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has released a Kargil Tribute Song at a function in New Delhi to honour, salute and pay homage to the Kargil martyrs and war veterans. The song has been composed by Mr Sammer Anjaan, renowned hindi lyricist and sung by Mr Shatadru Kabir. The music has been composed by Mr Raju Singh. The 20th anniversary celebrations are aimed at ‘Remembering their sacrifice’, ‘Rejoicing in their victory’ and ‘Renewing the pledge’ to go beyond the call of duty when called upon. Operation Vijay involved major operations to evict Pakistani intruders from Indian territory on the icy heights of Dras, Kargil, Batalik and Turtuk.

Notes:
Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed as Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He will oversee all cricket related activities at NCA and will be involved in mentoring, coaching, training and motivating players, coaches and support staff at the NCA. He will also work closely with the National men’s and women’s Head coaches and coaches for India Developmental teams including India A, India Under 19, India Under 23 teams — to identify key training methods and the areas for development. Dravid will also be responsible for monitoring progress of the developmental teams and provide necessary inputs on the same to the senior men’s and women’s head coaches.

Notes:
The Asia’s first Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines and High Altitude Rescue will be set up at Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand. It comes after Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat approved the proposal for establishing the mega Rs 750 crore mountain institute in Rudraprayag district of state. The institute will create 1,200 employment, Specialised healthcare, advance education and Rescue Training in the Uttarakhand. The purpose of the institute is to develop all type of research in Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga concerning High Altitude Mountains and to educate professionals in mountain medicines. The institute will also provide consultancy to the central and state government on key issues and help in promoting healthy lifestyle in mountains.