RSTV: SCIENCE MONITOR 27.02.

2021
insightsonindia.com/2021/04/06/rstv-science-monitor-27-02-2021

Insights Editor April 6, 2021

National Science Day:

28th February is celebrated as National Science Day (NSD) in India.

NSD is celebrated to commemorate discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’, which led to
Sir C.V. Raman winning the Noble Prize.
The first National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 1987.
Theme: “Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work”.
Raman Effect
A phenomenon in spectroscopy discovered by the eminent physicist Sir
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1928.
Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a
light beam is deflected by molecules.
When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical
compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of
the incident (incoming) beam.
Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however,
has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a result
of the Raman Effect.

Paper Based sensors for detecting anti- microbial resistance:

Scientists have developed a paper-based sensor that can detect antimicrobials or

antibiotics that have an inhibitory effect on bacteria in water bodies by a see and tell
mechanism.

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 As the world is tackling the effects of one pandemic, the scientific community has
warned that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) could be the next big pandemic, and
this would involve a battle with several pathogens.
Water bodies are the major source for the dissemination and transfer of AMR.
Periodic monitoring of antimicrobials and antibiotic-resistant genes is the key to
assess the current situation of AMR in India. In these conditions, low cost and field-
deployable sensors to detect antimicrobials in water bodies could be a viable tool
for environmental surveillance.
The novel strategy for low-cost fabrication of the robust Laser Printed- Microfluidics
Paper-Based Analytical Sensors developed by IIT Madras will help detecting
antimicrobials easily in the parts per million range. It will also help understand the
relationship between AMR and AMR triggering pollutants and assist policymakers in
framing solutions to tackle grand societal AMR challenge.
Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India- Water
Technology Initiative in bilateral collaboration with UK’s Natural Environment
Research Council (NERC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) under Indo UK Water Quality Research Programme, has
supported IIT Madras to develop the sensors.
The novel strategy of combining adsorption based pre-concentration using reagents
that undergo a measurable color change enabled parts per billion level detection of
antimicrobials. The process utilizes the easily available laser printer and hence
offers tremendous potential for large scale sensor fabrication. It could enable
community-driven microfluidics

Self Reliant India to get a big push with next generation maps:

The Ministry of Science and Technology has released new guidelines for the Geo-
spatial sector in India, which deregulates existing protocol and liberalises the sector
to a more competitive field.
Under the new guidelines:
The sector will be deregulated and aspects such as prior approvals for
surveying, mapping and building applications based on that have been done
away with.
For Indian entities, there will be complete deregulation with no prior approvals,
security clearances and licences for the acquisition and production of
geospatial data and geospatial data services, including maps.

Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM):

VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including
sea-skimming targets.
It has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO for the Indian Navy.
The canister-based state-of-the-art weapon system has a strike range of about 40
km.

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